ABSTRACT
For some teachers developing a safe haven for learning to take place inhibits the opportunities for deep and valuable learning skills to be developed. James Nottingham talks about moving from the learning zone to the practise zone to develop ability. He explains in his work how performance increases over time through a continuous oscillation between subconscious to current ability, all building towards a potential ability. As Learning is such a perpetual cycle of different learning opportunities – we are constantly refining the aptitudes required, and at any one time there needs to be a balance between the acquisition of knowledge, practising of skills and development of attitudes. Nottingham talks about the balance shifting from a purely knowledge-based curriculum to learning how to learn. James Nottingham created the Learning Pit in his time as a teacher, as a visual representation of how challenging lessons lead to a deeper and more relevant understanding.
