1. Learning Journeys
Ben Hammond
PGCE Citizenship
Institute of Education

2. Definition
• A learning journey explains what students will do and
learn over the course of a series of lessons (or an
individual lesson), and often details how their learning will
proceed.
• It is synonymous with the ‘big picture’ of a scheme of
learning/scheme of work.
• As such it covers the main points not each tiny
step/activity – the key learning activity/ies in each lesson
• It can use any combination of words and pictures, or take
video or mp3 form

3. Rationale
Communicating the learning journey at the beginning of a
unit (& regularly referring back to it) helps to...
•Increase student motivation and interest (so long as it’s an
interesting learning journey!)
•Increase student perception of control over where they
are going with their learning
•Foster more independent learning
•Reduce time spent by teacher explaining and re-explaining
what students need to do
•Increase clarity and understanding over a scheme of
learning by both the teacher and students

4. Key Ingredients
• Essentially: where students are going on their journey,
what they’ll do on their journey and why they are going
on it in the first place, i.e.
– Main activities - what students will be doing
– Finale / result – what students will build up to
– The purpose / point – why students are doing it
– Assessment opportunities – how students will
measure their success / show their learning

5. Planning an effective learning journey (1)
• Make it memorable!
• Make it clear – students need to be able to understand the key
sections/activities. Don’t include too much (remember it’s the
combination of your visuals and explanation that makes a
learning journey effective)
• Practice how you will introduce the learning journey – know it
inside out and work out what you will say.
• Break down the learning journey into lessons, activities or logical
parts.
• It’s not all about looks – its just as much about how you
introduce and explain the learning journey
• Refer back to it at key junctures in the learning journey
• Useful to use for plenaries – questioning students on their
progress so far in the learning journey, and where they will go
next and why

6. Planning an effective learning journey (2)
• The explanation of the learning journey is key. Students
must understand where they are going and why. Ensure
you check understanding before moving on.
• As a teacher you don’t always have to stand in front of
the learning journey and do the explaining. You could…
– get students to look at the learning journey and
predict what they’ll be doing
– Play a memorisation game with students recalling key
points in the learning journey
– Pre-brief a student to introduce it themselves
– Give students a quiz on the learning journey

7. Example learning journeys
• Look at the examples on the following pages
– Which do you think are more effective? Why?
– Which key ingredients are present or missing in
each?
– How would you improve them?
– What would be another way of presenting a
learning journey?
• Remember the key is how a learning journey
is presented and explained, not just what one
looks like!

8. Deptford Green School’s
Global warming
healthcare Gun crime
immigration schools
2. PREDICT 3. DO
1. PLAN the results the survey
your survey
4. IDENTIFY
7. REVIEW who is responsible
your learning 6. COMMUNICATE 5. ANALYSE
email a power player
your results
5 weeks to collect and communicate 2000 opinions to the 5 people who represent you.

9. The Ultimate Unification Bout
Create-a-Country
COMPETITION
-vs-
Contenders
-vs- -vs- -vs-
-vs- -vs- -vs-
Title: DG Country of the Year 2008
Rounds: 5
Venue: Deptford Green School SE14

10. Year 7 Road Safety ETY Investigation
ROAD SAF
Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4
Send a
Question Work out
message to
what’s going Prove why it who can do
Lewisham
on at Edward is unsafe something
Council to
St junction about it
take action!

12. PERIOD 1
What needs sorting out?
LEWISHAM LEISURE EXPERTS
PERIOD 2
What’s hot and what’s not?
LEISURE TREASURE HUNT
PERIOD 3
Which should we improve?
POWER PRESENTERS

13. PERIOD 3: Which facility should we improve?
1.One thing…
2.Give it a grade
3.Making our presentations
4.Presentation Time

14. Today’s Young Mayor Learning
P1 Learn about the Young Mayor:
TEAM QUIZ
P2 Plan and Make your message to the Young Mayor:
PHOTO SHOOT
P3 Create your message to the Mayor!
COMPUTERS – PRINTING – STICKING -
GRADING

15. the Criminal Justice System in Black and White
A B C D E
What do I
know How does a Is the
about How do the jury decide
What Criminal
police prove
? crime? happens in guilt? Justice
someone
How does committed a Crown What System fair
the CJS Court? decides the to all
a crime?
work? sentence? groups?
Just The Trial of The Trial of The Trial of Case
Desserts Tony Martin Tony Martin Tony Martin Studies:
 video
case
1.
The
2.
The
3.
The the CJS on
study Evidence Court Case Verdict Trial

18. 1. Pulp Fiction Problem-solving
2. Me @ 14/15 - Questionnaire
3. Our Citizenship class
4. Quiz the teacher

19. THIS LESSON:
Making 30min
Practicing 10min
Presenting 20min

20. Video examples (these can be referred to
again and again by students whenever they wish –
the two examples below are old but should give
you the idea!)
• Citizenship coursework –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc1xBL2XLFQ
• School council scheme of learning -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfhQnrduHiI