#8 John Hattie | Visible Learning and Intentional Alignment – Purposes and Problems

The guest of this episode is John Hattie, one of the world’s best-known and most widely read education experts. In our conversation with him, he explains the cornerstones and intentions of his Visible Learning approach. We also discuss several points of criticism that he received for his approach and how he developed it further based on the critique he faced. Furthermore, John also explicates the concept of intentional alignment and why the practice of this concept needs an ethical dimension in order not to be misused. Finally, he advocates a shift of perspective in education from autonomy towards responsibility.  00:01:12 – What is Visible Learning? 00:02:59 – On “Know thy impact” 00:05:55 – On the impact of Visible Learning 00:07:01 – The main critiques of the Visible Learning approach 00:10:23 – On interpreting and building a story around data 00:12:02 – On “What works best” 00:14:37 – The relevance of self-knowledge in the Visible Learning approach 00:16:38 – The Dodo Bird Verdict 00:21:22 – Intentional alignment 00:27:13 – How does a competent teacher become a good teacher? 00:32:48 – On phronesis, Bildung and ResponsAbility 00:36:32 – From autonomy towards responsiblity Further literature:  Hattie, J. (2023): Visible Learning: The Sequel A Synthesis of Over 2,100 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement. New York, NY: Routledge. Hattie, J. & Larsen, S. N. (2020): The Purposes of Education. A Conversation Between John Hattie and Steen Nepper Larsen. New York, NY: Routledge. Hattie, J. & Clarke, S. (2019): Visible Learning: Feedback. New York, NY: Routledge.  

Om Podcasten

How to turn professional experience into practical knowledge? How to reflect over one’s professional practice in order to improve it? How to further develop a practitioner’s responseAbility when facing challenging situations? Already Aristotle spoke of practical knowledge in terms of prudence or practical wisdom (phronesis), a notion which is also reflected in the term Bildung. In this podcast, the hosts prof. Michael Noah Weiss and prof. Guro Hansen Helskog are examining central aspects of this knowledge form and its relevance in professional studies by talking to different scholars who made significant contributions to the field. Listeners can get hands-on ideas on how to develop practical knowledge in their own professional contexts. Hosts: Michael Noah Weiss & Guro Hansen Helskog