Introduction+to+the+TALLI+tools

= TALLI PROJECT 2011-12 =

WELCOME to the special **Wikispace** where information will be shared about the TALLI project at Tarbert Academy. The project is a special focus in an improvement plan developed by Craig Biddick for his SQH course at Strathclyde University.


 * What is TALLI? **

TALLI stands for Tarbert Academy lifelong learning initiative. The major focus of the initiative is to use information and ideas about students current skills and development needs in relation to cognitive, emotional / relational aspects of learning and learning power or dispositions. These skills and attitudes have been researched over a number of years and can be shown to be at the heart of developing lifelong learners - one of the key national priorities of the Scottish Government.

The thinking, feeling, doing aspect is important in the project because the TALLI tools are going to be used at the **transition stage from P7 to S1** in an attempt to assess and develop aspects of learner development that aren't just theoretical but are about their learning in all spheres of school life. They also add value and give information about the students development in relation to the 4 capacities. Three assessments will provide information - with the main development focus a powerful learning survey.

The three assessment tools being used to actively collect information are the CAT test which is used widely across the UK as a current measure of students ability to THINK in words (literacy), numbers (numeracy) and symbols. The students currently receive individual feedback about their current strengths and weaknesses and can also be given a predicted grade. This will continue and the steering group will discuss ways it might keep the information fresh in the mind of staff. The learning coordination process across S1-S6 will be a useful focus for using this information.

At Tarbert there is proven added value. Research over recent years indicates that for some 80% of students the predictive grade is exceeded in most of their specified subjects.

The feedback for staff however could still be useful if information is used to assist individual students and differentiate work, challenge students who might not be making the progress predicted into S3 or S4, or help set up mixed ability cooperative groups for specific tasks where weaknesses can be addressed in peer interactions.

The second tool is a quick self report Emotional Literacy test from GL Assessments Ltd in the UK. This test is being used in paper form with the small cohort although on-line versions are available. The test comes in three versions, a short self report test using a 4 point scale, a short teacher version to report on students in the cohort and where appropriate a parent version. The results from this survey may influence individual work with students and group activities in the current Curriculum for Excellence period or other activities. Information will be shared with staff - particularly the group characteristics and how this might influence grouped work and interactions in the classroom. Teachers also work strongly as models of behaviour and the steering group in the project might decide to make some suggestions about this to staff. The focus is on working smart because all staff are busy and a classroom focus is the natural place to work.

The third tool is the major development focus and is based on research about key learning powers that research has shown can be powerful change agents in how students see themselves as learners. We have chosen to use Antidotes Learning Power Survey due to cost and ease of access. //**During the November Inset briefing the learning power dimension will be discussed more fully and the cross-over between ELLI research and and the LPS format from Antidote an educational improvement consultancy based in London will be discussed. The PLS tool is based on the personal learning and thinking skills framework developed by the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Authority in England. For more details about the PLTS framework see below.**//

//**Lets look at ELLI first... as it has some parallels with the PLTS framework**//

** What are the 7 dimensions in ELLI ? **
The seven dimensions are as follows:


 * Changing and learning ** A sense of myself as someone who learns and changes over time.

//**Critical curiosity **// An orientation to want to “get beneath the surface” **. **


 * Meaning making **Making connections and seeing that learning “matters to me” **. **

//**Creativity **//Risk-taking, playfulness, imagination and intuition.


 * Learning Relationships **Learning with and from others and also able to manage without them.

//**Strategic awareness **// Being aware of my thoughts, feelings and actions as a learner, and able to use that awareness to manage learning processes **. **


 * Resilience ** The readiness to persevere in the development of my own learning power.

A seventy-two item questionnaire was created and validated through further research. Available online, this instantly produces a profile of each learner, in the form of a 7-spoked spider diagram. A frequency chart is also produced for the whole class. This feedback then becomes the starting point for mentoring conversations and strategies for developing learning power, individually and collectively. One of the most widely reported benefits is of learners and teachers becoming confident with a whole new language for learning. Many find their profiles motivate them to improve their learning. When managed effectively across a Year Group, significant gains have been achieved in learning power. Individuals can achieve particularly significant improvement in the dimensions they target and work on. If a second survey is taken, it superimposes a new profile on the original, so any gains made can be seen graphically.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">ELLI has been tested in many education settings, from foundation stage through primary, secondary and higher education, with ‘NEET’ learners, (Not in Education, Employment or Training) and convicted young offenders. ViTaL and the University of Bristol are also working with major clients in the corporate sector investigating the human resource implications of learning power.

**Learning Power Survey (LPS)**  What is the Powerful Learning Survey and how does it work? T<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">he online Powerful Learning Survey (PLS) measures how students rate their own capacity to develop personal, learning and thinking skills (PLTS). <span style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Personal, learning and thinking skills (PLTS) provide a framework for describing the qualities and skills needed for success in learning and life. The PLTS framework has been developed and refined over a number of years in consultation with employers, parents, schools, students and the wider public.


 * The framework comprises six groups of skills: **
 * <span style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">independent enquirers
 * <span style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">creative thinkers
 * <span style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">reflective learners
 * <span style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">team workers
 * <span style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">self-managers
 * <span style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">effective participants.

<span style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">For each group of skills, a focus statement sums up the range of skills and qualities involved. This is accompanied by a set of outcome statements that describe the relevant skills, behaviours and personal qualities.

<span style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Each group of skills is distinctive and coherent. The groups are also interconnected and learners are likely to encounter skills from several groups in any one learning experience. For example, an independent enquirer sets goals for their research with clear success criteria (reflective learner) and organises their time and resources effectively to achieve these goals (self-manager). To develop independence, learners need to apply skills from all six groups in a wide range of contexts.

PLS is a structured approach that:


 * Helps students identify how they learn **


 * Helps teachers understand how their students learn **

PLS then equips teachers and students with the tools to build upon stronger teaching and learning practices, and to improve and support weaker aspects.


 * How does PLS Work? **

PLS is a fully supported online self-evaluation tool. Developed out of eight years’ research, PLS helps teachers deliver more powerful teaching and learning.Teachers can use the profiles for individuals, classes and other teaching groups, to plan learning strategies that are best suited to their students’ abilities and learning characteristics.

PLS can be used on its own or as part of Antidote’s PROGRESS Programme.Go to [] for more information.

// At Chantry High School in Ipswich the discovery that students were struggling to stay curious and work in teams led to changes in the way staff taught. Focusing on those two dimensions has led to students becoming significantly more aware of the fact that they can change the way they learn.This has had, says deputy head Jane Reason,‘a massive effect in terms of achievement.’ //

‘I really agree with the results and think it has helped me.’

‘I think that the survey is a good idea because it tells the school your learning style.’

‘It was fun, great to learn with and so easy to use.’

//(Student comments)//

**Extract form Antidotes PLS pamphlet:**

Helping your students become independent learners who can integrate their learning and join up their thinking. Use PLS to find out if your students:


 * Are independent enquirers **

// Experience themselves as creative thinkers //


 * Think strategically enough to become reflective learners **

// Engage with others as team workers //


 * Show enough resilience and flexibility to become self-managers **

See themselves as effective participators


 * Use PLS to support the development of personal, learning and **


 * thinking skills (PLTS) with individual students as well as with classes **


 * and year groups. **