Learning Without Limits
Welcome to the Learning Without Limits project
The Learning Without Limits project is dedicated to developing approaches to teaching and learning that do not rely on determinist beliefs about ability.
The project is inspired by decades of research that have drawn attention to the many complex ways in which ideas of fixed ability, and the practices based on them, can limit learning.
Original research and book
Our first study (1999-2002) set out to analyse the practices of individual teachers who had rejected ability-based approaches. We found that, in place of the notion of ability, a sense of 'transformability' permeated every aspect of their work: the conviction that things can change and be changed for the better, sometimes even dramatically, as a result of what happens and the choices people make in the present. Further information can be found on The First LWL Project pages.
Key concepts and principles of transformability-based pedagogy are elaborated in detail in our award-winning book, 'Learning Without Limits', published by Open University Press in 2004, described by Professor Tim Brighouse as a 'book that could change the world'.
Current research
Since 2004, we have been exploring and developing these ideas and their wider application through three further projects:
- Creating Learning Without Limits: the story of a school
- Transforming Learning Capacity: working with others
- ESRC seminar series