Facilitating Effective Sixth Form Independent Learning

Methodologies, Methods and Tools

Andrew K. Shenton

• Publisher: Facet Publishing
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781783305582, 9781783305599
• eBook ISBN: 9781783305612
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Administration

For young people who have opted to continue their education post-sixteen, it is difficult to overstate the importance of the independent learning which takes place in the Sixth Form. Typically, the balance between classroom teaching and private study shifts dramatically at this point and individuals who intend to go on to university find themselves having to put in place strategies that will stand them in good stead for the next stage of their academic lives, in addition to serving their current needs.

Facilitating Effective Sixth Form Independent Learning is a comprehensive guide for educators looking to support independent learning in the Sixth Form. It takes the reader on a step-by-step journey showing how an appropriate teaching programme may be set up and offers proven tools and strategies that can be adopted in the classroom. The book advises on how a worthwhile research question may be formulated and establishes the importance of teaching unifying methodologies, in addition to individual techniques, before various means of finding information are identified. It develops an approach to help students think systematically about the available options and considers methods for evaluating information and managing time. The book then addresses the construction of essays and reports and then guides readers through understanding and implementing the Information/Writing Interaction Model (IWIM). Further coverage includes strategies for countering plagiarism and numerous suggestions for promoting student reflection.

Rigorous yet accessible and featuring numerous practical examples, Facilitating Effective Sixth Form Independent Learning is an essential resource for educators working in a world where developing independent learning skills is not an option, but essential.

Chapter 1

Introduction

1.1 The need for this book

Never has independent learning been so complex and challenging for the individual as it is today. In times gone by, the major sources of formal information tended to be restricted to organisations such as news agencies, broadcasters, publishers, schools, libraries and the workplace, with the materials themselves taking relatively few forms – typically books, scholarly journals, professional periodicals, magazines, newspapers, leaflets/pamphlets and programmes transmitted by radio and television. We could take confidence from the proven standing of the author or body responsible for the content and from the fact that, in most instances, some kind of quality control was imposed, frequently as a result of the publication process or, in the case of libraries, the acquisitions procedure adopted by the organisation facilitating access to the items. Nowadays, however, information comes to us from a range of disparate providers; its originators – whose identities may not even be known to us – vary in their motivations and the quality of what they offer is similarly diverse. With material as contrasting as social media postings and highly authoritative content, easily accessible through the ubiquitous World Wide Web and frequently retrieved via the same search, distinctions between informal and formal information have become blurred, whilst the prevalence of ‘fake news’ and misinformation makes what we might consider ‘the real situation’ increasingly difficult to establish. It was against this general background that the national lockdowns imposed in 2020 and 2021 in response to the coronavirus pandemic – which prevented direct, face-to-face contact between school staff and many students for extended periods – underlined in an unprecedented context the importance of effective independent learning, its centrality in an ever-changing and uncertain education world and the need for the skills that support it.

It is often said that patterns in our practices in finding and using information can be traced back to our formative years and, in the lives of young people, only the home has greater importance as a learning environment than the school. If it is true, as the old proverb maintains, that the child is father to the man, then we, as educators, find ourselves in the privileged position of being able to train students in information-related attitudes and practices that will serve them well not only in their academic endeavours with us and at college/university but in their wider lives, both while they are taking part in education and subsequently. In short, whether we are teachers, school librarians or members of our organisation’s leadership team, such as a head of post-16 education, we can lay the foundations for successful lifelong learning at a time when the relevant skills have a growing importance in enabling people to adapt to situations that seem to be constantly shifting. There may, of course, be some of our charges who, in the years ahead, use their information skills not only to adjust to the future; they will also help shape it themselves. Although the long-term significance of our training young people in ‘learning how to learn’ may go unappreciated by them while it is happening, we can form some impression of the priority of our work in this regard when we recognise that the ability to find and exploit trustworthy information is vital if we, as adults, are to make sense of the world around us in terms of both what affects us personally and the broader socio-economic and political context in which our lives are embedded.

It is instructive to consider for a moment the different roles we assume – citizen, consumer, employee/manager, partner, parent, son/daughter, manager of the household and volunteer may swiftly come to mind, although there may be others. The ability to discharge any of these functions is dependent on us acting from an informed perspective and for that to be attained sound information practices on our part are a prerequisite. The importance of information skills is further underlined by the work of Dervin (1976, 332), who isolates four everyday ‘life situations’. Each may demand an information input if the matter affecting the individual is to be resolved:

•decisions (in which a choice is to be made from the options available)

•problems (where a barrier stands in the way of the person’s progress)

•worries (in which the individual is hindered by a lack of predictability or control)

•comprehendings (where a person is seeking to understand).

Readers will, I am sure, need no more than a moment to identify a range of recent instances in their own lives that have fallen into each of these categories.

1.2 The nature of independent learning

The term ‘independent learning’ immediately invites the question as to in what sense the learning is independent, and complications soon develop when some of the oft-cited principles are juxtaposed with wider learning practices in schools. Let us briefly explore this challenge in relation to three common perspectives.

1It is sometimes believed that ‘independent’ refers to situations in which the educator’s involvement is minimal. Yet, in many classrooms and computer zones, ‘independent learning’ features students’ use of resources recommended or even directly provided by the educator. A class may be issued with textbooks from the school’s departmental stock, handouts prepared by the educator or extracts from existing sources, or be instructed to go to a certain website. This material is used by students as a basis for the work that follows. Such specially created or ‘pre-sifted’ materials are common in schools where there may be a wider inclination for staff to ‘teach to the test’. Generally, in independent learning terms, their use is possible only if little variation is allowed by the task set or if the provided material is intended merely to serve as introductory reading and thereafter the students will diverge, following their own lines of inquiry.

2‘Independent learning’ may be assumed to take place beyond set, timetabled lessons and be believed to happen in the students’ own time, thereby augmenting the direct, face-to-face sessions they spend with their educators. Nevertheless, in many schools, there are at least some lessons that occur in designated ‘independent learning areas’, such as the school library or computer zones.

3In a definition which may well seem to us outdated now, the authoritative International Dictionary of Education defines ‘independent learning’ as a situation ‘in which an individual proceeds independently of other learners in a class or group’ (Page, Thomas and Marshall, 1977, 171). Such a stance would appear, however, to run contrary to the possibility that independent learning can be collaborative, with students supporting each other or contributing to a combined project. Significantly, the Quality Improvement Agency for Lifelong Learning (2008, 1–2) asserts unequivocally that independent learning does not necessarily mean learning in isolation; there may, in fact, be much sharing of ideas and working together to solve problems.

We can conclude that, in a lot of the circumstances where the phrase, ‘independent learning’ is used, the educator is still heavily involved, the work takes place in timetabled lessons or the individual operates in concert with others. In order to ascertain the real nature of independent learning, it is necessary to think not of the practicalities of how it happens but about its ethos. On a philosophical level, Kelley (2008, 105) suggests that educators must establish a climate where processes and skills are prioritised above facts, and where curiosity, rather than intellectual conformity, is encouraged. Kelley’s ideas point to the need to liberate young people from the accepted orthodoxies and this freedom extends to other areas, too. The stance adopted in this book is that independent learning is characterised by giving students scope to make informed decisions and take responsibility for their study, with the intention of promoting high levels of motivation, initiative, self-discipline and reflection on their part. It especially appeals to those who take the attitude noted by Sked (1989, 27) – ‘I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.’

There remains, however, a paradox. If the aim of independent learning is that students assume a measure of control over the learning process and are less reliant on didactic teaching, much depends not only on the educator’s success in establishing the appropriate environment and taking a proactive approach in ensuring that a sufficiently diverse range of materials is available; they must also equip the students with the relevant skills. It is not unreasonable to suggest that some of the action necessary will itself involve direct teaching. After this point, the educator’s role may become more one of facilitator, instead of instructor, with the students using in their work sources which go far beyond what the educator has directly provided. Nevertheless, the adult’s advisory role is crucial and it would be folly to equate independent learning with unsupported learning. In this book, it is assumed that the independent learning taking place leads to a particular product, such as a presentation, a report or an essay, and this is likely to be formally assessed. Readers may, of course, be familiar with situations where this is not the case and here independent learning simply results in enhanced knowledge – as part of a wider process of revision for a formal examination, perhaps. These scenarios are largely beyond the scope of this book.

Finally, we should distinguish between ‘independent learning’ and ‘open learning’. The terms are sometimes used as virtual synonyms and they certainly share significant similarities with regard to the freedom learners are allowed. ‘Open learning’ is actually a broader term, embracing a range of aspects where individuals are empowered to make their own decisions. The constraints within which schools must operate render it impossible to afford room for flexibility in all these areas, and consequently ‘open learning’ tends to be associated with environments catering for older, i.e. post-18, students or those pursuing pathways beyond formal education, maybe for recreational purposes.

1.3 The special situation of Sixth Formers

No doubt an argument can be made that any particular year group or key stage category in a school merits special attention in relation to independent learning. It could be said, for example, that primary school children in Years Three and Four (i.e. children aged between seven and nine) form an exceptional case, in that they are not only beginning to acquire sufficiently advanced skills in keyboarding, reading and writing for some independent learning to become possible; they are also gaining enough understanding of the abstract to give them an appreciation of the world beyond themselves, their family, the school and the local community. Certain phases in the development of young people are especially important academically and they demand approaches to independent learning that are matched to the child’s level of cognitive progress. In many respects, these will contrast with how research and independent learning skills are taught to adults. I have written previously that, in preparation for assignments involving both primary and secondary research, it is wise to train young children in starting with the former, rather than the latter, as this is more meaningful to them (Shenton, 2015b, 31). In contrast, when research methods are taught to adults, it is typically recommended that their investigation begins with some kind of literature review. The collection of firsthand data generally follows later. At Sixth Form level, the differences in approach that the educator should adopt when teaching research skills are less profound than the adjustments required to cater for primary-aged children but they must still be rooted in the needs and abilities of the young people involved. For example, when asking our students to think in the abstract, it is wise to be mindful of Kuhlthau’s suggestion, made in a seminal paper, that even some of the oldest high schoolers may not yet be operating at Piaget’s formal operations stage of development (Kuhlthau, 1988, 55).

The age of Sixth Formers is such that they occupy a unique transitional position. Although still at school, their thoughts will increasingly be consumed by their future beyond it. For the first time, these young people find themselves without a full lesson timetable so there is plenty of scope for them to undertake outside independent learning. The balance between classroom teaching and the work students are expected to do on their own shifts, with the latter becoming more and more significant and onerous. For decades, some form of ‘independent learning’ has been an essential element of Sixth Form study and A-level courses, in particular. In years gone by, this has often amounted to either background reading to supplement what is being done in class or, in many Arts courses, especially, to the collection and use of information necessary for tackling regular assignments, such as essays. More recently, however, various A-levels have come to feature larger and more involved ‘projects’, with a pronounced emphasis on personal decision making, critical thinking, time management and the gathering of information beyond that easily accessible at school. The ideas suggested in this book are designed to prepare students for these A-level challenges and, crucially, the heavy demands made of candidates studying for the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). For the uninitiated, EPQ candidates are required to conduct, over a period of many months, an independent learning study on a subject of their own choice. There is some flexibility permitted with regard to outcomes but in my own school candidates almost always write a 5000-word essay, in addition to documenting their research processes in a diary (termed a ‘logbook’) and delivering an oral presentation to the rest of their EPQ group and interested school staff.

The growing autonomy which characterises independent learning in the Sixth Form provides a foretaste of what is expected of entrants into Higher Education. It also mirrors the shift that will quickly arise in the teenagers’ wider lives. Many Sixth Formers will soon embark on a time of great independence – arrival at university is often accompanied by a move away from the parental home and they no longer have the support of the day-to-day interactions they had enjoyed with their family, friends and reassuringly familiar school staff. New needs for information arise and, as a consequence, the young people will find themselves dealing with situations of which they have no previous experience. The plasticity of Sixth Formers’ thinking and their relatively novice status as independent learners mean that educators are well placed to promote in school good learning habits that will be further developed at university and beyond, and the skills acquired may well be put to use beyond the academic sphere of life.

1.4 The scope of the book

The principal purpose of this book is to help schools design courses aimed at facilitating the independent learning of Sixth Formers who will be involved in the preparation of assignments that demand a significant element of finding and using information. Although important work is being done by universities that offer presentations and workshops which help young people to develop the skills they need for Sixth Form life, these – in contrast to in-house teaching programmes in schools – are unlikely to be tailored to the specific needs of students in a particular organisation. The book may also be welcomed by staff in Sixth Form colleges and lecturers in Higher Education who work with first-year students yet to master the basics of effective independent learning. Whilst I concentrate on the UK situation, the practices recommended are equally applicable overseas. The volume is not intended to be read by students but it is probable that any who consult it will find many insights that help them to improve their academic abilities.

Much has been written in study skills texts going back as far as the 1970s in relation to matters such as note-making and essay construction, and it is not my intention to reiterate here what has become widely accepted as good practice and which remains pertinent today....

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Figures and tables
• Acknowledgements
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Essential Considerations when Establishing an Information Literacy Teaching Programme
• 3 Devising Tools for Students to Self-Assess Their Academic Skills
• 4 Facilitating Exploration and the Generation of an Effective Research Question
• 5 Encouraging Flexible Methodologies for Solving Information Problems
• 6 Assisting in the Preparation and Planning of a Rigorous Search
• 7 Promoting the Evaluation of Information
• 8 Highlighting Time Management Strategies
• 9 Introducing Initial Thoughts on the End Product
• 10 Adopting the Information/Writing Interaction Model
• 11 Countering Plagiarism
• 12 Stimulating Reflection
• 13 Afterword
• References
• Index