This term, instead of learning journey’s this term, OJC learning coaches and students are reporting on their disposition towards their learning.

A disposition can be described as a temperament, inclination or tendency to behave or respond in a particular way.  Dispositions are important to learning.  In fact, over the past 10 years, thinking around the role of dispositions in learning has gained momentum.  It is now understood that a learners disposition is key to their learning success. In short, studies say that a student with a positive disposition to their learning will do better in school and in life.

Prompted by our growing understanding of the importance of dispositions to learning, our Leader of Learning Luke decided to make dispositions the key focus for OJCs strategic goal for the year.  As a result we have asked all learners to assess themselves in terms of their own dispositions to their learning.  We’ve chosen 3 dispositions to focus on.  The first is persistence, a student’s ability to stay focused and stick with a task, even if they find it tricky.  The second is resilience, an acceptance that challenges are a part of learning and that bouncing back quickly from setbacks supports good learning.  Lastly, we’ve focused on application - how ready and flexible a learner is when applying their knowledge and skills from one task to the next, even in different contexts.  

Along with some comments from your student’s MAC, you’ll also see their disposition slides on linc-ed.  We encourage you to talk with your learners about how they interpret each of the dispositions and explore with them the links that exist between how they feel about their learning and the learning itself.  

Later in the year, after teaching around these three key dispositions, we will ask students to do another self assessment, to see if they have improved their dispositions, and indeed their learning.   Learning journey’s will be out mid way through term 3.