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I became interested in the way that medical training is done in the UK because I wanted to find an example of what is the best way to educate. Medical students are among the best and the brightest to come out of our education system and these young people go on into positions where they are in charge of the life and death of their patients.   “So how do we educate those at the cutting edge of medicine”  The following information came from a resident anaesthetist in South York

Asking the big question Such a simple question, right?  “Because you have to” “For your education” “Everyone goes to school” “To pass exams, get grades and get a job” ___________________________________________ All wrong. ___________________________________________ The correct answer is found in one of the top lines in the National Curriculum in England:  Every state-funded school must offer a curriculum which is balanced and broadly which:  promotes the spiritual, moral, cul

Failure is a normal part of life . It happens to everyone, but most of us, as professionals or as students, spend vast amounts of time and energy desperately trying to avoid it..  Some forward-thinking businesses are now asking us to try and shed this fear and embrace failure as a fantastic way to learn. The truth is, they’re right. Failure is a fantastic way to learn, but it has to be done right: You have to care about the thing you’re failing at. You have to have a feedback

It's easy to look back at our school days and see the system as fair, effective, and maybe even perfect. But here's the thing: that's usually only true if you were one of the ones who succeeded. “Anyone who is a success in a given system of education thinks that it is the correct one” If you were a straight-A student or the captain of the debate team, you probably think the system is just fine. Why wouldn't you? It was built for you, and you thrived in it. But what about ever

Our education system is deliberately created to be a “one-size-fits-all” system. Proponents of the system say that it was created this way to be fair for everyone, but I’d argue that it's actually just equally unfair for everyone... One-size-fits-all doesn't fit anyone very well I believe that the central problem with this system is that it gives young people and their families the illusion of choice (more on this in a future post!) Essentially, whatever choice they make, the

Nick was reasonably successful in mainstream school and never really questioned the system. He got some good GCSEs and some bad ones, but got good enough A Level grades to go to University and get a degree. He worked for a bit in the Civil Service before retraining and qualifying as a secondary school teacher of Physics in 2011. He first realised out that there was something wrong with the education system about halfway through his first year in teaching. He worked within the

These are just a few ideas, based on the experience of Dr Ian Cunningham at the Self Managed Learning College in Hove, of how people have...

In our data-obsessed world, we often assume that more data equals better decisions. But what if the data itself is leading us astray? This is the core of the McNamara fallacy , a concept that warns us about the dangers of relying solely on quantitative metrics while ignoring the qualitative aspects of a situation. The fallacy is named after Robert McNamara, the U.S. Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War. He was known for his analytical approach, using metrics like body

Most people follow the well-trodded path of mainstream school. Their parents did and their grandparents did. There is an institutional inertia that means that the schools our grandparents attended are by-and-large the same as the ones we attended and the ones our children will attend. It is difficult to swim against the mainstream. Swimming against the mainstream This is because as human beings we like to fit in. We’re learnt through centuries and millennia that you are more

At the end of August, I had the opportunity to attend the Freedom to Learn Forum held in the beautiful Peak District. The Freedom to...

Pyramid of learning needs I love this pyramid. What students need most is on the bottom of the pyramid. If they aren’t fed, safe and loved then they are disadvantaged in their ability to learn. If they also don’t have a good learning mindset with good strategies and habits, then they will struggle to learn anything at all. However, teachers in traditional mainstream schools are being asked to create “quality first” lessons starting from the pointy part of the pyramid and work

Self-Directed Learning (SDL) SDL is an approach to learning where the individual has autonomy and responsibility for their own education. It focuses on the individual having power over their choices, including what, where, when, and why they learn. Mentor A mentor  is an adult who works with learners in a self-managed learning environment. Their role is not to teach, but to help young people take responsibility for their own learning by acting as a guide and a sounding board.

I've been trying to work out how to define the concept of Self-Directed Learning positively, using affirmative statements rather than just placing myself in opposition to traditional schooling, but while I was struggling with this concept, I rediscovered this table from Ian Cunningham's "Self Managed Learning and the New Educational Paradigm" and I think it does a really good job of explaining it! Traditional Schooling Self Managed Learning Learning is organised by institutio

The book! I first came across Ian Cunningham listening to him being interviewed on the Education Research Reading Room podcast (link...

I'm grateful to everyone I have met in the last few weeks to have a look at their facilities and to discuss costs. I've been blown away by how helpful and engaging everyone has been and struck by their honesty and helpful suggestions if their venue has not been quite right for whatever reason. This means that every time I walk away from a venue, I've got two or three more written down to check out! It seems like everyone like the idea of Self-Directed learning and wants to he