If education is to be meaningful it needs to result in something deep and durable. It needs to last beyond the moment. In the moment enjoyments are, as it says, momentary. They are important to us. But this is not what learning is. To learn something is to be changed in some way that lasts beyond the immediate. If we come across ‘in the moment’ encounters along the way, then this can enhance our experience. But it is the lasting change that makes learning purposeful.
Learning enables us to see the world in a new way. This might be about physical aspects. Perhaps before we only saw trees, now we see elms, oaks and sycamores. Or perhaps a little more profound – once seeing wrong choices taken, now we see the historical roots of deeply institutionalised patterns of injustice.
As we learn to see in new ways, we are changed. Our minds are changed, physically. This is about schemata becoming more complex and connected.
Some knowledge is more powerful, and thus more empowering than others. An example is knowledge that enables pupils to predict, explain, envisage, and think in different ways. What we know is that a well-sequenced curriculum will support pupils to learn effectively. It will help pupils build their knowledge and skills on solid ground, with their schemata developing robustly.
With such knowledge comes great responsibility (shades of Spiderman). There is a danger of ‘brainwashing’ or ‘indoctrination’. Perhaps this is where a well thought through PSHE curriculum, together with effective provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, will help pupils be well prepared for their future lives.
Join the discussion on LinkedIn.
___
More About BST…
The BST process enables you as school leaders to articulate your ambition for pupils in your school and identify clear processes that will bring this from vision to reality. This approach to school development and self-evaluation places ambitions, like empowering school leadership, at the centre of your school thinking. Used wisely, it will complement current monitoring and evaluation work.
There are three versions available; Primary (including Early Years), Secondary (including Sixth Form) and All Through.
If you are interested or would like to find out more about BST, you can find more insight here. Alternatively, you can get in touch with the team directly, and we would be happy to discuss BST with you.