Functional and Personal Learning and Thinking Skills - supporting

learning

John Pallister

26th January 2009

By the end of the session you will:

• know what Functional Skills and Personal Learning and Thinking skills are and how they fit into the new curriculum

• know how Functional Skills are being piloted at Wolsingham

• have considered how Functional Skills and PLTs can support learning

Activity 1

• Design a hat that will become part of the uniform

for all students at Wolsingham.

• Make a prototype using the materials available

on your table.

• You have 10 minutes to design and make your

prototype. The hat must fit the head of one

member of the group who will be expected to

wear the hat.

“Nationally, our challenge is to create a curriculum that:

• raises achievement in all subjects, particularly in English and mathematics

• equips learners with the personal, learning and thinking skills they will need to succeed in education, life and work

• motivates and engages learners• enables a smooth progression from primary, through secondary and beyond

• encourages more young people to go on to further and higher education

• gives schools the flexibility to tailor learning to individual and local needs

• ensures that assessment supports effective teaching and learning

• provides more opportunities for focused support and challenge where needed.”

http://curriculum.qca.org.uk/key-stages-3-and-4/organising-your-curriculum/the_secondary_curriculum/index.aspx

Why are we talking about PLTs?

The Big Picture

A curriculum that values skills

• “continues to recognise the importance of subjects while at the same time it places emphasis on the development of skills for life and work.”

• “Functional skills of English, mathematics and ICT have been built into the curriculum, and the key processes sections in the programmes of study highlight the essential skills that learners need in order to make progress and achieve in each subject.”

http://curriculum.qca.org.uk/key-stages-3-and-4/developing-your-curriculum/what_has_changed_and_why/index.aspx

Coupled with a Personalisation Agenda

“For learners it means being engaged not just with the content of what

is being taught but being involved with the learning process, understanding what they need to do to improve and taking responsibility for furthering their own progress.” http://curriculum.qca.org.uk/organising-your-curriculum/personalisation/?return=http%3A//curriculum.qca.org.uk/search/index.aspx%3FfldSiteSearch%3Dpersonalised+learning

Personal Learning and Thinking skills

• independent enquirers• creative thinkers• reflective learners• team workers• self-managers• effective participators.

defined as six groups of skills:

Reflective learners are expected to "evaluate their strengths and limitations, setting themselves realistic goals with criteria for success”. They have to “monitor their own performance and progress, inviting feedback from others".

As Self-managers the same learners

• will be expected to "organise themselves, showing personal responsibility, initiative, creativity and enterprise with a commitment to learning and self-improvement"

A process?

Reflective learners and Self-managers will need to use a Plan, Do and Review cycle

Independent enquirers?

• "process and evaluate information in their investigations,"

• InvestigationsInvestigations - they need to plan "what to do and how to go about it."

Effective participators

• "propose practical ways forward, breaking these down

into manageable steps"

– will need to engage in some analysis and employ some problem

solving strategies.

• "identify improvements that would benefit others as well

as themselves"

– they will need to review and reflect on what they, or others have

done or proposed. – an Effective participator must also be a reflective learner

Team workers

• "collaborate with others to work towards

common goals“

– working towards a common goal will involve some

element of problem solving (collaborative)

– Problem solving relies on the Plan, Do and Review

process

– Team workers will need to use the Plan, Do, Review

process

Creative thinkers

• "try different ways to tackle a problem, working with others to find imaginative solutions"

– they will need to solve problems – problem Solving will require them to follow the

Plan, Do, Review cycle

PLTs require learners to:• reflect on their learning • Solve problems• Work collaboratively• Take responsibility for and Manage their own

learning• use the Plan, Do and review process

Shame not to mention ePortfolios

• “The recording of PLTs makes an important contribution to the planning, learning and review process …. support progression …… offering a way of communicating skills to others.” QCA http://www.qca.org.uk/libraryAssets/media/QCA_guidelines_on_recording_personal_learning_and_thinking_skills_in_the_Diploma.pdf

A job for an ePortfolio?Could anything else do the job?

Activity 2.

• Identify the PLTs that your group used in the first activity.

• Will learners be able to develop PLTs in a traditional classroom situation?

Functional Skills are

‘the core elements of English, mathematics and ICT that provide an individual with the essential knowledge, skills and understanding that will enable them to operate confidently, effectively and independently in life, education and work.’

QCA October 2006

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Learners will be expected to successfully complete Functional Skills qualifications in order to achieve success with:

• Modern Apprenticeships • 14 – 19 Diplomas • GCSEs (Ma, En, ICT)

• The Foundation Learning Tier

and GCSE Controlled assessments – “A key feature will be students’ active engagement in the

learning process.” http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/14-19/index.cfm?go=site.home&sid=3&pid=230&ctype=TEXT&ptype=Single

Functional skills:• functional English• functional Mathematics• functional ICT

At the levels:– Entry 1, 2 and 3 (National Curriculum levels 1, 2 and 3) – Level 1 (GCSEs grades D-G) – Level 2 (GCSEs grades A*-C)

• each level incorporates and builds on the level below

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There is an expectation that most ‘young people’ will achieve Level 2 Functional Skills in English and maths and ICT, by the age of 16.

The Functional Skills standards

define, for each of the Levels, what the learner must be able to do if they have ‘mastered’ each of the Skills.

The emphasis:

• on the development of skills that the

learner can select and apply in a range of

different contexts.

To develop skills:

• learners need to have the opportunity to practise

them

• Having developed the skills they need to be able

to ‘transfer’ and apply them in a wide range of

different ‘real’ life contexts.

They need to be able to select and apply the skills

‘independently’.

In the curriculum

• provide the opportunities that will allow learners to

develop, practise and apply the skills

- INDEPENDENTLY

• provide a range of different ‘real life’ contexts and

situations for learners to work in.

Problem solving, Plan Do Review, collaborative working

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• A whole school challenge

Activity 3

• Identifying the Functional Skills that you used in Activity 1