Dr. Sophie Specjal, PhD, is an expert in communication, language, and learning for K-12 education with over 20 years of experience as a teacher, leader, researcher, and consultant. We sat down with Dr. Specjal to discuss Professor John Hattie’s research on Visible Learning and the impact these instructional strategies have in mathematics classrooms.
Q. WHAT IS VISIBLE LEARNING?
A. During his time as an academic, Professor John Hattie started to examine different studies within education. Hattie began this research as a passion project, but it resulted in a book called Visible Learning.
He made comparisons between strategies that had a greater impact on student understanding to recognize what made an effective learning strategy. He discovered the most successful strategies consider education through the learner's eyes. From this, John constructed Visible Learning to make education accessible for both students and teachers. It prioritizes that educators are evaluating their own impact.
Visible Learning, when executed correctly, utilizes educator awareness to foster impactful student understanding. What is exciting is that Big Ideas Learning has been able to take much of Hattie’s rich research and implement it into their California mathematics curriculum.
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Q. HOW CAN VISIBLE LEARNING BE PRACTICALLY IMPLEMENTED INTO THE CLASSROOM?
A. The best way for educators to frequently evaluate their own impact is by seeing through the eyes of the learners. For example, I always assumed that because I love teaching, my students would love learning. But I never stopped to ask my students if that assumption was true or if there was a more effective way to reach them. You’d be amazed how implementing these self-evaluations will drastically increase student engagement and understanding. Utilizing tools like self-evaluation is the best way to implement high-impact math teaching strategies.
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Q. HOW HAS VISIBLE LEARNING RESEARCH BEEN INCORPORATED INTO BIG IDEAS LEARNING'S NEW K-12 CALIFORNIA MATH & YOU PROGRAM?
A. There is so much of Hattie's research embedded in the California Math & YOU program. The most impactful features for educators are the learning targets and success criteria provided in each section to instill high levels of learning in students. Tools like Prior Learning or Laurie’s Notes assist educators throughout the chapters. Don’t skip those notes, or you’ll miss the chance to create the greatest impact in your classroom.
Q. WHAT ARE LEARNING TARGETS AND SUCCESS CRITERIA? WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT TO IMPLEMENT IN THE CLASSROOM?
A. When done well and purposefully, learning targets vastly increase student understanding because it supports both educators and students. Hattie's research has shown that correctly incorporating learning targets and success criteria can accelerate learning and lead to academic growth of more than two years.
Learning targets are a set of “I can” statements that frame learning goals for each lesson. Success criteria is a way to evaluate successful understanding of the materials being taught. The most accurate measure of student understanding is the ability to self-regulate, which is collaborative feedback from students to their peers. Hattie’s research found that educators promoting students' self-regulation are creating maximum impact environments.
These tools are critical to successful accelerated learning programs, which is why their effectiveness needs to be evaluated regularly.
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER: THE POWER OF VISIBLE LEARNING IN TODAY'S CLASSROOMS
Visible Learning is a transformative approach to education that empowers both teachers and students. By focusing on strategies that have the greatest impact on student achievement, educators can make informed decisions that truly enhance learning outcomes. Through tools like learning targets, success criteria, and self-assessment, teachers can foster a classroom culture where students are active participants in their own growth.
Big Ideas Learning has embraced this research in its California Math & YOU program, ensuring that every lesson is grounded in evidence-based practices. When educators see learning through the eyes of their students and continuously reflect on their own impact, they create classrooms where meaningful, accelerated learning can thrive.
Dr. Sophie Specjal, Ph.D., is an expert in communication, language, and a global thought leader for K-12 education, with over 20 years of experience as a teacher, leader, researcher, and consultant. Since 2019, she has partnered with Big Ideas Learning as a contributing author, presenter, blog writer, learning designer and research collaborator. Sophie is the host of the Talking Teaching Podcast, with the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne, where she shares lively and informative conversations with extraordinary people across the globe on topics such as teaching and learning, educational research, and innovation. Visit Dr. Sophie Specjal's LinkedIn profile to learn more.
About California Math & YOU
California Math & YOU is a comprehensive, pedagogically rich K-12 mathematics program that builds a strong conceptual foundation for students through an immersive digital experience. Written by renowned author, Ron Larson, and his expert authorship team, California Math & YOU features engaging and relevant material that sparks students' curiosity and learning, while empowering teachers to successfully meet the needs of all learners. California Math & YOU is built on the California Mathematics Framework and is completely aligned to the California Common Core Standards (CA CCSS).