Building confidence and communication in an era of widening participation

1. Building confidence and communication in an era of widening participation Exploring the unexpected connections between primary and higher education

2. Similarities and differences Similar • Pressure to engage a wide range of students • Larger class sizes • Movement away from ‘chalk and talk’ • Need to maintain interest/motivation Different • Primary teachers have more time with students • Primary classes stay together most of the time • Primary teachers have more time for soft skills

3. What’s Red Nose Day in a primary school got to do with it?

4. Building Learning Power (Claxton, 2002) – the 4 Rs Resilience Absorption Managing distractions Noticing Perseverance Resourcefulness Questioning Capitalising Making links Imagining Reasoning Reflectiveness Planning Revising Distilling Meta-learning Reciprocity Interdependence Collaboration Empathy and listening Imitation

5. Process to primary product • Building confidence • Building a learning community • Respecting individual differences • Setting the ‘big picture’ • Defining a clear pathwaytosuccess

6. Primary product • Team players • Independent learners • Active learners • Confident individuals • Creative individuals

7. What is active learning? • Engaging students in their learning • Enabling students to take responsibility for their own learning • Learning through ‘doing’ and reflecting on the process to promote deeper understanding

8. Secondary hiatus? Largely driven by exam success: • Spoon feeding and regurgitation • Less creativity • Less independence • Less active

9. Minding the gap – University of Gloucestershire induction model

10. Variety is the spice of life

11. Whatever floats your boat!

12. Getting to grips with technology

13. Following through PDP and Skills module (Swansborough, Turner and Lynch 2007) • Begins during induction • Continues for first semester • Enquiry-based learning approach • Reflective E-portfolio - PebblePad www.pebblelearning.co.uk

14. References Claxton, G. (2002). Building Learning Power: helping young people become better learners. TLO Limited, Bristol. D’Andrea, V. and Gosling, D. (2005). Improving Teaching and Learning: a whole institution approach. Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press, Maidenhead. Lynch, K., Frame, P., Harwood, T., Hoult, L., Jenkins, M. and Volpe, G. (2006). Transitions into Higher Education: processes, outcomes and collaborations. In Grigg, G. & Bond, C. (Eds), Proceedings of the Association of Tertiary Learning Advisors Aotearoa/ New Zealand (ATLAANZ), Supporting Learning in the 21st Century. Dunedin, NZ: Higher Education Development Centre (HEDC), University of Otago/ ATLAANZ. Pp 32-46. Swansborough, S., Turner, D. and Lynch, K. (2007). Active learning approaches to develop skills for sustainability. In Roberts, C. and Roberts, J. (Eds), Greener by Degrees: exploring sustainability through higher education curricula. Geography Discipline Network, University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham. Yorke, M. and Longden, B. (Eds) (2004). Retention and Student Success in Higher Education. Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press, Maidenhead.