Understanding innovative pedagogies: Key themes to analyse new approaches to teaching and learning

Pedagogy is at the heart of teaching and learning. Preparing young people to meet new contemporary challenges means to review and update the pedagogies teachers use. However, despite the increased reporting of teachers and schools that are innovating, schools remain largely seen as very resistant places for innovation. To address the importance and challenges of implementing new pedagogies, this paper brings together leading experts to reflect on key areas of pedagogy. In particular, each chapter addresses a pedagogical dimension that together offers a conceptual framework for action. This framework moves beyond a fragmented focus on specific innovations. In doing so, it helps explain how innovative pedagogies may be developed, applied and scaled. Amelia Peterson’s first contribution shows how fundamental purpose is to pedagogy, while Hanna Dumont’s section explores adaptive teaching as a cross-cutting concept over a range of different pedagogical approaches. Then the paper moves to discuss the importance of understanding pedagogies as combinations, which Amelia Peterson defines as two layers: one combining discrete teaching practices and another that combines approaches to meet long-term educational goals. Marc Lafuente looks first at content domains (mathematics, non-native languages, and socio-emotional learning) and how they relate to pedagogies. He then contributes to the thinking on “new learners” and technology, as important context influencing pedagogical choices and implementation. The final section by Nancy Law is focused on change, through the particular prism of technology-enhanced pedagogical innovations. Her analysis moves towards a theory of change that takes account of the need for alignment at the different levels of the educational system.