Why schools need to change

“Too often we resist change”

You might feel happy and safe in your daily routines, but if you reject new ideas at every turn then children’s learning will suffer, says Roy Leighton…

In his work on child and adult development, psychologist Dr Clare Graves explained that in order to evolve we have to move from one level of complexity to another as our problems and challenges become more demanding. As the world changes then so must we. Too often we resist change and regard failure as something ‘bad’ and to be avoided. This reluctance to fail is central to why children, as they become more aware of the demands and expectations of others, can become less confident in their learning.

In order to arm children, and ourselves, with the competences to embrace change we have to answer three questions:

1. What does change look and feel like?
2. What is the process by which change can be used to help teaching and learning?
3. How do you create a mind- set that is open to change

Individuals, families, schools, organisations and cultures always go through the same five stages of change and growth:

Stage one: the current state. Where we are now. We have our routines, we know what’s what and where things go. This stage, in which we are happy with what we know but unaware of what we could know–orneedtolearn–is ‘unconscious incompetence’.

Stage two: we are exposed to new possibilities, ideas and can begin to imagine ourselves in a different place. This will create dissonance and, depending on how we respond to this can be an exciting or terrifying challenge to all we have created and hold dear. We now know what we don’t know. This stage is known as ‘conscious incompetence’.

Stage three: as we explore the discomfort of the new we will have to overcome barriers both within and without. Self doubt, lack of external support or even positive hostility to our ideas from those around us can make this stage very painful. However, to get to the next stage we have to go through the pain.

Stage four: through the energetic application of new ideas and thinking we can break through the barriers to greater insights and understanding. Stages three and four are also known as ‘conscious competence’. This is just another name for learning.

Stage five: finally we arrive at our new, more evolved state with a higher level of understanding and skill. We have not rejected the earlier knowledge or systems. We have evolved and will return to the earlier knowledge as circumstances demand. This process of change that ‘transcends but includes’ does not throw out the baby with the bath water but builds on existing traditions, processes and knowledge.

Here is a visual representation of the learning journey using Graves’ stages, also known as a ‘the learning line’.

Graves advised his students not to try and make complex things simple, but also not to make simple things complex. So, how can we present this model to support pupil progress?

1. Draw a ‘learning line’ somewhere in your class.
2. Show the stages through words and images appropriate to the year group. (Smiley faces work very well).
3. Use it daily to explore the learning journey that you are on. 4. Ask the children to show where they are on their journey in order to embed their understanding not just of what they are learning but how they are changing and growing as they learn.

Every school I have worked with over the years has developed this simple model and made it their own in numerous creative ways. I’m delighted to say they have also all, without exception, scored good or outstanding when OFSTED came to visit. This was partly due to how easy it is for children to explore and explain their own learning and progress using this change model.

However, the biggest impact on the schools was that the teachers became more open to change themselves. Their openness to try new things increased and they became less defensive when receiving constructive criticism. When the adults in a school embrace change, they become the example of what change looks like for the pupils. Children may not do everything you ask but they will mirror what you do.