Learning Dispositions (Learning Powers)
What are they?
The terms Learning Dispositions and Learning Powers (and sometimes Learning Skills, Learner Profile and Habits of Mind) are used interchangeably to describe the skills and attributes a learner needs to tackle problems confidently and successfully. Guy Claxton developed the idea of “Learning Powers” and has written extensively on this subject; additional information can be found here, Building Learning Power.
“Knowledge is what you know, or know how to do. Learning is a change in what you know you can do. And learning power is a change in the way you go about learning.”
(The Learning Power Approach: Teaching Learners to Teach Themselves, Claxton, 2018, p. 16)
“Over some years, teachers in the learning teams have found ways of helping children identify different learning ‘muscles’ or ‘powers’ so that the learning skills we are using can be discussed and developed in the same way that we would develop an academic skill. The growth mindset gives children the appropriate attitude and self-belief, but meta-cognition gives them the tools to be able to talk about and understand their learning, giving them a shared language and understanding. It is not enough to talk to children about effort, for example, without making it clear what it means to put effort into a task.”
Key messages:
- This should be a whole setting or Early Level approach where all practitioners receive training on growth mindset and learning dispositions to be most effective. This should be part of a setting’s improvement plan (SIP).
- Practitioners have received training on growth mindset and have a broader knowledge of Learning Powers to promote metacognition (learning and thinking about how humans learn). Sometimes the use of Learning Powers is a whole school approach that fits with their Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP).
- Practitioners know key examples of learning powers are:
- Concentrate
- Don’t Give Up
- Be Co-operative
- Be Curious
- Have a Go
- Use your Imagination
- Keep Improving
- Enjoy Learning
(Outstanding Formative Assessment: Culture and Practice, Clarke, 2014, p. 34)
Clarke (2021) amalgamated the work of three authors, Guy Claxton, Art Costa and Chris Quigley, to create this comprehensive list of learning dispositions.
- Practitioners all use the language of metacognition (learning how to learn), e.g. “I can see you are stuck with that task; you’ve concentrated really well, and you didn’t give up“, or “You worked well with your partner and shared your ideas to create a much better model together.”
- The language of learning is displayed for practitioners to use in their interactions with children and each other.
- Practitioners praise the child’s actions, diligence, or effort and avoid generic use of the word “clever”. Cleverness is not a learning power.
- Children use the language of the Learning Powers with each other, e.g. “I had a go at riding the balance bike and found out I can do it if I don’t give up.”
- Practitioners promote the Learning Powers by using stories and examples from the children who have used Learning Powers during the day. This could be done in a short gather time with discussion.
- Practitioners model their own use of the Learning Powers with the children in sharing their experiences.
- Children’s learning profiles or learning journeys show examples of the child’s use of learning powers.
- Parents and carers are fully aware of Learning Powers and how they can help children learn.
Ways we can do this:
Practitioners access training or complete professional reading on growth mindset and discuss how this affects their practice with children. A practitioner aware that they find “growth mindset thinking” tricky will have to work harder to develop their interactions and use the “Learning Power skills” with the children.
Once practitioners are knowledgeable about Learning Powers and their use, their introduction needs to be planned strategically to embed practitioner, child and families‘ knowledge and understanding, e.g. plan to introduce one learning power per week over a term. Consider how using books, puppets, images, icons, and videos can support children’s understanding of each Learning Power’s concept. Share this weekly work with parents.
Create a display of Learning Powers and involve the children in creating setting names for each of the powers, making them into characters. This gives a visual hook for children to remember the learning power through the story or character it is connected to, e.g. “Don’t Give Up Dippy Duck“, “Have a Go Hedgehog“, or “Imaginative Ike“. Try to give the Learning Powers gender-neutral names so that all children feel connected to them and source child-friendly images to go along with each character.
Practitioners use the Learning Power characters to illustrate how children are learning as they are working around the spaces in the setting, e.g. “I think you were using Don’t Give up Dippy Duck, while you were trying to do up your coat” or “You are using Carter Concentrate to write the first letter of your name”.
Families should be involved in the development of the Learning Powers and try to use them at home with the child. This will create a rounded learning experience and reinforce “learning how to learn”. This will take more than a quick newsletter! Settings could invite parents to virtual meetings to present the positive impact of growth mindset and Learning Powers for all, as families are stakeholders in their child’s learning.
How to encourage help from families.
Below is an example of what Great Chart Primary School suggested to parents on how to model good learning habits using the dispositions of learning from Guy Claxton.
Resilience
- Demonstrate or model sticking at things even if they are difficult.
- Talk about how you feel when you are taking on challenges.
- Praise your child when they persevere and encourage them to take a break when they have had enough.
- Help them to find interests and activities that are really absorbing.
- Talk with them about what will help them to concentrate and manage distractions.
Resourcefulness
- Encourage questions.
- Demonstrate making links between different ideas.
- Don’t allow your child’s imagination to shrivel up!
- Help them find ways of using resources.
Reflectiveness
- Instead of asking what they did at school today, ask what they learned.
- Help them to think about and plan activities.
- Encourage flexibility and the ability to change a plan if necessary.
Reciprocity
- Demonstrate and model being a good learner.
- Work, play, and learn alongside your children, enabling them to pick up good habits through imitation.
- Make expectations of turn-taking and cooperation clear.
(J. H. Goodwin School website, 2021)
