Research Seminar: Visible Learning or Just Yearning?

Dr John Willison presenting: Visible Learning (VL) has taken the Western education world by storm since its original publication by John Hattie in 2008. The bases for VL, meta-analyses of a broad range of educational studies, make the concept appealing to policymakers and hard to argue against. Fundamentally, Hattie translated calculated effect sizes of a range of teaching initiatives into a VL set of principles.  In diverse contexts, policy perspectives and school KPIs are being set in accordance with VL principles. Schools and school districts are expected to engage in VL professional development programs and in turn, see students flourish academically and motivationally.

One question is to what extent has VL teacher professional development actually produced positive student learning outcomes in schools? Thirteen years since publication, it could be expected that this well-publicised initiative would have generated sufficient primary research that meta-analyses are starting to be published, congruent with the original foundational work. This presentation will consider the state of play of research on outcomes of VL teacher professional development. It will also invite audience comments and questions about their own- and their school students’- experiences of VL-based initiatives. Are we on the threshold of a revolution in learning or will we be left yearning for the next sure-fire solution to our educational problems?    

To contact Dr Willison or if you would like to find out more about his research: https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/john.willison