Learning Conversations Art & Design

Learning Conversations take place all the time and are central to the style of
teaching within the department. They are a very powerful way of helping pupils
expand their capacity for learning.
The purpose of these is:

to promote engagement and thinking skills in order that pupils become

increasingly able to evaluate their work and thereby increase their
progress through self - assessment.
to enable pupils to become more independent and gain confidence
through being able to make decisions for themselves, asking themselves
the right questions.
to ensure that pupils become increasingly used to talking about their
work and progress so that they become more analytical and their
opinions and judgements become increasingly well informed.
to enable pupils to become more responsive and resilient with the ability
to weigh up the advantages and possible disadvantages of different
courses of action

Learning Conversations might include any of the following ( not an

exhaustive list) :

Recognition of skills and goals/ target setting

Negotiation of individual projects and suitability of selected themes for the
purpose
An initial response by the pupil as to how they are getting on and how well
their work is progressing, leading to:
Discussion of possibilities in terms of materials & technique
Exploration of ideas and the pros and cons of different possibilities
Forward planning/ next steps
Identifying the strengths of a piece of artwork or writing and how to
improve it
Discussion around previous learning, plus appropriate reference to the
work of others
Feedback & discussion
Debate & negotiation
Negotiation of individualised homework

In conclusion:
Having regular, supportive Learning Conversations with pupils is a way of
checking understanding which also forms a positive relationship between teacher
and pupil in which the pupil should feel able to express their concerns about their
work as well as their satisfaction. This dialogue is, in fact, a form of coaching.