Case studies

Rachel Hatter
Wilberfoss C of E Primary
All Esteemed Up

Self-esteem is not something that can be taught. So how can it be improved in pupils who radiate a lack of belief in themselves and their abilities? Like many other teachers, Rachel Hatter asked herself this question. Her solution for her class of Year 5 and 6 children was to introduce them to their brain and discover how it wanted to learn.

Rachel planned and taught a series of eight lessons that concentrated on learning. The first lessons were about the brain itself, something that fascinated the children. Importantly, it provided them with relevant background knowledge in an accessible and interactive way. What, for example, was the connection between a model of a dinosaur, a midfield footballer and the baseball cap hanging on the board? (The functions of different parts of the brain were offered – the reptilian responses, the kicking forward of information and the process of thinking.)

Multiple Intelligences (MI) and learning styles were also introduced to help the children understand how they might learn best. Rachel reported that some children commented on how positive they felt when they found that there were different types of intelligence. For staff, it provided further insight into the learning needs of the pupils. Through class discussions the pupils demonstrated their developing views, as they explored issues and then changed their minds as to what constituted a genius.

“As the lessons progressed I watched the pupils become more confident and energised by the activities,” Rachel observed. It was of little surprise, as the children had begun to reflect on lessons, analysing their own learning, discussing strategies confidently, taking responsibility for how they learned, celebrating theirs and others’ strengths and becoming more aware of how learning can be sabotaged by certain emotional responses. The confidence in their emerging knowledge of the processes of their own learning was having a profound effect on them as both individuals and participating learners.

Consequently, the excitement and interest in their own learning and strengths has raised the belief of pupils and captured the staff’s interest in what uncovered it. In Wilberfoss increasingly more pupils are getting esteemed up by their learning and their potential.