Deep learning – 1: A new shape for schooling?

Deep learning is a concept that has been gaining momentum in the world of education in recent years. The idea is that through personalisation, the conditions of student learning can be transformed, leading to a deeper and more meaningful educational experience. In a new publication “Deep Learning – A new shape for schooling?”, author Emma Sims explores the interactions between the deep learning gateways and the conditions for deep learning.

The publication is aimed at teachers and leaders at all levels of education and provides pertinent questions to help school leaders achieve deep learning. According to Sims, the working definition of deep learning is secured when personalisation is embedded in a school, and the conditions of student learning are transformed. This means that students become articulate, autonomous, and collaborative learners, with high meta-cognitive control and generic skills of learning. They gain these skills through engaging educational experiences with enriched opportunities and challenges, and are supported by various people, materials, and ICT linked to general well-being but crucially focused on learning.

The publication explores the shift in emphasis in many schools from teaching towards learning and the issue of how to secure the move from teaching to learning. Sims stresses that the publication is not seeking to establish a new theory of learning, but instead is focused on the ways in which the gateways interact and overlap to change the conditions of learning and create opportunities for deeper learning experiences.

The publication is divided into five sections, covering the interactions between the deep learning gateways, the conditions for deep learning, including learning conversations, meta-cognitive control, and growing learner autonomy, and a conclusion. The publication also includes sources and suggestions for further reading.