Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Core principles of teaching and learning at LBU Initial Teacher Education
Here at Leeds Beckett University initial teacher education, we have three core principles underlying our approach to teaching children. All of them focus on starting with the needs of the child and building a curriculum around them. These three principles are:
- Child/student centred approaches
- Creative pedagogies.
- Active learning
Child centred approaches
This approach to teaching involves starting with the child and planning learning which meets individual needs, rather than starting with the curriculum and planning learning around curricular targets. This does not mean that we don’t take the National Curriculum and EYFS statutory framework into consideration, but rather that we align our teaching with the child. This approach takes into consideration all the different aspects of a child as a person, including any additional needs, barriers to learning such as having English as an additional language or social needs such as poverty and deprivation. In this way, it is an inclusive pedagogy, which means it is a way of teaching which considers every learner. A blog from the British Educational Research Association discusses the benefits of child centred education, especially following the Covid 19 pandemic Embracing child-centred education: A path to learning freedom | BERA. In it, the author discusses the benefits of child centred learning, which can lead to students feeling empowered to lead their own learning. What she means by this is that child centred learning involves children following their own interests and finding things out for themselves, rather than being told. The role of the teacher in this approach is to provide meaningful learning experiences which give children and young people the opportunity to learn for themselves.
In Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) classes, child centred education would mean providing a stimulating and exciting learning environment with opportunities for children to learn through play. In a primary classroom, children would be given opportunities to research and engage in projects which enable them to discover new knowledge. The role of the teacher would be to plan and facilitate these projects for the children. In secondary education, student centred learning would mean giving students opportunities to experiment, research and engage in project-based learning.
Creative Pedagogies
Creative pedagogies are focused on teaching any subject in a creative way to produce creative learners. It is not just about teaching arts subjects like music and art, but about using creative approaches for all subjects. Creative approaches engage the child’s imagination, rather than simply their cognitive processing. Examples of imaginative learning could be using drama to imagine a role or experience, expressing thoughts and feelings about a topic through making something or combining a number of subjects together in a cross curricular project. A key aspect of creative pedagogies is problem solving work where children or young people are given a problem which requires collaborative working to solve. This engages the imagination and requires creative thinking to “think outside the box”. Another aspect of creative pedagogies which our collegue Dr Lisa Stephenson explores in this blog Rewilding the Curriculum: Creative Pedagogies for Collective Wellbeing, Positive Relationships and Learner Agency - CHOL is the co-creation of the curriculum. This means that teachers and children work together to design their learning experiences rather than the teacher planning it and the children being on the receiving end. It does not mean that the whole curriculum is planned with the children, but rather than children and teachers work together for specific purposes, taking the National Curriculum into consideration while involving children in coming up with ideas.
In the EYFS phase, creating and thinking critically is one of the characteristics of effective teaching and learning found in the EYFS statutory framework EYFS statutory framework for group and school-based providers. Children are encouraged to learn through play, which is a creative pedagogy in itself. They use their imaginations to role play, play with toys and other objects and to solve problems. In KS1 and 2, children can engage in drama-based activities in a wide range of subjects. For example, they might act out a story or historical event to gain a deeper understanding of history. Children could also work on project-based work such as creating a carnival inspired by the Leeds West Indian Carnival. In Secondary Education, drama can bring subjects to life with the teacher acting out a role. An example might be the teacher being interviewed in the “hot seat” as a main character form a story in English. Creative pedagogies in maths might involve children working collaboratively to solve a maths problem with a purpose in mind such as costing out a school event.
Active learning
Active learning is a child centred approach to learning which involves considering how children learn rather than what they are learning. It contrasts to passive learning in which children receive information and recall facts. Active learning involves children working collaboratively to find things out for themselves. It is about learning though doing, applying knowledge and thinking hard about a subject. The Cambridge International Education Blog summarises active learning very well What Is Active Learning? Definition, Benefits and Examples. It discusses the importance of making mistakes in lessons rather than focusing on recalling or noting down facts. Some people have confused active learning with being physically active in lessons or taking “brain breaks”. This is not active learning unless the focus of the lesson is on encouraging students to find things out for themselves, work together to solve problems and putting what they know into practice.
In EYFS, active learning is another one of the characteristics of effective learning outlined in the EYFS curriculum. It involves children deciding what they would like to play with and persevering at tasks. An example might involve focusing for half an hour on pouring water from one container to another to try to gain a concept of capacity. Children might ask themselves, “does this beaker hold more than this cup?” and play for a considerable length of time to try to answer their question. In KS1 and 2, active learning might mean working as a group to solve a problem, talking though different possibilities and trying things out. In Secondary education, a similar problem solving approach could be used with children encouraged to find their own answers to key questions rather than being given information.
Dr Mandy Pierlejewski
Mandy Pierlejewski is a senior lecturer in the Carnegie School of Education. She is post graduate research lead and supervisor to both MA and doctoral students. Mandy's research focuses on educational technology and datafication.
