Visible Learning - what are effect sizes and what do they mean for learning?

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30 May 201707:46
EducationalLearning
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TLDRThe speaker in the transcript discusses the impact of educational practices on student achievement, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based approaches. They critique the common belief that anyone can enhance learning, highlighting the need to identify and replicate successful strategies, which they refer to as the 'blue zone.' The speaker also addresses the issue of school leaders who often seek to change without understanding the impact of their teaching. They advocate for recognizing and scaling successful educational practices, rather than blindly adopting new ideas without evidence. The transcript underscores the significance of data and measurement in education, urging educators to move beyond anecdotal evidence and towards a more scientific approach.

Takeaways
  • 📊 The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding the impact of educational practices on students, rather than just focusing on the methods used.
  • 🔍 There is a 'red zone' of practices that harm kids, and a 'blue zone' where 95-97% of actions enhance learning, indicating the need to identify and focus on effective strategies.
  • 📚 The speaker spent 20 years researching and writing a book to better understand the 'blue zone' and its differences from the 'yellow zone'.
  • 🏆 Success in education is widespread and should be recognized and celebrated, rather than constantly seeking new methods.
  • 🤝 The speaker calls for building a coalition around recognized expertise and inviting those in the 'yellow zone' to improve.
  • 🚫 In the 'yellow zone', educators are urged to change their practices as they are not enhancing learning and have no right to autonomy.
  • 🏫 School leaders are critiqued for wanting to change without focusing on the impact of teaching, which can lead to systemic destruction.
  • 📈 The speaker's background as a statistician and measurement expert is highlighted, emphasizing the importance of data in evaluating educational effectiveness.
  • 🌍 An average effect size of 0.4 is mentioned, suggesting that practices in the 'blue zone' lead to more than a year's growth for students.
  • 🎓 The speaker's role in the Australian Institute for Teaching and Learning Standards is mentioned, indicating a focus on the quality of educators.
  • 📘 The need for educators to provide evidence of their effectiveness (being in the 'blue zone') rather than just claiming they can enhance learning is stressed.
Q & A

  • What is the main issue discussed in the transcript regarding education and its impact on children?

    -The main issue discussed is the lack of focus on the impact of teaching on children's learning, with many educators and policymakers not recognizing the effectiveness of current practices and instead seeking new ideas without evidence of their impact.

  • What is the 'red zone' mentioned in the transcript, and what does it signify in the context of education?

    -The 'red zone' refers to educational practices that have a negative impact on children's learning, with anything below zero indicating harmful effects. It signifies areas where current practices may be detrimental to student achievement.

  • According to the transcript, what percentage of educational practices are said to enhance children's learning?

    -The transcript states that 95 to 97% of the things done for children enhance their learning, suggesting that the majority of educational practices are positive.

  • What is the 'blue zone' and 'yellow zone' in the context of the transcript, and what do they represent?

    -The 'blue zone' represents successful educational practices where teachers and schools are having a positive impact on student learning. The 'yellow zone', on the other hand, signifies areas where current practices are not effective and changes are necessary.

  • What is the speaker's stance on the idea that every teacher can enhance learning?

    -The speaker argues against the notion that every teacher can enhance learning, stating that it's not about individual practices but the overlap and collective impact that matters.

  • What is the 'effect size' mentioned in the transcript, and why is it significant?

    -The 'effect size' is a measure of the strength of the impact of an educational practice on student achievement. It is significant because it provides a quantifiable way to assess the impact of different practices and interventions.

  • What does the speaker suggest is the main reason for the lack of progress in education?

    -The speaker suggests that the main reason for the lack of progress is the tendency for educators and policymakers to focus on changing teaching methods without considering their impact, leading to a lack of evidence-based practices.

  • What is the 'Visible Learning' story mentioned in the transcript, and what is its purpose?

    -The 'Visible Learning' story refers to the speaker's research and work over 20 years to understand and identify successful educational practices. Its purpose is to provide evidence-based insights into what works in education and to encourage the adoption of effective practices.

  • Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of recognizing success in education?

    -The speaker emphasizes recognizing success to build a coalition around expertise, to invite those in the 'yellow zone' to join, and to create a culture of continuous improvement based on evidence rather than anecdotal claims.

  • What is the speaker's message to educators about the need for evidence in their practices?

    -The speaker's message is that educators should not simply claim they can enhance learning but should provide evidence that they are in the 'blue zone' of effective practices, demonstrating a commitment to evidence-based teaching.

  • What role does the speaker have in the Australian Institute for Teaching and Learning Standards, and what is the significance of this role?

    -The speaker is a cabinet appointee responsible for the quality of teachers, school leaders, and teacher education across Australia. This role is significant as it places the speaker in a position to influence and improve educational practices on a national level.

Outlines
00:00
📊 The Impact of Educational Practices on Student Achievement

The speaker discusses the effectiveness of various educational practices on student learning, highlighting the 'red zone' where practices have a negative impact and the 'blue zone' where they enhance learning. The speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing and building upon successful teaching methods rather than constantly seeking new ideas without evidence of their effectiveness. The speaker also critiques the tendency of politicians and parents to propose unproven educational strategies and stresses the need for educators to focus on evidence-based practices. The 'blue zone' is identified as the area where 60-70% of teachers and schools in England are successfully enhancing student learning, and the speaker encourages recognizing and scaling up these successes.

05:01
📈 The Role of Measurement and Evidence in Education

In this paragraph, the speaker, a statistician by background, delves into the importance of measurement and evidence in understanding the impact of educational practices. The speaker provides context by explaining that an effect size of 0.4 is the average growth expected for students over a year across various countries and datasets. Those in the 'blue zone' are facilitating more than a year's growth for their students, which is commendable. The speaker also shares their experience as part of an Australian organization responsible for the quality of teaching and learning, urging politicians and educators to recognize and scale up successful practices in England instead of looking abroad for inspiration. The speaker calls for a shift in educators' claims from general assertions of enhancing learning to providing evidence of being in the 'blue zone' of effective teaching.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Red Zone
The 'Red Zone' in the script refers to a metaphorical area where educational practices have a negative impact on student achievement, with anything below zero indicating harmful effects. It is a critical concept as it highlights the importance of understanding which practices are detrimental to learning. The speaker mentions that some common practices in this zone, like bullying, have a negative effect size of -0.2, which is a statistical measure of the magnitude of the effect.
💡Effect Size
Effect size is a statistical term used to quantify the strength of the relationship between two variables in a study. In the context of the video, it is used to measure the impact of various educational practices on student achievement. The speaker uses effect size to discuss the impact of bullying (-0.2) and to differentiate between practices that enhance learning (in the 'Blue Zone') and those that do not (in the 'Yellow Zone').
💡Blue Zone
The 'Blue Zone' is a term used to describe educational practices that significantly enhance student learning, resulting in more than a year's growth for students in a single academic year. It represents the ideal area where educators should aim to be, as it signifies practices that are positively contributing to student achievement. The speaker mentions that about 60 to 70 percent of teachers and schools in England are in this zone, indicating a high level of success.
💡Yellow Zone
The 'Yellow Zone' is another metaphorical area that represents educational practices that do not enhance learning. It is a cautionary zone where educators need to reconsider their methods. The speaker emphasizes that those in the 'Yellow Zone' cannot continue with their current practices and must change, which is a call for educators to critically evaluate their impact on student learning.
💡Visible Learning
Visible Learning is a concept introduced by the speaker, which seems to be a framework or approach to education that emphasizes the visibility and recognition of successful teaching practices. It is the main theme of the video, as the speaker discusses the importance of understanding and applying evidence-based practices to improve student learning. The speaker also mentions a book by the same name, which aims to provide insights into what works in education.
💡Enhance Learning
The term 'enhance learning' is used throughout the script to describe the goal of educational practices—to improve or increase the effectiveness of student learning. The speaker argues that while many claim they can enhance learning, not all practices are equally effective. The focus should be on those that have a proven positive impact, as identified by research and data.
💡League Table
A 'league table' is a ranking system that the speaker mentions having created in a previous book. It is likely a tool for comparing different educational practices or institutions based on their effectiveness. The speaker warns against misinterpreting the league table by focusing solely on the top or bottom, instead emphasizing the importance of understanding the overlap and collective impact of practices.
💡Testimonial Porn
'Testimonial porn' is a term used by the speaker to criticize the reliance on personal anecdotes and individual claims of success in education, rather than evidence-based practices. The speaker argues that this approach is harmful because it can lead to the perpetuation of ineffective practices and a lack of focus on what truly benefits student learning.
💡Autonomy
In the context of the video, 'autonomy' refers to the freedom that educators have in choosing their teaching methods. The speaker challenges this concept, stating that educators in the 'Yellow Zone' should not have the autonomy to continue with their current practices if they are not enhancing learning. This suggests a need for a more structured approach based on evidence, rather than personal preference.
💡Credible Malice
The term 'credible malice' is used to describe a situation where there is a deliberate and harmful intent behind actions. The speaker uses this term to highlight the potential negative consequences of poorly thought-out educational changes, particularly when they are not based on evidence of their impact on student learning.
💡Statistician
The speaker identifies as a statistician, which is a professional who deals with the collection, analysis, interpretation, presentation, and organization of data. This background is relevant to the video's theme as it informs the speaker's approach to evaluating educational practices based on data and statistical analysis, rather than anecdotal evidence or personal beliefs.
Highlights

The speaker questions the effectiveness of practices across the relative line in education and emphasizes the impact on children.

A quarter of a million children are mentioned to be in the 'red zone', indicating those performing below zero.

The speaker asserts that 95 to 97% of educational actions enhance children's learning, suggesting a general positive impact.

Effect size of bullying on achievement is cited as -0.2, illustrating a quantifiable negative impact.

The importance of recognizing and enhancing learning is highlighted, with teachers being able to argue their effectiveness.

The speaker criticizes the influx of new education ideas without considering the impact, suggesting it's detrimental to the profession.

The speaker introduces the 'blue zone' and 'yellow zone' as areas of interest for understanding educational effectiveness.

A league table from the speaker's book is mentioned, indicating a ranking system to understand educational practices.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of the overlap in the league table rather than individual rankings.

The speaker discusses spending 20 years writing a book to better understand the story behind educational success.

A challenge is issued to the audience to determine if they are in the 'blue zone' or 'yellow zone', with implications for their teaching practices.

The speaker expresses frustration with school leaders who focus on changing teaching methods without considering their impact.

The speaker mentions their role in the Australian Institute for Teaching and Learning Standards, overseeing teacher quality.

The average effect size of student growth across multiple countries is revealed to be 0.4, providing a benchmark for educational impact.

The speaker calls for educators to move beyond general claims of enhancing learning and instead provide evidence of being in the 'blue zone'.

The speaker encourages recognizing and scaling up successful educational practices within England rather than looking abroad.

The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding the story between the 'blue zone' and 'yellow zone' for educational improvement.

Transcripts

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Related Tags
Education ImpactEvidence-BasedStudent LearningTeaching PracticesVisible LearningSuccess RecognitionEffect SizeEducational ChangeProfessional DevelopmentStatistical Analysis