Enhancing Understanding in Education through Active Learning

What do you ask pupils to do to/with information in order to make it more likely that they will understand it?

Challenge The Magenta Principles Mike Hughes Depth Engagement

The Magenta Principlesrepresent a pedagogy underpinned by an unshakeable belief that learning is the consequence of thinking therefore our job is to get them to think language is central to thinking therefore our job is to get them to talk learning is an active process therefore our job is to get them doing

Get them active! Flexible thinkers Ideal Active Active But lack motivation ATTITUDE TO THINKING ATTITUDE TO THINKING Not keen & motivated Work hard but are spoon fed by us! Passive Passive Spoon fed thinkers Active Active Passive Passive ATTITUDE TO LEARNING ATTITUDE TO LEARNING

We talk about The Magenta Principles in reality there is just one principle; in order to make sense of the information that comes their way, children have to do something to / with it. Receiving it, retaining it and eventually regurgitating it is insufficient in short they have to think about it! The receive, retain and regurgitate approach may get a child through an examination hoop but it will not develop a deep understanding and while all teachers want to help children pass exams some of us want much more we want them to get it, get why they got it and, as much as anything, enjoy it. The question therefore becomes, what are children required to do to / with the information they encounter in the classroom? It is central to the approach and the answer gives us The Magenta Principles children could be asked to reduce it, change it, assemble it, add to it, arrange it, sequence it, classify it the list goes on and on. ~ Extract from The Magenta Principles by Mike Hughes

It may look the same but there is a fundamental difference between: A) Read page 7 and B) Have a look at page 7 and tell me which you think is the most important sentence Pupils are simply receiving information in scenario A but in scenario B they have to do something to it.

The Magenta Principles: Mike Hughes Reduce it Change it Assemble it Search for it Connect it Arrange it Enlarge it Simplify it Classify it Compare and contrast it Deconstruct it Apply it Prioritise it Act it out

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Magenta Challenges

Have a magenta principles challenge wall

PRIORITISE REDUCE What are the three most important things to know about our current topic? 5-3-1 today s lesson into your book (see sheet) OR OR Sum up the findings of your last piece of work in 3 key bullet points. Out of today s lesson, what was the most important point that was raised and why? CHANGE ASSEMBLE Change your last piece of written work into a picture/diagram/poster Create a mind map about the topic we are currently studying OR OR Change your last poster/diagram into a poem, letter or description. Write an opinion piece drawing together what you know about this topic so far CONNECT ARRANGE Choose 6 key words, write them down and then explain how they are all connected. Design a contents page putting your work so far into categories or themes. OR OR Create a flowchart or a tube-map showing the links between a topic. Create a set of questions about a topic, and arrange them from easy to hard.

CONTRAST IMPROVE Compare a person/place/or thing from today s lesson with another person/place or thing of your choice. Go back over a piece of work and correct or improve it. OR OR Start a piece of work again and make improvements as you go through it. Give examples that prove or disprove your learning.

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How do you or could you incorporate The Magenta Principles into your classroom practice?