Education

Visible Learning: 8 key ideas

by John Hattie

The core ideas of Visible Learning, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.

1. IDEA 1 OF 8

   Evidence can guide teaching

   Hattie combined the results of more than 800 meta-analyses of research on what affects student achievement.

   He aimed to find which factors make the biggest difference. His aim was to replace opinion with evidence about what works best in classrooms.

2. IDEA 2 OF 8

   Effect sizes compare influences

   Hattie used effect sizes, a statistical measure, to compare the impact of different factors on learning.

   This allowed influences to be ranked. In his account, a larger effect size means a bigger difference in what students learn.

3. IDEA 3 OF 8

   A benchmark separates strong effects

   Hattie proposed a hinge point of 0.4, the average effect of a year of schooling.

   Influences above this, he argues, deserve attention. In his view, practices that fall below it may be helping little more than normal growth.

4. IDEA 4 OF 8

   Feedback matters greatly

   Hattie found that feedback to students and teachers has a large effect on learning.

   In his account, students gain most when they hear clearly how they are doing and what to do next.

5. IDEA 5 OF 8

   Clear teaching helps

   Hattie found that teacher clarity, explaining goals and success criteria, improves learning.

   In his account, students who know what they are aiming for and how success will look tend to do better. He sees it as strong.

6. IDEA 6 OF 8

   Learning should be visible

   Hattie argues that teachers should see learning through students' eyes and students should become their own teachers.

   In his view, when students can explain what they know and where they are stuck, they take ownership of their learning.

7. IDEA 7 OF 8

   Students know their level

   Hattie found that students' own expectations of their grades strongly predict achievement.

   In his account, students who expect to do well often do, and low expectations can hold them back. Hattie describes this as a strong influence on outcomes.

8. IDEA 8 OF 8

   Methods have been criticised

   Some statisticians criticised Hattie's methods for combining very different studies.

   The debate continues. Critics say that mixing studies of different kinds can hide important differences. Supporters reply that the overall pattern still gives useful guidance to teachers and schools.