Next Practice in Resourcing Personalisation - Thomas Hardye School

Motivational interviewing

The field trial will work with students in Year 10 to explore how motivational interviewing, experience of challenging activities, and a co-constructed AFL language might address the issues of young people not achieving to their full potential, or who are resistant to learning. 50 students have been identified, through the school's analysis of their predicted and potential grades, as at risk of underachieving for reasons other than ability. The school has a well established system of predicting grades on the basis of previous exam results, CAT scores and Fischer Family Trust data and then looking at the potential of individuals to do even better. The group with the biggest gap will be the subject of the trial.

Motivational interviewing will be used with 40 of these students. This technique has evolved in the Health Service where it is used in treating problem drinkers but has not yet been much used in schools. It is a way of eliciting self-motivation without assuming a desire to change. The field trial will build on the school's academic tutorial system, exploring the length and frequency required for tutorials where the Motivational Interviewing technique is being used. It will also offer students increasing responsibility for their own learning, working with them to set attainment targets and precisely personalised ‘how-to' targets.

With a second group of 10 students, the impact of undertaking challenging activities in boosting self-confidence and changing their attitude in lessons (increasing self-efficacy) will be tested. The students will be invited to participate in seven activities including climbing (on the climbing wall), juggling, undertaking assembly for the whole of Year 10 (500 students), cooking lunch for the Senior Management Team and heads of year, martial arts and learning to roll a kayak (in the pool). These activities are aimed at raising their confidence in themselves as able to achieve difficult objectives. The students will be kept safe, but will undertake activities that push them further than they might normally go and will therefore engender a sense of achievement when completed.

Films for Learning 

Thomas Hardye School have now launched their new film-sharing website with the backing of Microsoft. This is the result of two years' work on the project, with initial funding and support from The Innovation Unit and NESTA. The project and website encourages students and teachers to create their own educational films and share them with others across the world.
FilmsforLearning.org

See a map showing the locations of all the Next Practice in Resourcing Personalisation field trial sites. 

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