Previously in my reading, I had a feeling I was searching for something. To be sure, I was always looking for better practice, better pedagogy, and more sound theory. Every book I read took me a little closer, but yet, was not the definitive swipe I was looking for. The allegorical full stop to the journey of educational pedagogy. A book that would stand up and say -- I am theoretically sound and intensely helpful! It had to be waiting in the wings.
"Visible Learning" ends the search. (Though, I say this metaphorically, because there really is no end to the search.) John Hattie, a professor and obviously rigorous researcher, has completed a mammoth task of compiling over 800 meta analyses of educational reviews and articles. Or something like that. I wasn't really concerned so much with the data, more so interested in the content.
Hattie takes to task all of those programs, initiatives and strategies that we throw at schools and schoolchildren -- and clearly tells us if it works or not. If you were thinking, "wouldn't it be great if someone wrote a book that finally told us what worked and what didn't?" then your prayers have been answered.
It's a hard slog. There are numerous programs, etc that Hattie trawled through, but, it is ultimately rewarding. I can't really do it justice by summarising it in 200 words or less, but needless to say, it firstly confirmed the direction our school is going in, and also reassured me that I was also on the right track myself.
Big ideas to take away include a major focus on formative assessment and all that goes with it, eg. student self-assessment, peer assessment, learning criteria, etc; as well as making teaching clear and obvious. That is to say -- Visible Learning and Visible Teaching.
I think I must have highlighted approximately half of the book in my Kindle, so I'll be going over those notes regularly. It really is an enlightening and rewarding book to read. Recommended.
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