Effective learning: Beyond the traditional/progressive Punch and Judy show

What does it take to be an ‘effective learner’? The answer depends on two things: what kind of learning you are talking about and the model – the psychology – of learning that you (consciously or unconsciously) subscribe to. By ‘effective learning’ some people mean only ‘good at the kinds of learning that get you good grades in school’. But many others, of whom I am one, mean something bigger than that. In our view, schools should not just be aiming to turn out expert examination-passers, nor judge their success solely by exam results and university entrance, but should be arming young people with the confidence, the capacity and the appetite to engage with difficult things throughout their lives. When they leave school and go on to college, university or an apprenticeship, they will no longer be shepherded along by dedicated teachers who know them well, keen to show them how to get the grades they need for the exam; they will need reserves of resilience and resou