Leveraged Learning

How do we design a curriculum that can be translated across subjects and remains highly effective? 

Those of us who have been involved in education for some time bear the battle scars of the continuing ‘chicken or egg’ struggle between knowledge rich and inquiry based approaches to learning. Both approaches have their merits and both have some backing in research - although it would seem of late that knowledge based curricula are having their day in the sun, supported by recent advances in understanding in cognitive science. I for one have always found this dichotomy unnecessary, it seems obvious that elements of both schools are necessary for great teaching and learning.

But how do you structure this? In Leveraged Learning (2018), Daniel Iny provides a six-step process for designing and implementing an optimised method of learning or teaching any subject. 

Content is king - to begin with…

It all starts with content. Acquiring relevant knowledge is the key to learning, understanding which knowledge is relevant is the key to teaching effectively. This is merely the start of the story, however, and the acquisition of knowledge must take place with a goal in mind. 

Knowledge alone is useless

While developing a knowledge base, educators will focus on facts and procedures, but this alone is of little use academically, let alone in the real world and to future employers. After content is secured critical thinking and creativity need to be scaffolded so that a new goal can be reached...insight. This could be defined as the ability to see the world in innovative ways. It is these three aspects which will ‘robot-proof’ the next generation with skills that cannot be easily automated. 

Going beyond the curriculum

Experienced educators will tell you that a solid pedagogical framework is only the first step to developing a great school - without strong pastoral care, students struggle to develop the resilience and independence needed to be successful, and fall by the wayside. The author discusses the importance of ‘success behaviours’ in avoiding cultivating an entrenched pessimistic attitude. This attitude will grow into a set of internal, self-limiting lies rather than self-empowering truths. 

Effective practise 

How do we package these three aspects - content, insight and success behaviours - into a workable framework that can be taught? This is where the effective, evidence based teaching and learning techniques come into play:

- Focus on key content.

- Scaffolding

- Spaced retrieval practice

- Deliberate practice 

However, all too often these techniques are seen as only useful during a phase of knowledge acquisition. Developing insight also needs to be scaffolded and modelled. Allow your students to borrow your brain as you work through your thinking processes for them. Similarly, the development of success behaviours should be structured. We now know that the brain has a greater ability to ‘rewire’ itself than was previously thought - neuroplasticity is fundamental to developing fortitude. Purposefully plan activities that will demonstrate this skill and give students an opportunity to practise, in an emotionally safe space. In the same way that we might seek to build subject knowledge through frequent, low-stakes testing, our minds can grow to be more equipped to deal with the hurdles they will need to overcome both academically and in life. 

Bridging the gap

While Leveraged Learning isn’t breaking new ground - nor does it profess to - it is seeking to reconcile two competing schools of thought, with common aims. The book also makes strides to offer a generally applicable structure that educators and learners can use to be as effective as possible. For this reason, it is a welcome addition to the discussion and certainly worth a read.