Schools already using Building Learning Power
If your school is already using the Learning Power or BLP framework with students
you may now be thinking about using the information from ELLI to
• inform coherent planning for the development of
learning power throughout the school
• evaluate your efforts in introducing learning power
to students
• help focus tutor group or learning mentor activities
• help teachers to personalise learning for individual
students
• track how student’s perceptions of their learning
power alter over time
• look for links between students’ perceptions
of themselves as learners and their levels of
attainment
• share the information with parents, as a way of
engaging their help in building their child’s learning
power
All the above focus on uses for the school, albeit for the benefit
of students. However, the key to building learning power is
to empower students to develop it on their own. We believe
that the single most important element in building students’
learning power is to establish learning power conversations
between teachers and students and, later, between students
themselves.
You may see some or all of the above as being relevant and
important, although you may want to select one or two reasons
in the first instance.
Whatever your reasons for using ELLI, they will influence how, when and with whom you use it in your school.
Schools new to Learning Power or Building Learning Power
If your school has not yet made a start on using the BLP
learning to learn framework with students you may now be
thinking of using ELLI to
• introduce students to the ideas of learning power
• focus discussion on BLP in tutor groups
• support the PSHE and/or citizenship curriculum
• introduce staff to the BLP framework in order to
focus a professional debate about its value and
practicality
• augment and focus student induction programmes
• investigate possible links between the use of
learning power habits and levels of attainment
Again, whatever your initial reasons for using ELLI may be, they will influence the how, when, where and who of using it.
Before using the ELLI profile there are several things that bear thinking about in preparation.
This holds true for every time you use it and whichever group you use it with.
What’s my purpose is using ELLI with this group at this time?
Some ideas
• Introduce learning power to the group
• Obtain a baseline ‘measure’ of learning power for the group/
individuals
• Stimulate discussion about learning to learn
• Obtain an end of year ‘measure’ of learning
• Introduce/extend learning power conversations
• Enhance the language of learning power
Decisions you make here will have a knock-on effect to how you
answer subsequent questions
How do I/we want to make use of the results?
Some ideas
• Store individual results in ELLI database
• Export individual results to school’s IT management system
• Create a group learning power profile
• Compare results with previous results
• Explore age, gender and attainment differences
• None of above, simply use feedback profiles to scaffold learning
power conversations
What’s my purpose is using the ELLI profile with this group at this time?
Some ideas
• Introduce learning power to the group
• Obtain a baseline ‘measure’ of learning power for the group/
individuals
• Stimulate discussion about learning to learn
• Obtain an end of year ‘measure’ of learning
• Introduce/extend learning power conversations
• Enhance the language of learning power
How do I want to manage access to the initial feedback
profile and activities?
Some ideas
• Encourage students to read their feedback profile on screen but
not to print out
• Have all students print out their feedback profile and activity
and keep in a safe place or add to their learning log
• Students to read their feedback profile on screen only. These
to be printed for the student in time for a learning power
conversation
• Students to print feedback profile and form groups to discuss
How will I organise taking ELLI for this group this time?
• Introduce ELLI through use of interactive whiteboard, discuss
statements. Students answer the questionnaire in small groups using classroom
computers through the day.
• Book computer suite for 1 session. Introduce questionnaire. Each student
completes the questionnaire during session.
• Introduce questionnaire verbally and/or use interactive whiteboard. Set
up group to be able to access quiz at any time during the day.
Students to complete questionnaire individually during the day using
specified computers.
• Use interactive whiteboard and model taking the quiz as
yourself, showing the thought processes you might use in
answering the questions. Students to complete ELLI
immediately following.