Leading learning power conversations
There are certain established principles that you should have
clearly in mind before embarking on learning conversations
with your students:
• Leading someone else’s learning does not
involve having a preconceived view of what the
other person needs
• The data that you have about another person’s
learning habits is not absolute; it represents how
you both happen to see things at the moment
• Learning conversations can usefully take place
with a group of students – it doesn’t have to be
one on one
• Being over-prepared for a learning conversation
may limit opportunities for enquiry and
exploration
• Allow substantial uninterrupted time for the
learning conversation to take place
• Genuine curiosity and interest in the other
person’s experience and perceptions will lead to
authentic dialogue
• Flexibility is important but a common
understanding of the purpose of the learning
conversation secures focus and direction
• It is important to know when to keep silent and
when to ask supportive or probing questions
• The skillful teacher enables learners to speak
openly about how they learn in a variety of
contexts
• Avoid trying to arrive at neat conclusions and
agreed targets too quickly
• It pays to know when to stop and how to leave
things ready for the next time
• It is helpful to provide some activity to maintain
involvement and reflection between learning
conversations