Agile

There is a set of four attitudes in learning that relate to being intellectually agile. Being agile is about a desire to learn and an ability to use multiple approaches to achieve good outcomes. They are characteristics that enable a young person to become a more independent learner, and to contribute well in school and in life. 

They consist of being: 

1. Enquiring 

This is the ability to be: 

The child or teenager who has an enquiring mind is going to be good at learning. Curiosity is at the heart of all learning and is a key motivator to learning success. 

Being willing to work alone matters. It’s important to be able to learn how to concentrate and focus on any work you do, and working alone can be a great way of learning how to do that. It also means you are responsible for the outcomes of whatever you do, which is important to the advanced learner. Being proactive in learning is a desire to learn more – the child who is keen to learn and enterprising around how they do that. 

High performers are independent of thought, they don’t just follow the crowd and believe what the people around them believe. 

2. Creative and enterprising 

This is the ability to: 

Creative and enterprising works when you: 

3. Open-minded 

This is the ability to: 

Open-mindedness works when: 

4. Risk-taking 

This is the ability to: 

Intellectual risk-taking is a higher learning skill. Risk-taking works when children and young people: 

‘Great Minds and How to Grow Them’ (Berliner & Eyre)