Learning Without Limits

Product Information

Through the study we hoped to give a voice to - and provide active support for - teachers who were aware of the potentially detrimental effects of ability labelling and who were attempting to develop classroom practices free from determinist beliefs about 'ability'. Research Strategy

We believe in every student and aim for them to be the very best at what they do. That's why we're passionate about growing the aspirations of our young people and their families. Part of our aim was to re-open debates about the effects of ability labelling and ability focused practices at a time when teachers were being actively encouraged, by DfES sponsored models of good practice, to use these ways of thinking to plan and organise their teaching.In short, at Lancaster Academy, we work to educate, support and inspire. We are committed to developing outstanding young people, who'll be sought after because of who they are. By enabling them to prosper, we help our communities to prosper too. A very warm welcome to Lancaster Academy, a community dedicated to creating the best possible future for our students. This month sees the publication of " Creating Learning without Limits", a book which is the result of many years work on a partnership research project with colleagues from the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge. Teachers whose practice is guided by the idea of transformability, on the other hand, are convinced that the present does and must play a pivotal role in determining the path of future development. The future is unknowable and unpredictable because it is being actively created in the present. Everything that happens has an effect, for better or worse, on young people’s learning capacity. By understanding the forces that shape and limit capacity to learn in the present, and through the choices they make, teachers can exploit the possibilities available to them for enabling all young people to become better learners. The concept of learning capacity The Creating Learning without Limits project was based at the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education, in collaboration with colleagues at The Wroxham School, Hertfordshire.

We support our students to develop the Babington DNA ‘PROUD’ qualities which ensures our students leave us with the emotional and intellectual literacy and resiliencethatthey need to be effective and active global citizens. We strive for them to leavewith qualifications which give them choices,alongside a desire to be life-long learners. We documented the work of the head teacher and staff group as they developed their thinking and practice. Through interviews and observations, we explored the work of the head teacher as she implemented her distinctive approach to school development, drawing on Learning without Limits values and principles. We observed and interviewed teachers to capture their experience of learning to work within a learning without limits ethos, and we provided methodological support to teachers who undertook individual enquiries focused on specific significant aspects of their practice. An alternative approach to school development: the children are the evidence. FORUM for Promoting 3-19 Comprehensive e ducation, Vol 55 No 1 (2013)

We have found ways to encourage the growth of inventiveness and openness to new ideas. The imperative to "find a way through" for every child is illustrated through examples of actions and approaches characterised by persistent questioning and empathy with children in all their complexity. Why does this matter? What is wrong with children judging their performance against others? The deep-rooted problem is a belief that intelligence is fixed and that education should focus on accelerating the progress of the "gifted" and supporting the "less able". As a school we work very hard to counter the view that each child's future attainment can be reliably predicted; as part of this approach, we do not group children by ability.