Implementing High-Leverage Influences from the Visible Learning Synthesis: Six Supporting Conditions

Abstract

Even though there is a plethora of research that can be used by educators to inform their practice, the deep implementation of evidence-based strategies remains unrealized in many schools and classrooms. The question we set out to answer was: What conditions help encourage educators to implement and adapt evidence from the Visible Learning synthesis when they encounter it? We examined two examples of the reception of the Visible Learning research in schools and identified the following six key conditions that helped foster the translation of the Visible Learning research into classroom practice in ways that demonstrated measurable impact on student learning: (1) The presence of a learning methodology; (2) clear examples of how to apply the strategies; (3) a ‘knowledgeable other’ to help assist educators in processing the research; (4) a supportive organizational environment; (5) the recognition of educators as agents of influence, and (6) the monitoring and adjustment of implementation strategies.

Keywords

• visible learning
• implementation
• learning intentions
• success criteria
• impact cycle, collaborative inquiry