The Nature of Learning principles revisited

The innovative cases amply confirm what research tells us makes for effective, powerful learning and what in practice the learning principles actually mean. This chapter shows how the Innovative Learning Environments (ILE) case studies: 1) make learning central, encourage engagement, where learners come to understand themselves as learners 2) ensure that learning is social and often collaborative 3) are highly attuned to learners’ motivations and the importance of emotions 4) are acutely sensitive to individual differences including in prior knowledge 5) are demanding for each learner but without excessive overload 6) use assessments consistent with its aims, with emphasis on formative feedback and 7) promote horizontal connectedness across activities and subjects, in and out of school. Naturally, they are not realised everywhere in the same way and need to be interpreted in relation to their local context. Many of the practices address several principles at the same time.