how to teach vocational education

Transcription

HOW TO TEACH VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
Reports from Action Research Enquiries
at Highlands College 2013/14
How to teach vocational education (HTTVE)
Reports from action research enquiries at
Highlands College, Jersey 2013/2014
June 2014
ISBN: to be confirmed
© Highlands College 2014
Available to download from: web address to be confirmed
Acknowledgements
Highlands College and the Centre for Real-World Learning would like to thank the
States of Jersey for funding this project.
About the Centre for Real-World Learning
(CRL) at the University of Winchester
CRL is an innovative research centre working closely with practitioners in education
and in a range of vocational contexts. It is especially interested in new thinking and
pioneering practice in two areas:


The science of learnable intelligence and the implementation of expansive
approaches to education;
The field of embodied cognition and its implications for practical learning and
for vocational education.
Visit www.winchester.ac.uk/realworldlearning
and
www.expansiveeducation.net
i
Table of Contents
Foreword .................................................................................................................... v
HTTVE Project Outcomes .......................................................................................... 6
Assessment for Learning and Feedback .................................................................. 16
Assessment feedback for developing reflective learning
Eileen Buicke-Kelly, Dominic Farrell, Adrian Goldsborough and
Pawel Kulon ................................................................................................... 17
Developing independent learning in Further Education students
Fiona Cassels-Brown ..................................................................................... 24
Feedback to feed forward
Lynn Blakemore and Cat Farnon .................................................................... 32
Formative feedback to increase students’ craftsmanship and quality
of work
Mike Nield, Mark Syvret and Deborah Holdridge ............................................ 40
Formative feedback to increase student achievement
Deimos Valerkou ............................................................................................ 48
Formative peer assessment to develop students’ ability to critically
interpret assessment criteria
Phillipa Losh ................................................................................................... 52
Giving students choice over assessment methods to improve learning
Stuart Taylor ................................................................................................... 58
Self-assessment for ownership of learning
Jo Chaplin ...................................................................................................... 61
Student-tutor collaboration to design assignments
Christopher Talbot .......................................................................................... 68
Surface pattern design project incorporating a ‘live’ brief
Sarah Jordan .................................................................................................. 77
Use of feedback in beauty therapy
Sue Hill ........................................................................................................... 82
Use of model answers to increase students’ understanding of
assessment criteria
Joanna Cole ................................................................................................... 91
Peer Learning and Peer Assessment ....................................................................... 97
Developing resourcefulness through independent learning
Julie Ann Jouanny .......................................................................................... 98
Do study support groups help student achievement?
Suzanne Diggle ............................................................................................ 105
Group critiques and developing students’ confidence to be critical
Glyn Burton .................................................................................................. 110
Peer learning for developing student self-management and independent
learning
Albertina Le Boutillier.................................................................................... 113
Self and peer assessment to encourage students’ engagement with
feedback
Sarah Jordi ................................................................................................... 118
ii
Students’ perceptions on the value of peer assessment in theory and
practice contexts
Martin Colley ................................................................................................ 126
Supportive working groups
Natasha Stone .............................................................................................. 137
Using debates to enhance students’ argumentation and influencing
skills
Stuart Philip .................................................................................................. 144
Using peer feedback to increase students’ evaluation skills
Nicholas Romeril .......................................................................................... 149
Using peer learning to develop independent learning
Carol Hopkins ............................................................................................... 152
Resourcefulness .................................................................................................... 158
Analysis of ‘question framing’ in GCSE level mathematics questions
Jane Martin, Mark Bardsley and Louise Cohu .............................................. 159
Strategies to enable visual learners to engage in historical contextual
research
Linda Burton ................................................................................................. 170
Developing information search skills to enhance quality
A. J. Ahier ..................................................................................................... 176
Developing technical skills and independent learning for life-drawing
students
Jason Butler ................................................................................................. 180
Guided reading strategies to improve student ‘reading for meaning
skills
Dreena Collins .............................................................................................. 184
Independent learning with online resources
Anne Audrain ................................................................................................ 193
Independent reading to promote successful extensive reading
Andrew Rouillard .......................................................................................... 196
Personal development plans to promote independent learning
Michael Millar................................................................................................ 201
Refining research skills
Paul Spencer ................................................................................................ 206
Supporting L1 learner independence
Elaine Richomme ......................................................................................... 212
Perseverance ......................................................................................................... 215
Enhancing students’ understanding of distinction criteria
Dom Glennon ............................................................................................... 216
Evaluating the influence of different spelling programmes on learning
Jo Gueno ...................................................................................................... 226
Just write
Paul Bisson .................................................................................................. 229
Primarily Further Education – the case for promoting independent reading
at FE level
Simon MacDonald ........................................................................................ 235
iii
Resilience for learning mathematics
Karen Wray .................................................................................................. 241
Student self-assessment of participation to enhance resilience
Carol Tyrer ................................................................................................... 245
Sustaining student perseverance in writing using peer feedback and
role-play
Jo Terry-Marchant ........................................................................................ 251
Using target setting to improve the focus of learning support sessions
Andrew Wilson and Robert Cameron ........................................................... 259
Real-World Learning .............................................................................................. 274
Building services/fabrication and welding action research project
Tony Tyrer, Paul Caulfield, Adrian Desmond, David Freeman, Colm
Lawless, Leo McCarthy, Norry Murray, Peter Powell and Malcolm Simms .. 275
Developing confidence for successful placements
Heather Davies, Siobhan Grieve, Dawn Hodgson, Lorna Morgan, Elaine
Richomme and Micki Swift ........................................................................... 282
Developing learners as real-world problem solvers
Ellie Johnson ................................................................................................ 287
Engaging students in evaluating their own personal skills
Lisa Collas .................................................................................................... 291
Improving students’ employability for the tourism industry: can
heritage education help?
Jeanne Ward ................................................................................................ 296
Mind the gap
Joe Cottam, Tony Bechelet, Marc Bertalli, Mal Morgan,
Keith Pomroy and John Sheehan ................................................................. 308
The value of De Bono’s thinking skills in promoting career
decision-making
Steve Turner ................................................................................................. 318
Flipped Learning .................................................................................................... 321
Allowing self-study before teaching new material
Matthew Crick ............................................................................................... 322
Enhancing students’ learning through pre-learning tasks
Andy Dewhurst ............................................................................................. 326
Flipped learning for independent learning
Andrew McGinnigle ...................................................................................... 332
Flipped learning for student engagement in sport and management
Glenda Rivoallan .......................................................................................... 336
Flipping maths
Adele Dark .................................................................................................... 348
Using flipped learning to engage students in learning mathematics
Stephen McGinness ..................................................................................... 357
Utilising consumer technologies as a learning tool
Jason Grainger ............................................................................................. 362
iv
Foreword
In this remarkable collection of action research reports you can see into the soul of
Highlands College. You can get an idea of its creativity, thoughtfulness, care and
open-mindedness. You can also sense, at every level, a commitment to learning
and to learners.
When we published our research, How to teach vocational education: a theory of
vocational pedagogy, in late 2012, we were pleased with the way it was praised by
the Commission on Adult Vocational Teaching and Learning1. We were surprised
and delighted when it was debated in the House of Lords in early 2013.
But we were even more excited when Gary Jones, Deputy Principal of Highlands
College, approached us at the Centre for Real-World Learning (CRL) to see if we
would be interested in working with them over the course of more than a year to see
how staff at Highlands might explore ways in which they could make small but
significant changes in their own pedagogy.
Through its membership of the Expansive Education Network2, Highlands College
has used the mechanism of action research to consider the ways in which it might
itself expand the range of vocational outcomes achieved by its students. As well as
the best possible results Highlands teachers also want to produce resourceful
learners with powerful mindsets and well-developed learning skills.
City & Guilds and CRL were delighted when Highlands became its first significant
test-bed – a Centre for Excellence in Vocational Pedagogy. And subsequently, with
other colleges also wanting to explore their approaches to teaching and learning
more deeply, we have been able to extend the alliance to include the Institute for
Learning, the 157 Group and Association of Employment and Learning Providers.
That this has been possible is at least in part because of the skilful explorations of
vocational pedagogy undertaken by Highlands College staff.
Congratulations to all who have contributed to this impressive special edition
exploring vocational pedagogy.
Director
Centre for Real-World Learning at the University of Winchester
1
McLoughlin, Frank (2013) It’s about work: excellent adult vocational educational teaching and learning.
London: CAVTL
2
www.expansiveeducation.net
v
HTTVE Project Outcomes
Assessment for Learning and Feedback
Eileen Buicke-Kelly, Dominic Farrell, Adrian Goldsborough and Pawel Kulon
Giving students effective feedback throughout the first term is crucial to helping
students with little experience of independent study to develop that skill. This
was accomplished by modifying the feedback sheets to include space for
students to reflect on their work. Learners were given the time and acquired the
reflective skills to improve subsequent written submissions.
Developing independent learning in Further Education students through AfL
Fiona Cassels-Brown
The use of the graphic organiser Know What Learn in a modified form in maths
classes as part of an assessment for learning technique promoted independent
problem-solving skills and led to increased exam success. Students became
more engaged and motivated but this took an extended period of time.
Lynn Blakemore and Catherine Farnon
It was thought that a lack of understanding of how to respond to feedback
amongst degree students was preventing progress in areas identified for
development. Setting time aside to focus students’ attention on feedback and
what to do with it meant that students drove the agenda in tutorials and private
study. The majority of students improved their grades.
Formative feedback to increase students’ craftsmanship and quality of
work
Mike Nield, Mark Syvret and Deborah Holdridge
Recognising there was a gap between the level of motor vehicle repair work
needed to pass the qualification and that deemed to be of a professional
standard, a series of measures of professionalism were developed. Students
were assessed and given feedback against these specific measures. The
standard of students’ work and working processes improved as a consequence.
Deimos Valerkou
In the past feedback on written assignments has been given using the
‘comments’ facility in Word. However the plethora of comments produced made
it difficult for students to focus on what actions needed to be undertaken. Typing
feedback into Evernote with the student enabled them to seek clarification where
needed and access it online from anywhere. Further work is needed to
determine the effect of this change of practice.
6
Phillipa Losh
Peer and self-assessment activities involving assessment criteria were used to
develop students’ abilities to analyse information and draw conclusions.
Learners’ self-perceived ability increased in relation to resilience and reflection
when researching and to a lesser extent or not at all in relation to other qualities.
Giving students choice over assessment methods to improve learning
Stuart Taylor
The students in the main chose two assessment methods from thirteen offered.
Large assignments covering several assessment criteria were replaced with one
mini assignment per criteria. Consequently students submitted work more
frequently, had it marked and returned more quickly, and there were fewer
resubmissions required.
Jo Chaplin
Responses to before and after self-perception questionnaires about English skills
showed little difference in reading or writing, but half of the students reported an
improvement in speaking and listening skills. Students were more receptive to
suggestions about how to improve their performance when initial feedback was in
numerical form.
Christopher Talbot
The students were engaged in discussions about the learning and assessment
requirements of a unit and how they thought they could best demonstrate that
they had met the learning requirements. Anecdotal evidence suggests most
students were more engaged than normal, actively participated in the writing of
assignment briefs and that the level of work at first submission was higher than
usual.
Sarah Jordan
Delivering a unit with a more obviously commercial bias proved challenging for
the less able students with less well developed working practices. More able
students performed in line with expectations. Longer term monitoring was
needed to determine whether later coursework showed increased commercial
influence.
Sue Hill
Increasing the quantity of feedback at the end of a session to accelerate the
development of independence needs to be carefully managed. Targeting the
feedback at students deemed in greater need may reduce the attention that the
more able receive. Rather than setting time aside at the end for feedback it is
perhaps better interspersed throughout the session.
7
Use of model answers to increase students’ understanding of assessment
criteria
Joanna Cole
Careful timing of the use of a model answer such that mere reproduction of it was
more costly in terms of effort than using it to improve cognitive processing of the
subject material was crucial. This point was after the ‘pass’ and ‘merit’ criteria
had been attempted but before feedback had been given. A 60% reduction in
resubmissions was achieved compared to the previous year.
Peer Learning and Peer Assessment
Julie Jouanny
Students were given the learning materials and responsibility for learning the
theory part of the subject in a controlled peer learning context where more able
students were paired with those less able. Normally disengaged student became
more focused on the work. Deliberately creating time pressure caused a degree
of competitiveness.
Sue Diggle
Students were organised into three study groups containing a mixture of ages,
abilities and backgrounds. To build team working skills and the ability to draw on
each other’s strengths the groups competed in recap quizzes at the beginning of
each lesson and planned their approach to assignments together resulting in
noticeable peer coaching taking place. For one group this worked very well but
for another there remained a strong tendency to revert to former friendship
groups.
Glyn Burton
To reduce the barriers some students have to overcome when discussing their
art work in front of peers and the giving and receiving of criticism of their work
and that of their peers, a new phased approach was adopted. Starting with
groups of two or three, which were increased gradually, student self-confidence
was successfully built to the point where they requested group critiques and were
prepared to self-organise such events without tutor involvement.
Peer learning for developing student self-management and independent
learning
Albertina Leboutillier
For the first cycle of peer learning Level 1 and Level 2 students were
uncomfortable working with those they did not know well and the process took
longer than planned. In the second cycle most of the students had a more
positive approach, displayed increased confidence and improved organisational
skills. Those that had embraced this method achieved better exam results.
8
feedback
Sarah Jordi
Student peer assessors often highlighted the same areas for improvement from
role plays as the tutor. Personal target sheets were completed diligently.
However students still preferred feedback from the tutor and remained reluctant
to grade peers possibly as a result of a lack of confidence in their own judgement.
Students’ perceptions on the value of peer assessment in theory and
practice contexts
Martin Colley
Students reported that peer assessment was nearly three times more useful in
theory lessons than in practical sessions. Almost two thirds of students surveyed
felt they learn most from their teacher/coach specifically. The use of peer
assessment needs to be carefully planned to maximise its effect.
Natasha Stone
Organising Entry Level 3 and Level 1 students into supportive work groups
worked well provided the projects on which they were working were kept
relatively short and adjustments to group composition are made to achieve a
better balance of abilities and skills. Students were observed helping each other
with their basic English written skills, creative computer skills, understanding what
the activity required them to do and keeping each other appropriately motivated.
Using debates to enhance students’ argumentation and influencing skills
Stuart Philip
A carefully structured series of debates requiring student teams to construct and
present an argument led to an enhanced development of skills of analysis and
synthesis. The sense that they could contribute something new to a discussion
and influence the opinion of others gave students a sense of accomplishment
and purpose.
Nicholas Romeril
Art students were placed in small groups to regularly evaluate and offer objective
criticism of each other’s work in order to help them develop these skills. After a
slow start some improvement in openness and objectivity in the discussions was
observed. However, the more able students felt the exercise was one-sided in
that the quality of the feedback they received from the less able students was
poor compared to the feedback given by them to those less able students.
Carol Hopkins
A series of peer learning lessons were arranged to increase the learning by
beauty students of the difficult subject of anatomy and physiology. The research
aspect was successful but the anxiety of having to present the work to peers
distracted students when listening to the presentations of other groups. Despite
this some improvement in the exam results was noted.
9
Resourcefulness
Analysis of ‘question framing’ in GCSE level mathematics questions
Jane Martin, Mark Bardsley, Louise Cohu
Giving mathematical exam questions a context or scenario which involves
irrelevant information, requiring multiple steps to reach the answer and using
difficult or unfamiliar words were all shown to correlate negatively with success in
answering the questions. There did not appear to be any significant difference in
question difficulty between the examination boards.
Developing autonomy in visual learners through contextual research
Linda Burton
Giving Level 3 art students significant autonomy in their contextual research will
only provide partial coverage of the broad historical sweep of the development of
art movements. For Level 2 art students, limiting the choice of research area at
the beginning of the project and using well-established books meant they were
able to locate reliable information and use a range of sources.
Andre Ahier
Level 3 business students were asked to search for sources of information for
their assignment and validate those sources.
Doing so increased their
understanding of the subject and led to a high proportion achieving ‘distinction’
grades. Students were able to replicate the process in a later assignment for the
tutor, but having realised the value of the practice, had extended it of their own
volition to assignments with other tutors.
Developing technical skills and independent learning for life-drawing
students
Jason Butler
Demonstrations of life drawing skills were alternated with just verbal instructions
in successive life drawing classes to see which was preferred by students. The
students felt that it was necessary to have the practical skills they were to learn
demonstrated. The stronger students responded the most positively to the
demonstrations by the professional artist while the weaker students reported
feeling under pressure which deterred them from taking risks so as to avoid
making mistakes.
Guided reading strategies to improve student ‘reading for meaning’ skills
Dreena Collins
Students responded well to guided reading groups where the reading exercises
were kept comparatively short. Silent individual reading, annotation, note taking,
etc., was harder for them to sustain on their own for a longer reading piece.
Analysis by the students of both their own reading technique and the content of
the passage helped them set medium-term targets for improvement.
10
Anne Audrain
Where students’ general IT skills were weak it was found that when the page
layout in Moodle was simple and navigation was easy, students reported that
they liked using Moodle. Where layouts were confusing and the uploaded
content was not necessarily current, students were deterred from engaging with
the VLE.
Andrew Rouillard
Two groups of non-readers were engaged in an initial discussion about reading.
They were then guided to books/readers at appropriate levels followed by short
sharp reading sessions that lengthened over time. Students were consistently
engaged and made real progress. Student comments indicated a transformation
in their attitude to reading; “Can I just finish the chapter?”
Michael Millar
Personal Development Plans were instigated with a class of IT degree students
for their programming unit as a means of dealing with the broad spread of prior
experience and knowledge of programming. The initial version of the plans was
task focused and only achieved limited success. Changing to time-focused
(weekly entry) plans was simpler for students to complete and encouraged more
active use of the plan.
Paul Spencer
Initial research found that the longer a student spent researching a topic and the
wider the range of research skills they used, the higher the number of correct
answers they achieved in a subsequent test. Enforcing a five-minute reading
period of the questions had an immediate positive additional effect on test scores.
Elaine Richomme
Against an historical background of taking a flexible line with Level 1 learners
over assignment hand in deadlines, a strict regime of adherence to deadlines
was introduced. This was supported by providing all the relevant assignment
submission documents on the VLE and showing them what was expected.
These students now complete the submission documents independently and
meet the hand in deadlines as a matter of course.
Perseverance
Dominic Glennon
With Level 2 students the number who attempted and achieved distinction criteria
was low. Spending time specifically teaching to the distinction criteria, rather
than the assignment as a whole, and allowing students more time to ask
questions led to more distinction criteria being achieved.
11
Evaluating the influence of different spelling programmes on learning
Jo Gueno
A standard spelling programme and a self-devised spelling programme were both
tested, each with two groups of learners. While both groups showed progression
by being able to spell more words with both programmes, the differences
between the results obtained for each programme were insufficiently distinct to
make a judgement that one programme was more effective than the other.
Just write
Paul Bisson
An experiment to encourage male students to write, and to do so using correct
spelling and grammar, was conducted by getting an all-male group to spend ten
minutes at the beginning of each GCSE English lesson writing in response to a
single word or short phrase. The error rate was higher at the beginning and end
of term but in between, although lower, showed no trend.
Primarily Further Education – the case for promoting independent reading
at FE level
Simon MacDonald
It was recognised that students retaking their GCSE English were often reluctant
readers and that this was impairing their progress. Twenty minutes of freereading time per lesson for the exam text was set aside at points in each lesson
and coupled with the requirement to maintain a reading log. When the free
reading was temporarily suspended students indicated that they missed it as it
was something they enjoyed and felt was meaningful.
Karen Wray
Building rapport with students, conducting maths classes in a relaxed
atmosphere and always being clear and honest about the purpose and value of
the topic that was being learnt made the subject more approachable for reluctant
students. Over the period of the project the average pre-class preparation time
for maths for the students involved increased from 3.6 minutes to 57 minutes.
This implies that students were more prepared to persevere rather than stop at
the first obstacle.
Carol Tyrer
End of lesson student self-assessment of participation was compared with tutor
assessment over a four week period.
Students consistently rated their
participation higher than the tutor and only reflected on their participation when
prompted to do so. No long-term changes in behaviour were observed.
Sustaining student perseverance in writing using peer feedback and roleplay
Jo Terry-Marchant
Sustaining regular and frequent peer assessment with students proved difficult.
Students perceived an increase in learning power over the duration of the project.
Their sustained writing output increased from struggling with three paragraphs to
writing 1,000 words in controlled assessments.
12
Using target setting to improve the focus of learning support sessions
Andrew Wilson and Robert Cameron
This project examined the use of forms associated with one-to-one support
sessions. Two groups had the forms completed and two groups were supported
without forms. It was found that when records and paper-based feedback were
used, they had little effect on a student’s evaluation of learning support. The
initial meeting form was deemed the most useful form.
Real-World Learning
Tony Tyrer, Paul Caulfield, Adrian Desmond, David Freeman, Colm Lawless, Leo
McCarthy, Norry Murray, Peter Powell and Malcolm Simms
To improve the communication skills of Level 1 students a variety of realistic
exercises, such as ordering material over the phone, were undertaken. Before
and after questionnaires, coupled with tutor observation, indicated that the
students’ communication skills and confidence improved over the duration of the
project.
Heather Davies, Siobhan Grieve, Dawn Hodgson, Lorna Morgan, Elaine
Richomme and Micki Swift
Students were not planning and undertaking activities in their childcare work
placements, largely as a result of lack of knowledge and confidence. A planned
programme of teaching Level 3 students how to plan and run activities resulted in
them doing so in placement, and reporting that they felt more confident doing it.
Ellie Johnson
Learning/training for staff in hairdressing salons was principally focused on skills
directly related to working with hair. When day-release students conducted
satisfaction surveys with their clients, and suggestions for improvement feedback
to colleagues and managers/owners, the issues identified were easily solved.
Improved levels of confidence were observed by the tutor when these individuals
had to tackle new and challenging tasks.
Lisa Collas
A new question on the client consultation sheet asked; “Did your stylist show
good interpersonal skills?” This information was used to encourage students to
reflect on how they might improve their interpersonal skills. Feedback on student
dress brought about a significant debate and change.
13
Improving students’ employability for the tourism industry: can heritage
education help?
Jeanne Ward
Through a variety of heritage focussed visits, activities and the keeping of a
reflective log, the local heritage knowledge of travel and tourism students was
improved from a relatively low base. The project is ongoing but it is apparent that
visits to heritage sites are an effective learning method and experience.
Mind the gap
Joe Cottam, Tony Bechelet, Marc Bertalli, Mal Morgan, Keith Pomroy and John
Sheehan
In response to construction crafts students asking questions about related
subjects outside their trade, a series of open sessions with a cross-section of
relevant tutors was set up. Student response to this arrangement was largely
very positive. Students were able to obtain not only answers to technical
questions, but also advice about career development and opportunities to take
further courses.
The value of De Bono’s thinking skills in promoting career decision-making
Steve Turner
A range of De Bono’s thinking skills were introduced to low ability students
exhibiting poor speaking, listening and communication skills with the intention of
providing them with tools to improve their skills in these areas. This was
repeated eight weeks later to determine if any improvement had taken place.
Reviewing the video footage of each of the sessions revealed that no discernable
improvement had occurred.
Flipped Learning
Matthew Crick
Before teaching students HTML they were directed to a bank of online lessons
during class time which they could work through as they chose. Although
students’ understanding of the topic was still weak when formal teaching
commenced, they were much more confident and able to engage in the subject.
The majority of students expressed a preference for this approach and greater
success rates were achieved with the first submission of assignments.
Andy Dewhurst
Level 3 high ability students with stated antipathy to homework were asked to
watch a ten-minute video about sports massage technique in their own time prior
to the lesson on that technique. All but one student watched the YouTube clip
and were positive about the experience, indicating that the pre-learning task was
beneficial.
14
Andrew McGinnigle
Students expressed reluctance to watch videos in their own time in preparation
for lessons, particularly if the videos were several minutes in length. The
capacity of the college network and internet connection proved to be a barrier to
making viewing an easy process. Degree level students were more inclined to
watch the videos than BTEC Level 3 students.
Glenda Rivoallan
HE students were asked to do pre-learning tasks, either watching short videos or
engaging with other subject material, in order to prepare them for in-class
activities that support the assimilation and consolidation of that subject material.
Not all students always completed the flipped learning tasks but collectively they
reported that it assisted with the synthesis of lesson content and the development
of independent study and research skills.
Flipping maths
Adele Dark
A series of self-produced video clips explaining various mathematical techniques
were used as pre-lesson learning material. Only a relatively small proportion of
students taking part in this project viewed the clips prior to the lesson initially,
although viewings increased once a few students started to use them more
regularly. More interest was generated when a student created their own
‘Showme’ videos in class.
Stephen McGinness
Using a group containing a mixture of Entry Level 3 and Level 1 students, this
project attempted to get students to view a video clip prior to coming to a maths
class. Only one out of 33 viewed the clip. In another group 23% viewed a clip on
tourist destinations. It was thought that unless a minimum level of motivation was
exceeded, flipped learning would be unsuitable for some students.
Jason Grainger
Three consumer technologies, Apple Wiki, Evernote and Apple Photobooth, were
introduced as mechanisms for recording and accessing learning resources, and
managing information and feedback. All students used at least one of the
systems, most utilised two and some used all three. Regardless of level of
usage, all students reported positive experiences and some adopted the
technologies for use outside of the course.
15
Assessment for Learning and Feedback
16
Eileen Buicke-Kelly, Dominic Farrell, Adrian Goldsborough and Pawel
Kulon
Research question: If I give my learners time and regular opportunities to reflect
and evaluate upon feedback from assignments, will I be able to more effectively
monitor and assist them in developing their reflective learning?
Keywords: Culinary arts; Assessment feedback; Coaching; Reflection; Selfregulation; Meta-learning; and Level 1 and Level 2, VRQ.
Context
Within Highlands College the Academy of Culinary Arts trains both full time and part
time learners on a variety of courses. We deliver professional Food Preparation and
Cookery to short courses like the CIEH (Chartered Institute of Environmental Health)
totalling 50 plus courses with 26 staff.
Within the Academy of Culinary Arts we currently have 23 full time learners broken
down to 11 level 1 and 12 level 2. We also have large cohort of day release
learners, currently 20 level 1 learners and 13 level 2 learners. The current
qualification that we deliver across the Food and Beverage and the Food Preparation
and Cookery is the IVQ (International Vocational Qualification). As of the next
Academic term commencing September 2014 we will be changing the qualification
from the IVQ to the VRQ (Vocational Related Qualification) in line with changes
made by the awarding body, City and Guilds.
Issue addressed
Within the Academy of Culinary Arts our ability to engage and inspire the learners in
the practical situations is to a very high standard. Our learners enrol on our courses
with high expectations in relation to learning new skills, preparing and cooking new
dishes, making coffee, wine tasting and the effects of their efforts are visible and
allowing the learners’ time to reflect on their efforts is second nature.
“Observation feedbacks can provide valuable pointers for our on-going
professional action plan. And, if the feedback is done properly, it will highlight
our strengths, too, and motivate us by confirming what we do well.” (Wallace,
2007:121)
The learners are actively involved in the feedback (formative) from assessing the
dishes, coffee etc. This is relatively easy, as we can taste, observe and often refer
to recipes/pictures for solutions and coach the learner into mapping a way forward
for future instances. Also the group is directly involved in peer feedback which is
then validated by the tutor.
“Group work involves learners in task-centred talking. As well as being an
enjoyable activity in itself, this provides huge opportunities for learning. It
requires that learners process the new material, and make personal sense of
17
it. Good group work hands the responsibility of learning over to the student.”
(Petty, 2004:219)
With this development in mind we as a curriculum team decided we would like to
further develop the learner’s reflective learning in relation to the theory element of
the course.
Review of current practice and literature
In previous years, QDP surveys and unit evaluations have indicated that the learners
would benefit from “study skills”. In order to develop their ability to study, they firstly
need to identify what they need to do to and then devise a study strategy to aid their
academic progression. By focusing on this area we hope to empower the learner
with the ability to self-reflect and formulate a SMART target in relation to developing
study skills.
“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest;
second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the
bitterest.”
(Confucius, http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_wisdom.html
Accessed 31st March, 2014)
In order to effectively collate the information that we would require to better enable
the learners to develop their cognitive abilities in relation to them improving their
reflective learning, we have to review our current practices. During a team meeting
we all agreed that we as tutors need to make time for the learners in our theory
sessions, so that the feedback on written assignments can be given on a one to one
basis. This would allow for a coaching style technique to take place, where the
learners will identify what strategies they need to enhance in relation to improving
their written assignments.
However, by adopting the cognitive approach to teaching we are actively challenging
the learners’ ability to think independently. By scaffolding the students’ work and
encouraging them to reflect upon feedback so that they can learn from it, we will
essentially create building blocks that are fundamental to successful learning. By
facilitating and supporting the student we are empowering them in their own learning,
guiding and encouraging them to a goal that they might not have achieved on their
own.
“This theory focuses on the learning process rather than exclusively on the
product, and mistakes are seen as an opportunity to learn, rather than being
reprehensible.”
(Petty, 2004:132)
By supporting this theory we can try to develop the students’ study skills as well as
their own ability to reflect upon feedback, making those skills relevant to the catering
trade (timings, responsibility, and accountability in relation to achieving deadlines) so
that the student sees transference of skills. It is also a form of ‘double deckering’
teaching as defined by Geoff Petty:
18
“This method effectively uses skills to teach content, and content to teach
skills.” (Petty, 2009:304)
My research question
It could be argued that by dedicating so much class time to developing the students’
study skills it is effectively diluting the delivery of the content. On the other hand,
unless we take the time to improve the students’ reflective ability, they cannot
achieve to their full potential. Therefore our research question is:
If I give my learners time and regular opportunities to reflect and evaluate
upon feedback from assignments, will I be able to more effectively monitor
and assist them in developing their reflective learning?
The project
The project we embarked on was quite simple in theory, but a lot more challenging in
reality. Firstly we had to select the groups that were with us last year on the IQA, as
opposed to the groups that have begun this year’s pilot VRQ. We selected 3 groups,
2 at level 2 and one group at level 1. We also chose 1 day release group with
English as a second language as well as a front of house class. This gave us the
required range needed to measure the effectiveness of our new strategy. In theory
sessions tutors were to set aside allocated time (10 minutes per learner) to give
feedback on assignments. The coaching session would then allow the tutor to
facilitate a conversation that would hopefully have the outcome of the learner
structuring and scaffolding their own progression with the tutor’s assistance and
guidance where required.
We amended our ‘assignment feedback sheets’ to include more space for the
learner to articulate their thoughts in relation to the feedback they received on said
assignment.
Candidate
Comment
Please reflect
and add
comments on the
feedback you
have been given.
Candidate Signature:
Date:
In order to make this project worthwhile, we firstly had to formulate the questions that
would be most effective in finding out if our project had been successful. The
following questions were put to the pilot groups after the Christmas period to gauge
how successful the new feedback system was.
1. Do you find the feedback on your assignments from your tutor constructive?
2. Does the constructive feedback help you understand and improve future
assignments?
3. Has the reflection time (and one to one) which we provided in class given you
the time to develop in your written work?
19
4. Do you think the quality of your assignments has improved through reflection
only?
5. Have you developed in your own learning using the reflective comment box
compared to last year?
Once the questions were in place each tutor allocated time in their theory session,
adhering to the new guidelines in accordance with the project. We also included
‘peer observations’ and ‘instructional rounds’ so we could observe the assessor
giving feedback to the learner with the aim of gauging their coaching technique.
Donald Schon suggested that:
[the] “capacity to reflect on action so as to engage in a process of continuous
learning was one of the defining characteristics of professional practice”.
(Schon, 1983, http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/reflecti.htm
Accessed 31st March, 2014)
This proved invaluable as it allowed us time to speak to assessors that were involved
in the pilot, and hold professional discussions in relation to what was going well and
what could be improved. We also included the feedback forms for analysis by the
tutors in standardisation processes as well as in sharing good practice sessions prior
to IQA events. We are continuously looking at ways to develop our pedagogical
abilities through CPD, and this exercise has allowed us the opportunity to do so with
structure and purpose.
As the findings on the graph (Appendix 1) clearly show, over 60% of students agree
strongly with the question 1 – 3 in relation to the feedback on their assignments. As
well as hard statistics (5s) we also have very encouraging comments from the
learners that support this project (see Appendix 2).
Conclusion
The findings from our survey are encouraging for what is deemed a predominately
vocational trade. Findings also indicate that although there are, as with many
surveys, negatives, the majority of learners surveyed found this beneficial. Students
need to be able to develop self-reflection and strategies for a way forward as a result
of formative feedback. Giving students feedback on written assignments without
scaffolding may lead to de-motivation, as students may think “what’s the point?”
The time and effort the tutors have put into the feedback was challenging at the start
of the project due to limited contact time allowed by the syllabus, however as the
year progresses the standard of assignments gradually improved. Giving students
effective feedback throughout the first term is crucial, as often students have had
little experience of self-study, particularly if the majority have been previously spoon
fed in their earlier years. The evidence of this project will really come into its own
when we roll it out across the curriculum next academic year due to the change of
qualification type.
20
References
Petty, G. (2004). Teaching Today (3rd edition). Cheltenham. Cheltenham: Nelson
Thornes.
Petty, G. (2009). Evidence Based Teaching, A Practical Approach (2nd edition).
Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes.
Wallace, S. (2007). Teaching, Tutoring and Training in the Lifelong Learning Sector
(3rd edition). Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd.
21
Appendix 1: Analysis of student feedback
Action research on reflective learning at the Academy of Culinary Arts
70%
60%
50%
% putting "1"
40%
% putting "2"
%r putting "3"
30%
% putting "4"
20%
10%
0%
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Question 4
Question 5
Range:
1= strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = disagree, 4 = disagree completely
1. Do you find the feedback on your assignments from your tutor constructive?
2. Does the constructive feedback help you understand and improve future
assignments?
3. Has the reflection time (and one to one) which we provided in class given you
the time to develop in your written work?
4. Do you think the quality of your assignments has improved through reflection
only?
5. Have you developed in your own learning using the reflective comment box
compared to last year?
22
Appendix 2: Feedback comments from students

The feedback I receive helps me to understand how to write my assignments,
but their quality is a personal achievement. Although the way the
assignments are written does affect their quality.

It is helpful to do all assignments.

IT really helps with assignments.

Yes it did help me, because when I read what I did wrong and compare with
the paper and analyse it I can see what was wrong.

The feedback given is usually very helpful.

My IT development went really high.

I feel I have improved in my assignments this year compared to last year.
The time and reflection box has been helpful and useful.

I feel I have improved. Also I should do more research.

I feel more confident than in beginning. I have gained quite a lot of
information and things for what I have chosen that course.

During my time on this course I have developed on my theory classes due to
the instruction of my tutor.

My development in completing the assignment up to date has massively
improved in feedback from my tutor and with the written comment box made
me understand better what areas to improve.

I know I don't need a resub. because I can resubmit on my assignments.

With the comment box we have to think about how to improve. It helps us for
the next assignment.

Last year no one even looked at the comment box the difference is quite a lot
as I am thinking about assignments more.

Comments give some help but 1:1 discussions are more helpful to understand
the comments properly.

The feedback system doesn't work well in my opinion.
23
Developing independent learning in Further Education students
Fiona Cassels-Brown
Research question: If I introduce Assessment for Learning Graphic Organiser
‘Know What Learn’, will students' independent problem-solving increase?
Keywords: Professional studies; Mathematics; Know What
Independent learning; Problem solving; and Level 2.
Learn
(KWL);
Context
Highlands College is the provider of Further Education in Jersey. I teach Maths and
English at Highlands College as part of the Faculty of General Education. Our
Faculty exists to improve levels in the key skills subjects of Maths and English that
many of our students present with upon leaving school. We offer the Functional
Skills exam as an alternative to the Maths GCSE. Most students are school-leavers.
The students are on the vocational courses Level 2 Diploma in Business Studies or
Sports Development, delivered by the Faculty of Professional Studies.
Gender: male: 7, female: 6.
Age range: 1 x 21, 5 x 18, 5 x 17, 2 x 16 years old.
Previous schools: state: 12, private: 1.
GCSE grades: U x 1, G x 3, F x 4, E x 5.
Special Needs: 3 students identified as having a Record of Need (RON) ranging
across dyslexia, physical disability and anger management.
Attendance: ranging between 36% (this individual has since withdrawn from course)
– 98%.
Issue addressed
A commonly held observation about Maths was confirmed by researchers recently
who asserted that “Maths…... is in crisis in many countries" and that “in Australia,
fewer students are studying mathematics at the higher levels” (Gordon and Nicholas,
2013:109).
At Highlands, many of our students attend Maths reluctantly and only because it is a
compulsory component of their course. As a consequence they are frequently
disengaged and unmotivated. I want to raise independent problem-solving with a
view to raising engagement and motivation and subsequently the exam success
rates.
In Jersey, the level of Maths attained by school children both at the transition from
primary to secondary school and upon leaving school is at a worrying level.
Generally, it is difficult to recruit specialist Maths teachers into UK and CI schools
and the UK Government now offers a bonus to secondary teachers who train to
teach Maths. In Jersey, the shortage of specialist Maths teachers in secondary
schools has led to non-specialists such as French, Geography and PE teachers
being recruited to deliver secondary level Maths.
24
The Financial Sector is in dire need of accountants who are in short supply
worldwide and many of the Financial Sector businesses offer training as part of the
employment package to school-leavers and graduates.
Debbie Pope wrote about the impact of “Inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity on
academic achievement in UK University students” (Pope, 2010:335). I had observed
in my students the same impulsiveness she referred to.
These problems have led me to survey research into improving the Maths learning
experience for students in Further Education, in particular the work of Bill Lucas and
John Hattie who recognise the impact of reflecting and feedback as having a high
effect on a student’s learning.
Lucas (2012) argues that there is significant research to suggest that reflection might
be effective in vocational education and describes ‘learning by reflecting’ as being an
integral part of learning but, on its own, is insufficient to develop better practice. He
argues that:
“Reflection is fundamental to learning, and provides a basis for future action.
Reflectiveness is about being ready, willing, and able to become more strategic
about learning. It relates to self-knowledge and self-awareness. The reflective
learner:





Plans: taking responsibility for organising his learning.
Revises: changing plans to cope with the unexpected.
Distils: drawing out useful lessons for practice from experience.
Engages in meta-learning: drawing out useful lessons for learning from
experience.
I (Andy Smyth) think the process of reflection in learning is something that
we absolutely need to focus on, because very few people are capable of
doing reflective development all on their own. They need input; they need
feedback, in order to complete that reflective process.”
Hattie and Timperley (2007) ranked key effects of interventions on student learning
and effective feedback had one of the highest impacts:
Effective feedback to students can double the speed of learning (0.75)
Task feedback
Process feedback
Self-regulation
Collaborative Learning
Drivers of their own learning
In particular, feedback on task (K), process (W) and self-regulation (knowing success
criteria) is far more effective.
My adapted KWL acted to make ‘learning visible and facilitate the planning of next
steps’ or the ‘notion of feed up, feedback and feed forward’.
25
Students were constantly asked questions in order to maximise feedback from
learner to teacher. Error was welcomed.
Having identified the two components to creating a productive Maths learning
experience of reflecting and feedback, I wished to trial an AfL technique KWL to
affect an improved experience for my learners and to still the impulsiveness referred
to by Debbie Pope. My research question therefore was:
If I introduce Assessment for Learning Graphic Organiser ‘Know What Learn’, will
students' independent problem-solving increase?
Assessment for Learning
QCA states that:
“Assessment for Learning involves using assessment in the classroom to
raise pupil’s achievement. It is based on the idea that pupils will improve
most if they understand the aim of learning, where they are in relation to this
aim and how they can achieve this aim.” (QCA 2009)
This initiative, led by the Primary and Secondary Strategies, has had a
powerful influence on schools and learning in the classroom particularly over
the last five years. Effective assessment underpins good teaching and
learning and approaches such as sharing learning objectives with pupils,
helping them know and recognise standards to aim for, providing feedback
that helps pupils identify how to improve, involving pupils in self and peer
assessment, giving pupils the opportunity to reflect on their progress have
increasingly become part of schemes of work, lesson plans and classroom
practice.” www.qca.org.uk/qca_4336.aspxwww.dcsf.gov/node/97905.
I had observed, in my students, the same impulsiveness referred to by Debbie Pope.
The Project
Using ‘Know What Learn’ (KWL)
At the beginning of a topic, pupils create a grid with 3 columns:
What I need to know
What I want to learn
What I have learnt.
Students begin by brainstorming and filling in the first two columns and then return to
the third column at the end of the session (or refer throughout).
Variation: extra column ‘How will I learn?’
I adapted the KWL. I have a 50-minute session with the students. I began by
examining exam questions one by one, the students were asked:
1. What Maths do you need to know to answer this question
2. Revise Maths skill (s) through peer teaching where possible
3. Use in summary and recap.
26
Method of data collection
I teach this class twice a week for an hour each session. I kept Tuesdays for
teaching a topic and Thursdays for the methods employed as part of my Action
Research. I used two evaluation methods:
1. Students were asked to complete an initial anonymous questionnaire which
asked them to comment on their attitude and motivation to learning Maths. They
were asked to complete the questionnaire again at the end of the Action
Research (See Appendix 1 for questionnaire and raw data).
2. I kept a log of comments made and behaviour exhibited that I observed during
this Action Research.
Findings
My analysis of the results of the questionnaires and an example of my notes follow.
An example of my observation notes written up following two classes:
7th November, 2013
1. Started looking at February 2011 exam paper.
“Students were engaged (as observed by Learning Support Laura), were
responsive when asked what did they need to know, followed by constructive
questioning techniques and interactive discussion. Noticed that team cliques
vanquished in this process and that answers were coming from 'all quarters', did
not matter if students were part of the 'in' crowd; e.g. AB/FdeL.
Students had high success rate in attaining high score, writing clear, markscoring calculations because all maths problems were identified and any learning
required took place prior to their tackling the tasks.
2. Marking - clearly identified assessment criteria. Students can easily identify how
to achieve; heard myself saying: ‘Make it easy for the examiner. If you are the
paper being marked at 2am, think what the examiner wants to see: ‘clear,
efficient workings’ to quote from Mark Scheme.'
These guys have spent 10 years in school, they know the Maths or they do not
but this is a real and efficient application of their skills. It identifies what they
need to know, is random but containable and efficient. Feels good.
28th November, 2013:
Tackling Question #s 7/8
“Much harder today, I really needed to give them more of a starting point, not
independent yet.
They were reluctant to read the information.
They were puzzled as to how to start the answer.
Resilience lacking in some, EW, RM and AM quietly got on with it. JF had a
‘headache’.
FL got how to do #7 early on and helped the others.
A lot more chatter today, and some non-starters.
In conclusion, some unexpected characters emerged triumphant.”
27
Interpretation of questionnaire findings
In the initial questionnaire, generally students self-rated from the middle band of 3 to
a higher 4 or 5. Results for the exit questionnaire were affected by reduced
attendance from 13 students to 8 students completing the questionnaire, as students
had taken their exam and no longer felt the need to attend. This reduction in number
does affect the comparison of feedback.
It would appear that:
Ratings stayed the same
Ratings increased
Ratings decreased
Willingness to try
Ability to concentrate
Willingness to reflect
Openness to having ideas
challenged
Planning ahead to achieve
Maths goals (increased
significantly)
Keenness to develop
Maths skills
Willingness to help other
students
Actively seeking
information
However, this cohort had HIGH success at exams:
Exam Results: There has been a high pass rate of the FS Maths Level 1 exam.
This resulted in students who previously avoided eye contact and withdrew when I
approached them have, since the introduction of this method and their subsequent
success, become articulate, enjoy discussing Maths questions with me. They also
now make good eye contact and have high attendance.
A non-scientific observation, but one I notice frequently when students start to feel
that they are achieving, is that they seem to grow taller. Their achievement leads to
a new confidence which exudes from them and affects their whole demeanour and
communication skills.
Lessons Learned
This is a useful learning tool which promoted independent problem-solving,
particularly engagement and motivation. I will continue to employ this method,
perhaps earlier in the academic year.
I had seen it work when coaching a student a few years previously; this research
proves that it can be used successfully with a group to stimulate independent
problem-solving.
If I was to conduct this Action Research again, I would:
1. Include interviews as I feel individuals are more likely to answer accurately
away from their peers.
2. Conduct the exit questionnaire closer to the real end. Timings of holidays and
work experience led to a delay in completing the final survey.
3. Introduce it earlier.
4. Understand that changes in behaviour can take 2-3 months.
28
Whilst there are limitations to this study in terms of participants and measurements
(self-reporting rating scales were used), findings suggest that this is a successful
method when preparing students for independent problem-solving which led to
increased exam success.
References
Gordon, S. and Nicholas, J. (2013). ‘Students’ conceptions of mathematics bridging
courses’, Journal of Further and Higher Education, 37(1), 109-125.
Hattie, J. and Timperley, H. (2007). ‘The power of feedback’, Review of Educational
Research, 77(1), 81-112.
Lucas, B. Spencer, E. and Claxton, G. (2012). How to teach vocational education: A
theory of vocational pedagogy, London: City & Guilds Skills Development Centre.
Pope, D. J. (2010). ‘The impact of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity on
academic achievement in UK university students’, Journal of Further and Higher
Education, 34(3), 335-345.
29
Appendix 1 - Questionnaire results
Action Research Questionnaire November 2013 completed by 13 students at the
beginning of the research project:
Name:
1
2
3
4
5
Strongly
Strongly
disagree
agree
I attend Maths classes
0
0
2
4
7
regularly
I will try again if I fail or do
badly at something
0
0
1
4
8
I am keen to develop my
Maths knowledge and
skills
0
0
4
4
5
I can concentrate and
avoid being distracted
when I need to
I offer to help other
students
0
1
5
5
2
1
1
3
6
2
I reflect on my approach to
learning. I can think about
what works well and am
open to changing things
that don’t
I am open to trying
different approaches to
Maths learning if my usual
one doesn’t work
I am open to having my
ideas challenged
1
1
7
3
1
0
1
5
6
1
1
2
6
3
1
College
tutors
and
advisers are approachable
and open-minded when
you have a question or
problem
In Maths I actively seek
information I need e.g. by
listening,
asking
questions,
observing,
reading, looking on the
internet
I plan ahead and organise
myself to achieve my
Maths goals
0
3
5
3
2
0
0
9
2
2
3
6
1
1
2
30
Action Research Questionnaire March 2014 completed by eight students at the end
of the research project:
Name:
1
Strongly
disagree
I attend Maths classes
1
regularly
2
3
4
0
4
1
5
Strongly
Agree
1
I will try again if I fail or do
badly at something
1
0
0
3
4
I am keen to develop my
Maths knowledge and
skills
1
1
3
1
2
I can concentrate and
avoid being distracted
when I need to
I offer to help other
students
1
0
2
4
1
0
1
5
1
1
I reflect on my approach to
learning. I can think about
what works well and am
open to changing things
that don’t
I am open to trying
different approaches to
Maths learning if my usual
one doesn’t work
I am open to having my
ideas challenged
0
0
4
3
1
0
1
3
2
2
0
0
3
2
3
College
tutors
and
advisers are approachable
and open-minded when
you have a question or
problem
In Maths I actively seek
information I need e.g. by
listening,
asking
questions,
observing,
reading, looking on the
internet
I plan ahead and organise
myself to achieve my
Maths goals
0
2
2
3
1
0
1
4
2
1
1
0
3
2
2
31
Lynn Blakemore and Cat Farnon
Research question: If we teach students to understand feedback will they learn
from it more successfully?
Keywords: Childhood studies; Reflection; Meta-learning; ‘Feedforward’; Assessment
feedback; and FdA Level 4.
Context
The childcare sector in Jersey is very active, which consequently acts as a driver for
policy, particularly in regards to qualifications and there are currently approximately
850 staff employed in the Early Years sector. Due to Jersey’s size I would suggest
that there becomes a personal and, to some degree, invested interest in quality
(States of Jersey, 2008, Early Years and Childcare Partnership, 2009) so
geographically, we cannot avoid being directly touched in our everyday lives by
those around us, creating a community with almost a non-negotiable vested interest.
From a personal perspective, being a part of the only Further and Higher Education
College on the Island, those students we train and ultimately qualify directly influence
our day-to-day lives in so many ways, so to all intents and purposes ‘central is also
local in Jersey’ (Sallis, 2009). The College has developed a wide range of
qualifications aimed at professionals in the child care sector and is seen as the
leading, albeit the only, centre in Jersey for qualifying child care practitioners. The
college has a University Centre which, for an Island, provides a wide range of degree
programmes and in 2009 a feasibility study was conducted in order to ascertain if
there was a demand for a Foundation Degree (FdA) Childhood Studies programme
to be delivered on-Island to develop a graduate workforce within the sector (Oakes
and Blakemore, 2009). The FdA and BA (Hons) Childhood Studies programmes
have subsequently become established on the Island with us witnessing our first
cohort of students successfully graduating in 2013.
The issue addressed
The issue that we decided to address was around assessment feedback and in
particular how feedback assists students with moving forward in a Higher Education
environment. In relation to the FdA and BA (Hons) Childhood studies programmes,
we pride ourselves on the quality and quantity of feedback that is offered to all of our
students, as formally acknowledged by the external examiner since the development
of the programme in 2010:
“Students have affirmed that feedback is always appropriate and timely and
that the majority of staff provide detailed feedback and ‘feed forward’ with
most scripts
annotated to clearly signpost to students strengths and areas of
development.” (Carey, 2013)
In addition to tutor feedback we provide opportunity for students to reflect on
previous feedback and draw out key developmental targets in order to write them on
their assessment front cover sheets as illustrated below:
32
Please note any actions you have taken in response to feedback from
previous assessment tasks:
However, as a team we were still encountering a lack of engagement, initiative and
understanding in how students utilised the reflection exercise, for example, students
submitting front sheets without commentary or general comments about
developmental needs but with a lack of detail and specificity. There was an absence
of evidence of any changes within most students’ work; on repeated assessments
students were being asked to rectify the same or similar developmental areas which
indicated they were not actively addressing them early enough in their journey.
This was reflected upon as potentially being about lack of understanding of how to
respond to feedback and move forward rather than a lack of engagement in the
process on offer, which instigated the focus of this action research.
Literature review
“Assessment for learning is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence
for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their
learning, where they need to go and how best to get there.”
(Assessment Reform Group, 2002, cited in DCFS, 2008)
The assessment for learning strategy (DCFS, 2008) has been embedded within
schools and a core component of teaching practice since first promoted by a liaison
between QCA, National Strategies and the Department for Children, Schools and
Families through the ‘Making good progress’ pilot in 2007. Key to good practice is
enabling students to recognise their own skills and needs and working towards
taking responsibility for resourcing and driving their own learning through personal
and academic target setting (DCFS, 2008).
In line with a behaviourist perspective, if students are rewarded for spending time
drawing out targets for driving academic performance in the form of improved
grades, they will then continue this behaviour across further assessment tasks.
Furthermore, if students don’t look at and respond to feedback and improve as
significantly as other students who have, this again will most likely motivate them to
follow the recommended process of self-assessment and target setting as suggested
by Confucius (450 BC): “Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember.
Involve me, and I will understand”. Complete involvement in the process of learning
and responding to feedback should enable students to embrace their learning and
become active participants rather than passive recipients of learning. This approach
places the emphasis on the student to learn for themselves, which means they can
have more autonomy to ensure they are learning in a way that works for them
(Gravells, 2007).
Claxton states, “We can start making difficulty more interesting and less shameful,
and showing young people what reflective learning looks like” (2004, no page). This
involves giving students the tools to develop meta-cognition and also demonstrates
that tutors need to be reflective and active learners. As tutors, we may consider our
feedback is clear however we are coming from a different perspective and a different
level of academic training so therefore may not be having the desired impact when
33
giving feedback. Giving students the opportunity to tell us what they understand our
feedback to be not only helps us help them to develop targets but also ensures we
are reflective of our own practice. It shows students we are able to learn and
respond to their needs which values their contributions and shows an active
response to diversity. This emphasises the importance of personalised learning and
the importance of engaging pupils in the learning and teaching process
(DfES, 2006: 6).
The concept of autonomy and agency isn’t new:
“I want to talk about learning. But not the lifeless, sterile, futile, quickly
forgotten stuff that is crammed in to the mind of the poor helpless individual
tied into his seat by ironclad bonds of conformity! I am talking about
LEARNING - the insatiable curiosity that drives the adolescent boy to absorb
everything he can see or hear or read about gasoline engines in order to
improve the efficiency and speed of his 'cruiser'. I am talking about the
student who says, "I am discovering, drawing in from the outside, and making
that which is drawn in a real part of me." I am talking about any learning in
which the experience of the learner progresses along this line: "No, no, that's
not what I want"; "Wait! This is closer to what I am interested in, what I need";
"Ah, here it is! Now I'm grasping and comprehending what I need and what I
want to know!” (Rogers, 1983: 18-19)
This humanistic perspective recognises how meta-cognition is central to lifelong
learning. The development of individuals who respond to learning experiences,
show resilience and responsibility in driving their own learning sits well with the
andragogical approach we are endeavouring to foster in our Foundation Degree
students, who will ultimately be responsible for empowering the next generation of
learners.
Dewey (1959) viewed learning as a continuing reconstruction of experience,
indicating that optimal education should be both active and constructive. This kind of
education has a social direction through joint activity within which people consciously
refer to each other’s use of materials, tools, ideas, capacities, and applications
(Dewey, 1966). Creating a learning environment that enables social construction of
meaning between tutors, students and peers alongside positive personal dispositions
should facilitate growth and lifelong learning. This interaction when exploring and
understanding feedback will be assessment for learning in action, as stated by
Gravells (2011: 118) at level 4 students should: “Understand the role of feedback
and questioning in the assessment of learning”. Facilitating this process will
maximise the potential for deep learning through use of high level cognitive skills.
This process may well also change dispositions and attitudes to learning and the
concept of success or failure, attention to detail and routes for progression rather
than a static grade and achievement that defines them:
“… if students look at failure or errors as a way to get feedback or reflect on
areas that need more attention, they possess an underlying belief that they
will, with effort, persistence, and help … eventually grasp the learning.”
(Ricci, 2013:72)
34
Students can be focused on the product, what they achieve, the end grade, whereas
looking at how they learn, what they learn, and how to develop learning encourages
a shift in focus towards valuing the process of learning that they engage in. If
learning is viewed as a process, students are more likely to acknowledge potential
for change and should adopt more of a growth mind-set (Ricci, 2013). With a growth
mind-set we are able to cultivate reflective and resilient learners that will enhance the
employment sector and quality practitioners that will affect the next generation of
learners.
The research question
‘If we teach students to understand feedback will they learn from it more
successfully?’
The project
For the purposes of this project we decided to focus on the first year cohort in the
quest to develop a culture of engaging with feedback from the start of their
programme. As standard practice, students receive written and annotated feedback
and are encouraged to draw out what they need to improve on. This process was
altered and class time allocated within the Professional Development module to give
students time to actively pull out tutor comments and suggestions, write them down
and share with peers to discuss understanding. The class tutor gave training on
SMART target setting with key practical examples and spent time supporting
individuals through coaching conversations, the focus being on not just ‘what’ you
needed to do but ‘how’ you were going to make these changes.
Students were then asked to complete the next assessment front cover sheets in
advance so targets were ready to be focused on when writing up and proof reading
their next assessments. This was seen as relevant from a timing point of view as
previously students were completing assessments right up to deadlines and not
always allocating time to review previous feedback.
At the end of the Autumn Term the tutor collated general and specific examples of
feedback from a breadth of modules that showed common issues in academic
writing at level 4. The tutor actively engaged the students in reflecting on examples
drawn out from student’s work and shared these on a PowerPoint which enabled the
students to critically evaluate and practice setting specific targets.
In conjunction with this, the Professional Development module scheme of work
needed to become re-active rather than prescriptive in order to meet the students’
needs and actively respond to procedural feedback.
Students were given
opportunities to communicate their needs and desires for future teaching in order to
be able to work on and meet their developmental targets.
Findings
In the first feedback session, students showed initial trepidation when examining and
learning from feedback, however when encouraged to pull out tutor comments and
write them down, they started to exhibit more relaxed behaviour and connection with
the process.
35
The cognitive process of students finding annotations and extracting the key aspects
of their work that it related to, enabled them to identify what needed adjusting or
developing, therefore without direct verbal communication they were already actively
responding to the experience.
Examples of students’ completed front cover sheets following class session on
feedback:
Example 1
 Ensure that I reference my evidence correctly, particularly when citing.
 Try to reference original documents wherever possible.
 Make sure I know the core backgrounds of all my discussions.
 Make sure when I am reviewing policies/legislation, consider the most upto-date information from it e.g. plans and concepts for the EYFS 2012.
 Do not generalise any terms or groups.
 Discuss alternative viewpoints.
 Make sure I discuss organisations’/theorists’ work from a non-biased
approach – discuss contrasting views/theories to get balance.
Example 2
 To explore ideas and concepts further by adding more depth to my
research.
 To use a wider range of authors and to compare and contrast different
author’s ideas.
 To join some of the shorter paragraphs together in order to enhance the
flow of my work.
 To use original sources and to punctuate correctly when referencing, to
ensure clarity for the reader.
Example 3
 I am going to link my work to relevant key theorists to help explain my
points in more detail to ensure I have enough evidence to back up what I
am saying.
 I am going to improve on my referencing throughout my essay and in my
reference list by accessing more key texts/authors for the module as by
doing this it will enable me to be more analytical. I will also make sure I put
the dates after legislation.
 I am going to be more concise in my academic writing by making sure I
look at something in a non-biased way by writing about different viewpoints
from different authors.
36

I am going to aim to develop my vocabulary further by not repeating the
same sentences throughout the assignment. I will do this by proof reading
my work and reading more relevant key texts relating to the module.
Along with targets set, there was evidence from student dialogue within the
classroom across the next term that they were aware and demonstrating
understanding of what they needed to address to move forward academically. This
was also emerging in tutorial sessions with students actively questioning their work
and driving the tutorial process, an undergraduate expectation.
Whilst acknowledging the many variables that can impact on student grades over
time, we did see significant improvements with 94% of students improving their
grades following this process and 44% of the group improving by one or two
complete grade bands.
Different tutors and the Head of Faculty have witnessed a behaviour change in the
way that students respond to verbal and written feedback. This could be due to
increased awareness of the value of feedback and the connection between learning
and development, plus increased personal responsibility and resourcefulness
needed to be able to develop meta-cognition rather than a previous emphasis being
placed on a tutor to enable improvements. The balance has changed from a
dependent mind-set to a growth mind-set.
By showing flexibility in responding to students’ needs and allocating significant time
for feedback to be analysed, this demonstrated the value placed on the activity by
the course and tutors.
Indirectly this impacted on student perception and
consequently the significance they placed on the assessment process. This can be
evidenced in the latest FdA Childhood Studies Programme Committee Meeting
(PCM), which forms part of the quality assurance process in accordance with
Plymouth University’s academic regulations. A response from the FdA student
representative at the last meeting dated 5th February, 2014 found that:
“Assessment feedback process is ‘really good’ and other students again said
‘really, really useful’. Setting targets is working very well and we are placing
more thought into reflecting on feedback and we are finding it very
worthwhile.”
Effective recognition of the feedback with students setting clear targets for
themselves seems to be assisting them in an increased understanding and
recognition of how to move forward in assignments.
Reflections/lessons learnt
Prior to the college taking part in this collective HTTVE project, we had already
identified that students’ engagement with feedback was a potential issue that needed
further reflection and had actively started to consider ways that we could attempt to
address this. Given the effort that tutors put into feedback it is important to be
confident in how well it works in practice (McNiff and Whitehead, 2002). Being
involved in this project has required the team to capture this practice collaboratively
and visually through documenting and reflecting on the process and what has
37
emerged from this project is the potential impact that feedback can have on student
learning.
“Knowing what you know and don’t know focuses learning. Students need
appropriate feedback on performance to benefit from courses. In getting
started, students need help in assessing existing knowledge and competence.
In classes, students need frequent opportunities to perform and receive
suggestions for improvement. At various points during college, and at the
end, students need chances to reflect on what they have learnt, what they still
have to learn, and how to assess themselves.” (Chickering and Gamson,
1987, cited in Gibbs and Simpson, 2002:14)
The quality of tutor feedback was never perceived as an issue but perhaps an
assumption that students knew what to do with it was? The above quote
encapsulates the process we went through from the onset of helping students to
assess their existing knowledge and competence and then allocating class time for
them to reflect upon what they have learnt (positive feedback from tutor), what
they still have to learn (setting individual developmental targets) and how to
assess themselves (making the connection between feedback and learning).
Throughout the process ‘timing’ was crucial as students needed to be able to reflect
upon feedback and set SMART targets which could then inform the writing up of their
next assessment and ultimately enable them to reap the rewards of improved
grades. This has worked well in the Autumn Term following the first assessment and
there was clear evidence of improved target setting when this was repeated in the
Spring Term.
When developing and planning the Professional Development module scheme of
work ‘flexibility’ was key as the tutor for this module needed to be able to
accommodate for some session content to be driven by the students themselves,
enabling them to direct and take ownership of their own learning journey. A final
reflection should be to acknowledge that students’ involvement in this whole process
has been critical and is summarised eloquently by Griffith and Burns;
“Without engagement nothing else is possible. It provides the glue that binds
all the previous elements together. Engagement is characterised by a sense
of flow – a profound sense of being fully absorbed by whatever it is you’re
doing. Without this deep kind of engagement it will be very tricky to get
students to step up to the challenge of learning.” (Griffith and Burns, 2012:2)
38
References
Blakemore, L. and Oakes, G. (2009).
Studies. Jersey: Highlands College.
Claxton, G. (2004).
University of Bristol.
Feasibility study for the FdA Childhood
Learning is learnable (And we ought to Teach It).
Bristol:
Dewey, J. (1959). My pedagogic creed. In M. S. Dorkin (ed.) Dewey on education.
New York: Teachers’ College Press.
Dewey, J. (1966). Democracy and education. New York: Free Press.
DCFS (2008).
Copyright.
The Assessment for Learning Strategy.
Nottingham: Crown
Department for Education and Skills (2006). 2020 Vision: Report of the Teaching
and Learning in 2020 Review Group. Nottingham: Crown Copyright.
Gibbs, G. & Habeshaw, T. (1989). Preparing to teach: An introduction to effective
teaching in higher education. Bristol: Technical & Educational Services Ltd.
Gibbs, G. and Simpson, C. (2002). Evaluation of regional retention activity: interim
report. Milton Keynes: Open University, Student Support Research Group, 40/2002.
Gravells, A. (2007). Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector. London:
SAGE Publications.
Gravells, A. (2011). Principles and Practice of Assessment in the Lifelong Learning
Sector. London: SAGE Publications.
Griffith, A. and Burns, M. (2012).
Wales: Crown House Publishing.
McNiff, J. and Whitehead, J. (2002).
Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge Falmer.
Outstanding Teaching, Engaging Learners.
Action Research, Principles and Practice.
Ricci, M. C. (2013). Mindsets in the Classroom: Building a Culture of Success and
Student Achievement in Schools. Texas: Prufrock Press Inc.
Rogers, C. (1983). Freedom to Learn. Merrill Publishers.
Sallis, E. (2009). Conversation with Dr Ed Sallis, 23rd October, 2009.
39
Formative feedback to increase students’ craftsmanship and
quality of work
Mike Nield, Mark Syvret and Deborah Holdridge
Research question: If I promote and measure repair quality will I increase the
students’ pride and quality of work to industry standards?
Keywords: Motor vehicle; Craftsmanship; Pride in work; Quality; Assessment
criteria; and Formative feedback.
Context
Highlands College is the only Further Education centre of learning in Jersey,
Channel Islands. Within the Construction and Engineering Faculty, the Motor
Vehicle Department delivers IMI Awards Limited (IMIAL) motor vehicle qualifications
to 14- to 16-year-old school children; full-time and day-release post-16 students.
There are three teaching staff, two full-time and one substantial part-time. Classes
have a maximum size of 14 students and contain both male and female students
with an age range of 14-40.
Issue addressed: Motor vehicle industry related problem and research
A lot of time and money is spent by automotive manufacturers across Europe to
promote the correct application of repair methods in their respective dealership
networks. Manufacturers run audits through their network to ensure a dealership
which is representing their brand is carrying out repairs to very high standards and
that they are carried out to the recommended repair methods.
The graph below (Figure 1) shows audit results from a major European car
manufacturer and the improvements made during the four year programme. Its
objective was to promote the quality of service/repair provided by the network to
meet the required standard. This would in turn inspire the after-sales customer
satisfaction scores.
Figure 1 - Improving error rate in automobile repair/service
250
14.00%
No. of Assessments
Error Rate %
12.00%
200
150
8.00%
6.00%
100
4.00%
50
2.00%
0
0.00%
2008 (1st Ass)
2008 (2nd Ass)
2010
40
2011
Error Rate %
No. of Assessment
10.00%
Relating this problem to our Motor Vehicle Course practical assessments at
Highlands College
For the qualification each learner has their own practical workbook for each motor
vehicle unit which is designed by the awarding body. For each practical task there is
a section which the assessor must complete, confirming whether or not the learner
has successfully met the desired outcomes set by the awarding body. This
summative assessment requires each learner to successfully demonstrate through
observation, that they can remove and replace a motor vehicle component and meet
the criteria as seen in Appendices 1 and 2.
The problem identified with the assessment is that it does not assess the “quality of
the repair” carried out in relation to industry standards, i.e. has the repair been
carried using processes and standards that a paying customer/employer manager
would be satisfied with?
As a motor vehicle department we wanted to enhance our practical assessment, so
that it included an opportunity to assess the student not only on completing the
repair, but also on how well the process was carried out compared to industry
standards. The assessment would allow for differentiation between learners whilst
carrying out the repair and give more opportunity for formative feedback from the
teacher.
As a department we came up with the following action research question:
“If I promote and measure repair quality will I increase the students’ pride and quality
of work to industry standards?”
The project
As the motor vehicle department would work collectively, an emancipatory action
research style would be employed, with the team identifying problems and working
towards possible solutions. As all three members of the teaching staff would be
involved, three different groups were selected, giving a reasonably broad spread of
students and student profiles. These groups were:
 Level 2 year 1 full-time group
 Level 1 year 1 14-16 group
 Level 2 year 2 full-time group.
The groups would be observed during their practical session held on the college
workshop during the first term to set a baseline without intervention, then with the
intended intervention during the second term.
As a department we also produced a generic marking grid that would enable us to
measure key fundamental repair quality operations that we would like our students to
perform during their practical assessment. The grid also allowed the teacher to
record feedback and give action points for improvement if required. Appendix 3
shows a copy of this grid and as can be seen, five key areas were chosen to be
improved on.
41
Evaluation methods
After the first term, students would be informed of the five areas highlighted on the
grid (Appendix 3) and encouraged to use these both in self and peer assessment
whilst they engaged in preparatory work for their main assessed tasks. Teaching
staff would help by giving verbal feedback on how the students were meeting the
standards in these areas and allow the student(s) to correct any shortfall at that time.
The intention here was to use the peer and self-assessment to foster an
improvement in the quality of work or ‘craftsmanship’ demonstrated in these
sessions. Whilst no directly comparable research was found, Dylan Wiliam (2011)
states:
“The potential of student self-assessment for raising achievement was vividly
demonstrated in a study of twenty-five elementary school teachers in Portugal
...”
and goes on to say:
“... through development of their self-assessment skills, students managed to
learn in twenty weeks what would otherwise have taken thirty-eight weeks to
learn.”
When the students moved onto their assessed tasks, their tutors would assess, by
direct observation, not only how the student performed in relation to the qualification
requirements, but also how they performed in the areas identified on the grid. The
results would then be given to the student with an action plan of how to improve for
the next assessment. Whilst the idea of checking on student progress in work
placements was discussed, it was felt that the changeable nature and varying types
of the placements would make comparative results difficult.
Findings
Below are two tables showing the results that were given out to students throughout
their practical tasks, in date order. Having been given the criteria to work towards,
some of the students were able to gain a 100% mark on their quality assessments
from the start, and every other student improved throughout the year:
42
Camshaft
Radiator
Alternator
Starter
Total %
Student 1
100
100
100
100
100
Student 2
100
100
100
100
100
Student 3
90
100
100
100
97.5
Student 4
90
100
100
100
97.5
Student 5
100
100
100
100
100
Student 6
90
100
100
100
97.5
Student 7
90
100
100
100
97.5
Student 8
90
90
90
100
92.5
Student 9
100
100
100
100
100
Student 10
100
100
100
100
100
Student 12
90
90
100
100
95
Student 13
80
90
100
100
92.5
Student 1
Student 2
Student 3
Student 4
Student 5
Student 6
Student 7
Student 8
Student 9
() = first attempt
Oil change
90
90
80
100
70
90
(50) 70
(50) 90
100
Radiator
100
90
90
90
80
90
80
100
100
Engine strip
100
100
90
100
n/a
100
n/a
n/a
100
Total %
96.7
93.3
86.7
96.7
75
93.3
75
95
100
Whilst these results do show a positive improvement, they do not tell the whole story.
The improvements in the quality of work of some of the students was nothing short of
remarkable with working practice and standards that would rank amongst the best
seen in industry (photographic example in Appendix 4).
Having discussed the research with the students we all got a positive response from
them. Having been given a copy of the quality criteria at the start of each task all the
students agreed that it focused them on the idea of quality throughout the repair and
was also useful to refer back to as they worked so they could self-evaluate their own
progress. Especially during the peer-assessment it kept repair quality at the front of
everyone’s mind. As the year progressed, repair quality became more ingrained
within the group’s work, without the need for prompting, and this good practice and
pride in one’s work is evident to all the tutors.
Reference
Wiliam, D. (2011). Embedded Formative Assessment. Bloomington, IN: Solution
Tree Press.
43
Appendix 1
LO: Assessment Criteria
1.1. Use suitable personal protective equipment and vehicle coverings
throughout all light vehicle routine maintenance activities
1.
1.2. Work in a way which minimises the risk of damage or injury to the vehicle,
people and the environment
2.1. Select suitable sources of technical information to support light vehicle
routine maintenance activities including:
a.
vehicle technical data
b.
maintenance procedures
c.
legal requirements
2.
2.2. Use technical information to support light vehicle inspection activities
including:
a.
vehicle technical data
b.
maintenance procedures
c.
legal requirements
3.1. Select the appropriate tools and equipment necessary for removal and
replacement of light vehicle engine systems
3.2. Ensure that equipment has been calibrated to meet manufacturers’ and
3.
legal requirements
3.3
Use the correct tools and equipment in the way specified by
manufacturers to remove and replace light vehicle engine systems
4.1. Remove and replace the light vehicle’s engine systems and components,
adhering to the correct specifications and tolerances for the vehicle and
following:
a. the manufacturer’s approved removal and replacement methods
b. recognised researched repair methods
c. health and safety requirements
4.
Ensure that replaced light vehicle engine units and components conform to
the vehicle operating specification and any legal requirements
Use suitable testing methods to evaluate the performance of the
reassembled system
4.4
Ensure that the reassembled light vehicle engine systems performs to
the vehicle operating specification and meets any legal requirements
5.1. Produce work records that are accurate, complete and passed to the
relevant person(s) promptly in the format required
5.
5.2. Make suitable and justifiable recommendations for cost effective repairs
5.3. Record and report any additional faults noticed during the course of their
work promptly in the format required
44
Appendix 2
The section below is for use by the assessor :
Passed
(Tick)
Assessment Outcome:
The learner worked safely and minimised risks to themselves
and others
The learner correctly selected and used appropriate technical
2
information
The learner correctly selected and used appropriate tools and
3
equipment
The learner correctly carried out the task required using suitable
4
methods and testing procedures
The learner correctly recorded information and made suitable
5
recommendations
Assessor
Name Tick Written feedback (with reference to assessment
(Print)
() criteria) must be given when a learner is referred:
PASS
I confirm that the
learner’s work was to
an
acceptable
standard and met the
assessment criteria of
the unit
REFER
The work carried out
did not achieve the
standards
specified
by the assessment
criteria
(written
feedback to learner)
Assessor Name (Print):
Assessor PIN:
Date:
1
The section below is only to be completed once the assessor decision has
been made and feedback given to learner:
The section below is to be completed by the learner :
I confirm that the Learner name (Print):
work carried out
was my own, and
that I received
feedback
from
the Assessor
45
Learner Signature:
Date:
Y
Y
Y
All tooling and equipment used in the correct
manor during the repair
Vehicle left clean, tidy and in the correct
working order after the repair, (as if ready
for a paying customer in industry)
Y
Correct personnel protection equipment
used (PPE), Boots, overalls and barrier
cream.
Correct Technical data identified and used
during the repair
Y
Correct vehicle floor and seat cover
protection used (VPE)
Repair Quality Process
Application
(Y/P/N/NA)
xxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Assessor Name
Operations
xxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx
Student Name
xxxxxxx
Y/N/P/NA Comments
Remove and refit a starter motor
100%
Application Rate
46
Action Plan
Y : Student leaves the vehicle in a clean and tidy condition as would be expected by a paying customer in industry
N : Student does not leaves the vehicle in a clean and tidy condition as would be expected by a paying customer in industry
P : Student makes some effort to clean and tidy the vehicle, but the condition could lead to a customer complaint
Y : Student identifies and uses the tooling and equipment correctly and tidily during the repair
N : Student does not use the correct tooling and equipment during the repair
P : Student identifies the tooling and equipment correctly, but either uses in incorrectly or not in a tidy manor during the repair
Y : Student identifies and uses the correct technical data during the repair
N : Student does not identify or use the specific technical data during the repair
P : Student looks up the correct technical data, but does not use it correctly during the repair
Y : Correct PPE used by the student during the repair
N : No PPE used by the student, assessor has to intervene and asked the student to use the correct PPE
P : Student uses some of the PPE equipment required, but not all, assessor has to intervene
Y : Seat and floor interior protection kit is fitted at the start of the repair
N : No interior protection used during the repair
P : Seat and floor interior protection interior fitted after intervention during the repair
Date
Repair operation
Motor Vehicle Repair Quality Process
Practical Assessment Results
Appendix 3
Appendix 4
This example sees a student working
on removing and replacing a front
wheel drive gearbox. The work
bench/toolbox was kept in a tidy
manner throughout with removed
parts kept in a logical order to aid
refitting.
The same student photographed from a
different angle can be seen to be using the
correct personal protective equipment and
vehicle protective equipment.
Details
include the bolts laid out in an order that
would help the student locate and fit them
easily and quickly as well as the wheel
placed by the foot of the ramp to avoid a trip
hazard and placed face up to prevent the
paint getting scratched.
47
Deimos Valerkou
Research question: If I give students formative feedback using a different method
and using technology and software that allows the students to access their feedback
from home, as well from as their computers at college, will this improve the likelihood
that they will respond to it and thereby improve their grades?
Keywords: Media; Formative feedback; Mobile learning; iPad; Reflection; Metalearning; and BTEC Level 2; and BTEC Level 3.
Context
My name is Deimos Valerkou, I am a lecturer on the BTEC Media courses at Level 2
and Level 3 specialising in audio, page layout and design, and digital design.
The action research I plan to undertake will involve 20 BTEC Level 3 Year 1 media
students, 4 female and 16 male aged 16 to 44. There is one mature student (44)
who has decided that she wants to return to education because she wants to pursue
a more creative direction in her career. A large number have shown an interest in
moving on to higher education and the rest are undecided.
Issue addressed
Historically there has been an issue with the way we have given feedback on the
written aspects of the units we deliver, i.e. the time spent on the feedback to the time
spent by the students responding to it and, therefore, the improvement in the final
grades they receive for the written based criteria.
We have been looking for ways to allow the students access to the feedback any
time they wanted and a method of transferring the information directly to them rather
than using the ‘review’ options in Microsoft Word (comments) in their document, as
well as providing more feedback at the end of the document. This has been, and is,
time-consuming for the lecturers and a little daunting for the students when they
receive the feedback as it looks and feels as though they have a lot to do and
therefore they only do what they think is required. This could, and in some cases
does, lead to them restricting their chances of achieving high grades by not
responding fully to the feedback, even if the practical work they provide is of a high
standard.
Review of current practice
I looked at different ways institutions deal with feedback and I came across a number
of web articles and papers. The main focus of the articles was how to use modern
technology (tablets and their apps) to help enthuse and encourage the student and
thereby take a more active role in the process and hopefully imparting more
ownership and (dare I use the word) understanding as to what is required from them
when they come to respond to it.
“For feedback to be most effective, students need to be encouraged to act
upon it.” (William & Martin, 2010)
48
Having discussed the issue with colleagues I have decided to change my original
research question to a new one that is more relevant and that I feel needs
addressing. I needed to know a few details such as; how many of the students had
access to a computer at home (to do work, respond to feedback, etc.) and how many
had access to the Internet. Surprisingly in both cases the answer was 100%
positive. I also asked which operating systems their computers used and as you can
see from Figure 1 a third of the students surveyed use Apple OS X whilst the
remaining are Windows based.
We are predominantly an ‘Applecentric’ department, i.e. all the computers used by
students and staff for teaching and learning are Apple products and our servers all
run OS X Server software. I wanted to know how many of our students use Apple
products at home, as well as college and if in the final results this had an effect of
their grade. I feel that this is an action
research question on its own and one I
will be looking into in the future.
Having said this I do not think that the
students who have Windows-based
machines are at a disadvantage as
most of the software we use is
available for both platforms and apart
from a few keystrokes work identically.
The only software in use at the
department that is not available for
Windows users is Logic Pro X (Audio
editing and creation software), which is
an Apple designed product and only
made available for Apple Mac
Figure 1 - OS used - home
computers.
computer
My research question then became:
‘If I give students formative feedback using a different method and using technology
and software that allows the students to access their feedback from home, as well as
their computers at college, will this improve the likelihood that they will respond to it
and thereby improve their grades?’
The project
I had used the traditional methods for the feedback of the first semester units I taught
and it took me, as it always had done, a while to read through, annotate and write
the feedback for each individual script.
One of my colleagues has been an advocate of Evernote for a number of years now
and during the course of my research it was an app that appeared consistently.
Having used it for summative feedback we were looking for ways we could start
using it for formative feedback as well. We were looking for ways that this could be
done and my colleague eventually created an individual feedback notebook for each
unit the student is doing that is linked to their account and only they and their tutors
can access and edit. This meant that I could now log in and type up feedback into
the student’s notebook. Evernote also allows for the attachment of documents,
49
images, web-links, audio and video clips to the notebook as well. At the same time I
also had the opportunity to use a tablet for the months this project took place. In the
past I had felt that I could not justify the outlay for an iPad, given how I could use it. I
had thought about buying a cheaper Android-powered tablet and, having not owned
an iPad before, researched the whole Android verses iOS question. One of the
arguments that finally persuaded me to move towards the iPad option was a blog
entry I came across called ‘We Need to Talk About Android’ written by Fraser Speirs
(2012) that quotes a number of advantages iOS (the operating system that runs
iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone) has over the Android OS that runs iPad’s main
competitors. He makes a convincing argument and having looked at a number of
other tablets and talked to our technician about how easy it would be to add an
Android tablet to the system, I opted for the iPad. While researching formative
feedback methods I came across a number of papers and files praising the iPad’s
abilities within the classroom (Heinrich, 2013) and once I had the iPad it was easy to
find uses for it in the classroom.
Having done the research and spoken to colleagues about methods they used I
finally decided upon the approach I was going to undertake. It was a combination of
a number of methods being used, however the main focus was to try and involve the
student in the process. For the first round of feedback sessions I sat with each
student, at their computer, and went through their assignment with them. I gave
them feedback as we went through the work while they typed any comments and
advice into their assignment, using the ‘review’/’comments’ option in Word. This
method also allowed them to ask questions and to get clarification on any of the work
they did not understand. While we were doing this I typed additional and specific
feedback directly into the student’s Evernote feedback notebook using the iPad.
This method has given the students direct access to the feedback through the
Evernote app (which
can be downloaded
for free for all
platforms from the
Evernote website at
https://evernote.com
/). I was confident
that they would not
have any difficulties
using
Evernote
because as part of
my survey I had
asked how many of
the students had
used
on-line
tutorials, this would
indicate how likely
Figure 2 - Have you ever-used online
video tutorials to learn a new skill?
they were to use or access the Evernote app outside of college. As you can see
from the results of Figure 2 above, over 50% had used some form of on-line video
tutorial. This would lead us to assume that attaching audio and video feedback to
50
their notebooks may encourage them to access the file outside of college and as
they all have access to the internet the choice of whether or not they access these
files would be their own rather than one of internet availability.
Findings
Having done one round of feedback using the new method I took a quick verbal poll
as to what some of the students thought of this method of feedback compared to the
method I had used previously. The reaction was, for the most part, a positive one
and I have noticed that when asked about how much easier it was to respond to the
feedback, they are not having as many issues as previously when accessing it. As
this is an on-going project I will not have any more firm data until the active units are
completed as of May 2014. In the meantime I am designing an end of unit
questionnaire to gain more concrete feedback from the students as to which method
of feedback they found more rewarding and if they felt more confident and
encouraged about responding to it. It will also be a chance to see if it had an effect
on the grades attained in the written criterion of the units as compared to previous
years, again this is another opportunity to do some research in the future.
References and bibliography
Crooks, T. (2001). ‘The Validity of Formative Assessments’, British Educational
Research Association Annual Conference, University of Leeds, 13th-15th September
2001. Available at:
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00001862.htm [Accessed 6th May, 2014].
Heinrich, P. (2013). The iPad as a tool for education. Nottingham: Naace. Available
at: http://www.naace.co.uk/publications/longfieldipadresearch [Accessed 6th May,
2014].
Speirs, F. (2012). ‘We need to talk about Android’, [Online] 6th March, 2012.
Available at:
http://www.speirs.org/blog/2012/3/6/we-need-to-talk-about-android.html [Accessed
6th May, 2014].
Williamson, M. and Martin, G. (2010). Good practice guide on assessment and
feedback to students. Available at: http://www.learninginstitute.qmul.ac.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2010/12/Assessment-and-Feedback-Good-Practice-Guide.pdf
[Accessed 6th May, 2014].
Zhu, C. (2012). Providing formative feedback to students via emails and feedback
strategies
based
on
student
metacognition.
Available
at:
http://reflectingeducation.net [Accessed 6th May, 2014].
51
Phillipa Losh
Research question: If I support my students in independently analysing work
targeting specific pass and merit criteria in peer assessment, will their ability to think
critically be increased?
Keywords: Health and social care; Independent learning; Critical thinking; Formative
assessment; Peer assessment; and BTEC Level 3.
Context
My role at Highlands College is as a Lecturer in Health Studies as part of the
Department of Care and Health. The student cohort that I chose to focus upon for
the project was a Level 3 Year 1 BTEC Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care.
I have focused upon this group and a particular unit (Unit 8 – Psychological
perspectives in health and social care and Unit 2 – Equality and diversity in health
and social care) because historically I have found these to be units where learners
have not studied the subject before and can be quite unconfident in relation to
independent research in the area. This was often reflected in grades achieved and
learners not feeling confident to takes risks and attempt higher level merit/distinction
criteria (which not only requires learners to explain /understand key terms/theories,
but to be able to analyse and assess information). The cohort consisted of 22 Level
3 Year 1 Health and Social Care learners.
The issue addressed
I would like to increase my learners’ ability to interpret information from assessment
criteria independently, and build upon their independent research skills. I think that
introducing peer assessment activities targeting specific criteria (mainly those linked
with ‘outline’, ‘explain’ and ‘assess’ skills) might increase their ability to do this, aiding
their ability to provide clear feedback and support to others in this process.
Current practice on which the project is based includes research findings on the
usefulness of increasing critical thinking skills and developing ability relating to
specific ‘learning habits of mind’ (Claxton, Lucas and Hodgkinson, 2011), including:
REFLECTION – strategic awareness
1. Methodical: well-organised; thinks things through carefully
2. Self-evaluative: makes honest and accurate judgements about ‘how it’s going’
3. Self-aware: knows their own strengths, styles and interests as a learner
4. Transferring: looks for other applications and lessons for the future
RESILIENCE – emotional strength
1. Imaginative: comes up with creative ideas and possibilities
2. Connecting: looks for links and relationships; likes to ‘hook things up’
3. Crafting: keen to work on improving products and developing skills
4. Capitalising: makes good use of resources, tools and materials
52
The second area relates to increasing critical thinking skills to encourage
independent learning. Dylan Wiliam and others at King’s College demonstrated that
teachers could improve the quality of assessment for learning in their classrooms
within the existing constraints of national tests and examinations. Focusing on the
introduction of formative assessment techniques:
“Teachers chose from a range of options: improving their questioning
techniques, developing self-assessment procedures, sharing success criteria
with pupils, giving feedback and comment-only marking.”
(Education
Scotland, n.d.)
Two of the main findings of the research which I intend to investigate the impact of in
this project include:
“Where assessment for learning is implemented effectively, it raises standards
of achievement across the board, but particularly for low achievers. It
reduced the spread of attainment while raising the bar for everyone. Where
pupils are given better quality support and feedback, and are encouraged and
empowered to take more responsibility, they learn more effectively.”
(Education Scotland, n.d.)
Another finding suggests:
“There are common barriers that inhibit the development of assessment for
learning in schools, namely: the over-reliance on testing that encourages
teachers to promote rote and superficial learning, the negative impact on
pupils when the giving of marks, grades and levels is over-emphasised and
where pupils are compared with one another; and the focus on the managerial
role of assessments at the expense of learning.” (Education Scotland, n.d.)
Within my project I intend to investigate the impact of introducing more peer and selfassessment activities as a method of formative assessment. I intend to measure the
effect on learners’ perceived ability to think critically and to empower individuals in
the area of independent learning and thinking.
If I support my students in independently analysing work targeting specific pass and
merit criteria in peer assessment, will their ability to think critically increase?
The project
The action included introducing peer and self-assessment activities in Level 3 Year 1
Health and Social Care course teaching. The peer assessment/self-assessment
included worksheets and checklists of pass and merit assessment criteria between
during Term 2 (January – March).
Methods used to measure the impact of this intervention include a questionnaire
measuring student perceptions of their ability in critical thinking skills and a focus
group measuring student perceptions of their capability regarding habits of mind
relating to resilience, reflection and relating.
53
Findings
Quantitative analysis
As can be seen from the student responses below (Table 1), findings show a
significant percentage increase in perceived ability for Question 8 ‘I can define terms
in a way appropriate for the context’ (7%) and for Question 2 ‘I can draw conclusions‘
(7%). However, there were mixed or a very minimal increase for all other categories.
Table 1 – Student responses
Question number
Question 1 - I can identify
reasons and assumptions
behind things
Question 2 - I can draw
conclusions
Question 3 - I can ask
appropriate
clarifying
questions
Question 4 - I can judge
well the quality of an
argument, including its
reasons,
assumptions,
evidence, and support for
a conclusion
Question 5 - I can develop
and defend a reasonable
position regarding a belief
or an action well
Question 6 - I can
formulate
plausible
hypotheses
Question 7 - I can plan
and conduct experiments
well
Question 8 - I can define
terms in a way appropriate
for the context
Question 9 - I can draws
conclusions
when
warranted – but with
caution
Question 10 - I can
integrate all of the above
aspects together when
completing a task
Competence
rating at the start
of intervention:
Competence
rating at end of
the intervention
period:
% increase after
intervention
66
67
1%
69
76
7%
75
75
0
62
65
3%
66
65
-
67
61
-
59
61
2%
59
67
7%
59
61
2%
65
59
-
54
Qualitative analysis
As can be seen from the student responses to the focus group questions below
(Table 2), there was a perceived increase in their ability in the learning habits of mind
as follows:
Resilience
In the area of being more ‘Adventurous: Are you willing to risk and ‘have a go’? Do
you like to have a new challenge?’, learner focus group comments reflected that they
feel more able to take a risk.
In the area of being more ‘Focused: Can you concentrate, ignores distractions, and
become becomes engrossed in work?’, learner focus group comments reflected that
they felt more focused, especially after assignment feedback.
Reflection
In the area of being more ‘Focused: Can you concentrate, ignore distractions, and
become becomes engrossed in work?’, comments reflected that learners feel more
organised and able to think things through.
In the area of ‘Self-evaluative: Do you feel that you can make honest and accurate
judgements about how you are progressing in terms of skills and knowledge?’, from
focus group responses learners comments reflected an increase in ability to make
judgements from self-assessment tasks.
In the area relating to ‘Self-aware: Do you feel like you know your own strengths,
styles and interests as a learner?’, learners commented on a change from
understanding own strengths and styles as a learner from written feedback at the
beginning of the intervention to more ‘verbal feedback’.
Table 2 - Student responses to the focus group questions
Question
Comments before
intervention
Comments after
intervention
RESILIENCE –
emotional strength
Inquisitive: Do you
have a questioning
and positive attitude
to learning?
‘Yes if I have
something to ask
about…….’
‘Yes…I would ask
subject teachers if I
don’t understand ‘
‘We feel like we help
each other ….or we
will ask teachers for
help….’
‘ we do feel
comfortable….’
Adventurous: Are you
willing to risk and
‘have a go’? Do you
like to have a new
challenge?
‘I think it helps us to
learn in different
ways….’
‘I don’t like
challenge….but I
would do it….’
‘It would feel
daunting……’
55
Summary of
main
differences?
Similar
Increase more able to
take a risk
‘I feel like the
teacher is always
there if I need
support…………….’
Persistent: Do you
feel like you can stay
determined and
positive in the face of
difficulty or mistakes?
‘Yes we feel like we
do….we feel like we
can learn from
this……………’
‘Yes…..we would
ask teachers for
help…’
Similar
Focused: Can you
concentrate, ignore
distractions, and
become becomes
engrossed in work?
‘Sometimes I get
distracted by other
people…………….’
‘ yes….especially
after assignment
feedback….’
REFLECTION –
strategic awareness
‘Do not feel as
organised as I could
be…..in terms of
quantity of work and
multiple deadlines …
resub deadlines
also…..’
‘ I feel more
organised…’
Increase –
more focused
especially
after
assignment
feedback
Increase –feel
more
organised and
able to think
things
through
‘We can ask
teachers about how
to fulfil criteria
…sometimes
assessment criteria
can be confusing….’
‘Yes…through
verbal feedback….’
Methodical: How wellorganised do you
feel? Do you feel that
you can think through
things carefully?
Self-evaluative: Do
you feel that you can
make honest and
accurate judgements
about how you are
progressing in terms
of skills and
knowledge?
‘We feel that we
would need a
teacher to explain
key terms to us..…’
56
‘by using my
planner to plan
deadlines….’
‘Yes it is useful to
go through
assignment briefs
to help with this’
‘Checklists and self
assessment
methods….help to
structure
assignments
…what needs
covering and
needs including for
assessment
criteria’
Increase- in
ability to
make
judgements
from selfassessment
tasks
Self-aware: Do you
‘Written feedback
feel like you know
from assessment
your own strengths,
criteria…..’
styles and interests as
a learner?
‘Yes…through
verbal feedback…’
A change
from
understanding
from written
to verbal
feedback
Lessons learned
In relation to the value of peer and self-assessment activities, there was an increase
in perceived ability from learners in the area of ‘RESILIENCE’ – emotional strength,
‘REFLECTION’ – strategic awareness in relation to the focus group responses.
There was a small increase in perceived capability in relation to ability to ‘define
terms in a way appropriate for the context’ (+7%) and ‘drawing conclusions’ (+7%).
However, there were mixed or a very minimal increase for all other categories.
Finding indicate only a minimal impact in perceived ability, however, on reflection this
may be linked to the short period that the intervention was measured.
A possible area to investigate in the future might be to focus on the impact of selfand peer-assessment techniques throughout a longer period of time (rather than just
one term) and the introduction and impact of other methods of formative assessment
such as different types of questioning within the classroom.
References
Ennis, R. H. and Ennis, S. F. (2011). ‘Critical Thinking Definition, Instruction, and
Assessment: A Rigorous Approach’. Available at: http://www.criticalthinking.net/
[Accessed 12th January, 2014].
Claxton, G., Lucas, B. and Hodgkinson, E. (2011). Making it – studio teaching and
impact on teaching and learning. Winchester: University of Winchester.
Education Scotland (n.d.). ‘Research summary - assessment for learning’. Available
at:
http://www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk/resourcesandcpd/research/summaries/rsasse
ssment.asp [Accessed 30th January, 2014].
57
Giving students choice over assessment methods to improve
learning
Stuart Taylor
Research question: If I allow students to choose the assessment method for each
assignment task, will the quality of assignments improve?
Keywords: IT; Assessment; Student choice; and BTEC.
Context and issue addressed
IT students struggle to produce consistently high quality written reports towards their
assessments. This can be frustrating for both students and lecturers and I am
interested in what would happen if students had more choice in how they submit
evidence for criterion-based tasks.
There is currently too much emphasis on writing reports. Whilst it is important to be
able to do this, a vocational course should provide a number of ways for a student to
demonstrate their learning.
I have not researched this in the wider context, however I am interested in Project
Based Learning and have read a book on how one might go about creating a PBL
environment. One of the critical success factors for PBL is student choice in the way
they are assessed. My research question examines this aspect of PBL.
Research question
My research question is “If I allow students to choose the assessment method for
each assignment task, will the quality of assignments improve?”
Over the last three years I have listened to students’ feedback about long written
assignments, much of which is negative. Many students find the burden of so much
written work quite overwhelming and some are just not able to articulate themselves
very well using that assessment method.
My idea is to give more freedom to students to choose the method by which they
provide the evidence that demonstrates that they meet unit criteria. The desired
outcome of this being that the student will derive more enjoyment from completing
assignment work which will, in turn lead to better quality work. Better quality work
submitted first time should inevitably lead to a reduction in the number of
submissions which will have a positive impact on student and lecturer time
management.
In order to achieve this, assignment briefs have been redesigned and in conjunction
with our electronic submissions system (eSubs), the approach to hand-in dates has
been revised as described below.
The project
I chose to change the way I write assignment briefs so that students are free to
choose any suitable method of assessment. I provided a list of 13 different methods
and gave examples of how students may use each of them to submit evidence.
58
Rather than design two or three assignment briefs containing 4/5 tasks each, I
designed one assignment brief per task. This means that students have 12
assignment briefs per BTEC unit rather than three or four. This initially seems like a
lot of assignments, however each brief contains only a single task. Students are free
to choose the assessment method of their choice (with some exceptions where only
one method is appropriate, such as practical lab work for example).
One assignment brief containing all 12 tasks is published so that students have a
holistic view of the overall assignment. Each of the 12 tasks is entered in eSubs as
a separate assignment and each one has the same submission date. This allows the
student to work on any of the tasks, in any order and submit them at any time.
In order to support this new approach I have built in plenty of opportunities for oneto-one assignment support for each student. I am tracking the progress of each
student on a weekly basis.
Findings
The first attempt at this approach began in September 2013 with a group of 11 full
time students. I had taught the same group during the previous term (summer 2013)
and knew them quite well. We had two BTEC units left to cover (some 24 individual
criteria) when I switched to the new format.
Out of 264 individual assignment tasks marked for that group, only TWO assessment
methods were chosen by the students from the original list of 13 that I provided;
written report and PowerPoint presentation. In terms of providing the students with
choice/variety the research has NOT produced the outcome that I anticipated. There
were fewer second submissions required throughout this period, which suggests that
the change in format has had a positive effect on quality, just not in the way I had
predicted.
In January 2014 I started with a new group, to whom I explained the experiment and
gave them the choice of whether or not to follow the same format for assessment as
the previous group. All 12 students elected to adopt the new format. To date I have
published one assignment with 12 criteria and have received back (and marked) 54
individual pieces of work. As with the first group, written reports and PowerPoint
presentations have been popular, providing all but one of the 54 tasks, the other one
being a video of exceptional quality. A number of students in this group, however,
have approached me about filming/recording a group discussion and several are
considering using viva as a method. I am encouraged by this.
A benefit of this approach that I had not anticipated is that students have been more
inclined to trickle-feed completed assignments over the whole term, rather than
stockpile them for submission on deadline day. This has eased the burden of
marking, the peaks and troughs have evened out somewhat which has allowed me
to turn marking around much faster. Students seem to appreciate getting results
early as they have a longer window to the second submission.
59
Conclusion
The outcomes suggest that it is not the method of assessment that influences
assignment quality, but the timings related to the distribution and submission of
assignments, and the length of assignment briefs. The traditional approach to
assignment design is to write fewer assignments with several criteria in each.
However students appear to produce better quality work when they have more
assignments that contain fewer tasks.
Overall I feel that the experiment has been somewhat successful, if not for the
reasons anticipated. An accidental success one might say, however enough of a
success to justify continuing with it.
60
Jo Chaplin
Research question: If I can facilitate accurate self-assessment, will it encourage
students to ‘take ownership' of their skills?”
Keywords: Key skills, Functional skills English; Self-assessment; Assessment
feedback; Self-regulation; Meta-learning; Entry 1; Level 1; and Level 2.
Context
I am a Key Skills Functional Skills English Tutor at Highlands College, Jersey. I
teach students across the college, from Entry 1 to Level 2. The students I chose to
focus on are my Diploma in Vocational Studies FS English group. The group this
year consists of 9 students, aged 16 – 17, all but one of whom have identified
learning needs, including autism, speech and language difficulty, dyslexia and
moderate/specific/general learning difficulties. They screened in English at E2 to L1
at the beginning of the year. Two had taken GCSE English Language exams at
school – results G and F. As one student has had serious personal issues this year
which have affected her attendance, I have based my research on 8 of these
students, 7 males and one female.
I wanted to investigate ways of enabling students to form an accurate picture of their
skills levels early in the year, to encourage them take ownership of their skills
development.
Issue addressed
Many students view English as a subject that they have not willingly ‘signed up’ for
when they enrolled on their main course of study. They may have had difficulty with
the subject at school, have experienced failure rather than success or simply don’t
see the point, so can be disengaged: English is something that is ‘done’ to them.
I was interested in looking at ways of encouraging them to take a more positive
approach to the subject and, with that aim, at which forms of feedback might be most
effective in promoting their active engagement.
Research findings have long suggested that the feedback that is most effective in
promoting deep learning is qualitative rather than quantitative in nature, because it is
descriptive and can
provide more information about how improvements can be made.
At the same time, to promote any initial ‘buy in’ or interest at all, quantitative
feedback in the form of marks and ‘passes’ may have a more immediate impact on
motivation – whether ‘I can do this’ or ‘I’ll have to work harder if I want to achieve’ –
precisely because it is immediate, quantified and measurable, both against the
individual’s previous results and those of other students.
My research question is “If I can facilitate accurate self-assessment, will it encourage
students to ‘take ownership' of their skills?”
61
When an E3/L1 Diploma in Vocational Studies group last year passed Entry Level 3
FS English tests in the Spring Term, the effect on motivation and ‘ownership’ of their
learning in many cases was striking. Some of them were delighted because they
said they had not been successful in English before; others realised that their marks
had not been as high as they expected, that they may have over-estimated their
professed ability to ‘do it in the exam’ and they would need to develop their skills to
pass at L1.
I felt that if my students could have this experience earlier in the year, it might have a
beneficial effect on their motivation and engagement in class.
The project
I looked at a variety of ways to give students feedback which might encourage them
to assess themselves realistically, to experience success and to be aware of ways in
which they might improve. In practice, this meant looking at which forms of feedback
seemed most effective – test scores, peer and self-assessment, tutor and peer
comments, both written and oral.
In September, the students had completed an initial questionnaire which asked them
to list qualifications achieved at school, to rate their reading, writing and speaking &
listening skills on scales from 1 to 5 and to identify any problems they felt they had
had in the past.
During October, November and December the students completed a number of
tasks which were assessed in a variety of ways which provided them with feedback
in both quantitative and qualitative forms (see Appendix 1 for examples).
These included:
Letter to a friend: self (self-assessment and recap form); tutor comments.
Informal discussion: self (self-assessment and recap form); tutor comments.
Letter to a local politician: peer assessment (assessment form completed by another
student); tutor comments.
Poster for a charity event (own choice): self /whole group (self-assessment and
recap form/positive comments on post-it notes); tutor comments.
Spelling tests: self-marked.
Short writing tasks: self/peer assessment: if willing, read out in class; tutor
comments.
BKSB skills checks (on computer): percentage scores.
E3 Reading test: marks out of 20, pass or fail.
In January, they completed an end of intervention questionnaire which asked them to
rate themselves again with reference to their initial responses and to explain any
differences in their ratings.
At the beginning of February, as tutors were writing reports about them, they were
also asked to write ‘two stars and a wish’ reports about themselves.
62
Findings
The students’ responses in the end of intervention questionnaires completed in
January show slight improvements in some ratings but also one no-change across
all three skills areas (Student P) and one down-grading in two (Student O), which I
believe were accurate reflections of those students’ progress and self-assessment at
that time.
(Students P and S recently took part in a discussion group of four, where one
student new to the group was being assessed. They contributed really well and both
said afterwards they felt much more confident in expressing their views.)
63
E3 Reading test, taken 4.12.13: 8 out of 9 students passed (Student S, who had
screened at E2, passed at second attempt in February).
In mid-February, 4 out of 7 students entered for L1 reading passed.
Overall, I felt the process of evaluating both their own and other students’ work on a
regular basis was a valuable exercise, when they took it seriously.
Generally, the form of feedback the students responded most actively to was
quantitative rather than qualitative – they liked having marks and comparing them
with other students. With BKSB skills checks, if they did not achieve the 80%
minimum they were asked to aim for, many would go back of their own accord to try
to improve their scores and often without reference to anyone else’s results.
One notable exception to this was Student J’s response to peer feedback on a 10minute writing task. The students were asked to write for 10 minutes on the subject
of flying. Some wrote mini stories and accounts of journeys but, after crossing out
his first thoughts - “I hate flying seagulls ….”, J wrote what he described as a poem:
“I wish I could fly in the sky so high. I could fly to China and get some shrimp fry
rice. If I died while flying in the sky I could no longer eat shrimp fry rice.”
Students were invited to read out their work if they wanted to and J was keen to read
his; he was clearly pleased when the rest of the group gave him a round of applause.
In the following day’s class, he asked for his exercise book so that he could show his
work to a student who had been absent the day before and continued to refer to his
‘poem’ for some time afterwards (see his ‘report’ example below).
In February, the students wrote ‘reports’ about themselves as part of a fun exercise
at the time of Chinese New Year, when they were also asked to read and assess
themselves against characteristics typical of the year their birth – for this age group,
the Year of the Rat or Year of the Ox. I have included parts of some as findings
because I felt they all wrote touchingly mature assessments of themselves, which in
some cases were also disarmingly accurate:
Student P: “… You don’t seem to have settled as well as some others in the class.
You only do your work when you can be bothered ... .”
Student S: “… You need to improve on your concentrating. Move away from people
who mess around … .”
Student C: “… You tend to write scruffy sometimes. Try to take your time to write
neatly.”
Student J: “You are getting along with the students in the class very well … also you
have shown skills in talking out loud and you’re very creative with poetry … .”
64
Lessons learned
My findings suggest that students respond well to measures of their skills in
quantifiable form, obviously so when their results give them a feeling of success.
They are then perhaps more likely to be receptive to specific pointers and strategies
to improve their performance.
It is clearly important to let them see what they can already do and what the next
level would require them to do, in a safe and non-challenging way that avoids
reinforcing any insecurities or over-confidence. I think the challenge it leaves me
with is how to create a safe, non-challenging environment as quickly as possible
each year with groups of students from a number of different schools who are wary,
both of each other and the subject.
65
Appendix 1 –
Assessment tool examples
Self-Assessment and Recap Sheet
Date
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Name
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Target ………………………………………………………………………………………Target
achieved: Y /N
The skills I have used are (tick all that applies):
Reading skills
Writing skills (spelling, punctuation, grammar)
Proof-reading
Handwriting
IT skills
Following instructions
Dictionary skills
Speaking appropriately
Listening to others
Presentation skills (talking in front of class)
Respecting others
Working as part of a team
Working independently
Organisation skills
Two things I did well:
One thing I could have done better:
One thing I learned:
Formal Letter Assessment (Peer)
1. Have the address details been set out correctly, using all the details given?
2. Has the date been written with the month as a word e.g. October?
3. Is there a clear opening sentence?
4. Has the letter been written in sentences and paragraphs?
5. Are there any spelling, punctuation and grammar errors?
6. Is there a suitable closing sentence?
7. Has ‘Yours sincerely’ or ‘Yours faithfully’ been used correctly?
8. One wish: what would make the letter even better?
BKSB Skills Check Examples
66
Name:
BKSB Skills Checks
Check
E3 Writing punctuation
L1 Capital letters
L1 Sentences
Score
L1 Complex and compound sentences
Name:
BKSB Skills Checks
Check
L1 Proofreading
L1 Homophones
Score
Functional Skills English: Review
1. At the beginning of the year, how did you rate your literacy skills? (5= very
good; 1= very weak)
 Writing:
1
2
3
4
5
 Reading:
1
2
3
4
5
 Speaking and listening
1
2
3
4
5
2.



How would you rate your skills now? (5= very good; 1= very weak)
Writing:
1
2
3
4
5
Reading:
1
2
3
4
5
Speaking and listening
1
2
3
4
5
If your rating now is different, why do you think that is?
3. Do you think you have improved in any of these areas? Give some details if
you can.
 Spelling
 Punctuation (commas, full stops etc.)
 Writing (in good, clear sentences and paragraphs)
 Speaking and listening
67
Christopher Talbot
Research question: If I involve students in the process of writing their assignments,
will I see better assignment submissions on the first hand-in?
Keywords: Information technology; Student-teacher collaboration; Assessment;
Assignment design; Resourcefulness; BTEC Level 2; BTEC Level 3; and
Undergraduate degree.
Context
I am a Lecturer in Information Technology at Highlands College, Jersey. I teach on
the full-time BTEC Level 2, BTEC Level 3, and degree programmes offered by the
college.
The ‘problem’ domain
Many students appear to be lacking in motivation at times. This lack of motivation
has a negative effect on their classroom participation, their learning and their
engagement with assessments.
My interest for this research project relates to student motivation when it comes to
their assignment work.
Naturally I want students to be more interested, more engaged, asking and
answering more questions when in class. However, in particular, I want students to
better understand what is required of them as far as assignments are concerned. I
also don't want them to be over-focused on meeting criteria, but rather be engaged
in the actual content of the unit. Often when assignments are set the students
become over-focused on the criteria. Questions such as “Chris, is this good enough
for M2” is being asked too often.
I have decided to apply some research to Level 3 Year 1 students (two groups)
studying Unit 3: Information Systems.
There appears to be little research published and available on the Internet. A search
of terms such as “student writing their own assignments” has not produced any
usable results.
My research questions
I began with a hypothesis:
“Students are over-focused on meeting criteria without necessarily fully
understanding those criteria and what is required to meet them.”
Turning this hypothesis into an ‘Action Research’ question, this becomes
“If I involve students in the process of writing their assignments, will I see
better assignment submissions on the first hand-in?”
68
I selected two groups of Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma in IT students. The unit of
study was ‘Information Systems’ and I felt satisfied overall in student engagement
with the learning.
It was now time to see if I could maintain that focus on actual learning during
assessment, without the recourse to simply addressing criteria.
The project
Good progress was made right from the start. In this case the ‘start’ meant
explaining to students in both groups what this was about. I explained to students the
concept, as I understand it, of Action Research. I identified areas that they would be
involved with, together with some parameters and guidelines.
From the start I was generally encouraged by the response from most students.
I displayed the unit guide on the projector. I steered students through the criteria, the
learning outcomes and the assessment guidance, as provided by Edexcel. As a
group we discussed in some detail all of these.
And then came the salient question.
“Ok (students) – how do you want to meet these criteria and also address the
requirements of the Learning Outcomes”.
A healthy number of suggestions, together with some positive and spirited debate
took place. This debate spanned two or three classes for each of the two groups. It
comprised discussions as a group, in pairs, some independent research (ie trying
things out), and a certain amount of directed guidance from me. Some ‘chalk and
talk’ was inevitable!
I was encouraged by what I saw happening. While not every student participated to
the extent that I hoped, overall engagement was at a significantly higher level that I
expected. There also seemed to be ‘fun’ involved; students appeared to enjoy the
process.
Within three weeks we had developed a number of assessment tasks. In the process
of developing these tasks, students had had the opportunity to actually make
progress in completing these tasks, thereby validating them and verifying that they
were achievable.
It appeared to me that there was considerable student ‘buy-in’ to the entire process.
There was also an encouraging amount of peer-review within the two groups.
Students regularly would listen and comment on the suggestions from other
students. Again, this was generally very positive. A few students did little to
participate enthusiastically in the process. They were very much in the minority.
Findings
I made a decision, somewhat late in the game, to assess the success or otherwise of
the Action Research project by means of a student questionnaire. The questionnaire
and results appear at the end of this document.
69
The purpose of this questionnaire was to gather data concerning student attitudes to
the process.
I had by this stage decided that I was generally happy with the quality of work that
was being submitted by students, though I was unsure how to quantify any actual
improvement.
On the other hand, I felt certain it would be straightforward to quantify student
participation in the overall process.
I was therefore happy to conclude (perhaps somewhat unscientifically) that if there
was quantifiable evidence of improved student participation in the process of
assignment writing, it would be inevitable that there would be an improvement in the
quality of the work submitted.
The results do indeed show a significant positive attitude amongst students towards
this Action Research project.
Furthermore, though I have not quantified this, my feeling is that the quality of work
on the first hand-in was at a higher level than I would have expected.
I therefore conclude that, as far as this single ‘experiment’ is concerned, the outcome
of this Action Research has been positive.



Students have been involved in the process of writing their assignments.
The quality of work submitted for the first hand-in has been better than
expected.
Students appear to have enjoyed the process, and have said as much.
Lessons learned
A few muses and thoughts emerge from the process…
There will always be some students who, it seems, will never engage to the level one
would like.
There will be some students who question the process and just want ‘to be taught
traditionally’.
There will be some students who will ‘over-engage’, though with careful guidance
this is positive.
70
APPENDIX The survey questionnaire
Note that students had the facility to answer N/I (Not Interested). I wanted to
see if any students genuinely wanted to ‘opt out’.
The results of the survey are below.
71
HTTVE - Action research
Highlands College, Jersey, January 2014
Tutor/Researcher: Christopher R Talbot
Course: Level 3 Extended Diploma in Information Technology
Unit: Unit 3 Information Systems
Tutor: Christopher Talbot
Topic: Student involvement in the process of writing assignments
Please read, and consider, each question carefully.
Questions
Circle
1
if
you
disagree
completely.
Circle 2 if you partially agree.
Circle 3 if you generally agree.
Circle 4 if you completely (or almost completely) agree
Circle 5 if you are not interested (N/I)
1. I have felt involved in the process of assignment writing for
this unit.
2. This has been my first experience of having any
involvement in the process of writing assignments.
3. I feel that it is important for me to be involved in writing
assignments
4. I personally attempted to contribute to the process of writing
assignments.
Scale
D
i
s
a Agreement
g Level
r
e
e
N
/I
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
5. I found it easy to make my opinions on assignments heard.
1
2
3
4
5
6. The tutor listened to my ideas for assignments.
1
2
3
4
5
7. My ideas showed up in assignment questions.
1
2
3
4
5
8. My fellow students felt positive about the process of
contributing to the assignment writing.
1
2
3
4
5
9. I feel I have understood the assignments for this unit.
1
2
3
4
5
10. I feel I have understood the requirements of the unit.
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
11. Being involved in writing assignments has helped my overall
understanding.
12. I would like to be involved in the process of assignment
writing in the future.
Please use the reverse side of this sheet if you would like to make any
comments.
72
I have felt involved in the
process of assignment writing
for this unit.
This has been my first
experience of having any
involvement in the process of
writing assignments.
I feel that it is important for me
to be involved in writing
assignments
I personally attempted to
contribute to the process of
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
5
2
3
5
5
3
4
4
4
5
3
4
4
4
4
4
3
4
4
3
1
3
1
3
5
2
3
5
3
4
4
3
2
1
3
5
2
3
2
2
3
5
6
3
2
2
4
5
4
3
3
4
3
3
3
5
4
5
4
4
4
4
4
73
7
2
2
2
3
5
4
2
3
4
4
8
4
4
2
3
5
4
3
4
4
4
9
3
4
3
4
3
4
4
4
4
4
10
3
3
3
4
4
4
3
4
4
4
writing
in
involved
Being
assignments has helped my
overall understanding.
I would like to be involved in the
process of assignment writing in
the future.
2
I feel I have understood the
requirements of the unit.
1
My ideas showed up in
assignment questions.
My fellow students felt positive
of
process
the
about
contributing to the assignment
writing.
assignments for this unit.
5
The tutor listened to my ideas
for assignments.
4
Disagree
Partially agree
Generally
agree
Competely
agree
Not Interested
I found it easy to make my
opinions on assignments heard.
Student
1
2
3
11
3
3
2
4
4
3
3
2
4
4
12
1
4
1
3
4
2
3
3
4
4
11
4
4
4
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
3
3
4
3
2
1
2
4
2
3
2
5
1
4
4
4
1
3
4
3
4
3
4
3
2
3
3
2
3
1
3
3
3
3
2
5
3
2
3
3
1
1
2
3
2
2
3
5
3
3
3
3
1
3
3
4
3
5
2
3
3
3
4
3
2
5
2
4
2
5
4
3
3
2
3
2
1
5
2
2
1
5
1
3
2
3
4
2
4
3
2
3
2
3
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
4
4
4
3
3
4
4
3
4
4
3
2
4
4
4
3
3
4
3
2
3
2
4
3
3
3
4
2
4
3
3
2
2
3
2
2
1
3
4
4
3
2
2
74
Disagree
Partially agree
Generally
agree
Competely
agree
Not Interested
2
5
6
2
0
6
3
4
11
3
8
10
1
3
12
0
3
6
3
8
5
0
6
7
0
1
9
0
1
9
0
5
10
3
7
6
6
14
2
0
5
10
4
9
13
13
8
7
4
1
3
2
2
4
3
1
0
0
0
0
75
up
in
writing
in
involved
Being
assignments has helped my
overall understanding.
I would like to be involved in the
process of assignment writing in
the future.
requirements of the unit.
assignments for this unit.
My fellow students felt positive
about the process of contributing
to the assignment writing.
My ideas showed
assignment questions.
The tutor listened to my ideas for
assignments.
I found it easy to make my
opinions on assignments heard.
This has been my first experience
of having any involvement in the
process of writing assignments.
I feel that it is important for me to
writing
in
involved
be
assignments
to
attempted
personally
I
contribute to the process of
I have felt involved in the process
of assignment writing for this unit.
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Disagree
Partially agree
Generally agree
76
Competely agree
Not Interested
Sarah Jordan
Research question: If I set a 'live' brief assignment that requires students to gather
primary research evidence external to the college, will this increase their creativity
and business skills.
Keywords: Textiles; Creativity; Business skills; Team
involvement; ‘Live’ brief; Assessment; and BTEC Level 3.
teaching;
Employer
Context
I am the textiles specialist within the Art Department at Highlands College. One of
the courses we deliver is The BTEC Level 3 in Art and Design. I am a personal tutor
for the Year 1 students and help to review and manage this part of the programme.
Level 3 Year 1 consists of 22 students aged between 16 and 20 years old. There
are 15 females and 7 males.
The year is divided into projects that are delivered by two tutors who are specialists
within that area. Throughout the first year we deliver 11 units. The students must
complete 9 to progress onto the second year.
This year there were 11 internal transfers from the Level 2 Art and Design provision
onto the Level 3.
The project I deliver is their first major project where they will begin to develop an
individual working practice and have more freedom with their creative decisions. I
deliver one mandatory unit and one optional. The project duration is three weeks
within college with a one week half-term break in between.
Issue addressed
Previously I have delivered Unit 107 Exploring Specialist Textiles Techniques. This
has allowed a playful approach for students to develop a broad base of textiles skills
that are transferrable within other projects. The students’ interpretation of this has
meant work produced during this project tends to lean towards a Fine Art outcome.
There is also a Textiles Unit embedded within the BTEC Level 2 provision, which I
deliver that has similar criteria. As half of the students on Level 3 were internal
transfers I felt it was vital they received a different interpretation of textiles.
There has been a significant drop in students applying to go to university due to
increasing financial costs, therefore one long term goal within this course would be to
identify opportunities to deliver units that allow students to develop commercial
aspects of design alongside individually created outcomes.
77
The Textiles project historically has been set by me, liaising with the other specialist
tutor that is team teaching with me and referring to the BTEC criteria. Students are
given:
 A brief with a task list matched to the set criteria.
 A series of workshops in a range of specialist techniques.
 Formal group critiques that include both tutor and peer assessment.
 1:1 Documented tutorials.
 Interim targets embedded within the project.
 Learning support sessions.
 Historical and contextual research sessions.
 Formal assessment and written feedback with action points relating to specific
criteria on:
Unit 1
Mandatory Unit
Visual Recording in Art and Design.
Unit 107
Optional Unit
Exploring Specialist Textiles Techniques.
Previously they have presented their work within their studio space. The final piece
is accompanied by a written evaluation where they discuss the work, aesthetically
and technically and suggest ways in which it could be refined further. This may also
include informal peer assessment.
Research question
If I set a 'live' brief assignment that requires students to gather primary research
evidence external to the college, will this increase their creativity and business skills.
The project
We continued with the delivery of Unit 1 and then added Unit 117, Surface Pattern
as the Optional unit. This unit required the students to describe diverse surface
pattern work, researching the work of artists, designers and crafts people. They
were also required to use visual sources to explore and develop individual ideas for
pattern-based work. Throughout the project they needed to analyse, refine and
apply a range of ideas to produce well-researched and coherent outcomes. To
achieve a ‘distinction’ grade the work had to be produced independently.
The students were set a ‘live’ brief using the re launch and re-branding of Jersey
Heritage. Various product areas were offered to them for development: 


The Gift Shop – packaging, bedding, kitchen range
Jersey Holiday Lets – Furniture coverings, soft furnishings, and wallpapers.
Catwalk/Fashion Show – For relaunch evening: womenswear, menswear and
childrenswear.
The students were asked to create drawings, mark making, paintings, take photos
and make visual recordings from primary sources collected from Jersey’s natural
landscapes. All work was annotated with evaluative commentary linked to their task
lists and criteria.
78
To ensure an integrated approach during the Art History sessions the students
undertook research to identify and select the surface pattern work of artists and
individual crafts people.
They were also asked to identify commercial aspects of surface pattern design.
They collected examples making comparisons with evaluative comments within their
sketchbooks.
Within the studio sessions they used this initial research combined with short
workshops to develop their own body of surface pattern designs. At each stage this
developmental work was evaluated both visually and in written format to help the
students refine their process and the work. Small group crits were held where the
students received feedback from both the tutors and peers.
Final surface pattern designs were created to meet the brief. This was accompanied
by a market board and the student was required to present their work to a panel and
sell their idea. The panel consisted of:



A Constructed Textiles Specialist
A Printed Textiles Specialist
A Commercial Print Specialist.
The Commercial Print Specialist runs a successful small print business. She is the
designer of the prints, which they then send away to commercial printers for
manufacturing on a larger scale. She did not know the content of the project prior to
viewing the designs so was there as an objective expert to assess whether the
students had produced a commercially viable design. She gave the students verbal
feedback and the tutors written feedback, collaborating on the grades given for the
final design ideas and their presentation.
Findings
The delivery of the Surface Pattern Unit moved at a very fast pace in order to cover
all the criteria. As this was their first major project, some students, particularly those
who find the written aspect of the course challenging, found it difficult to manage the
workload.
Ultimately this had little bearing on the grades, which despite the change in unit, the
grades remained the same as the previous year. Although it was a different group of
students their general profile is very similar.
BTEC Level 3 Year 1 2014
22 students undertaking the Surface Pattern Unit.
Passes 6
Level 3 Year 1 2013
Unit.
Merits 10
Distinctions 6.
20 students undertaking the Specialist Textiles Techniques
Passes 6
Merits
79
8
Distinctions 6.
One important goal was to offer the 11 students who transferred from Level 2 an
alternative textiles project than they had previously experienced. This was achieved.
Those who achieved high grades were generally either more able students and
therefore more confident with this new way of working or highly motivated ex-Level 2
students who had already developed a strong working process while on the lower
level provision.
Those who achieved high grades were already comfortable with using some
computer-based programmes. This helped them to create surface pattern designs
with a stronger commercial feel to them.
Creating opportunities for closer collaboration with other lecturers and an outside
agency proved to be invaluable for informed and focused research and high quality
objective feedback.
Taking the students out of their studio environment to collect market research using
primary resources and setting a live brief made the project appear to be more
authentically commercial in the students’ eyes.
It is impossible to measure if the students are now more aware of commercial
aspects of design through this process and to what extent, or if that will feed into
work produced later on within the course.
The more able students who produced high quality market research were able to
also sign off criteria from the Mandatory Unit 5 Contextual Influences within Art and
Design.
Lessons learned and potential actions
Changing the unit was a positive step enabling the Level 2 Internal Transfers a
varied experience and to develop new skills as they continued onto the higher-level
course.
As it is their first major project it is as much about developing good working habits as
it is about the content. The less able students found this very challenging and it will
require further consideration.
The project needs to be longer if the students are expected to produce a design that
is commercially viable at this early stage of their first year. My intention is to embed a
week’s Photoshop within the project. The project would then become four weeks
term time with one week for half term.
To review the projects placement within the timetable. It is possible the students
should do a shorter more prescribed project at this stage of the course, gradually
gaining more independence. This would allow them to develop a stronger working
practice and therefore the less able students to achieve higher grades.
To identify further opportunities within the Level 3 provision for closer collaboration
with outside agencies. They could offer the students current feedback on;
80








Running commercial businesses or Artist’s studio.
Marketing and promotions - putting on an art event, funding.
Work experience.
Public Art.
Exhibitions. – Art Agencies, CCA, Jersey Arts Trust, Jersey Art Centre.
Curating. – Museums.
Environmental Art.
Art and Media.
A long term goal would be to introduce units that include elements relating to
commercial aspects of art and design, the practicalities of running art related
businesses or working within fields relating to the Arts.
Not all our students go on to university therefore equipping them in even a small way
with skills that cover a broader base could be invaluable.
A selection of units applicable to this could be: 




Unit 14 Community Art.
Unit 16 Promoting Art and Design work.
Unit 17 Management of Art Projects.
Unit 21 Starting a small Business.
Unit 22 Setting up an Art and Design Studio.
References
Edexcel BTEC Level 3 Art and Design Unit Specifications.
Edexcel BTEC Level 3 Study Skills Guide.
81
Sue Hill
Research question: If I set aside specific time at the end of practical sessions in
Beauty Therapy to give detailed individual feedback and coaching, will I see the
students become more independent?
Keywords: Beauty therapy; Independent learning; Coaching; Assessment feedback;
VRQ level 2; and VRQ level 3.
Context
The research project was carried out in the Beauty Therapy Department of
Highlands College, Jersey. The courses are VRQ Levels 2 and 3 in Beauty Therapy.
The students are taught various practical skills in the first three months of the
programme and then the timetable shifts emphasis to practical salon sessions. The
course is driven by observation and there is a lot of feedback opportunity. There are
21 Level 2 and 12 Level 3 students – 3 full-time and two part-time members of staff.
Timetabled hours for RWE client sessions are 350 plus over the year with a ratio of
20 students to two members of staff at any one time.
I have decided to focus on this group of students as they are in the main 16-yearolds with little industry experience and we are responsible for preparing them for
industry at the same time as developing interpersonal skills. The most common
method to allow this development is through feedback. Therefore feedback is the
single most powerful way of influencing our students in their development.
As an assessment team we frequently make comment about students who receive
regular feedback but appear not to move on, especially in regard to behaviours and
that there appears little effect on their ability to act independently.
In the team, feedback is viewed as two main types:
1. Criteria driven – to pass a unit, skill assessment, objective.
2. Behaviour led – subjective, opinion of client / assessor / peer / self.
Both types will influence self-development, employability, independence, skills.
Issue addressed
The main issues (perennially discussed in the staff room) are as follows:
1. How to develop the effectiveness of feedback, verbal and written – to
measure distance travelled and changes made.
2. How to ensure feedback has a positive and motivational effect, changes
behaviour and isn’t just a form filling exercise.
3. That we use the right method that matches the student need.
4. How much time is identified in the session currently and formally devoted to
feedback.
5. How we can best manage time constraints - there is often a tension in
practical sessions, when we have clients in the salon as well as students,
82
increasing the ratio from 20 / 2 members of staff to 40 /2 if each student has a
client – therefore forcing the staff to prioritise health and safety rather than
maximising the support given to the student through quality feedback.
During a recent peer observation of one of my hairdressing colleagues, [colleague
name 1], we discussed the same issues that they have on busy client days, and I
was really impressed with their method of feedback to the students and more
importantly the subsequent target setting, which made me review our practices in
beauty as there is a lack of ‘loop closing’ and link making in our current process.
She also had an excellent level of student engagement with the process as well as
use of peer assessment. Below is her research question and my observation note
after the session.
‘If I use more peer assessment in the student group will it help to develop their
skills in setting meaningful targets and improve their practice - making them
more independent learners’
‘Watching [colleague’s] hairdressing group again today we further developed
our discussion on methods of giving and recording feedback in a practical
salon environment - so the students can develop their own target setting skills
- I was very impressed by the effect that was gained when a student was
asked what she was doing and she just said ' watching the others' and instead
of making her ' do ' something she was given the assessment criteria for the
blow dry skill and asked to peer assess - she was immediately interested by
this which seemed very motivational’
During a staff development event run by one of our advanced practitioners,
[colleague name 2] shared the research findings of John Hattie from his book ‘Visible
learning for teachers’ (Hattie 2012). Her enthusiasm after attending a conference
was infectious and looking through the glossary she circulated after her slides,
feedback ranked tenth on Hattie’s list of methods that influence student achievement
(ES 0.75).
A recent article in TES caught my eye as being relevant to my research. In this
article they review five simple steps to use in the classroom to raise achievement,
the second most important listed after teacher clarity is feedback and also that
whatever administrative changes we make politically or at management level it
makes little difference:
“…whatever the changes that take place around us, we will remain where we
have always stood – in the classroom, interacting with students.” (Gershon,
2014, No.5088/ page34).
If I set aside specific time at the end of practical sessions in Beauty Therapy to give
detailed individual feedback and coaching, will I see the students become more
independent?
83
Having considered what I wanted to get out of this, I felt it best to focus closely on
how and when we give feedback, because time in these practical sessions is tight,
as mentioned before, and also I chose to use one of the quieter, less confident
students as a case study to better measure any difference made by the feedback we
give to her.
The project
I started with a review of current methods of feedback and recording of it, making
copies of tutor feedback forms and related student self- evaluation forms, used in
client practical sessions.
I gave some second year students a questionnaire on their experience of the
feedback process to pick up on any areas that may need improvement. I chose
second years as they have been familiar with our processes for over a year and all
have made significant progress in developing their independence.
I sampled some of the self-evaluation sections on completed client consultation
forms and reviewed the comments made by first year students in particular.
I noticed one student frequently putting ‘want to be more confident’ so I decided to
carry out a case study of this quieter student.
Findings - summary and conclusions
If I set aside specific time at the end of practical sessions in Beauty Therapy to give
detailed individual feedback and coaching will I see the students become more
independent?
Of the students that completed my questionnaire 100% agreed that our current form
of giving feedback is effective and no other suggestions were made by them.
I believe my questionnaire was not the best way of testing my hypothesis because
the students were doing it for me and reluctant to open up in any way.
However when I was able to set aside specific time at the end of sessions to carry
out individual feedback and coaching, especially with my quieter student, this
undoubtedly paid off, as her confidence has increased and she has noticed that, but
it was unsustainable and unfair to those who weren’t deemed as having any issues.
My conclusion therefore is not to make the feedback so obvious, otherwise the
students became constrained by it, rather than as a team we should look at the
whole activity of giving feedback throughout a session and tailor make it to specific
student styles, so the group profile should influence this in practical sessions.
Lessons learned
I have very much enjoyed the process of action research and would like to take it
further. As a reflective practitioner this is a very important method of developing my
practice, I will endeavour not to mention time constraints and workload because I
believe we should make time for the activity.
84
As to my hypothesis about specific time allocation in practical sessions,
effectiveness and next steps, I have outlined below:
I learned two things in the main, which aren’t complex or original:
1. Student perception/ tutor perception of feedback is often mismatched.
2. Time allocation in sessions should be noted however feedback should be
more general and – explicit for specific issues as well as implicit and
individualised throughout the session.
Next steps
Explore methods of recording practical sessions as a whole, then viewing them
afterwards to come up with ways of individualising our methods in giving feedback
and reviewing its effectiveness student by student.
A few pointers on giving feedback which I think are excellent, again taken from the
TES (Gershon, 2014)
1. When students are working, walk around the room and make suggestions or
ask questions designed to aid the students’ understanding or challenge their
thinking.
2. During a group task, invite groups up to your desk in turn. Talk to them about
where they are at and what they are doing. Give them feedback based on
what you hear.
3. Talk to your class as a whole about how they are doing, where you would like
them to go next and what they could do to make more progress.
4. To speed up the process of giving formative feedback, ensure you are
familiar with success criteria relevant to subject - list everything your
subject requires and revisit it regularly.
Some general attitudes and thought provoking statements to encourage all tutors to
embrace broader thinking in regard to giving feedback came from the Hattie
Conference-Making Learning Visible as mentioned previously, which I plan to put up
in the staffroom at some stage. They include:
“We need to see learning through the eyes of our students and students need
to see themselves as their own teachers.”
“Why is it the teacher who always asks all the questions?”
“How visible is learning in your own classroom?”
“Keep a tally of the number of questions students ask in class.”
“Not – ‘Can I have a pen please?’
But questions based upon what they are learning and how they are learning.”
“Let us try and get students asking more questions!”
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References
Gershon, M. (2014). ‘Classroom practice – five simple steps for raising
achievement’, TES Magazine (Online), No. 5088, 28th March 2014, p. 34. Available
at: http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6420273 [Accessed 9th June, 2014].
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: maximising impact on learning.
London: Routledge.
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Appendix 1 –
client days.
Class record of activity used for realistic work environment
Beauty Therapy
Practical Session / Realistic Work Environment
Lesson Plan / Record of Activity
DATE
Aim:
To experience a realistic working environment:To develop good working relationships within the salon environment
with colleagues and clients
To maintain safety and hygiene
TIME
To practise treatment skills on clients and/or colleagues and gain
the ranges identified in the unit specifications
To gain and record evidence for portfolio
Student
Names
To provide opportunity for assessment of practical skills for Level 3
Student’s Plan
Student
Tutor’s Comments
Daily
Benchmark
1234567891
0
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Appendix 2 – Student / client consultation form that includes self-evaluation
section and tutor feedback section.
___________________________________________________________________
Level 2 VRQ in Beauty Therapy
Facial consultation sheet
P F S
___________________________________________________________________
Learner
name:..........................................................................Date:............................................
.........
Client
reference:......................................................................Time
start....................Time finish......................
204 Provide facial skin care
Yes No
Comments
Have you checked the contraindications list?
Are you taking any medication?
Do you have any allergies
Any known concerns?
Client
signature…………………………………………………………………Date……………
……
How the treatment will be adapted to suit the client’s treatment needs:
Objectives
Comments
To improve skin condition
Relaxation
Current use of skin care products and lifestyle and environmental factors affecting
the skin.
Skin analysis e.g.
Skin type, skin condition, physical characteristics
Full treatment details: e.g.
Facial techniques and massage techniques. Products selected.
88
Aftercare advice
Homecare advice
and product
recommendations.
Future treatment
needs
Possible contraactions and how to
respond to them
Client comments:
Comments
Client signature:
Learner comments:
Were you happy with the service you have carried out? Yes / No
What can you improve on for next time?
Learner signature:
Tutor / Assessor comments / feedback
Tutor /Assessor:
Signature:
Date:
89
Appendix 3 – Student research questionnaire on receiving feedback.
Feedback in the salon on practical client days to help motivate, improve and
develop. January 2014
I am carrying out some research on the way we give feedback to you in the Beauty
Salon on client days and how it can be improved.
I would really appreciate some honest and practical comments on what you have
experienced so far – what’s good about it and what can be improved.

List here some recent treatments you have done and had written or spoken
feedback from one of the tutors – please give as much detail as possible…

List some good things that came from that feedback – how did you feel
afterwards? What changed, moved on, improved.

List some suggestions you would want to take place to help improve the
process how it is done? Use of technology, follow on from other sessions?
Many thanks, Sue.
How confident did you feel in October on a scale of 1-------10 with clients
How confident do you feel now (April) on a scale of 1-------10 with clients
What types of feedback help most to move you on?
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Use of model answers to increase students’ understanding of
assessment criteria
Joanna Cole
Research question: If I use model answers will I reduce resubmissions of
assignments?
Keywords: Business; Questioning; Peer discussion; Assessment; Model answers;
and BTEC Level 3.
Context
The stimulus for my action research was a desire to reduce the number of
resubmissions that my BTEC students use for each assignment. My hypothesis is
that rather than the students not understanding the theory they are being assessed
on, they are unsure as to how to layout the assignment. Therefore giving them an
idea of ‘what it should look like’ through model answers seemed a sensible way
forward.
What does the research say? Petty (2009), sums this up perfectly “students must
understand the nature and qualities of good work if they are to create it themselves.”
One of the ways of doing this he suggests is through model answers. He describes
my use of model answers as “spoof assessment” (Petty, 2009 p.256), whereby I
have presented all the students with a piece of work done by a student in a previous
year (with their name removed). One advantage of this is that all students are
marking exactly the same piece of work, making class discussion easier. He also
notes that “spoof assessment can really help them to understand assessment
language” (Petty, 2014). As noted earlier the students are mostly new to BTEC and
the key command words are a very important part of the student learning.
What do others in the college know about this? A colleague of mine [name removed]
has also had a similar hypothesis to myself and we have been peer observing each
other which has helped us analyse the best strategy for when and how to use model
answers.
The above helped me come to my action research question as follows:
‘If I use model answers will I reduce resubmissions of assignments?’
The project
I used model answers in different scenarios; however the main intervention was with
BTEC Level 3 Business Extended Diploma Year 1 Groups 1 and 2 and took place
during the students’ first six weeks in college on the programme (some had
experience of the BTEC system but most did not).
Following the main theory input and at the same time as the first assignment brief is
handed out, I handed out a hard copy of a previous assignment (with the student
name redacted) to each student and then counted them back in at the end of
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session. The students read over the model answer in silence first of all and then, as
a group, we discussed the assessment.
Evaluation method
The main evaluation method is quantitative and simply compares the resubmission
rate from this year to last year. I will also compare any difference in final grade.
As with any research method, with the best will in the world there are always
limitations. The key limitations are as follows:
Cost Effectiveness – excellent as there are no costs involved.
Reliability – are the results consistent with a different group of students? This is
covered as I am intervening with two groups of students and can compare with two
groups from last year. There is however significant variation between the students’
profiles from year to year and group to group.
Bias – by doing the intervention am I concentrating more on these students and thus
providing more teaching and learning in other ways?
Validity – this is the most important limitation as it asks: Does my research method
measure what it is supposed to measure? Given that I have chosen a quantitative
method to check if it has worked, a lot of variables that you might expect from
qualitative research, e.g. a focus group, are reduced. Given that the research
method directly relates back to the research question I am happy.
Findings
The result was very positive with a 60% decrease in resubmissions from 2013 to
2012.
Reflections
Further evidence to support my method was as follows:
 It provoked student questioning as to what to what was required to meet the
criteria
 It encouraged peer discussion as to the best approach
 I could then use ‘constructivism’ to build on their previous ideas to encourage
higher cognitive thinking especially around the evaluation criteria which asked
them to evaluate.
I have based further reflections below on the criteria in an evaluation matrix on the
use of model answers that I created. I identified 12 criteria that question how well
model answers meet individual learning needs, as follows:
Does this resource link directly to unit learning objectives or assessment criteria?
Based on observation, do the students understand how to use this resource and
as result are using it as I expected?
Is this relevant to the current student cohort interests/lifestyle?
Are the learners sufficiently engaged?
Can all learners access the resource at home and in college and is it differentiated
sufficiently?
Does this resource develop the student to work independently?
Is this resource affordable/feasible and reusable?
Is this resource SMART?
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Does this resource embed functional skills? (i.e English, maths and IT)
Does this resource promote equality and diversity?
Is the language used in this resource relevant for the vocational context and is it
current?
Would this be suitable for flipped learning / self-study?
I then used a simple rating system (see below) with space to make comments to
support rating judgement and suggest improvements.
1 (inadequate)
2 (requires
improvement)
3 (good)
4 (outstanding)
From these results I have chosen the criteria that I have deemed most relevant to
the action research.
Is this resource SMART?
One way of assessing this is to compare resubmission rate from this year to last. As
this is quantifiable and the exercise is a timed exercise then yes it is SMART. As a
SMART resource it is relatively easy to find the value in doing it. The intervention
was effective as the results show resubmissions were significantly reduced.
Does this resource develop the student to work independently?
To start with the students worked independently reading through the assignment
however a lot of value was found in the questioning and peer discussion that the
model answer provoked. Through collaboration the students gained more insight,
which would be a constructionist’s viewpoint. Long term however a cognitivist would
also argue that the students have worked through a ‘process’ and have thus become
more independent.
Is this resource inclusive?
The model answer strategy is inclusive as all students get the chance to use the
resource, however some may get more value out of it than others depending on their
ability and stage of progress. This is where I need to use a cognitive strategy to
assess at what stage the students are at. Effective questioning is inclusive as the
questions can be set for each individual student.
(A copy of the evaluation matrix with examples is available from the author)
Would I use model answers differently in the future?
The stage at which a model answer strategy is used is very important. If used too
early in the assessment process students produced very similar assignments to the
model answer. They had not begun their cognitive process and the student was not
challenged, so simply reproduced the answer. This is not an effective assessment
and does not measure the student’s ability to answer the question, it is simply a
basic recall assessment. The most valuable time for the students to use the model
answer appears to be once they have decided on their topics and covered their first
draft of pass and merit, however this should be before their formative assessment.
This would enable them to use the model answer to confirm that they are the right
track and to some extent provide feedback.
93
Petty does recognise that “students may copy the surface characteristics of the good
work they assess, but with skilful mediation from the teacher, they get to learn the
important characteristics of this good work and adapt what they see to new
situations.” (Petty, 2014). This is all part of the students modelling what they have
told is good practice. Model answers or spoof assessment could be viewed as a
‘social learning theory’ created by Bandura (1977). It is a theory whereby the
students learn by observing the behaviours of others and the outcomes of these
behaviours. The students go through what is described as the ‘modelling process’
which summarised is as follows: Attention, Retention, Reproduction then Motivation.
However it is important to note that in order to get the students’ attention (and thus
retention), what they are observing has to be interesting. The Cone of Learning
(Dale, 1969) is pertinent here, as if the students simply read the model answer, Dale
would argue that they will only remember 10% and are completely passive in their
learning. So the value in my intervention was in the peer discussion and effective
questioning, note that the learner is becoming ‘active’ at this point.
The final part of ‘social learning theory’ is motivation. For observational learning to
be effective the learner must be motivated to imitate the behaviour. Carol Dweck is
a Professor of Psychology at Columbia University and has studied motivation in the
context of spoof assessment as a method of motivation. She advocates the use of
spoof assessment (as well as self and peer assessment). She found that “these
methods make huge differences to students’ attribution” (Dweck, cited in Petty,
2014). She then relates this to her theory of motivation whereby she notes that
“These methods show the learner that success depends on what they do, not on
their innate ability or I.Q., etc.” (Dweck, cited in Petty, 2014).
Conclusions
The majority of my teaching this academic year has been BTEC Level 3 and this has
led me to the ‘cognitive orientation to learning’. For example within marketing, the
students first of all learn about the key marketing tools and to meet pass have to
94
describe the key tools. In order to take their level of work to merit they need to be
able to understand and ‘compare’ the relationship between the tools themselves and
be able to apply those tools to a commercial business. Bloom’s taxonomy is a
perfect example of the students working through the BTEC ‘process’ in order to
reach the higher level evaluation, synthesis and analytical skills.
The reason I started using the model answer strategy is due to a high level of
resubmission on assignments within the BTEC system. This is backed up by Petty
“spoof assessment can really help them to understand assessment language” (Petty,
2014). The students are mostly new to BTEC and the key command words are a
very important part of the student learning.
Both the model answer and resulting effective questioning strategy adheres to the
codes and regulations of the BTEC assessment policy as set by Edexcel the
awarding body. When constructing the assessment through the specification
guidelines as set by Edexcel, content validity is easier to ensure at the lower level
cognitive domain however when assessing the Distinction, the student is asked to
‘evaluate’ are these skills going to be assessed or are they able to provide a perfect
answer by regurgitating lecture material? This then leads into the ways that the
students are taught. Petty suggests that ‘to get deep learning you must require the
student to operate at the higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy’ (Petty, 2004:11). To do
this he suggest the ‘spectacles’ approach by which the student needs to know the
criteria they are evaluating against. This is very evident within the model answer
technique and through effective questioning.
95
References
Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Bloom, B. (ed.) (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of
Educational Goals. Longman.
Dale,
E.
(1969).
The
Cone
of
Learning.
http://www.sparkinsight.com/factlets [Accessed 29th March, 2014].
Available
at:
Dweck, C. S. (1999). Self Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality and
Development.
Available at: http://www.teacherstoolbox.co.uk/T_Dweck.html
[Accessed 29th March, 2014].
Petty, G. (2004). Formative Teaching Methods. Available at:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&ved=
0CCcQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgeoffpetty.com%2Fwpcontent%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F12%2FFormativeTeachingMethods2.doc&ei=TO1
KU4H2HcfD7AbZp4Ag&usg=AFQjCNHJORCXkgo2exIVasoWbj_Y7My4AA&bvm=bv
.64542518,d.ZGU [Accessed 29th March, 2014].
Petty, G. (2006). Evidence Based Teaching. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes.
Petty, G. (2014). Teaching students skills. Available at: http://geoffpetty.com/forteachers/skills/ [Accessed 13th April, 2014].
Smith, M.K. (2002). Jerome Bruner and the process of education. Available at:
http://infed.org/mobi/jerome-bruner-and-the-process-of-education/ [Accessed 13th
April, 2014].
96
Peer Learning and Peer Assessment
97
Julie Ann Jouanny
Research question: If I provide all the teaching resources and hand over the
responsibility of learning a new unit in its entirety to my students, will they become
less reliant on the tutor, and a more effective and independent learner?
Keywords: Hairdressing; Beauty therapy; Resilience; Resourcefulness; Active
learning; Peer learning; and Level 1.
Context
Culinary Arts and Beauty Therapy are taught as underpinning foundation knowledge
courses to prepare for competency in the work place, so students can move
immediately into employment once they have attained course completion, and a
basic standard of pass, to enable them to be safe and competent in the work place.
I am currently course tutor for Level 1 Combined NVQ Hairdressing and Beauty
Therapy. This is the only level that has remained as an NVQ qualification as all
other levels of beauty therapy have become VRQ-based.
I teach on the Entry and Life Skills Programme Level 2. This is a group of 10
students with various handicaps, who we as a college, are attempting to integrate
into normal society, so they can gain independence wherever possible. For this
group of students I teach Healthy Living.
Also under my remit, I am responsible for teaching on the 14-16 Year 10 and Year
11 curriculums. This includes various subjects in the Beauty Therapy programme.
In addition I teach subjects within the beauty therapy programme at VRQ level 2 and
3.
For my action research I have decided to focus on my personal tutor group, the
Level 1 Combined Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy group.
The issue addressed
In my experience of 19 years of teaching so far, I have found most students on our
vocational courses, at all levels, struggle with the theory side of their required
underpinning knowledge, and find practical application far easier.
They appear in some cases, to have no concept of the ultimate requirement, or
indeed, the importance of having a good sound underpinning knowledge of their
chosen specialism to make them safe practitioners.
Over the past few years as a lecturer, I feel that this de-motivated type of student, we
seem to be seeing more of in college of late, is largely due to the’ spoon feeding’ that
appears to be carried out in some schools. In Further Education ‘spoon feeding’ will
rarely take place, as a student has to take ownership of his/her choices made when
taking on one of our courses. Their decision therefore, should reflect a strong desire
to complete a course successfully, to a high standard, to earn a strong position
within the work place. Knowing that their compulsory education is at an end, and
this next choice is the start of their future chosen career path way.
98
In my mind, with their choice of career path, should follow a modicum of awareness
for the necessity of study skills, self- discipline, sacrifice, prioritisation skills and
finding manageable ways through the amount of theory required for the
comprehension of their underpinning knowledge.
Reading for example, is a simple method of learning. I use this method a great deal
in preparation for the next lesson. This definitely triggers the learning process. It
also encourages the students to take ownership and responsibility for their own
learning from the start of any new subject. It is a useful method, as it will flag up any
problem areas with the basic understanding of a subject and drill down into the
student’s basic understanding of simple English. This will immediately show me a
level to which I can teach the students and how I can help them to improve and
develop.
Sadly, however, reading would appear to be one of the most challenging exercises
for my Level 1 group, despite the fact that their text books are beautifully illustrated,
straightforward and very easy to read, with many guided learning hints and clues,
and constructive sign posting throughout.
They do not easily engage in this type of homework, nor indeed have any desire to
achieve any degree of preparation at all. This has proved to be very frustrating over
the years!
Frequently overheard comments in the classroom such as the following are proof of
this statement –
 “Reading? I don’t do reading; can’t we have a hand out or a word search
puzzle?”
 “I want to play hangman.”
 “Can you not just tell us the answers, you’re the tutor?”
 “Well I am not going to study over the weekend I want to go out.”
 “What do you mean we have another test? That’s two exams we’ve done this
month!”
 “Can we just paint our nails? I don’t want to do theory, I was never good at it
so I’m not going to change now am I?”
 “You have got to be joking, work on a little bit each night? I just leave it to the
last minute if at all!”
 “I can’t see the point!”
 “Why have I got to do this?”
 “I hate writing!”
My teaching methods are diverse, and I try to encourage students to find different
ways of learning for themselves, which I am prepared to use in classroom. They still
do not naturally seem inclined to make the effort, without a considerable degree of
tutor intervention required.
The following are frequently used methods of teaching within my class to date –
99



















Chosen pairings – names written on wooden spatulas face down, students
choose partners at random, not knowing the names underneath.
Classroom informal discussion – building on basic knowledge, finding the
answers through casual discussion.
Practical and theory taught together – practical treatment stop and start with
theory information.
Continual assessment – observation of students.
Building blocks of knowledge – building the wall of information.
Retention of knowledge – finding amusing links to retain knowledge.
Talk to one another on post it notes – one question for each other based on
lesson at the end of the session.
Formulate a question and answer session – devise their own test papers and
answer sheets for one another.
Students running lesson – students teach one another when they have been
provided with all information required.
Whiteboard work for new words that come up – any new word they do not
understand is written up on board.
Carousel – flip chart gathering of information.
Student’s research – where did they get information from and prove it.
Text book questions – questions at the back of each chapter.
Sample test papers – practice papers.
University challenge – team game on knowledge of subject questions devised
by tutor and students.
Cannot leave class until you answer a question – student goes to tutor and is
given a question and is dismissed when answered correctly.
Striking a deal – timelines for teaching and learning.
How do they wish to learn this unit – students given the chance to discuss
how they prefer to learn a unit.
Coffee breaks – given earlier on in day to prevent them ‘running on empty’ –
great bargaining tool as they have to give tutor total concentration time for the
agreed amount of time. They feel they have control.
The majority of students however still seem disengaged and unmotivated, with a
negative attitude to work leading to an overall despondency despite using different
methods possible. They definitely have expectations that somehow they will achieve
their desired result without too much hardship.
As a consequence of listening to comments such as those listed I found myself
reflecting on the old adage –
“You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink.”
However,
I really needed to find a way to make them drink. How can I go about this?
“If I provide all the teaching resources, and hand over the responsibility of learning a
new unit in its entirety to my students, will they become less reliant on the tutor, and
a more effective and independent learner?”
100
The project
 Pair less able student with more able student – chosen from
spatulas with names on with deliberate intervention from tutor, e.g. less
able student with more academically able student. Student feels they
have chosen, however tutor has held the less able spatulas separate
from others, to ensure they chose a more able partner learning by
teaching and helping is powerful:
“Learners themselves can learn by teaching and helping one another.”
(Lucas et al., 2012)
John Lave and Etienne Wenger (1991) developed the concept of
‘communities of practise’, which refers to groups of people undertaking
a common or related activity (Lave and Wenger, 1991, cited in Lucas et
al., 2012).

Made available all teaching resources – for students’ sole use with
tutor guidance only

Time limits set at 6.5 minutes on each resource – forcing them to
work through all worksheets. Time parameters kept deliberately short
at an unusual cut off point, to keep them focused, using audible timers
– this created a sense of competition and fun.

Sample question papers set by previous students – written in
student-friendly language.

Devised their own glossaries of new beauty therapy words and
any English words they do not understand – department provided
small hardback lined note books for this purpose.

Set the exam date sooner rather than later – to put them under time
pressure to learn, and informed them so they know of time parameters
therefore no time to become nonchalant.

Use the sticky notes to write down their question – if they are too
embarrassed to speak out loud.
Findings
At an observation of my independent learning session by a fellow tutor as part of our
peer observation rounds, she commented –
“They seem to be very happy, quiet and focused, is this normally how they
behave?” (AB)
My findings


Happy engaged students.
No time for arguing due to strict timelines to adhere to.
101






Focused group overall. Peer pressure had the effect of encouraging those
who were distracted more easily to re-focus.
Quiet and absorbed.
Proactive showing signs of wanting to get the job done.
7/12 students liked independent learning methods.
3/12 impartial.
2/12 preferred the old way of learning.
Student feedback
Liked new way of learning
Impartial
Preferred old system
Lessons learned
 New method to be used more in theory-based subjects than practical.
 Majority of students respond better to independent learning method overall
when the subject is paper based.
 Engaged students showing overall understanding of the task.
 Students keen to meet the time parameters as they become competitive.
 Keep sessions short and challenging as students seem keen to meet the
deadline.
 Students asking relevant and sensible questions as they appeared more
focused.
 Question and answer checks at end were more successful proving learning
had taken place.
Future desired outcomes from this research
 To continue with guided learning where possible for theory areas as this has
had a definite positive outcome for those challenging academic subjects for
this level of student.
 Reduce the theory time to a realistic attention time span after the breakfast
break deal.
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


Continue to allow early morning breakfast breaks before challenging brains
once they are in college, as this becomes a great bargaining tool for example,
“Breakfast break now = work harder in shorter time period”.
Students to write questions on sticky notes at end of session to be continued
in areas they are unsure of. The answers will be discussed as a group
anonymously for those who become embarrassed speaking out loud in class.
Possibly consider dispensing with the glossaries as students did not
voluntarily continue to fill them in with new words – achieve this by writing the
word on the board during lessons.
Conclusions
I am pleasantly surprised with the outcome of this experiment and feel inspired to
use this again. I expected most of my students to flounder when challenged at this
level. Although some in fact did waiver, they were pulled up by the rest of their peer
group or partner.
This was helped by the considered pairings in the early stages of the lesson. This is
a valuable tool to use in the future with low academic ability groups. Modifications
will clearly need to be made for each session as the mood of the group changes
daily. I intend to use this method from now on for theory-based lessons.
Reflection
Different styles of thinking and learning
Much has been heard over recent years about differentiation, and a common
strategy in this regard is to differentiate between faster and slower learners. It is not
always an important factor in learning or indeed matching learning styles. We all
respond in differing ways to different learning tasks.
By asking “what have we got to do?”, students who respond more readily to ‘ideas’
and ‘product’ become more involved as ideas of possible forms and thoughts of a
product are ignited.
When considering “how are we going to do it?”, students who thinks more in terms of
‘process’ comes into their own.
To achieve collaboration ‘people’ who like people and themselves will gravitate
towards ensuring a working relationship amongst all members so that the goal can
be reached.
The meaningful context
How often do students engage in work only because they have been told to? How
often are teachers prepared to meet the challenge from troublesome students who
say they don’t see why they should engage in a task- usually phrased “What’s the
point of this?”
An essential element in my mind is showing them ‘the big picture’. Students must
see the relevance of the challenge and how it relates to the world in which they live.
How it fits into the course they are studying, how it links to the work they have
completed and more importantly how it leads to their further development. This type
of focus has implications for teaching and challenges design. Designers of their own
lessons must think about the development of the students, the direction in which
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their teaching is going, and make explicit in any work, where in the map of
progression the tasks asked of the students actually fit in.
“Each type of challenge whether it is academic, scenario or real life – has its
meaningful context or the ‘big picture’ location. All tutors demonstrate a
passion for teaching by providing a stimulating environment, giving
demonstrations, checking understanding and providing whole class, group
and individual practise in using and applying skills and knowledge. Tutors will
differentiate their teaching and learning to help students to learn and tailor
opportunities to practise, embed and extend new learning to each student.
Outstanding tutors are able to push themselves to extend their abilities even
further, to support students individually in their class to think more
independently, and to consequently deepen their understanding of a subject
or skill.” (Weatherley et al., 2003)
References
Lucas, B., Spencer, E., and Claxton, G. (2012). How to teach vocational education.
London: City and Guilds Centre for Skills Development.
Petty, G., (2004). Teaching Today (3rd edition). Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes.
Weatherley, C. B., Bonney, B., Kerr, J. and Morison, J. (2003). Transforming
Teaching and Learning (School effectiveness). London: Network Continuum.
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Suzanne Diggle
Research question: If I place the younger members of the class and those with
SENs with older students in peer support groups, will this help to improve their
understanding of each task and therefore their overall achievement?
Keywords: Creative media production; Collaboration; Peer learning; Study groups;
Level 2; and Level 3.
Context
The media department runs two courses; a one-year Level 2 Diploma and a two-year
Level 3 Extended Diploma, both in Creative Media Production. Both courses provide
a good mix of practical skills development and academic study.
Typically students that complete the Level 2 course with a minimum of a merit grade
and choose to advance onto Level 3, achieve well at the higher level.
I currently tutor two first year groups. At the beginning of the academic year these
groups numbered ten and eleven students respectively.
Issue addressed
Over the last few years I have noted that some of the youngest students, those
coming in from feeder schools with a birthday late in the school year, find it harder to
adjust to the Media Department’s way of working. Different grading criteria, the
requirement to study independently, working in semesters rather than terms and a lot
of new technical information early on, all combined with new surroundings, makes
the transition to college life difficult for some students.
Although their minimum expected grade, based on their GCSE results, demonstrate
that they should be capable of achieving well at Level 3, they often do not attain
good results in the first semester and this can have a knock-on effect throughout the
first year.
Review of current practice and literature review
In 2011, the British media carried a story identifying that ‘summer-born’ children in
England and Wales did less well at school, as BBC online put it, “September's child
will be a success while August's child will have all the stress” (McClatchey, 2011).
Although it is acknowledged that the biggest impact of birth month on academic
success is felt in the early years of school, Bedard and Dhuey (2006) identified that
the effects of the age difference, which can span up to eleven months, can be ongoing throughout the school years and into higher education. The Institute for Fiscal
Studies backs this up in a report which focuses on the problem in England, stating
the effect of birth month ‘is still significant at ages 16 and 18’ (Crawford et al.,
2010:43).
One possible way to try to reduce the potential effect of the age gap and support
other students’ learning needs could be to form study groups. Educational
practitioner Geoff Petty (1998:305) advocates the use of study buddies and learning
teams to help students with independent learning. He identifies that teams work best
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if they are “mixed in ability, social background, ethnicity … and if they are set up very
soon after a new class has formed”.
I therefore wanted to know whether grouping the youngest students and those
students with special educational needs, with older study buddies would help their
overall achievement in the first year.
The project
In the first semester I split my tutor groups into smaller support groups. Each group
contained one of the youngest and one of the oldest students within the group. With
regard to those students with special educational needs, where applicable, there was
only one SEN per group. I also tried to mix the social, educational and cultural
backgrounds within the groups. The students stayed in these groups for some
activities in each lesson, but were not required to remain in these groups for all
activities. The main activities for the support groups were:


As teams for the re-cap quiz at the start of each lesson
As peer coaching groups for academic assignment planning
Quizzes
At the start of each lesson the students were asked to form into their groups for a
quiz, to recap the previous week’s content. The students were given loud buzzers to
buzz in when they knew the answer and there was a scoreboard on the wall with
stickers awarded to the winning team each week.
Academic assignment support
When a new subject was presented and an assignment given to the group, the
students within each study group pooled their understanding of the subject and
requirements of each task and compared classroom notes, so that any knowledge
gaps were reduced. Once the students had a clear plan of what was required they
worked individually on the assignment, but had peer group backup should they need
help when the tutor was unavailable.
The students were not required to work solely in these support groups for practical
tasks. Students were allowed to choose their production groups for this aspect of
the course work.
Findings
The outcomes of this research experiment were noticeably different between the
form groups.
Group A
The age range of this group was quite narrow, the youngest being 16 and the oldest
19 years of age. Three of the students came from private schools, one had
completed the media level two course and two had been out of education for a year;
one as a result of a head injury and one who had been looking for employment.
This group was very competitive. The majority of the students took the quizzes
seriously and wanted to win in order to gain a sticker on the scoreboard. There was
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a lot of ‘team’ pride and students would often challenge decisions if they thought the
answer from one team was not sufficiently detailed.
The students worked well with each other on planning assignments and there was
noticeable peer coaching between students that understood a topic and those that
were struggling.
The quieter students were incorporated into the group as a whole, there was an
atmosphere of good natured banter mixed with common courtesy, with everyone
being encouraged to voice their opinions and play to their strengths.
Cooperation developed as a result of students working within both assigned support
groups and optional working groups.
As a result, particularly in practical
assignments, the students understood each other’s particular talents and the whole
group could work interchangeably, with individual students being called upon for their
specific strengths.
This progressed into their major assignment, the students worked on whole group
studio production of a magazine style programme. Students would work in their own
time as well as during lesson time to complete the task, needing little staff
supervision and working to a near-professional standard.
When asked about the usefulness of being placed in study groups right at the start of
the course, one student said, “It was useful, because it forced us to talk to and get to
know each other in the first few week”. Another added, “If one of us didn’t know or
couldn’t remember something one of the others in the group usually did, so it helped
us learn”.
There was a strong leader within group A in addition to a strong stable core of
likeminded students. All students within the group are now aiming to attend
university straight after further education, so they all have a specific goal and course
achievement in mind.
Group B
The age range of this group was substantial, the oldest being 44 and the youngest
16 years old. One student had come from private education and six came from other
college courses. One student was on the autistic spectrum and one had an
undefined learning need. The oldest student had been out of education for a
significant period of time.
This group were less enthusiastic about the study groups. Whilst the students
worked within their groups for quizzes and assignment planning, they were quick to
return to their friendship groups as soon as possible afterwards. They tended to
migrate to their friendship groups more for practical work too. They were less
proactive when it came to completing work independently, they tended to need a
tutor around to keep order and there was much less co-operation within the group.
Although there has been some progress with inclusiveness and some improvement
in academic achievement amongst members of the group, this tends to be less
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marked than within group A and is, in large part, to do with academic one-to-one
support with a dedicated tutor rather than peer coaching.
Having said this, a number of students were positive about the support group
experience. One student said he enjoyed the “competitive aspects” of being in a
study group and another said she found it “helpful in that you got to mix and make
friends”.
There was no obvious leader within group B, there were distinct cliques and the level
of maturity was generally lower than that of group A.
Conclusion
It is not possible to say, at this stage, whether the use of study groups has had a
significant effect on grades in the first year, as coursework is still ongoing. It is clear,
however, that for some of the younger students the use of study groups has helped
them develop personal skills. At a recent parents’ evening I was told by the parents
of the two youngest students in group A that they had noticed significant changes in
their child’s self-confidence, outlook and maturity. One parent commented that he
could now have a “decent conversation” with his son about current events and that
he now had “his own opinions”, which he was willing to share. The mother of the
youngest student told me that he was more settled than he had been at school, was
much more confident and had ambitions to attend university, which previously he
had not considered. Whilst it is difficult to say if this is a direct result of the study
group intervention, I do not consider this would have been the case if these students
had been in group B. It is therefore likely that the peer group as a whole, with its
stable core, had a positive overall effect alongside the students’ natural development
in maturity.
Lessons learned
Clearly it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions and assess the reliability of the
data from this one small project. In order to establish whether the use of small study
groups does make a difference to achievement outcomes, I would need to carry out
similar research with a range of groups over a number of years and compare the
outcomes with the results from a control group.
Whilst I would use the study support groups again, the huge difference in response
between the tutor groups needs to be further considered. Maybe the initial
placement of students into each tutorial group, based more specifically on age
range, social, educational and cultural background should be more carefully
considered.
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References
Bedard, K. and Dhuey, E. (2006). The persistence of early childhood maturity:
International evidence of long-run age effects, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 121
(4), 1,437-1,472.
Crawford, C., Dearden, L. and Meghir, C. (2010). When You Are Born Matters: The
Impact of Date of Birth on Child Cognitive Outcomes in England. London: Institute
for Fiscal Studies.
McClatchey, C. (2011) ‘Summer-born struggle: Why August children suffer at
school’, BBC News (Online), 1st November, 2011.
Available at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15490760 [Accessed November, 2013].
Petty, G. (1998). Teaching Today (2nd edition). Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes.
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Glyn Burton
Research question: If I introduce group critiques through smaller groups (and call
them something else) will the students be more confident in using them?
Keywords: Art and Design; Critical thinking; Self-confidence; and Group critiques.
Group critiques are a fundamental part of art and design teaching. This can be a
daunting experience at first and is indeed something that some individuals are never
comfortable with.
The aims of the critique are:
To encourage a free exchange of ideas
To develop critical thinking
To develop critical language
To promote verbal communication
To develop self-confidence.
For my action research I would like to try introducing group critiques by starting with
smaller groups of two or three who will regularly as part of studio practice, take time
out to explain their work to the others, what is going right what is going wrong and
possible ways forward.
I want to see if this gradual almost informal way of introducing the activity makes it
easier for the more reticent students to participate. Therefore my research question
was:
‘If I introduce group critiques through smaller groups (and call them something else)
will the students be more confident in using them?’
The project
Firstly I considered the nomenclature, would calling it a critique be more off-putting
than just ‘a chat’?
Group 1
I started by selecting three students for a chat about their work. I deliberately picked
one confident person to partner two quieter students. The confident student was
inclined to do all the talking, not surprisingly, but they started to ask questions of the
others about their work and showed a positive interest in what the others had to say,
which gave the quiet students the confidence to volunteer opinions of their own. The
session lasted about 18 minutes with everybody making a worthwhile contribution.
Group 2
This group was less successful as one member was painfully shy and was very
reluctant to speak. Interestingly the other two students quickly assessed that J was
uncomfortable and whilst not excluding him shared the discussion but prompting J
with answers if I questioned him directly.
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I followed this pattern with three other groups and there was no other individual as
self-conscious as J in the larger group but there were some individuals who were
reluctant to express opinions initially.
There is perhaps a British reticence about praising your own work and a reluctance
to be overly critical of others for fear of causing offence. The biggest problem I had
was to get the students to grasp the idea that criticism can be positive and is a
statement about the work not the individual. Inevitably in art and design particularly
with fine art practitioners, much of the work is of a very personal nature, for example,
work relating to gender and body image can be based on personal experience, so a
great deal of trust must form between members of the group before such things can
be discussed freely.
As the term progressed the students started to form relationships and feel more
comfortable in each other’s company and were more comfortable talking about their
work so I started to increase the size of the groups to five or six who were working in
similar disciplines. Because they had worked alongside each other and had the
opportunity to observe and discuss informally as they were working it became easier
for them to discuss each other’s work, often prompting each other with information.
This allowed for a freer flowing discussion but was starting to become a mutual
appreciation society and was losing the critical edge which is an important part of the
process.
In order to address this I continued with the six-student group but mixed students
from different disciplines. Because of the nature of the work in art and design,
students from the same group are often working in different rooms or even different
buildings so they do not always see what others are doing. By mixing the disciplines
it brought together different approaches to work, different media, and different skills.
This created the mix which I wanted, the discussion was much more questioning,
forcing the student to explain and justify their work and in return receiving ideas and
suggestions of ways forward.
At this time I started using the term ‘group crit’ rather than group chat, the format did
not change and I am not sure if the students even noticed the change but I felt it was
important to use this nomenclature as this is what they would encounter at university.
The group size I feel is important, if the group is too large it can become unwieldy
and long-winded so that students’ attention can start to drift, conversely if the group
is too small it is difficult to get a range of opinions. By splitting the larger group into
smaller units it is possible to steer to some extent the conversation, separating
friends, introducing disparate ideas and approaches, and of course the conversation
does not always progress in the way intended which in itself can be exciting.
Findings
I feel that this gentle introduction to the idea of the group critique was successful as
there will always be individuals who are uncomfortable discussing their work and
others who relish the opportunity to talk. All that we can hope for is to make the
more reticent student comfortable in the situation and try to make it as positive
experience as possible. I think holding back the term critique made it feel less
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threatening at the outset particularly for the more nervous and self-conscious
student.
At the outset I stated that the group critique is a fundamental tool of art education
and has been for centuries. It was particularly prized at the Bauhaus, an art school
set up in Germany in the 1920’s by Walter Gropius. The concept of the Foundation
course was established at the Bauhaus and the methodologies we use today can be
traced directly to the pioneering work done by them.
I began to wonder just because we have always done it, and it was certainly a key
part of my own art and design education, should we slavishly continue to do so?
This is a big subject as it questions everything we hold dear and is worthy of a more
detailed piece of research, however I decided to ask the students for their opinions.
I asked the following questions:
Is the group critique useful?
If they are useful should they happen more often?
What could be done to make them better?
The results were interesting:
99% thought that they were useful.
90% thought they were very useful.
92% felt that the frequency was about right.
Some wrote that flexibility of approach was better than a rigid timetable and that the
students should be able to call for a crit not just the tutor. They also thought that a
different room to their studio should be available for crits with comfier chairs and
perhaps coffee.
The option of a dedicated room is interesting but given the shortage of space in the
School of Art it is a non-starter, however the request that students can call for a
group crit is something that can be easily implemented. Students routinely request
crit/tutorials with staff but the request for a peer crit is new at this level of study I am
familiar with, from teaching in universities but not in FE. I propose that it will be an
option from September 2014 and as the year progresses I will experiment with
students calling and running their own crits with no member of staff present. The crit
will have to be recorded, possibly filmed, and the outcomes fed back to a tutor but it
will give the student a chance to take responsibility for their own learning.
Conclusion
This process is something that I would have done for my own satisfaction not just for
the action research project and is part of the reflection I bring to my own practice. I
will continue to question and experiment for my own satisfaction.
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Peer learning for developing student self-management and
independent learning
Albertina Le Boutillier
Research question: If I promote independence in my learners will they be more
organised with their learning and think for themselves?
Keywords: Hairdressing; Independent learning; self-management; meta-learning;
critical thinking; Group working; Peer learning; Level 1; and VRQ Level 2.
Context
In the 11 years that I have been teaching at Highlands College I have found that the
types of students who enrol in our hairdressing full time course arrive with some selfmanagement issues. This can range from lack of organisational skills, failure to take
ownership of their work, needing to be more responsible for their learning and also
being able to work more independently. What I have found in the past is that
students have struggled with the transaction from school into college life.
Issue addressed and review of current practice
This September I asked the new intake of students on the Level 1 combined and
VRQ Level 2 hairdressing courses “Why aren’t you organised?” I asked this question
to these groups on a number of occasions, because I was finding that it was taking
them at least ten minutes to get themselves organised and settled in to the theory
session. I then decided to have a tutorial with each group and try and get to the
bottom of this problem that they seemed to have with their organisational skills.
Once again I asked the students, “Why are you so disorganised?” and, “Why do you
turn up for the theory session without your equipment?” The majority of the group
replied with “We don’t need to get ourselves organised because our teacher at our
secondary school would have all the equipment we need to use during class. And if
we didn’t finish our work in class we could go to after school homework club to finish
any outstanding work.”
Therefore this is why I have decided to explore other ways of delivering the criteria in
order to promote better organisational skills and independent learning. Using these
different teaching methods and strategies which are completely out of the students’
comfort zone may help enforce independent learning. The method I used was
getting the students to do research and deliver a presentation to their peer group.
However getting the students to teach each other should also improve their study
skills and help them become more organised. It should also help with the
understanding of the NVQ, VRQ terminology. I will be focusing my research on NVQ
Level 1 Combined Hairdressing group, who are on a one-year programme, and also
on the VRQ Level 2 first-year group who are on a two-year hairdressing programme.
I am trying to embed critical thinking and get the students to learn to teach
themselves and reflect and also refine their strategies in order to develop their
metacognitive knowledge and skills.
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My reading began with looking at Bruner, who proposed that learners construct their
own knowledge and do this by organising and categorising information using a
coding system. Bruner believe that the most effect way to develop a coding system
is to discover it rather than being told it by the teacher. The concept of discovery
learning implies that students construct their own knowledge for themselves (also
known as a constructivist approach). The role of the teacher should not be to teach
information by rote learning, but instead to facilitate the learning process. This
means that a good teacher will design lessons that help students discover the
relationship between bits of information. To do this a teacher must give students the
information they need, but without organising for them. The use of the spiral
curriculum can aid the process of discovery learning (Wood, Bruner and Ross,
1976).
This is why Bruner’s theory defines the role of the teacher as one of getting students
to learn for themselves and organise the content of learning to maximise their
comprehension. By following this process the students are put at the heart of the
learning process.
The benefits of the cognitivist theory is that students learn to think and organise
themselves so they become independent learners. This allows the students who are
independent to push themselves to their full potential. However the drawback of this
theory is that it would not work for the students who cannot organise themselves or
are not yet independent learners.
If I promote independence in my learners will they be more organised with their
learning and think for themselves?
The project
My project began with a focus on how to improve my learners’ organisational skills
and get them to take ownership of their own learning. It also focused on getting
them to take responsibility for their own learning in order to meet their targets in
exams and to also gain valuable life skills.
The first group I started the experiment with was the Level 1 Combined; this was a
group of 12 (all females) who had come straight from secondary school into a more
adult teaching environment, ‘Highlands College’.
The second group were VRQ Level 2 Hairdressing students and there were 9 (all
females) altogether. Eight of the students had been at college on other courses
apart from one who had come straight from secondary school, so it would be safe to
say that this group of students should be more independent with their learning and
more self-organised.
Here at Highlands College we try to promote independent learning throughout the
student’s time of further education with us. I started by introducing the unit G20,
which is Health and Safety to the Level 1 Combined group. At the beginning of the
first session I explained the aims and objectives to all students. I then asked them
what they already knew about health and safety in the work place, and if they had
learnt about it at school. All of the students were novices to this subject.
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I decided to let the students take control of their own learning. I gave them a handout with clear instructions on what they needed to do and how much time they had to
do the research in. I then put the students in three groups of three and asked them
to organise themselves and work as a team. I also asked the Level 2 VRQ group to
do research.
Part of the project was to get the students to teach each other by producing a
PowerPoint presentation that would only take five minutes to present, with the key
focus on the subject and terminology, and any other new word they come across
relevant to the subject matter. Each group was asked to have three questions at the
end of their presentation to check if learning had taken place.
I used the same format as I did with the Level 1 NVQ, with the Level 2 VRQ group of
students; the only difference was that the VRQ Level 2 students were given different
subjects to research for their presentation because the qualification was different
from the NVQ Level 1.
Findings
It was very apparent within the first few sessions with the Level 1 NVQ Combined
group that they needed a lot guidance with their presentation. Even though they had
received step-by-step explanation and also a hand-out explaining what they needed
to do to complete their presentations, I found that it was taking them quite some time
to get themselves organised and focused on what they needed to do. Four weeks in
to this new teaching strategy, with this Level 1 NVQ group I found myself having to
change the exam dates. However I had to do the same for the VRQ Level 2
because it was taking them a long time to get organised with their research and
presentation, even though I had given them a timeframe to complete the
presentation in.
Also, on giving the first presentation, both groups seemed as if they were out of their
comfort zone. All of the students said that explaining the terminology to people in
their group that they did not know well was difficult because they felt uncomfortable
and embarrassed standing in front of the class doing the presentation.
Reading the evaluation feedback sheets from both groups of students was very
interesting because some of the students said that they had found it difficult to work
with each other in their individual groups because of the level of commitment of
some of their team members. And the fact that some of the students did not know
each made it even more difficult. Even though the VRQ group knew each other they
too were still struggling to get some members of the group organised.
Both groups accomplished their presentation; however I still found that I needed to
reinforce their knowledge on the subject. Through observation and filming their
presentations, I found that some students had taken the role of research on with
100% commitment but others had not. On reading the students’ evaluation feedback
sheets it was apparent that they had mixed views on this teaching method.
So I decided in order to get a true reading on this experiment, I should use this
method of teaching once more with the same groups. Once again I followed the
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same format, as I explained in my introduction and much to my surprise, most of the
students seemed to have a more positive approach and increased sense of
confidence and organisational skills with the second presentation and research they
had been asked to do.
Figure 1. The graph shows how at first both groups of students displayed a negative
attitude in the first activity. However it also shows a positive result with the same
activity completed at a later date. It is evident that the students’ views changed with
the second activity because they became more confident, organised and more
independent learners.
12
10
8
6
Series 1
Series 2
4
2
0
Level 1 Combined
first experiment
Key:
BlueRed it again.
Level 2 VRQ first Level 1 Combined
Level 2 VRQ
experiment
secound experiment secound experiment
shows the number of students who did not like this teaching method.
shows the number of students who enjoyed this method and would use
Both Level 1 NVQ and Level 2 VRQ groups have now taken the on-line exam with a
good outcome. They have all passed their exams, however the students that had
shown lack of commitment and gave negative feedback achieved a lower pass mark.
Lesson learned and personal reflection
On reflection is it clear that I have been focusing on teaching the subject in the
timeframe I scheduled, also not giving the students enough ownership of their own
learning. However in order to embed critical thinking and good organisational skills I
will be using this method of teaching again with the new intake of students in
September 2014.
What I am going to do is not use this method of teaching in the first term but in the
second term. The reason for this is because I have discovered that the students
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need to build on their peer groups’ relationships so that they become more confident
with each other and work better as a team.
Bruner, J. S. (1957). Going beyond the information given. New York: Norton.
Bruner, J. S. (1961) The act of discovery. Harvard Educational Review, 31, 21-32.
Petty, G (2002). ‘Improving Teaching with Action Research.’
Available at:
www.teachingetoolbox.co.uk/downloads/.../ActionResearch.doc
[Accessed
20th
March, 2014].
Petty, G. (2004). Teaching Today. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes.
Wood, D. J., Bruner, J. S., and Ross, G. (1976). ‘The role of tutoring in problem
solving’, Journal of Child Psychiatry and Psychology, 17(2), 89-100.
McLeod, S. (2012), ‘Bruner’, Simply psychology (Online). Available at:
http://www.simplypsychology.org/bruner.html [Accessed 11th February, 2014].
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feedback
Sarah Jordi
Research question: If I encourage my Level 2 Business Studies students to reflect
upon their learning via self/peer assessment will they engage with and become more
responsive to feedback?
Keywords: Business studies; Reflection; Communication
assessment; Feedback to students; and BTEC Level 2.
skills;
Self/peer
Context
I chose to focus the project within the Faculty of Professional Studies and more
specifically within the subject area of Business. The two cohorts I worked with were
the Level 2 BTEC Business students, who are studying Customer Relations. The
students are all aged 16 and over - Group one contains 11 students and Group two
has nine in total. There are 12 girls and eight boys, two of whom are receiving
support and seven are internal transfers. The curriculum area for my focal point was
the practical element of this unit, where students complete three role plays to
demonstrate their communication, interpersonal and presentation skills. This area
allowed me to concentrate upon a sphere of interest which is feedback.
Issue addressed
During my time with previous Level 2 groups it was perceived that the students were
very reliant on tutor feedback, but paid the briefest of attention to it, preferring to
focus substantially upon the grade outcome. As one student said in the preintervention questionnaire “feedback is when you get Merits and Distinctions.” This
led me to question how I could encourage my students to engage with and be more
responsive to feedback. Expanding the students’ perception of feedback, its impact
and how it can benefit them became the over-riding themes.
Feedback is a fundamental aspect of the formative assessment process and an
integral part of teaching and learning as originally highlighted in the work of Black
(1998). The question of how to encourage students to engage with feedback and
hence be more responsive to it is an on-going educational debate (Gibbs and
Simpson, 2004)
Encouraging students to engage with the assessment criteria and reflect upon their
experience and learning via peer and self-assessment is an important component of
assessment FOR learning (Black and William, 2001). Hence, both of these methods
were chosen as tools that may potentially encourage students to engage and be
more responsive to feedback.
If I encourage my Level 2 Business Studies students to reflect upon their learning via
self/peer assessment will they engage with and become more responsive to
feedback?
118
In observing my students there was and is a concern that feedback had lost its
meaning and usefulness for them and was about the grade received at the end of a
piece of work. Indeed, eight of the students placed a grade as equally (if not more)
useful as written feedback on their work, when questioned via the initial survey.
The body of research that investigates this topic is vast and ranges from primary
through to higher education.
The project
Previously I had assessed students’ ‘performance’ in the role plays against the set
criteria via an observation record and asked the students to complete a diary. The
students relied on my feedback but did little for themselves and wrote what was a
descriptive account of what they did in their diary. This process I believed could be
more effective.
My intervention took place in the autumn term for six weeks and involved the
students’ peer assessing against the criteria using a standard rubric and selfassessing using Gibbs’ (1998) reflective cycle.
I carried out an initial questionnaire (Appendix 1) with my students to ascertain their
opinions on a variety of issues including; what is feedback? what good feedback
looks like? who they prefer to receive feedback from and how they use feedback.
A lot of time was spent in preparation for the role plays and included an in-depth
discussion around the success criteria and learning outcomes. The new assessment
tools were introduced. Firstly, the rubric (Appendix 2) as a means of setting the
expected standard for the role plays and highlighting levels of quality. Secondly, the
set of questions (Appendix 3) to be used as a form of self-assessment and reflection
based upon Gibbs’ (1998) reflective cycle. The cycle encourages learners to think
systematically about an experience and encourages the learner to be more selfaware and to critically evaluate. After each role play, the student with a partner, who
had been their customer, had to complete the self and peer assessment. During this
time I would also complete the observation record for them. The students were
encouraged to take their time and ask questions if required.
During this time I would observe the students’ response to the assessment process,
for example, how much time and effort they put into completing the process,
questions asked and I would make field notes accordingly. Once all of the
documentation was complete the candidate had a target sheet (Appendix 4) to
complete. This was an important part of the process as assessment and reflection
need to result in action. It is important to remember the purpose of reflection is to
learn from an experience. During this stage the students were to ask themselves
what they could have done differently. Setting targets to achieve and a plan for
moving forward would enable the students to engage with the feedback, synthesise
the three sources of assessment and move forward.
Once the intervention was complete a focus group randomly selected from the two
cohorts was formed. This group met for 30 minutes to discuss a set of questions
(Appendix 5) and their responses were recorded.
119
Findings and reflections
The pre-intervention questionnaire was extremely illuminating. As previously
mentioned when asked to grade how useful they felt a grade and written comments
on their work were eight of the 20 students placed a grade as equally (if not more)
useful as written feedback on their work. Three out of the 20 students in response to
the question ‘Do you read the feedback on your work?’ circled some of the time
whilst the remaining 17 circled all of the time. Twelve students preferred to receive
feedback from the tutor with eight preferring feedback from all three sources (peer,
self, and peer). Finally, when asked when the student prefers to receive feedback,
eight of the students stated at the end of an assignment, whilst 12 circled both at the
end and whilst doing your work.
The application of the differing assessment tools in the role play scenarios was
varied. For example, whilst observing the students, student A diligently carried out
the process of peer and self-assessment, asking for clarification on a question on the
self-assessment cycle. However, student B completed the paperwork as quickly as
possible, inserting limited responses to the questions. I noted throughout the three
role plays that the student’s self-reflection often highlighted the same key area for
improvement as I would note on the observation record. However, students were
often hesitant to offer an area of improvement for their peer and left this area blank.
The personal target sheets after each role play were completed carefully with targets
ranging from ‘to develop my confidence by having more faith in myself’ to ‘read about
the product to develop my knowledge’. These targets were then carried forward to
the next role play.
Upon reflection, the process certainly allowed the students to engage with the
feedback more effectively rather than waiting for me to give them feedback and ‘tell
them what to do’. The self-reflection process was particularly valuable and it was
pleasing to witness students set themselves similar targets to the ones I as the tutor
would set. The target setting process encouraged them to be more responsive to
the feedback given from the three sources. Students via the focus group felt the
target-setting “made me push myself to do better” and it “helped me know where I
wanted to reach and what I needed to do.”
However the use of the peer assessment grid had limited success as evidenced in
the focus group discussion held at the end of the intervention, with students stating ‘it
was not very useful’. All of the students still prefer feedback from the tutor as the
‘expert’ and are reluctant to grade peers, feeling slightly ill–equipped to make
judgements and reluctant to grade their peers. The use of peer assessment requires
a shift in mind set and one that would need reinforcing, rather than seen as a one-off
activity. It may be that in future work I reconsider the use of the rubric as they lacked
a detailed analysis of a student’s strengths or weaknesses and hence did not provide
very detailed information.
Conclusion
To conclude, the multiple sources of assessment feedback allowed the students to
engage more effectively and the target setting permitted the student to respond in a
structured way.
Hattie (2012) suggests that there is strong evidence that
challenging, achievable goals influence achievement, provided that the individual is
involved in setting them. The students did value the target-setting and the
120
discussion around that process as noted earlier. Martin & Loomis (2006) argued that
a good method to assist students in setting task-specific and situation-specific goals
was to use the notion of “personal bests”. From the grade profile of the students,
those who set targets to achieve a merit or more did so. Those who did not tended
to have a fixed perception of their ability or the effort required; I only want a ‘pass’.
The concept of Dweck’s (2006) work on fixed mind-set springs to mind here, “If you
don’t
try, you can protect yourself and keep your dignity.”
http://mindsetonline.com/changeyourmindset/natureofchange/index.html [Accessed
31st March, 2014].
Given the opportunity to take this research further one focus could be upon the area
of mindset (Dweck 2006) and how this may link with Hattie’s (2012) work on effect
sizes and student expectations. Indeed what manifested itself as the intervention
progressed was not the feedback per se but what the students did with it. The target
setting process therefore became invaluable.
References
Black, P. and William, D. (1998/2001 final draft). Inside the black box: raising
standards through classroom assessment. London: King’s College.
Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. London: Random
House Publishing Group.
Gibbs, G. (1998). Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning. London:
FEU.
Gibbs, G. and Simpson, C. (2004). Does your assessment support your students’
learning? Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (Online), 1(1), pp. 3-31.
Available at http://www.glos.ac.uk/adu/clt/lathe/issue1/index.cfm [Accessed 11th
November, 2013].
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. New
York: Routledge.
Martin, D. and Loomis, K. (2006). Building Teachers: Constructivist Approach to
Introducing Education. California: Thompson Learning Inc.
121
Appendix 1
BTEC Level 2 Diploma in Business
Name_____________________________________
Feedback Questionnaire
What does the word feedback mean to you?
_________________________________________________________________
Do you read the feedback on your work/ assignments/presentations?
Please circle one
All of the time
Some of the time
Never
What does good feedback look like?
___________________________________________________________________
Who do you prefer to receive feedback from?
Please circle one
Tutor
Self
Peer
All
How useful do you find the following
1 – very useful / 5 –of no use
Please circle
Written comments on your work
12345
A grade
12345
The tutor explaining what you need to do
12345
A peer explaining what you need to do
12345
Thinking about your own work
12345
When is it best to receive feedback? Please circle
Whilst doing your assignment.
At the end of your assignment
Both
How does feedback make you feel?
___________________________________________________________________
Do you use feedback from one assignment to help you improve your next piece of
work? Please explain.
_________________________________________________________________
How can the college improve the feedback it gives to students?
________________________________________________________________
122
Appendix 2 Peer Assessment Rubric
Skill
Presentation skills including
Personal presentation/Body
language/Working
Environment
Circle the
statement that
best
describes
your partner.
…struggled to
provide basic
presentation
skills
…demonstrated
presentation
skills
… confidently
displayed
presentation
skills
Interpersonal Skills including
First Impressions/ Behaviour
and Respect
…struggled to
provide basic
interpersonal
skills
…demonstrated
interpersonal
skills
… confidently
displayed
interpersonal
skills
Communication skills
including
Tone/Pitch/pace/Appropriate
language and body
language
… struggled to
provide basic
communication
skills
…
demonstrated
communication
skills
…confidently
displayed
communication
skills
Knowledge of the product
and procedures
…struggled to
provide basic
knowledge of
the product
and
procedures
…
demonstrated
knowledge of
the product and
procedures
…confidently
displayed
knowledge of
the product
and
procedures
…anticipated
the customer’s
needs via
presentation
skills
… anticipated
the customer’s
needs via
interpersonal
skills
…anticipated
the customer’s
needs via
communication
skills
… anticipated
the customer’s
needs via
knowledge of
the product
and
procedures
Target for next time
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
123
Appendix 3
BTEC level 2 Business
Role play self-assessment.
Name……………………………….
Describe what happened in your role play.
What were you thinking and feeling?
What was good and bad about the role play?
Is there anything else you can make of the role play?
What else could you have done?
What will you do next time?
Appendix 4 - Individual target-setting
124
Appendix 5 - Focus group questions
Did you read the feedback on your role plays?
Who did you prefer to receive feedback from? Why?
How useful did you find the feedback from the tutor/peer/self?
How did you find the self-reflection questions?
How useful was the peer assessment grid?
Was the target sheet useful? How?
How did the feedback make you feel?
Did the feedback help you improve?
125
Students’ perceptions on the value of peer assessment in theory
and practice contexts
Martin Colley
Research question: Is peer assessment more beneficial to sports students in theory
sessions than in practical sessions?
Keywords: Sports; Peer assessment; Coursework; and BTEC.
Context
I work at a further, higher and adult education college in a small island state. This
will be very important as to how this College and its Education Authority responds to
United Kingdom (UK) policy drivers, without having the associated UK government
apparatus to support change, improvement and development of a skilled 21st
Century work force. There are no political parties, no cabinet and no prime minister.
Acts of the Westminster Parliament do not apply routinely to the Island. The College
has a vocational curriculum which covers many disciplines and levels from art to
construction. The sport and fitness department has 120 full-time students of mixed
gender between the ages of 16 to 21 and approximately 50 to 80 adult part-time
students of mixed gender typically 18 and over. I have significant influence on the
policy development within my curriculum area of sport. In addition I attend a weekly
curriculum managers’ meeting to contribute to College policy initiatives.
The issue addressed
With the rising challenge of BTEC internal assessment changes there will be less
tutor intervention and formative feedback from lecturer to learner at Levels 1, 2 and 3
(especially at Levels 2 and 3). Therefore alternate methods to drive up students’
ability to work more independently will require a shift in assessment methods and
strategies from the tutor to learner assessment post assessment model to the peer
to peer prior to assessment model. Therefore it would be worth exploring the relative
merits of peer assessment to both the learning and to independent assignment
completion. In addition, it is worth exploring if the practice is of benefit to both
practical and theoretical sessions and where most value is added.
Review of current practice and Literature
The key concepts and principles of assessment
The key concepts related to assessment can be broadly categorised as ethical
conduct, learning and management. The first concept is related to the ethical values
of assessment which consists of constructing assessment activity that is valid (does
the job), reliable (consistent process for multi assessors) and transparent (clear to
students what is required). Furthermore the assessment should be conducted as
authentic (it is the student’s work), fair (learners have the same opportunity to
succeed) and equitable (fair assessment practice for all learners). The second key
area relates to how assessment promotes deep learning and excellence (allows
students to explore content beyond the superficial whilst challenging the best
students), motivates students (via engaging ongoing assessment) and is formative
(assessment provides opportunities to provide feedback, inform progress and
constructive development). The management of assessment principle makes
126
reference to assessment concepts such as timely assessment (by providing
assessment opportunities through a course), incremental (small unit subassignments that build to a final grade) and redeemable assessment (an
assessment system that allows for mistakes without instant failure). Finally
assessment should be demanding (stretch the most able students and not automatic
pass), efficient (assessment that make effective use of time and resources for
students and staff alike) and manageable (the assessment should not make
excessive demands on the learner).
The responsibilities of the assessor
Teachers who take on the role of assessor have the following responsibilities for the
assessment of learner on courses and programmes. Their responsibilities are to
ensure assessment is consistent across the programme or course to ensure fairness
and validity and that assessment instruments are fit for purpose be it exams,
coursework or observations, etc., so as to be relevant to learning outcome/s and
level of the learner. Assessment decisions need to be accurately matched to the
learner work to assessment and grading criteria so as to maintain the integrity of the
qualification. Normally after the assessment of learner a standardisation or
moderation of assessors or assessment takes place. If there is only one main
person responsible for delivery and assessment, arrangements must be made for
their assignments and assessment decisions to be checked by someone
appropriately experienced; again this is done to uphold standards of the awarding
body. As an assessor it is normal to read and understand the specification you are
working to, so as to be working appropriately and understand the construction of the
units. This process will also identify opportunities to generate evidence as part of the
assessment; this can be created into a plan of assessment activities, with
timescales. It is important to ensure the assessment plan, assignments and
assessment decisions are checked and improved by a colleague or line manager, in
line with the awarding body QA guidelines.
The types of information that should be made available to learners and others
involved in the process
It is important to make the following types of information to learners in order to help
them be more successful in their studies. They include awarding body guidance on
modules studied, assessment tools related to units undertaken. Furthermore
policies reflecting the awarding body and College processes cover things like health
and safety, equality and diversity, plagiarism and appeals. These are all important to
the assessment process and the learner to ensure an ethical course of study is
followed. Likewise generic course information, unit information, assignments and the
IV of assessed work, is communicated to the learner so that they understand the
process that informs assessment. Finally, teaching and learning information,
schemes of work, assessment schedules and course content should be shared at
the start of the course and ideally on VLE platform for students.
How peer and self-assessment can be used effectively to promote learner
involvement and personal responsibility in the assessment of learning
Self-assessment is integral to student learning and personal skill development, as it
gives a valid student perspective on their own situation. It helps make the learners
relate the situation to them, making it real and relating their practice and work to
relevant criteria. They therefore get actively involved in the learning process and can
127
see a point to it. There are many methods of self-assessment for example making
online choices via a VLE such as Moodle or videoing their performance for selfreflection. Peer assessment takes place informally in most lessons as students tend
to compare their progress in various subjects and situations as part of human nature.
Through peer assessment students can learn more about the requirements of
assessment and the assessment process, thereby students are more likely to
achieve what is required. Peer assessment engagement and personal responsibility
is raised by peer assessment as they feel they have ownership of the assessment
process and this reduces fears and anxieties of being assessed having been in the
role of an assessor. Finally, through the peer assessment process students tend to
learn from each other strengths, weaknesses, mistakes and strategies for success.
Assessment arrangements can be adapted to meet the needs of individual
learners
Assessment arrangements can be adapted to meet the needs of the learner through
a variety of differentiation methods which will be outlined. Differentiation by task is
where learners choose the task appropriate to their level, and where the learner feels
comfortable such as pass, merit or distinction. Roleplaying can be differentiated
within a group task or a project team to allow people with different skills to
demonstrate them and shine. When coursework is produced students can structure
work in differentiated ways such a display, presentation or performance. The quality
of assessment can be different when learners are set an identical task which
differentiates by quality and can be indicative of the learner progress and
understanding. Criteria can be differentiated in an assessment so learners achieve
at a level that matches their ability such as Level 1 or 2 whilst on the same
programme of study. Finally, support can differentiated to learners either formally or
informally which can also affect assessment but this has to be done carefully and
through approved learning support providers.
Peer assessment is assessment of students by other students, both formative
reviews to provide feedback and summative grading. Peer assessment is one form
of innovative assessment (Mowl, 1996; McDowell and Mowl, 1996), which aims to
improve the quality of learning and empower learners, where traditional forms can
by-pass learners' needs. It can include student involvement not only in the final
judgements made of student work but also in the prior setting of criteria and the
selection of evidence of achievement (Biggs, 1999; Brown, Rust and Gibbs, 1994).
Peer assessment can be considered part of peer tutoring (Donaldson and Topping,
1996). As with other forms of peer tutoring, there can be advantages for both tutor
and tutee (Hartley, 1998:135). Topping (1996:7) describes the potential advantages
of peer tutoring, including the development of the skills of evaluating and justifying,
and using discipline knowledge. Self- and peer-assessment are often combined or
considered together. They have many potential advantages in common. Peer
assessment can help self-assessment. By judging the work of others, students gain
insight into their own performance. "Peer and self-assessment help students
develop the ability to make judgements, a necessary skill for study and professional
life" (Brown, Rust and Gibbs, 1994).
Brown, Rust and Gibbs (1994), Zariski (1996), Race (1998) and others have
described some potential advantages of peer assessment for students as giving a
128
sense of ownership of the assessment process. Also, improving motivation by
encouraging students to take responsibility for their own learning and developing
them as autonomous learners. Additionally, treating the assessment as part of
learning so that mistakes are opportunities rather than failures and by practising the
transferable skills needed for life-long learning, especially evaluation skills. Finally
using external evaluation to provide a model for internal self-assessment of a
student's own learning and encouraging deep rather than surface learning.
Self- and peer-assessment "promotes lifelong learning, by helping students to
evaluate their own and their peers’ achievements realistically, not just encouraging
them always to rely on (tutor) evaluation from on high" (Brown, 1996).
Coursework Assessment Methods Comparison
Method of
Strength
Assessment
Course work Familiarity as this is a common
- Essay
form of assessment and can
reflect deep learning acquired.
Exam
Practical
Group Work
Presentation
Viva
Work-based
learning
Limitation
Essays take time to mark
objectively and validity is often
compromised with the danger of
favouring students with better
essay technique.
Relatively economical as can Students
receive
very
little
take place in a few hours and feedback on exams and are a snap
provides equality of opportunity shot of student performance.
as they all sit the exam at the
same time.
Can
be
engaging
and Difficult to give feedback unless
interesting
means
of clear criteria outlined. Can be
assessment for the learner. superficial way of assessing
Practical assessment allows knowledge.
assessor
to
ascertain
authenticity of skills.
Can develop deeper learning Difficult to assess individual
as a way of sharing good contributions towards assessment.
practice.
Good
way
of Can create inter-personal friction if
assessing wider skills linked to there is not cohesion which can
vocational competence.
affect assessment.
Presentation provides clarity Presentations can’t be anonymous
on who is being assessed in and some students are unnerved
individual
and
group by the process which may be
presentations. Allows learner perceived as unfair. The evidence
to share knowledge, learning can be transient and fleeting if not
and experiences.
recorded in some manner.
A good way of testing The process can move away from
authenticity of work directly its core purpose and some
and good way to examine candidates do not show well in the
student knowledge directly.
process.
Allows learners to develop Difficult to track and co-ordinate
assessment in a vocational assessment in the work place.
context. Work based learning Activities in work place do always
assessment adds realism and link to assessment.
129
meaning to assessment.
Projects
Oral
Exhibition
Projects allow assessment of
multiple themes but can also
allow
streamlining
of
assessment
across
curriculums.
Allows assessors to investigate
learners knowledge not literacy
skills. Raises authenticity of
assessment.
Raises
engagement
and
esteem of learners. Show
cases learner’s assessment to
wider audience.
Difficult to track and co-ordinate
assessment of projects. Can also
increase unnecessary assessment
burden.
Can
deviate
away
from
assessment focus. Learner may
not understand questions or tasks
if badly worded.
Can distract away from initial
purpose of assessment and drift off
mission in trying to organise for the
public.
Is peer assessment more beneficial to sports students in theory sessions than in
practical sessions?
The project
A simple five-question survey (Survey Monkey) was devised to be undertaken by a
range of learners at Levels 2 and 3 with two rating questions, one multiple choice
question and two open-ended questions. These questions were developed to
understand students’ thoughts and opinions on peer assessment in relation to
learning and assignment completion in both theory and practical sessions. A copy of
the survey undertaken by students, together with details of the raw scores or
responses for each question, is in Appendix 1.
Findings – analysis of survey questions
Question 1 – Do you find peer assessment useful to help your understanding
of an assignment?
Learner responses to the usefulness of peer assessment in improving understanding
of assignment was fairly ambivalent, with mode and mean residing at five out of 10 in
terms of ratings between strongly agree or disagree. Therefore when issuing an
assignment this should be pitched at the group and the individual with little or no
peer assessment; perhaps a personal self-audit of tasks and skills against the
assignment brief.
Question 2 – I find peer assessment more helpful in … ?
Two out of three students found peer assessment useful in theory, practical and
theory and practical classes collectively. One out of three students did not find peer
assessment helpful at all in their studies. One in four students found peer
assessment useful in both theory and practical classes. Most interestingly, students
felt that peer assessment is almost three times more useful in theory lessons than
practical classes.
130
Question 3 – I learn from ….?
Almost two-thirds of students learned most from the teacher/coach specifically, the
next most popular respondent option with 43% was that students learn most from a
combination of self, peer and coach. A few respondents stated they learnt
independently but most interestingly no respondent felt they learnt from peer
assessment.
Question 4 –Why do you value peer assessment and feedback?
The learner responses to this question fall mainly into three broad categories with a
quarter of respondents feeling that it adds no value to their studies. Just under
another third of students responded that peer assessment gave them a different
perspective on their own and other work. Just over a third of students felt that peer
assessment helped with the analysis of their work and provided development points.
Question 5 – Peer assessment helps me become more independent in my
learning because..?
The learner responses are more varied than to the last question but half the
respondents felt that peer assessment helped improved or incorporated in their own
work. Twenty-five percent of respondents felt that peer assessment helped develop
their independence and initiative in learning. Finally, one respondent felt peer
assessment was fun and one further respondent felt it does not help in their learning.
Lessons Learned
When issuing an assignment this should be pitched at the group and the individual
with little or no peer assessment; perhaps a personal self-audit of tasks and skills
against assignment brief. Two out of three students found peer assessment useful
in theory, practical and theory and practical classes collectively. Most interestingly,
students felt that peer assessment is almost three times more useful in theory
lessons than practical classes. Almost two-thirds of students learned most from
teacher/coach specifically. The next most popular respondent option with 43% found
that students learn most from a combination of self, peer and coach. A third of
students responded that peer assessment gave them a different perspective on their
own and other work. Just over a third of students felt that peer assessment helped
with the analysis of their work and provided development points. Half the
respondents felt that peer assessment helped improved or incorporated in their own
work. Twenty-five percent of respondents felt that peer assessment helped to
develop their independence and initiative in learning.
131
References
Biggs, J. (1999). Teaching for Quality Learning at University. Buckingham: SRHE
and Open University Press
Brown, S. (1996) ‘Assessment’, in DeLiberations
http://www.lgu.ac.uk/deliberations/assessment/invite.html
Brown, S., Race, P. and Rust, C. (1995). ‘Using and experiencing assessment’ in P.
Knight, (ed.), Assessment for Learning in Higher Education. London: Kogan
Page/SEDA, pp.75-86.
Brown, S., Rust, C. and Gibbs, G. (1994.) ‘Involving students in the assessment
process’, in Strategies for Diversifying Assessments in Higher Education. Oxford:
Oxford
Centre
for
Staff
Development,
and
at
DeLiberations
http://www.lgu.ac.uk/deliberations/ocsd-pubs/div-ass5.html
Brown, S., Sambell, K. and McDowell, L. (1998). ‘What do students think about
assessment?’ in S. Brown (ed.) Peer Assessment in Practice, (SEDA paper 102)
Birmingham: SEDA, pp. 107-112.
Donaldson, A.J.M. and Topping, K.J. (1996). Promoting Peer Assisted Learning
amongst Students in Higher and Further Education, (SEDA paper 96) Birmingham:
SEDA.
McDowell, L. and Mowl, G. (1996). ‘Innovative assessment - its impact on students’
in G. Gibbs, (ed.). Improving student learning through assessment and evaluation,
Oxford: The Oxford Centre for Staff Development, pp. 131-147.
Mowl, G. (1996) ‘Innovative Assessment’, in DeLiberations
http://www.lgu.ac.uk/deliberations/assessment/mowl_content.html
Robinson, J. M. (1999), ‘Computer-assisted peer review’, in S. Brown, P. Race and
J. Bull, (eds.) Computer-assisted Assessment in Higher Education, London: Kogan
Page/ SEDA.
Zariski, A. (1996). ‘Student peer assessment in tertiary education: Promise, perils
and practice’ in J. Abbott, and L. Willcoxson, (eds.), Teaching and Learning Within
and Across Disciplines, p189-200. Proceedings of the 5th Annual Teaching and
Learning Forum, Murdoch University, February 1996. Perth: Murdoch University.
http://cleo.murdoch.edu.au/asu/pubs/tlf/tlf96/zaris189.html
132
Appendix 1 – Peer assessment survey
Raw scores and student comments
Question 1 – Do you find peer assessment useful to help your understanding of an assignment?
Rating
1 Agree
Strongly –
–
Percentage 6.25%
Distribution 1
2–
3–
4–
5–
6–
7–
8–
9–
10 Disagree
Strongly –
6.25% 6.25% 12.50% 31.25% 6.25% 18.75% 6.25% 6.25% 0.00%
1
1
2
5
1
3
1
1
0
133
Total
Average
Respondents Rating –
16
5.19
Question 2 - If find peer assessment more helpful in ……?
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Question 3 – I learn more from ……….
135
Question 4 - Why do you value peer assessment and feedback?
 I don't.
 Because it helps me to see what others in my class know and what they don't
know.
 Because it shows me what I need to work on, and improve.

 You can see where they are going wrong and if you are making the same
mistake.
 You can see your strengths and weaknesses and then improve these to make
your assignment or performance better
 Because I can know where my strengths and weaknesses are to then improve
on it
 I don't because I don't trust my mates, they will just be silly.
 Because it's sometimes better feedback than from other people
 Gives a different perspective and feedback on something you have done from
somebody away from the picture.
 Because on the second submission I can then get the grade I require.
 Get different opinions.
 I don't really value it because I don't find it that useful, I would prefer my
feedback to come from someone who knows exactly what they are looking for
and has the correct knowledge, if my peer assessed my work they may not
know what is wrong
Question 5 - Peer assessment helps me become more independent in my
learning because … ?
 It means I have to use my own initiative and therefore helps me to become
more independent.
 Because I do not need the teachers help
 Because I can judge other peoples’ work and see if I think they are doing
something wrong, this helps me to become independent because I am using
my own initiative.
 I can be given feedback on my strengths and areas for improvements and
then go away by myself and work on these independently.
 I can learn from areas I found difficult to help me with work in the future.
 IT with my class mates.
 It doesn't.
 It is more of an individual task.
 I can learn different methods of completing a task.
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Natasha Stone
Research question: If I ask my students to work in small supportive groups on
course work, will they work more independently and produce work of a higher
standard?
Keywords: Vocational studies; Independent learning; Collaboration; Peer learning;
Group work; Diploma in Vocational Studies course, Entry level 3; and Level 1.
Context
The Faculty of Guidance and Support is my teaching area at Highlands College. I
teach students who are on a course called the Diploma in Vocational Studies course,
which is aimed at Entry Level 3, and Level 1 students. I am responsible for two
Level 1 tutor groups which include all tutorials, core units, work placements and
teaching two Level 2 units which they will need to progress onto a Level 2 course
next September. The cohort of students that join our course come from a variety of
backgrounds including the four main State feeder schools, occasionally the private
schools or from outside of the island. Many of the students have issues that range
from a disadvantaged social background, low academic ability, statement mental
health issues, statement specific learning difficulty or English as a second language.
The students’ ages range from sixteen- to eighteen-years-old. I decided to focus on
one of my tutor groups as I felt that they needed to be more responsible for the
quality of the work they produce and also become more independent learners in
readiness for moving onto a higher course in the College next year.
Issue addressed
I decided to see if I could get students to work in small supportive groups within their
core unit lessons. My aim was to get my students to engage early on with their
course work, create positive learning attitudes; not rely on me so heavily at every
step of the way and to produce work that is of the correct standard for their course.
By working in these supporting groups, they would bond quicker as a learning unit,
learn from each other where they may feel uncomfortable asking me at the beginning
of the new academic year and be able to express themselves more fully within their
work.
If I ask my students to work in small supportive groups on course work, will they work
more independently and produce work of a higher standard?
I have realized over the 25 years that I have been teaching that students in my tutor
groups are reluctant to do any work for themselves that is at the BTEC expected
standard and I appear to spend a lot of my time trying to manage the behaviour in
the room. I think for many of the students this is a learnt negative behaviour pattern
that started in school and they appear to not be able to break out of it at this stage.
Over the years I have tried so many different strategies to try and engage my
students more positively at the beginning of the new academic year. After the first
three weeks, the students start to revert back to their previous negative attitude
towards learning and I find that they only really start wanting to progress for
137
themselves when they get to nearly the end of the course in June. Last year I
started getting some students to help other students when they had completed work
ahead of the others. This could at times be my most disruptive students, but they felt
a pride in showing others how to do a task on the computer or explain an issue they
were trying to solve. This is what gave me the idea to extend this into the beginning
of the new term with new students and see if I could instil a feeling of pride into their
work by getting them to help others in a small group. Hopefully the work of each
group member would result in a higher standard piece of work and also they would
start to work more independently from me.
Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger are two researchers who, although from different
disciplines, evolved a new learning theory in the late 1980s and early 1990s which
stated that learning involved a process of engagement in a ‘community of practice’.
Their thinking was that rather than learning being solely an individual activity that had
a beginning and an end, learning was achieved largely from each person’s
experience from everyday life (Smith 2003, 2009). Communities of practice are
everywhere within normal society, whether this is within work, leisure, sport or home.
As humans we respond to social interaction and form these groups naturally as part
of our day to day existence, often without us realising that we have. As a result of
being part of these communities of practice, we learn about new ideas, skills and
experiences along the way as a natural part of the process. Therefore to then
proceed to spend a large part of your studying working individually, you are losing all
of the extra natural support systems that occur when you are part of a group and as
a result you will often learn less or be less productive in what you achieve.
To create a community of practice can take time as each person develops the
shared resources of the group ranging from experience, stories, tools and methods
of resolving problems. There needs to be a common interest or goal for a
community of practice to work as this gives them a sense of joint enterprise and
identity. The interactions involved often mean that complex projects can be
undertaken and through these activities strong relationships of trust can develop
(Smith 2003, 2009).
There are a number of different activities that a community of practice may develop
and use to indicate that the group is working effectively.
The table below highlights some of these activities:
Problem Solving
Requests for information
Seeking experience
Reusing assets
Coordination and synergy
Discussing developments
Documentation projects
“Can we work on this design and brainstorm some
ideas; I’m stuck.”
“Where can I find the code to connect to the server?”
“Has anyone dealt with a customer in this situation?”
“I have a proposal for a local area network I wrote for
a client last year. I can send it to you and can easily
tweak it for this new client.”
“Can we combine our purchases of solvent to
achieve bulk discounts?”
“What do you think of the new CAD system? Does it
really help?”
“We have faced this problem five times now. Let us
138
Visits
Mapping knowledge
identifying gaps
write it down once and for all.”
“Can we come and see your after-school
programme? We need to establish one in our city.”
and “Who knows what, and what are we missing? What
other groups should we connect with?”
(Wenger and Traynor 1998)
Within education there are three main areas that communities of practice can have a
positive effect on:



Internally: There can be different educational experiences achieved through
students participating in subject-based communities of practice within the
organisation of the College.
Externally: Students being able to link up with wider communities of practice
through other educational establishments or similar groups.
Over the lifetime of the student: Where communities of practice of topics of
continuing interest to the students are carried on beyond College life and
turned into a lifetime of learning.
Students working in groups or communities of practice is only effective within the
classroom if clear assessment guidelines are developed, ensuring the students
understand exactly what they are expected to achieve at the end of a particular
project. This will encourage peer support, peer learning and also peer assessment
as a natural part of the process of working in a community of practice. There are a
number of educational benefits of students working in groups that are well
recognised and these range from studying collaboratively to enhance learning;
employers value students being able to work as part of a team and the other generic
skills this type of working generates; group activities may also help tutors to
effectively utilise their own time within the classroom, by supporting those most in
need (Australian Universities Teaching Committee 2002).
There is an increasing interest in peer review and feedback which is a part of
working within a community of practice. These two activities give the students a
chance to internalise the assessment criteria as they will have to fully understand
what they are looking for in another student’s work. The student will also be looking
at other students’ work and gaining further insight into how they can complete the
work for themselves. Students will also be able to receive feedback from each other
in a way that they will be able to understand at each stage of a project that may be
more useful than the tutor’s feedback at that stage (Sussex University, 2013).
Barbara Rogoff is another academic interested in the way that children learn and
was especially interested in children learning from within a cultural community as
opposed to an adult devising artificial exercises for their learning (Rogoff, 2001).
Rogoff felt that if children learnt within a cultural community, then they would learn to
think, communicate, develop social interactions, take on board different roles
throughout their different stages of childhood and develop a sense of belonging to
their community. This again is about moving away from the traditional adult-led
independent style approach to learning, but about more collaborative work, where
children/students learn from each other as well as their tutors (Rogoff, 2001)
139
The project
I initially worked with one tutor group and set them into what I thought would be
positive supportive groups. I identified one group of four students to individually do a
checklist observing body language, eye contact, etc. This quickly became irrelevant
as students moved tutor groups and some students left the course completely very
early on. I then worked on re-grouping students until by week six all students for one
tutor group were happy with who they were working with for their next project. The
second tutor group was also put into supporting groups by week five as it felt
beneficial to give my other students the same positive experience.
I gave out a questionnaire to all of students at the end of the project to gauge how
they felt about working in groups and the advantages that they thought were relevant
for them.
I observed the students working in their groups each week and took photographs
and video footage to help me record my findings. I have then been able to use all of
these forms of observation to write about what I found.
I interviewed each group of students by videoing their answers to further find out how
they felt about working in these groups and if they thought this was helping them to
achieve more than if they had been expected to work on their own. I also wanted to
know if they felt they were learning more from each other than they would have done
in the more conventional tutor/student learning method.
Findings
During the first two weeks of the action research, the students did not know each
other and only one group made any progress with the work that I had asked them to
do. This was because either the students were too shy with each other, unsure of
how to use the Apple Mac computers, had little English or did not want to work with
anyone else. I started to change the groups around until students were more
confident with whom they were working with and I had also balanced out the skills
and knowledge of the group more positively. At week five, there were some amazing
results from some groups where students would help each other with their basic
English written skills, creative computer skills, understanding of the activity to
complete and also keeping in check motivation of all members of the group. The
students really did feel that they had achieved a lot from this experience and the
work was of a good standard as well. The only group to not have performed as well
gave the reason that they just did not agree with each other’s ideas and although
they completed the work, only two of the students really worked together, with a third
student working on their own.
It was at this point that I decided to let my other tutor group also start working in
productive groups to see if this would help them to complete work on time, as they
were at that point a few weeks behind with the same work as my first tutor group.
This time I let the students work with whom they thought they would be most
productive with. This was actually very successful for all students except one, who
finds it better to work on their own as they have great difficulty in managing their
behaviour when working with other students.
140
At the end of the eight weeks, all students are now working in productive groups of
three or four, with a couple of pairs and one student working mostly on their own.
They have all begun their next project, which will be greatly enhanced by positive
group work and students are at this stage feeling confident about being able to
complete this work on schedule during the early part of next term.
All students managed to complete a basic questionnaire of which the results are
shown below in Figure 1.
The graph below shows that students on the whole felt very positively about working
in groups as opposed to doing the same work independently from each other. I was
pleased that students did not think it was necessary to always work with students
that they know, especially as I was trying to break down some of the barriers
between some students. This was more successful with the tutor group that started
working in groups the earliest.
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Do you enjoy working as
part of a group
Does working in a group
help you to get to know
other students?
Yes
Should you always work
with students you know?
Does working in a group
improve behaviour?
No
Figure 1 – Questionnaire results
Students really enjoy working in a group. They find it easier to ask each other for
help than they do with a tutor. They can also use each other to gain better ideas
than they would if they were working alone.
I asked all students whether working in a group helped them to develop employability
skills and all students said ‘yes’ as it helped them to work as part of a team or group
with one student saying it was good as you could help others and also helped you to
work with other people.
Most students felt that working in a group helped you to make new friends. One
student said that you could lessen the workload if you worked in a group and two
141
students said that you could learn from the other students you were working with as
they have different qualities to you.
There were various different answers from students about how their behaviour
improved when working as part of a group. They included following:






When you work as part of a group you have to help each other;
Helps me to improve my English so that I understand more and means I
do more work;
Learn how to listen and respect others;
Enjoy myself more in a group;
You want to complete the work when you are in a group;
Other students expect you to work as part of the group.
The following link is of two students talking about working in their group:
http://youtu.be/O81wW2Mm13I
The following link is of students working in their group: http://youtu.be/id85x5teNBQ
Lessons learned
I had originally thought that by grouping the students into mixed ability groups that
they would then naturally support each other with each piece of course work they
were given to do. I had made sure that all students were briefed about how to work
in their supportive groups beforehand and kept referring back to this at the beginning
of each lesson.
I actually found it very difficult to try and get the groupings correct and in some cases
the groupings did not work effectively at all. This was partly down to refusal to work
with other students they did not get along with or the groups were still too closely
made up of friends and they found it difficult to work in a positive way for any length
of time.
However, if a group was given a short project to work on for just one to two weeks,
then students were more inclined to be able to accept working with different
students. The advantage I could see was that students actually did work well
together in the short term, they helped each other with language issues, and work
related issues through to technological issues. The work was all of a good standard
and was also completed on time.
I am still going to continue asking students to work in supportive groups and will be
aiming at shorter projects for these groups where appropriate within the curriculum,
to keep mixing up the groups for ability to allow for greater learning to take place
outside the confines of the traditional tutor/student pedagogy.
142
References
Australian Universities Teaching Committee.
(2002). Assessing group work.
Available
at:
http://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/assessinglearning/03/group.html
[Accessed 11th November, 2013].
Smith, M. K. (2003, 2009). Jean Lave, Etienne Wenger and communities of
practice.
Available
at:
http://infed.rog/mobi/jean-lave-etienne-wenger-andcommunities-of-practice/ [Accessed 25th November, 2013].
University of Sussex (2013). Teaching and Learning Development Unit Peer
Assessment
and
Feedback.
Available
at:
th
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/tldu/ideas/assessment/peer [Accessed 11
November,
2013].
Wenger, E. and Traynor, B. (1998). Introduction to communities of practice.
Available: http://wnger-traynor.com/theory/ [Accessed 25th November, 2013].
143
Using debates to enhance students’ argumentation and influencing
skills
Stuart Philip
Research question: If I develop a series of classroom debates will the students
develop the confidence to lead debate topics amongst their peers and construct
arguments that influence the opinion and decisions of others?
Keywords: IT; Confidence; Persuasion and influencing skills; Resourcefulness;
Functional literacies; Craftsmanship; Business-like skills and attitudes; Skills for
learning; Debates; Group work; peer feedback; and Foundation degree.
Context – FdSc Information for Business (Foundation Degree)
Highlands College runs the following courses that support those seeking to become
technology professionals and currently has 117 full-time students, including 22
undergraduates, studying on the following programmes:



BTEC Level 2 Diploma in IT (4 GCSE equivalent)
BTEC Extended Diploma in IT (3 A Level equivalent)
FdSc Information Technology for Business Degree in conjunction with
Plymouth University.
These courses include embedded professional certifications including; CompTIA,
Microsoft Technical Associate and Microsoft Certified Professional status exams. It
is worth noting that the 117 full-time specialist IT students who are currently studying
at Highlands are housed in temporary accommodation.
The two-year FdSc IT for Business programme aims to enable students to become
knowledgeable, skilled and creative technology professionals.
Locally, the
technology industry is one of the Jersey’s most dynamic and growing business
sectors. It provides some of the most rewarding challenges and opportunities for an
individual throughout their career. Furthermore, there is an increasing demand for
technology professionals who are trained to the highest levels and who can work
with businesses to implement technological solutions to create competitive
advantage. Students taking this programme will be at the forefront of developments
in the local technology industry.
The Foundation degree has been designed in partnership with Plymouth University
and leaders in the technology industry in Jersey. The programme focuses on
establishing a critical understanding of technology strategies for business,
developing industry recognised knowledge and skills to implement new technology
solutions for business, as well as producing a culture of innovation and creativity that
exploits technology for competitive advantage.
The programme encourages learning and development in a way that is practical and
applied, using the experience and expertise of local IT professionals. This approach
provides an underpinning theoretical understanding of the subject and the
144
opportunity for students to apply their knowledge and skills within a business
environment.
During the Foundation degree, students spend a significant period of time working
for an organisation in a technology-related role. As part of the initial work placement
phase, students are given the opportunity to apply for a range of roles offered by
supporting organisations and they secure a work placement through a formal
interview process.
The issue addressed
Working with students on our Foundation degree it has become apparent that
students are not sufficiently skilled, confident or challenged to lead discussions
within group situations in order to influence the thoughts and decisions of others.
These are increasingly valuable skills for IT students to develop.
As future IT professionals they are likely to find themselves in a position where they
will need to influence the business they are working for towards adopting particular
technologies. To do so effectively, they will need to deploy the attributes associated
with researching, synthesizing, justifying and presenting a coherent argument in
order to influence, often non-technical colleagues and superiors that their argument,
conclusions and vision should be adopted by the business to meet strategic
objectives.
Research question
If I develop a series of classroom debates will the students develop the confidence to
lead debate topics amongst their peers and construct arguments that influence the
opinion and decisions of others?
This question focuses on developing students in the following ways:
Resourcefulness
The ability to stop and think effectively about how they use their existing knowledge
and comprehension of a topic, subject domain and/or technology to support their
conclusions and arguments. More importantly, it will require them to develop
strategies that enable them to communicate their ideas persuasively in order to
influence the thinking of others rather than just present what they know.
Functional literacies
In order to put together a coherent argument they will need to demonstrate mastery
of communication skills as part of the debate process. In addition, before entering
the debate they will need to rely upon their literacy to shape their argument, use data
(numeracy) to support their assumptions and deploy digital skills to support the
presentation of their debate position in order to persuade their audience of the
robustness of their viewpoint.
Craftsmanship
Students will work together in small groups. More advanced students will work with
their peers who may be at varying levels of competence and confidence in an effort
to cultivate a positive culture of high aspirations through critical reflection as they
prepare and execute their debates. A supportive culture of excellence will be
145
developed through coaching and mentoring within students’ groups to enable mutual
critique. The added element of competition as part of the debate format will foster an
ethic geared towards high-level performance.
Business-like skills and attitudes
Through the debate topics students will need to align their arguments to commercial,
entrepreneurial and social considerations and incorporate these within their debate
positions. Furthermore, as part of the debate process students will be required to be
accountable for their actions as they contribute to their group. As a part of the
debate audience they will need to be objective at all times, treat their peers with
respect and in their delivery have the courage to make a stand.
Skills for learning
Throughout the debate process students will develop wider skills for growth
including; research and problem solving skills, team working, process management,
time management, negotiation and delegation as well as the ability to self-assess,
peer assess and provide critical feedback of themselves and their peers.
The project/procedure
To facilitate the intervention and enable the research question to be addressed we
created a series of classroom debates (each half-term) focusing upon current
technology trends/issues/challenges facing businesses today. For each debate
would be put into opposing teams (For and Against). Debate teams would be
reorganised for each debate to enable students to work with all members of their
peer group. Previous performance would be used to determine group allocations. It
was hoped that this would provide a platform to group students of varying abilities
and for students to learn from their previous experience and implement different
approaches within a new context.
Using a structured debate format each team will present their arguments. For each
debate there will be an audience group. Their role will be to observe the debate,
evaluate the arguments, student performance and provide feedback to the
participants as well as decide the wining debate team for that specific topic.
Each student will be evaluated during each debate using a consistent set of criteria.
The tutor, the individual student and the audience will carry out this evaluation. Each
debate team will also evaluate their experience. This evaluative process will make it
possible to measure the progress each student has made towards demonstrating the
skills and attributes targeted.
The debate series was conducted over the following timeline:
October 13 (start) – Finalise debate format and preparation timeframes
October 13 (end) – Stage trial (mini) debate
November 13 (start) –
Start preparation process towards first (official) debate
November 13 (end) –
Stage first (official) debate
December 13 –
Evaluation and reflection
146
January 14 (start) – Start preparation process towards second (official) debate
January 14 (end) – Stage second (official) debate
January 14 (end) – Evaluation and reflection
February 14 (start) –
debate
February 14 (end) –
February 14 (end) –
Start preparation process towards second (official)
Stage second (official) debate
March 14 (start) –
March 14 (end) –
March 14 (end) –
Start preparation process towards third (official) debate
Stage third (official) debate
April 14 –
Write up findings
Findings/conclusions
Overall, it is clear that the approach of introducing debates as a learning exercise
contributed to an increased sense of confidence in the students when they were
required to present their arguments to an audience. This was observed specifically
in the improved performances throughout the debate series. Student debate
arguments became more assured in the latter debates, as expected. Feedback from
the students support these findings with an overwhelming response from students
indicating that although they were apprehensive initially, as the exercise was outside
of their comfort zone, once they had been through the first two debates and received
supportive feedback from myself and their peers they felt much more confident
navigating the process.
The students also discussed that in the latter debates they were able to focus their
attention towards the intricacies of their arguments and spent more time refining their
ability to present their arguments in a persuasive manner rather than worrying about
the actual fundamentals of standing up in front of their peers and presenting. This
was observed in the debates as students projected their ideas much more coherently
and relied less on their visual aids and reading their arguments from cue cards.
In addition, during the initial debates it was clear that groups presented their
arguments as individuals and there was a lack of a coherently themed vision linking
the aspects of the arguments together. In the latter debates students demonstrated
the ability to incorporate the findings and conclusions of their group members within
their own sections towards building a fully thought out justification for their position.
The final two aspects of the findings relate to the research and development process
of the debate and the evaluative process. In the former, students identified that
when they put together their arguments for the initial debates they did not consider
fully what the opposing team’s argument statements would be and focused solely on
their own points of view. As the debate series developed students indicated that
their research incorporated potential objections to their arguments and consequently
they tried to counter these as part of their debate presentations. Reflecting upon this
with the students they indicated that this approach led them to grapple with the topic
much more deeply than just learning some knowledge and presenting facts. It
actually required them to analyse their arguments much more deeply and synthesise
147
a wider range of source material in order to drill down to the essence of their
position.
In relation to the latter topic of self and peer evaluation, students reflected that they
found it difficult at first to provide objective feedback to their peers with confidence.
This was in part because they were too focused on their own performance to
observe the exercise objectively and they were unclear how to phrase their feedback
(specifically for areas for development) in a positive way – particularly when they too
needed to work on similar areas. They suggested that in future we would need to
spend more time at the beginning of the process exploring strategies for providing
feedback to ensure that this aspect was executed more effectively.
Lessons learned/personal reflections
In conclusion, the debate series was an exciting and inspiring approach to
structuring learning. The competitive nature of the debate format induced a sense of
urgency and focus into the process. Students were clearly more engaged in the
topics we covered because they had a sense of responsibility to present their
arguments for the benefit of the group they were representing. They also felt a
sense of pride in putting forward their individual viewpoint on specific topics rather
than just regurgitating knowledge they had learned. The sense that they could
contribute something new to a discussion and influence the opinion of others filled
them with a sense of accomplishment and purpose.
Areas for development moving forward include preparing students to be more
accomplished in the process of self and peer assessment – particularly in providing
them with the tools to critique themselves and their peers in a way that leads to
mutual improvement. To improve the process of the staged debate events we
agreed that it would be good to allow the debates to be a little more reformed in their
structure to allow for the opposing debate team to question the arguments being
proposed and allow each team to respond directly to these questions. It was felt that
this would enable participants to develop the skills required to think on their feet
when responding to emerging discussion points.
148
Nicholas Romeril
Research question: If I group students into small groups to give feedback to each
other will their confidence in evaluating their own work and that of others increase?
Keywords: Art and design; Self-evaluation; Giving feedback to others; Group work;
and BTEC Level 3.
Context
The level 3 BTEC National Diploma students at Highland’s Art Department mostly
come directly from local secondary schools and have just completed their GCSEs.
They have chosen Highlands College for several different reasons:



They wish to study art and design full time.
They have not gained the correct grades to be accepted for Hautlieu.
They are unsure what they want to do but liked art at school and so are
encouraged by their parents that this is better than being unemployed.
In the 2013-15 year intake BTEC Level 3 National Diploma Art and Design course
there are 22 students ranging from 16 to 20 years old.
Roughly 80% of the students are re-sitting their Maths or English GCSE. A small
number are re-sitting both.
The course is delivered by teaching clusters of units wrapped around a topic. (We
call them ‘projects’). Often there are two complete units taught in each project.
Each unit requires 60 hours teaching time (recommended by Edexcel). We deliver
each unit in roughly 45 hours. There are 11 units delivered in the first year.
The problem
The students are required to make constant evaluative and analytical commentary
about their working process. They are asked to make decisions about all aspects of
the create activities.
The types of questions the students are asked to answer are illustrated in the list
below.
a. How would you justify your artwork … what were you trying to say about your
idea? Was it successful?
b. What are the strengths of your developmental work and final piece?
c. What aspects could be improved and how?
d. What is a best way of making the final piece?
e. What materials should your final piece be made out of so that it will survive the
environment in which it is to be placed?
f. Why are these materials suitable?
The students are very good at giving subjective personal opinions but do not get a lot
of objective feedback.
149
Review of current practice and literature.
Our students currently only get objective feedback from others when:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Holding exhibitions that are open to the public.
Formal group critics.
Feedback sessions from tutors.
Informal comments from peer group.
The BTEC Level 3 Edexcel Learners’ Guide outlines the criteria to get a ‘distinction’
for Unit 1, Visual Recording in Visual Art.
“D1 demonstrate independence, innovation and individuality in evaluating and
using sources, integrating visual recording skills and in-depth understanding in
communicating information.”
“Evaluation is a skill and needs to be learned. Simple evaluations at a pass level
may be step-by-step accounts of what you did during the project. These are often
factual, backed up with photographs and illustrations, but often do not use
evaluative language or include thought processes and decisions.
Evaluation and reviewing can start early in a project. You could include a weekly
summary or notes at the end of each session, which might include the following:

Examples of problems you faced and how you overcame them.

How you checked and tested your work against goals.

Materials and techniques you used and why you chose them.

Practitioners or stimuli that influenced you.
You could number your sketchbook pages and refer to them in your evaluation to
illustrate points. Explain why you made decisions and how you developed your
ideas. Include drawings, photos, illustrations, examples, recordings, models and
samples.”
(BTEC Level 3 Edexcel Art and Design Handbook, p.223).
The project
The aim of the project is to improve individual students’ evaluative comments so that
they can build confidence in making good, sound aesthetic judgments about their
own creations as well as others.
The better students can share best practice among peer groups.
The project was facilitated by:
1. Setting up small regular critical groups.
2. The project was set to run for six weeks with a one hour session per week.
150
3. Groups of three students each discussed their work at regular stages through
their projects. The tutor tried to match students so that there was a variety of
abilities in each group.
4. I monitored the evaluations and openness of the groups to discuss each other’s
work.
5. I reviewed how well the written evaluations were and moved the groups around
when some groups were not showing improvement.
Findings
The findings from the experiment are outlined in several main points.

The students were not willing to be truly critical about their peers. This is due to
not wanting to be horrible or unkind to each other.

The students did not have wide enough experiences to suggest many different
and subjective points.

The more able students became less keen to continue because they felt that
they were doing most of the commentary and the strength of the feedback they
were getting was not as good as what they gave.

As the project developed, the students gained in confidence and spoke more
openly about want they thought. They were more able and keener to give their
own opinion.

The biggest benefit happened during their mid-year public exhibition. They
received many comments in their comments book recording how other people
viewed their display.

The project fizzled out towards the end as there was not enough time to cover
this HTTVE project as well as teaching the main criteria of the course.
Lessons learned
 The more able students were feeling that the exercise was one sided.
 There was little or no benefit for the more able students because the feedback
that they received was poor quality.
 The critical culture did develop and as the students grew in confidence more
heated exchanges took place.
 The evaluations have improved but I cannot tell whether it was because of this
project or because the students had learnt through practice and reacting to the
feedback they receive from their tutors.
 I would try more targeted questioning to start each critical session and refer to
evaluation criteria.
151
Carol Hopkins
Research question: If I introduce peer teaching within theory sessions in beauty will
my students become more i ndependent learners and more organised
with their learning, thereby increasing the success rate of online exams at
the first sitting?
Keywords: Anatomy and physiology; Beauty; Independent learning; Peer learning;
Year 1; and Level 2.
Context
I have been teaching within the Hairdressing and Beauty Department for 13 years.
The students that I have focused my research on are VRQ Level 2 Year 1 Beauty
Therapy students. Although the students need to be of a set academic standard,
some often struggle with the anatomy and physiology within the course. This can
often affect their exam results leading to poor results within that area of the exam.
They can be of mixed ages, from 16 straight from school or a mature student who
has not studied for many years. Generally they are female. There are 21 students
in the group I have carried out my research with.
If I introduce peer teaching within theory sessions in beauty will my students
become more independent learners and more organised with their
learning, thereby increasing the success rate of online exams at the first
sitting?
I looked at past cohorts from beauty therapy in which students continually failed
exams and had to take resits sometimes more than once. The area which let them
down was anatomy and physiology. In order to try and change this with the present
cohort of students, I wanted to find out if they were to take charge of how they
learned the anatomy and physiology would this have a more positive effect on their
exam results.
To further aid my research I read Bruner, who, in his 1960 text, The Process of
Education, states that students are active learners who construct their own
knowledge. He argued that in schools, trying to match complex subject material to
students was a waste of time. He believes that a child of any age can be capable of
understanding complex information at any stage of development.
Bruner (1961) believes that the most effective way in which students can learn to
construct their own knowledge by organising and categorising information is to
discover and develop a coding system of their own, rather than being told by the
teacher. This is also known as a constructivist approach.
Therefore the role of the teacher is not to teach by rote learning but to facilitate the
learning process. A good teacher will design their lessons to develop the students’
relationship with the processing of information. Therefore, the teachers give out the
152
information to the students without organising it for them. Using the spiral curriculum
can aid the discovery of learning.
When the students have developed a deeper understanding of their learning
competence, they can further develop and take control of their own learning thus
achieving their goals.
The project
Over a 10-week period, I changed the way in which I have previously taught
Anatomy and Physiology to my VRQ2 beauty group. I split them into groups, one of
five and one of six, in which they had to choose a team captain and a team name.
In week one the groups were given a task to complete the structure and functions of
the skin, each group had one week to work on their structure using a 3D form.
Then they had to produce this structure and present to the other groups. Each week
they had a different area of Anatomy and Physiology to research and present their
findings to the rest of the group. Within this they had to teach certain criteria using
either PowerPoint presentations or any other form of teaching method they wanted
to use. I used two different methods of collecting data, the first one was an
evaluation sheet completed during the research. This was given to each group
after each presentation, with three questions in relation to how they felt they were
taught, key points of the presentation, and a suggestion to improve on for next time.
The other data I collected included the results from the Anatomy and Physiology
questions within the exam papers.
Findings
During my 10 weeks of research, I found it interesting how each session varied. In
the first week it was new and exciting for the students, plus they had the opportunity
to make 3D models of the skin structure. When it came to presenting their task
however they were very nervous, but each group member had a role to play. The
second task was similar to the first in that they had to make a structure of the bones
of the body. With this task they had to make a PowerPoint presentation to teach to
the other groups their findings. However, this was when I had to evaluate how I was
writing up the tasks. In the group evaluations sheets they said it was too repetitive
with each group writing up the same information and it got boring (see Figure 1)
Therefore for the next task each group was given criteria specific to that group.
Each group would then have to teach the others what they had found out during their
research, giving them a test at the end to check on their learning. Then each group
would evaluate how each of the presentations went and what they had learned.
“The ‘learning’ aim of any set lesson is to get students to learn the skill of teaching
themselves the content and understanding - that is, to self-regulate their learning.
This requires helping students to develop multiple strategies of learning, and to
realise why they need to invest in deliberate practice and concentration on the
learning. This requires using learning strategies to progress from surface and deep
knowing: it requires assistance in reducing the cognitive load such that attention can
be given to developing these strategies of learning and it requires giving students
multiple opportunities to learn ideas and to engage in deliberate practice, and an
environment in which they can concentrate on their learning.”
153
Figure1
The graph shows the results from the group evaluations, relating to questions about
the presentation being easy to understand, the key points of presentation, and the
students’ presentation skills.
3.5
3
2.5
2
Presentation
Repetitive
1.5
Presentation skills
1
0.5
0
Purple tunics
#Legends
The A team
Pure life
Blue
The results relating to the presentation.
Red
The results relating to repetition of the information.
Green
The results relating to the groups’ presentation skills.
These results were interesting. Two out of the four groups scored high in their
presentation of their PowerPoint, with it being easy to read, but the actual delivery of
the presentation scored lower because they were nervous, and skipped through the
presentation very quickly. The main result however was the concern about the
repetitive nature of the task. Therefore this was changed for the task that followed.
154
Figure 2
The graph shows the results from the group evaluations on the second task, relating
to the presentation being easy to understand, the key points of presentation, and the
students’ presentation skills.
3.5
3
2.5
2
Presentation
Repetitive
1.5
Presentation skills
1
0.5
0
Purple tunics
#Legends
The A Team
Pure Life
Blue
The results of the how the presentation went.
Red
The results of the repetitive of the information.
Green
The results of the groups’ presentation skills.
The results of the way in which the groups would take in the information were very
interesting. Their presentations of the PowerPoints had very clear information and
easy to read. With the task being changed and each group having different areas to
concentrate on there was no repetitiveness of the presentations. However, some
could not answer any questions on the evaluation sheets as they had either forgotten
or could not concentrate on the other groups’ presentation for being worried about
the role they were to take part with the next group.
Then the big question was did the research of peer teaching have the desired effect
on their exam results?
155
Figure 3 Results from exams.
10
9
8
7
6
Manicure
5
Pedicure
Facial
4
Make-up
3
2
1
0
Nails
Skin
Muscles
Bones
Blood
Lymph
Conclusion and lessons learned
At the beginning of the research as it was more a hands-on activity the students
enjoyed that part more, compared to when they had to then go on and present their
findings to the rest of the group. When each group had to research areas that only
they were doing, this caused them to become worried as it put more pressure on
them to give the correct information.
With their evaluations it became clear that during other presentations, if they were
still waiting to present their PowerPoint presentations to the group, that was all they
could focus on. Overall I feel that the students enjoyed the process of the research,
however, not the actual presenting.
The actual results from the exams tell a different story, from taking the first exam on
manicure to taking the last exam on make-up, there was an improvement in all
areas. Therefore the results speak for themselves that working independently and
peer teaching has worked to a certain extent.
My lesson learned is that working independently does help with the students’
learning, however, I would change how I structured the lessons, in which I would
get them to research an area, get their results and deliver the same area so that
they can reflect on both.
156
References
Bruner, J. (1960). The Process of Education. Boston: Harvard University Press.
Bruner, J. S. (1961). ‘The act of discovery’, Harvard Educational Review, 31, 2132, cited by McLeod, S. A. (2008). Bruner. Available at:
http://www.simplypsychology.org/bruner.html31/3/14 [Accessed 6th May, 2014].
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teacher: Maximizing impact on learning.
London: Routledge.
Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, (2007).
Education, 31, 4.
Journal of Further and Higher
Petty, G. (2002). Improving Teaching with Action Research. [Online] Available at:
geoffpetty.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ActionResearch2.doc [Accessed 6th
May, 2014].
157
Resourcefulness
158
Analysis of ‘question framing’ in GCSE-level
questions
Jane Martin, Mark Bardsley and Louise Cohu
mathematics
Research question: Does the way in which a question is framed in mathematics
have a direct effect on the ability of the students to answer it well?
Keywords: Mathematics; Mathematical habits of mind; Resourcefulness; Exam
strategies; and GCSE.
Issue addressed
Writing in 2008, Anne Watson stated:
“In its worst form, school mathematics can be a form of cognitive bullying that
neither develops students’ natural ways of thinking in advantageous directions,
nor leads obviously towards competence in pure or applied mathematics as
practised by adult experts.” (Watson, 2008)
She likened the relationship between school mathematics and adult competence to
“the relationship between being made to eat all your spinach and becoming a chef”
(Watson, 2008). Students progressing to FE who have already failed to gain a grade
C in maths at school may have had bad experiences and are likely to find
examination style questions difficult. This may lead to their approaching maths
lessons with particularly low levels of confidence and enthusiasm, and in some
cases actual fear.
In some recent research at Stanford, Vinod Menon, the professor of psychiatry and
behavioural sciences, has shown that the same part of the brain that responds to
fearful situations, such as seeing a spider or snake, also shows a heightened
response in children experiencing a high degree of maths anxiety. This was shown
to cause decreased activity in parts of the brain involved in problem-solving, showing
that a fear of maths can actually reduce a student’s ability to answer a question
(Stanford University Medical Center, 2012). Anything which can help make the
subject less intimidating and remove some of the sources of difficulty is worth
examining.
The last few years have seen changes to the content of GCSE maths examination
papers, one of the most significant being the introduction of “functional” style
questions. These questions are typically wordy, and involve multiple stage
calculations with very little framework provided. Even although the use of calculators
is permitted and only simple arithmetic processes required, students often appear to
experience difficulty in tackling and solving problems of this type.
Well before the UK government made Functional Skills an integral part of Diplomas
and apprenticeship programmes, and “functional” questions a part of GCSE maths
examinations, research was being done into the difficulty of certain types of question.
In a paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Annual
conference, Fisher-Hoch, Hughes and Bramley (2007) identified “Sources of
Difficulty” in maths examination questions, building on the work of Pollit et al., (1985).
159
These included the number of steps, combination of topics, and the presence of
irrelevant information, all of which are common features of “functional” questions.
The researchers concluded that:
“The results of the trial have shown that differences in performance can be
influenced quite significantly by small variations in the questions.” (FisherHoch, Hughes and Bramley, 2007)
Such small variations can involve the choice of language as explored by
investigators such as Rothery (1984) and Mobley (1987) who stated that readability
of questions was the most important factor in question difficulty. However, the
setting of questions in a context as happens in Functional Maths also has an effect.
The APU (1980) reported that “Context has been found to affect success rate from a
few percentage points up to 20%". Interestingly, they showed that although the
performance of lower ability candidates could be aided by a degree of context, a very
detailed context could reduce performance.
Cooper found that:
“While items appear to be imbedded in 'real-life' contexts the pupil is more likely
to succeed if s/he suspends their knowledge of the 'real' and what they know
about how to approach the solution of practical mathematics problems.”
(Cooper, 1992)
Nickson and Green (1996) found that the degree of context in which a mathematical
question is set can affect the pupils' selection of the correct mathematical operator.
More recently, an NCETM Regional Project entitled “Developing Problem Solving
Approaches to Functional Mathematics within the new GCSE Mathematics
Specification” has been led by Julia Smith in Suffolk (December 2010). The
researchers identified that students often have problems with the vocabulary used in
questions and gave the example of an examination question about Reblochon
cheese, where students had a lot of difficulty, some thinking a “Reblochon” was the
name of a shape. They commented that “it seems unfair that students are
compromised because of their basic literacy understanding.” In this project Orwell
High School used problem-solving activities to help the students tackle “functional”
questions, in particular helping them to:
 “deal with red herrings”
 “identify a route through the problem”
 “identify what to do when you don’t know what to do”
 “know when you have finished”.
Our research question
Carr and Kemmis (1986) stated that action research should include the key features
of both involvement and improvement, and this was the case in the present
research. Since apart from exercising choice of exam board, the college Maths
lecturer is powerless to change the language, context or structure of the questions
which will be encountered by students in an external examination, this research was
aimed at identifying the main sources of difficulty experienced by students, with a
160
view to developing strategies to help them tackle “functional” questions. Our
expectations were that students would find more difficulty with questions which:
 Involved a lot of reading and/or included irrelevant information
 Carried a lot of marks
 Required multiple operations or stages to reach the answer.
We were also interested to see whether there was any difference between four
different exam boards offering the qualification, so that we could exercise our choice
to the benefit of the students.
Therefore our research question was:
Does the way in which a question is framed in mathematics have a direct effect on
the ability of the students to answer it well?
The project
Recent Foundation Tier GCSE Maths examination papers were obtained from four
boards (AQA, Edexcel, WJEC and OCR) and all the questions relating to a particular
group of topics were taken. From these, five questions were taken from each board
and used to make a “practice exam paper” which was distributed to 40 GCSE
students. The paper may be seen in Appendix 1, and its composition summarised in
Appendix 2.
The students were asked to attempt as many of the questions as possible, and also
to complete a questionnaire which required participants to rate each exam question
using five four-point Likert scale items. The questions were rated for perceived
difficulty, clarity of wording, ease of finding information, layout, and clarity of mark
scheme (see Appendix 3).
All student ratings were recorded, together with the scores that they obtained from
the exam questions which they had attempted.
All results were collated on a spreadsheet (see Appendix 4) and the mean ratings
and mean scores achieved by the students were calculated (See Appendix 5).
Findings
Plotting the mean score on each question against the number of steps in the
required calculation showed a strong negative correlation, which was also echoed by
a positive correlation between the perceived difficulty of the question and the number
of steps. This confirmed expectations that the difficulty of the questions increased
with the number of steps.
161
percentage
Mean percentage mark
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
2
4
Number of steps
6
8
As expected, there was also a strong negative correlation between the difficulty the
students experienced in understanding the language used in the question and the
mean score for that question.
Mean percentage mark
Relationship between percentage
mark and language
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
Mean rating for difficulty of understanding
2.5
Similarly, there was a positive correlation between the ease of finding relevant
information within a question, and the mean score on that question. The inclusion of
irrelevant information and the amount of superfluous “context” would both affect the
ease of identifying information.
162
Mean percentage score
Relationship between ease of
finding information and score
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
0
0.5
1
1.5
Difficulty of finding information
2
2.5
There was also a negative correlation between the number of marks allotted by the
marking scheme, and the percentage of these marks achieved by the students who
attempted these questions. This supports the hypothesis that students have more
difficulty in gaining marks when they are allocated in greater denominations.
Percentage of marks obtained
% of marks obtained
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
0
2
4
6
Number of marks on mark scheme
8
No significant differences were found between questions from the different
examination boards.
Conclusions
The results of this research have confirmed our hypothesis that the difficulty of exam
questions is affected by several factors. In particular, questions are made more
difficult by:
 Requiring multiple steps to reach the answer
 Being set in an elaborate context or scenario, which involves irrelevant
information
 Using difficult or unfamiliar words
163

There does not appear to be any significant difference in question difficulty
between the examination boards.
Following on from these initial findings, attempts have been made to help students to
tackle the long, “functional” style questions. One idea which has been trialled is to
encourage them to remove the scenario and all the irrelevant information and try to
reduce the question to one sentence, such as “How much will 9 boxes cost at £12
each with 10% off.” Learners seem to find this surprisingly difficult to do. The use of
highlighter pens, circling or underlining, to identify the important information in the
question has also been encouraged, and many students readily adopt this habit.
Some work has also been done using a method where students list “Things I know”
on the left of the page, “What I want to find out” on the right, and then try to bridge
the two by adding “Things I can see how to calculate” and “Things it would be useful
to know”. So far, this has had only moderate success but it has provoked useful
discussions with the students about how questions can be approached.
Other ideas yet to be trialled include helping students to make glossaries of
unfamiliar words, including both specialist mathematical terms and other vocabulary,
and encouraging them to draw diagrams of their own where this is helpful to interpret
the question better. It is hoped that more research will be done in this area in the
near future.
164
Assessment of Performance Unit (APU) (1988). Mathematical Development; A
Review of Monitoring in Mathematics 1978 - 1982, Parts 1 and 2.
Carr, W. & Kemmis, S. (1986). Becoming Critical: Action, Knowledge and Action
Research. Lewes: Falmer Press.
Fisher-Hoch, H., Hughes, S. and Bramley, T. (1997). ‘What makes GCSE exam
questions difficult?: Outcomes of manipulating difficulty of GCSE questions.’ Paper
presented at the British Educational Research Association Annual Conference,
September
11th–14th
1997,
in
York.
Available
at:
th
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/000000338.htm [Accessed 13
May,
2014].
Mobley. M. (1987). Making ourselves clearer: Readability in the GCSE. London:
Secondary Examinations Council.
Nickson, M. and Green, S. (1996). ‘A Study of the Effects of Context in the
Assessment of the Mathematical Learning of 10/11 Year Olds.’ Paper presented to
the 1996 British Educational Research Association.
Available at:
www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/ca/
Pollitt, A., Hutchinson. C., Entwhistle, N. and de Luca, C. (1985).
examination questions difficult? Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press.
What makes
Shuard, H. and Rothery, A. (1984). Children Reading Mathematics. London: John
Murray.
Smith, J. (2010).
Developing Problem Solving Approaches to Functional
Mathematics within the new GCSE Mathematics Specification, NCETM Regional
Project – December 2010.
Stanford University Medical Center. (21 March 2012). ‘Differences in brain function
for children with math anxiety’ Reported in ScienceDaily 21st March, 2012. Available
at: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120321132103.htm [Accessed May 7th,
2014].
Wellington, J. (2000). Educational Research: Contemporary issues and Practical
Approaches. New York: Continuum.
165
Appendix 1 Practice examination paper
Copy available from authors
Appendix 2
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
Q6
Q7
Q8
Q9
Q10
Q11
Q12
Q13
Q14
Q15
Q16
Q17
Q18
Q19
Q20
Marks
available
4
5
3
4
4
4
5
4
5
5
6
7
6
7
5
6
4
4
4
6
Composition of test paper
parts
1
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
4
2
2
6
calc/non
calc
calc
calc
calc
calc
non-calc
calc
calc
calc
non-calc
calc
calc
non-calc
calc
non-calc
calc
non-calc
calc
calc
non-calc
calc
Board
OCR
AQA
Edexcel
WJEC
AQA
WJEC
Edexcel
OCR
AQA
OCR
Edexcel
WJEC
Edexcel
OCR
AQA
WJEC
OCR
AQA
Edexcel
WJEC
166
Number of
steps
3
3
2
3
4
3
6
4
3
6
6
3
7
7
4
3
1
2
2
1
Appendix 3 Rating of questions for perceived difficulty, clarity of wording,
ease of finding information, layout, and clarity of mark scheme
Overall
grade for
question
How 1:very
to
easy
4:
grade very hard
Was the
wording
clear?
Was the
information
you needed
easy to
find?
1:very clear 1:very easy
4: not at all to find 4:
clear
very hard to
find
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
Q6
Q7
Q8
Q9
Q10
Q11
Q12
Q13
Q14
Q15
Q16
Q17
Q18
Q19
Q20
167
Was the layout
including tables,
diagrams, etc
helpful?
Was it clear
how marks
would be
awarded?
1:very clear /
helpful 4:not at
all clear/helpful
1:very clear
4:not at all
clear
Appendix 4 Results
Totals from responses
Overall
Was
Was
the
grade
the
information
for
wording you
question clear?
needed
easy
to
find?
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
Q6
Q7
Q8
Q9
Q10
Q11
Q12
Q13
Q14
Q15
Q16
Q17
Q18
Q19
Q20
67
79
93
90
98
108
100
89
77
108
81
102
76
97
84
91
65
63
74
62
52
77
69
75
83
94
83
88
68
94
74
87
76
93
77
77
57
60
70
65
50
81
74
85
87
84
80
95
72
89
76
75
72
86
74
77
59
65
55
60
Was the
layout
including
tables,
diagrams,
etc.,
helpful?
Was
it marks
clear how gained
marks
would be
awarded?
59
74
67
85
84
87
78
89
61
97
69
80
69
90
77
75
64
59
67
60
87
71
76
78
86
95
95
97
72
112
84
91
86
86
79
81
59
61
73
67
168
38
37
23
30
10
19
30
23
33
17
16
16
30
15
17
19
30
23
18
24
Appendix 5 Mean ratings and mean scores achieved by the students
Mean ratings and mean scores for the questions
Overall
Was
Was
the Was the
grade
the
information layout
for
wording you
including
question clear?
needed
tables,
easy
to diagrams
find?
etc
helpful?
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
Q6
Q7
Q8
Q9
Q10
Q11
Q12
Q13
Q14
Q15
Q16
Q17
Q18
Q19
Q20
1.68
1.93
2.27
2.20
2.45
2.63
2.44
2.17
1.88
2.70
1.98
2.49
1.85
2.43
2.10
2.28
1.59
1.58
1.85
1.55
1.30
1.88
1.68
1.83
2.08
2.29
2.02
2.15
1.70
2.35
1.80
2.18
1.85
2.33
1.93
1.93
1.39
1.50
1.75
1.63
1.19
1.93
1.76
2.07
2.12
2.00
1.90
2.26
1.80
2.17
1.85
1.88
1.76
2.15
1.85
1.93
1.44
1.63
1.38
1.50
1.44
1.80
1.68
2.07
2.10
2.12
1.90
2.17
1.53
2.37
1.68
2.00
1.68
2.25
1.93
1.88
1.56
1.48
1.68
1.50
169
Was
it Overall mean
clear how student mark
marks
rating
would be
awarded?
mean
%
mark
2.18
1.73
1.90
1.95
2.15
2.32
2.32
2.37
1.80
2.80
2.10
2.28
2.10
2.15
1.98
2.03
1.44
1.53
1.83
1.68
95%
74%
70%
68%
42%
68%
75%
72%
66%
43%
44%
38%
63%
43%
68%
53%
94%
82%
75%
67%
1.55
1.85
1.86
2.02
2.18
2.27
2.12
2.22
1.74
2.48
1.88
2.16
1.85
2.26
1.96
2.01
1.48
1.54
1.70
1.57
3.80
3.70
2.09
2.73
1.67
2.71
3.75
2.88
3.30
2.13
2.67
2.67
3.75
3.00
3.40
3.17
3.75
3.29
3.00
4.00
Strategies to enable visual learners to engage in historical
contextual research
Linda Burton
Research question: If visual students are given autonomy in choosing their own
area of contextual and historical research do they produce more engaged and indepth work?
Keywords: Art and design; Making links; Independent research; Resourcefulness;
Scaffolding; Exhibition; BTEC Level 2; and BTEC Level 3.
Context
The BTEC National Level 3 Diploma in Art and Design has 22 students on the first
year of the two year course. There are fifteen female students and seven male
students. Eleven of the students are internal transfers form Level 2 First Diploma in
Art and Design. The age range is from 16 to 18 years old.
The BTEC Level 2 First Diploma in Art and Design has fifteen students, nine female
and six male. The eldest is 55 the youngest 16. Six of the students are internal
transfers from Diploma in Vocational Studies. Both groups contain a number of the
students who are dyslexic and have learning support. I teach each group Contextual
Studies in Art and Design once a week for 90 minutes.
Issue addressed
The students find it difficult to make connections between art and design
movements, how one can influence another and how they grow and develop from
each other. I normally give lectures to locate work within a historical framework,
making links where possible to local exhibitions and studio projects. An example of
the former was the Jersey Heritage exhibition ‘All Change Victorian Jersey’ and the
latter a Surface Pattern project.
I wondered if I gave the students autonomy in choosing their research area would
they be more motivated and curious about the links between different art works that
they and their fellow students had chosen. I decided therefore rather than impose
the contextual and historical framework I would allow the Level 3 students to use
their initial contextual research for their 3D design project as a starting point.
If visual students are given autonomy in choosing their own area of contextual and
historical research do they produce more engaged and in depth work?
The project: Level 3 students
I devised a brief that referred to the theory of six degrees of separation (see
Appendix 1). When introducing the brief to the students, they had already chosen
their artist who would inspire the 3D project and had written some information about
their work. The students laid their research out on the floor in a time line that
enabled all of us to look at the work together. Working down the line we were able to
make connections between certain pieces of work and put them in smaller
groupings. I had brought in a project from the same year group from two years
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earlier who had produced contextual research into artists and designers that had
influenced their studio practise. Their research pages had been bound together in a
hardback A4 book which was included in the mid-year exhibition to complement and
contextualise their work. I also showed the group a History Through Art Timeline
produced by Davis Publications Inc. By including these I wanted to emphasise that
the quality of visual design was equally important as the research, because I wanted
to display their work like the six degrees of separation diagram in the lecture room
for the mid-year exhibition. The advantage of this display in an exhibition over the
A4 book was that it could more easily be viewed in its entirety. I thought that
showing the high quality of the previous students work and having a public exhibition
to aim for would motivate the current group.
Fourteen students fulfilled the brief and the resulting gaps meant that the
interconnectedness that had been discussed and devised in class could not be
presented. The students who completed the research had their work graded as
normal and mapped against the relevant unit. What the project failed to do was to
bring all the work together to give an overview. I have learned that I find it difficult to
facilitate team working when only seeing the students once a week. Another
consideration may be that because individual response is so important in a creative
subject like art and design working together towards as a team is more difficult. The
A4 book worked because each element was self-contained.
The project: Level 2 students
In order to encourage the Level 2 students to look at art and design movements I
linked a contextual studies brief to the research the students were doing for a studio
project based on mythology. This time rather than give free rein each student was
given a colour photocopy of two pages of sculpture and paintings inspired by myth
and legend, from Art The Definitive Visual Guide. The student had to pick one
image, give information about the artist, explain to which art movement the work
belonged and how it demonstrated elements of that movement. There was sufficient
text next to each image to enable the student to follow the ‘clues’ to the next piece of
information. The work then expanded into additional research from The Usborne
Introduction Art and The Usborne Introduction to Modern Art, full colour books with
an equal balance of image and text with links to educational websites such as those
at the National Gallery and Tate Modern.
By limiting the choice of research area at the beginning of this project and using wellestablished books the students have located reliable information and have used a
range of sources.
In a presentation at college on interactive learning, the speaker Geoff Petty said that
learning is based on scaffolding, why should a tutor expect a student to produce
3,000 word essays if they have never done that before. He said a tutor should think
of things students can do rather than what they cannot. Students prefer to use the
internet but sometimes the information is not always reliable. If the student can use
book and Internet research together it appears that the student reaches a better
understanding of their subject – in this case the links between artists and art
movements and the historical and contextual background from which they come.
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In the most recent project for the first year Level 3 students they have been asked to
research three art and design movements and produce a timeline for each one
indicating artist names, significant elements of the movement and representative art
works. This will feed directly into their self-directed studio project so is more akin to
the Level 2 project above. To complement the student research I will be delivering
PowerPoint presentations giving an overview of the major developments and
movements from 1850 to the present. Each student will be provided with a colour
printout of the slides against which they can make notes.
By combining the visual stimulus of the slides as an aide memoire, building on the
more guided research done with the Level 2 students and allowing the timelines to
be totally individual for each student this project will provide more opportunities for
students to succeed.
Conclusion
The current Level 3 first year studio project is nearing completion and their
contextual research has undergone a group critique. I have never done this before
with contextual research, it is usually only done with studio work. On the 8 th May the
students had been given a sheet explaining in more user-friendly language exactly
what is required from Unit 5 Contextual Influences in Art and Design (see Appendix
2). We read it in class and I gave a PowerPoint presentation of how a student might
follow and develop a line of research and showed them some exemplar sketchbooks
with contextual research. For homework I asked them to look at what they had
researched so far and if there were any omissions that needed attention, to do so.
The following week they were put into groups of four for the critiques. Each student
presented their research to the others who, using the Unit 5 explanation sheet,
checked what had been covered and what still needed to be done. The students
took turns to scribe the feedback for each other. Their homework was to act upon
the peer feedback. The next lesson is scheduled for 22 nd May and will involve me
giving one to one tutorials to establish the quality and depth of research and to
suggest additional work if required for the project completion date of 28 th May.
In the informal feedback I received from the students at the end of the lesson on 15 th
May they said generally they had found it helpful discussing their research with their
peers. In my final class with this group on 29 th May I will devise a student
questionnaire to gauge which of the approaches they feel has been the most
successful in helping them engage with their contextual research. When grading the
work I will keep the completed questionnaire to hand to cross reference with the
actual achievements.
Bibliography
Dickens, R. (2008). The Usborne Introduction to Modern Art. London: Usborne
Publishing.
Graham-Dixon, A. (Editorial Consultant) (2008). Art The Definitive Visual Guide.
London: Dorling Kindersley.
Student Art Guide.
sketchbook-ideas.
Available at: http://www.studentartguide.com/articles/art-
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Appendix 1 Revised design brief
Level 3 BTEC National Diploma
………………………….....................
Unit 5 Contextual Influences in Art & Design
Student Name:
Six degrees of separation is the theory that everyone and everything is six or fewer
steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person in the world, so that a
chain of "a friend of a friend" statements can be made to connect any two people in a
maximum of six steps. It was originally set out by Frigyes Karinthy and popularized
by a play written by John Guare.
Source: Wikipedia
Having chosen your artist as inspiration for your 3D project you have been asked to
extend that research into a short report on their work and background including
images of that work. This report will form part of a ’Six degrees of separation’
display for the 1st year exhibition.
You will be assessed against the following Unit 5 criteria:
1. Describe the characteristics and influences of key movements and individuals.
P1
2. Research and organise information about developments in art effectively
linking it to the cultural context in which the work was created. P2 M1
3. Express coherent opinions supported by your findings from established
sources. P3 P4 M2
4. Present the work in a clear and visually pleasing manner. P5
5. Include a bibliography. P3
The work is to be word processed on A4 paper to include a good quality image/s.
The work is to be handed in on Thursday 9th January 2014
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Appendix 2
Unit 5 Contextual Influences in Art and Design
‘Through exploring and recording from a wide variety of sources learners will develop
their critical and analytical skills by using combinations of visual, written and verbal
presentations.
This will contribute to a cycle of application, as contextual
understanding contributes to the learner’s practical skills and their practice gives
them inside knowledge of other practitioners work.’
(Taken from introduction to unit 5)
How to make sure you hit all grading criteria for Unit 5.
P1 describe the characteristics and influences of key movements and the work of
individuals
This means you have to explain what is important about an art or design movement
and how the work an artist or designer makes is part of that movement.
P2 show how cultural contexts relate to historical and contemporary art, craft and
design
This means you should explain how wider cultural influences such as non-western
art, scientific and technological development, political change, social trends, new
movements, sub-cultures, changing music and street fashion interconnects with
innovation and development in all aspects of art, craft and design.
P3 produce primary and secondary research
This means you have to produce a range of research which may include lecture
notes, research from secondary sources such as books, journals, the internet, video
evidence from an oral presentation, annotated visual research in your sketchbooks
and written assignments. Primary research will come from gallery or studio visits.
P4 review information and produce outcomes
This means you need to select relevant information from your research to produce a
completed piece of work using correct academic referencing where necessary
P5 present outcomes
This means using varied presentation methods such as written essays, annotated
sketchbooks, video, film, Power Point or poster presentation to the class.
M1 research and organise information about art, craft and design developments,
effectively linking the contexts in which works were produced.
This means that you research a broad range of information using different sources
and produce clear notes explaining your findings, descriptive and analytical writing or
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detailed annotated visual research in your sketchbook. Your work should show that
you have organised your research well and that you have linked the art and design
to the context in which it was produced (see P2).
M2 express coherent opinions, supported by examples drawn from established
sources
This means you need to refer to and quote from expert opinions that have helped
you come to an understanding of the work of an artist or designer or a particular
period or culture. If you are writing an essay it should be well structured with each
paragraph moving your argument forward. If you’re presenting research in your
sketchbook or on research sheets you put together a well-planned presentation of
visual and written analysis.
D1 extract and analyse complex information independently, from comprehensive
research
This means that you will need to independently, select and carefully record from a
wide range of contextual material, investigating and reviewing alternative opinions
and interpretations.
D2 express informed judgements and argued conclusions, using specialist language
fluently
This means that the analysis and discussion you present in your work is the result of
thoughtful research. The way you present your findings may be creative and
relevant to your particular specialism i.e. a film, an animation, an illustrated book.
This demonstrates what you have learned from contextual influences is firmly
embedded in your own work.
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A. J. Ahier
Research question: If we encourage our students to research secondary sources of
information and validate the content, will it increase their potential to analyse and
evaluate subject matter leading to better understanding and better results?
Keywords: Information searching; Analysis and evaluation skills; Assessment;
Business Studies; and BTEC Level 3 Year 1.
Context
I work in the Professional Studies Faculty lecturing Business Studies students. The
students selected for my action research are my tutor group which are first year
students who started in September 2013 on a two-year Level 3 BTEC Extended
Diploma in Business. There are twenty-one students in the group, twelve male and
nine female students. Their ages range from sixteen to twenty-one. Seven of the
students carried out a Level 2 BTEC Diploma in Business last year and the majority
have come to us from local secondary schools. Several of the students are of nonresidential descent. Of this group most are of Portuguese, however, one is of
Kenyan descent.
Issue addressed
When looking at previous work from students, they rarely used or identified
secondary sources of information used to research their work. If they did use
sources they were rarely validated to determine how relevant or biased they were.
This got me thinking that if students had better research skills and determined the
viability of the research they did, would it enhance the quality of their work?
As a starting point I looked at a number of previous pieces of work carried out for the
unit of work I was going to use which was BTEC Unit 1 Business Environment. I
also looked at previous assignment briefs to see what research the students had
been asked to do and what sources had either been supplied on the assignment or
on the Moodle system. I also discussed with my colleagues what they did to
encourage students to either independently research or peer research. What
transpired was that very few sources were given to support learning or there was
little advice on where or how to look. Students were not asked to validate the
content of their research or show hyperlinks in all assignments of work.
After a lot of discussion on my research question with a number of fellow lecturers I
came up with the following:
“If we encourage our students to research secondary sources of information and
validate the content, will it increase their potential to analyse and evaluate subject
matter leading to better understanding and better results?”
The research will be measuring whether better analysis and evaluation has taken
place by looking at the result of two pieces of work. The first is unit 1 assignment
two, which has a pass, merit and distinction element and students will be required to
176
source only the merit piece of work. The distinction will require sourcing and
evaluation of the validity of each source. To complete my research, for assignment
three, students need to source and validate both the merit and distinction piece of
work.
My personal observations of the target group prior to my research was that they
were a capable group, however, they did not devote enough time to planning or
researching the subject before writing up the work. It was almost as if they wanted
to be spoon fed information and then write up their notes. Sources were not as a
rule supplied in the work to support the learning either.
To gain a better understanding of the skills set students had when they joined us
from compulsory education I firstly drew on my own experiences teaching in a
Norfolk comprehensive school and sixth form college, plus I discussed the subject
with my curriculum manager who had just arrived from a local comprehensive school
in September. While in a few subjects such as History, students were encouraged to
reference their work, the vast majority of students did not have the skills needed to
source, reference or validate their work.
From looking at previous work to see what students had produced and how they had
sourced their work, it was found that the students’ work had a list of references at the
end of each section. This list did not indicate how these sources had been used or
the value of the research. Little validation of the sources occurred. In the distinction
work a couple of sources had been referenced and an attempt had been made by
the student to validate one of the sources only. The student had not achieved the
higher grades for this work.
The project
Having carried out research on different methods of sourcing and validating the
curriculum manager and I came up with two assignments which could be used for
this particular research.
The resulting first assignment to be carried out in October 2013 was about the
ownership and stakeholders of BP and their influence on the company. For
distinction level students were asked to source information where it sat in their work
by showing hyperlinks, to validate the source by indicating whether they thought it
was biased or not and optional was to print and highlight the evidence.
It was decided that in order to show any progression from the first assignment and
substantiate any findings, the students would carry out a final assignment during
January and February 2104 which required them to carry out an external PEST
analysis on Tesco in two contrasting environments. This required at merit level for
students to identify how Tesco had adapted different practices in India from UK for
different types of stakeholders and show the impact of this on Tesco. Distinction
level students needed to show a possible adaption of practice in both countries as a
Tesco possible strategy for 2020. All merit and distinction work needed to have
hyperlinks to show evidence and should all be validated. It was optional to provide
copies of evidence.
177
All students would be shown how to add hyperlinks and what was meant by
validating their findings. A discussion would also take place as to why they were
adding this to their work and what they thought they could get out of doing this. If my
research was successful I wanted the students to carry on sourcing work, so I did not
want them to think that this practice was a one-off experiment and therefore would
encourage them to use this as an everyday assignment requirement.
At the end of the research a focus group of five students would be formed from the
group to determine what they had gained from the two assignments in terms of
added skills. Had it helped them to analyse and evaluate in more detail? Was their
understanding of the subject matter more developed as a result?
Findings
The findings from my first piece of research were encouraging. Out of the selected
group seventeen students reached distinction grade and the rest reached merit
grade. All distinction work was backed up by links to research carried out by
students and all had used further research materials to determine validity of their
analysis, while evaluating the worth of research content. This provided a deeper
understanding of the subject matter and written work contained depth not seen in
corresponding work last year. Students were stimulated by how relatively easy it
was to find the sources of information and its effect on understanding and quality of
work. Colleagues indicated that these students were also carrying out similar
methods of research in their units of work with better results than were attained in
previous years.
To complete my research students were asked to use the same methods of sourcing
and validation for assignment three for both merit and distinction. The idea was to
see if the same standard of work could be replicated; however, the assignment was
given a higher degree of difficulty because of the availability of relevant sources.
This time fifteen of the group rose to the occasion and produced analysis and
evaluation worthy of distinction level. The lengths students went to source work was
highly stimulating and as a result they were encouraged to peer discuss where
sources had been found in order to encourage further analysis and evaluation.
At the end of my research a focus group was convened containing members of the
selected research group to discuss what they had learnt from sourcing and validating
work and how they might use the same methods in the future. Five students
obtaining a distinction for both assignments were invited. First they were asked if
they had been required during previous courses to source their work. One explained
that she done so as part of her Level 2 Business at school and another told us that
he had to source pictures for GCSE ICT. The rest had never been asked to do so
before. None had been required ever to validate the sources used. So next they
were asked to explain how sourcing and validating work had helped them. All
agreed that looking at a wider range of sources provided more information which
could then be elaborated on when analysing and evaluating. Some felt that
validating their work by looking for other sources gave them a better understanding
of the facts and they could come to better conclusions. As there were two
assignments for this research they were asked which one was easier in terms of
finding sourcing and how did validating help. All agreed that there was a great deal
more evidence on BP and their stakeholders as a result of the spill off the coast of
178
Mexico. However, even though it was harder to find information on TESCO in India,
the skills they had developed on the first assignment had helped to find eventually
what they were looking for. I asked who was using this skill in other units currently.
They all told me that it had proved to be such a good tool to help them analyse and
evaluate it had become the norm. They did also tell me that it did at times add extra
work in order to write up an assignment. Finally they were asked when they thought
it would be the best time to learn this skill and all felt that it should be part of the
induction process before they starting writing their first assignment. Finally I invited
two students who had not completed the Distinction work for a second focus group.
This was to determine why and whether it was to do with accessing secondary
sources. One decided to carry out the pass level only as he felt that he had
struggled to work at this grade. The other had attempted the distinction in the first
assignment but not reached the requirement. This student felt that at the time it was
difficult to find sources needed and when she did found the language difficult to
interpret in order to validate. She explained that with peer assistance and help from
tutors, she was more confident with sourcing information and with help could validate
because she had better understanding. As a result she was sourcing other units of
work and gaining higher grades.
Lessons learned
The research carried out confirms my opinion that if we encourage students to
research in more depth and question the validity of what they are reading they will be
more informed and thus able to analyse and evaluate in more depth. The fact that
not only were they able to replicate the standard of understanding and analyse and
evaluate in more depth, they started using the same method in other units of work
without being asked to do so. Having spoken to the students they saw it as a way of
developing their understanding further and gave them skills with a positive result.
Resulting from this research I would make the following recommendation: that as
part of induction training all Professional Studies students starting at all BTEC levels
should be shown how to and be encouraged to source and validate any research
they carry out. By doing this from the very start students such as the target group
will be encouraged to carry sourcing and validation out as a matter of cause thus
producing better quality work and achieving higher grades. This would be
particularly valid as BTEC have decided new methods of presenting work from
September which means students will only be able to submit work once. With better
research skills they will be able to access higher grades from the very beginning of
their course.
Finally I believe what comes out of this research is “that the miracle of understanding
comes from being enlightened and provides students with a platform for opinion.”
179
Developing technical skills and independent learning for lifedrawing students
Jason Butler
Research question: Does practical demonstration help or hinder learning in lifedrawing?
Keywords: Life drawing; Skills learning; Independent learning; Risk taking; and
Tutor modelling.
Issue addressed
Having spent many years teaching life drawing, I have become increasingly
interested and intrigued in how students respond to practical demonstration. Do the
demonstrations I give help the students to be more confident with their technical
skills and/or do they feel intimidated by the standards being set, therefore
discouraging them from taking risks?
As a practising artist, I try to improve my technical skills on a daily basis. The skills I
have acquired are very useful in a classroom setting as I am able to show, rather
than just tell the students how to correct any mistakes being made. Many of the
students coming to life-class are diffident in their ability and therefore need to gain
confidence through the act of making and taking on the advice given. It has become
increasingly clear to me that a percentage of students, whilst finding it helpful to
observe a demonstration, also find it somewhat ‘out of reach’ and a little intimidating.
The question is whether it is worth the risk of taking the student out of their comfort
zone if their skills improve and they subsequently gain more confidence as a result. I
wanted to investigate how to improve my approach to making certain skills
accessible and achievable.
Does practical demonstration help or hinder learning in life-drawing?
The project
In any high standard art and design environment, independent learning is an integral
part of becoming a professional practitioner. The aim of this research was to
become more aware of how effective demonstrations can be as a way of garnering
independent learners who are willing and confident enough to take on board advice
and critical feedback.
The main external factor within any critique of this project is the importance of the
trust that each student has for the tutor. Without this trust, the student may well feel
inferior when observing a practical example. The internal factor would be the ability
that the student is trying to acquire. This is not only drawing skills but also the ability
to evaluate and critique.
A group of approximately 12 students took part in this project with a varied range of
abilities. To calculate the value of demonstration, over a period of eight sessions the
students were given demonstrations during four lessons, whilst being given only
verbal explanations in the other four lessons.
180
The way the session is managed can be as influential as any other factor (Watkins,
2005). Ensuring the students are comfortable in their surroundings helps in gaining
a routine and structure.
So as to ensure the students gave honest and direct answers, I monitored the results
on a week-to-week basis, carrying on the sessions without the students being aware
I was doing anything different. This was important as I did not want them to be selfconscious in any way, the proof would be in the quality of work produced and verbal
feedback.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Demonstration in measuring
Repeat of previous session – Verbal only
Demonstration in measuring & tone
Demonstration in tone
Demonstration in tone & colour
The table above represents how this project was carried out. This is a normal
introduction to Life Drawing as it allows for structure and discipline to what is
sometimes seen by new students as a ‘relaxed’ class with few set-rules. These
disciplines are also the ‘bread and butter’ skills necessary for good
draughtsmanship, hence the repetition.
Evaluation through informal conversations
Due to only being with the students one and a half hours a week, it was important to
talk to the students one-to-one in a casual and honest way so as to get genuine
feedback. Due to the small number of students involved it allowed for a relaxed and
non-intrusive study. Through continual discussions the students seemed more at
ease to talk about their experiences.
Strengths and weaknesses of this approach
I am aware that by conducting this study through observation and regular feedback
rather than through asking the students to participate knowingly, I am primarily
gaining a subjective view. As stated above, I felt this to be the best approach as I
did not want the students to feel under inspection, particularly as we did not know
each other well at the time. The strength with this process however is that it has
allowed me to understand both my own teaching methods and the students’ learning
habits better through a non-intrusive approach. There will always be a question over
how exact self-observation can be, however as long as this is acknowledged I feel it
is very beneficial. Due to this project needing to be carried out relatively early in the
academic year meant that I was still getting to know the students and I was still
finding out how they had been taught previously. If I were conducting this research
now, having got to know the students well, I would make them aware of the study.
This is something I plan to do next academic year as follow-up to this project.
181
Findings
Informal discussions took place so as to gain a view on how the students feel and
their views on the benefits of demonstrations. Overall, the students felt that it was
necessary to demonstrate practical skills as this way of teaching leant itself to
greater understanding. Because the majority of the students would be classed as
visual learners, this, as expected, makes sense.
Although some students have commented on the fact that they can feel
overwhelmed at times watching a ‘professional’ and then being asked to carry out
the same task, in the main they are aware how fortunate they are in having tutors
who can actually ‘do-as-they-say’. The key to making this approach work has been
in seizing on anything positive regarding the students’ use of the demonstration.
Allowing them to make as many mistakes as is necessary is key and builds trust
between the tutor and student.
The stronger students definitely responded most positively, commenting on how it
has raised their standards and given them something to aspire to. Students with
weaker practical skills have stated they are sometimes deterred from making
mistakes because they feel under pressure. Knowing this has prompted me to be
much more conscious of being positive regarding risk taking. Taking the first chance
I get to point out the good work produced and the progress made is a priority (Neher
et al., 1992). Within after class critiques, I point out drawings which show
improvement rather than just technically strong work. Exhibiting work on the walls of
the Art Department building also acts as a strong motivating factor, especially for
weaker students who have not had this experience before.
Conclusions
It has been a valuable and important process and has implications on future classes.
The key area of interest is in how to ensure the students who are less interested in
life drawing and therefore more likely to be overwhelmed, are made to be more
motivated through the use of demonstrations. Being highly aware of each student’s
response is crucial. This is obvious, but through this study has become the central
feature when I teach using this method.
In an age in which students’ opinions are rightly taken seriously and are constantly
asked for feedback, it is important to take the findings seriously and act upon them.
However, it is also important to acknowledge the role of the tutor in encouraging the
students to extend themselves academically and technically, being pushed out of
their comfort zone and being asked difficult questions. A ‘dominant’ but ‘cooperative’
approach, without neither to the extreme, is effective (Petty, 2006:6). Being a
practitioner in the arts is often seen as a ‘nice’ vocation. The reality is one has to be
ready for criticism and challenges, like any other industry. My feeling is that as long
as the tutor is sensitive to the needs of the student, they should be encouraged to
step up in standard and therefore take up the challenge of trying to emulate the
tutor’s skill.
Lessons learned
The feedback intimates that the classroom set up is all-important. In a learning
community the aim should be to inspire both collective and individual knowledge
(Watkins, 2005). So as to ensure a supportive environment, the tutor has to
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encourage students to also demonstrate to each other how to solve problems. This
is something I will work on further as a result of this project.
Continual questioning as to what the students are gaining from the demonstrations is
also crucial. Making sure they know that as the tutor I am aware of what is being
asked of them and that I understand the challenges they face.
References
Neher, J. O., Gordon, K. C., Meyer, B. and Stevens, N. (1992). ‘A Five-Step
"Microskills" Model Of Clinical Teaching’, Journal of the American Board of Family
Practice, 5:419-24. Available at: http://www.jabfm.org/content/5/4/419.full.pdf
Petty, G. (2006). Evidence Based Classroom Management and Discipline [Online].
Available at: http://geoffpetty.com/geoffs-books/evidence-based-teaching-ebt/
Watkins, C. (2005). Classrooms as learning communities: a review of research.
London Review of Education, 3, 2-3.
183
Guided reading strategies to improve student ‘reading for meaning’
skills
Dreena Collins
Research question: If I use guided reading strategies will students’ ‘Reading for
Meaning’ skills improve?
Keywords: English; Guided
Resilience; and GCSE.
reading;
Teacher
modelling;
Resourcefulness;
Context
My role within the College is to manage the provision for students with additional
educational needs on mainstream (Entry 3 to L3) Further Education courses,
Additional Learning Support, and to coordinate the DSA provision for students on HE
courses. Approximately 22% of learners aged 16-19 at the College have an
identified need. My team processes all full-time learners through the College
screening systems, and many of the part-timers, and we offer some degree of
support (from key worker support to exam access arrangements assessments) for
approximately 200 learners. Within this provision, I manage 33 staff, most of which
are part-time, with the majority being on zero hours contracts.
The size of my team and the number of students linked to this provision poses some
logistical challenges for me, and I am aware that its scope can impinge upon my
teaching - as while most of my teaching is within Guidance and Support, I also teach
GCSE English for one re-sit class.
The majority of students who progress to Highlands at 16 progress from one of the
States funded secondary schools, where English and maths results are below the
national benchmark, with these school’s results of 5 A*-C grades including maths
and English ranging from 15.4%- 46.4% (mean 26.9%) in 2013 (BBC News, 2013);
UK schools are considered to be below target if these results fall below 40% (DfE
[online] accessed 2.04.14)3. Highlands College has made a commitment to English
and maths that means students are expected to continue studying until they achieve
L2 qualifications, usually a GCSE grade C or above. This means that we have a
significant English and maths provision, encompassing 250 students enrolled on a
GCSE English language one year re-sit.
Issue addressed
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different
results.”
(Attributed to Albert Einstein.)
The educational context articulated above means that there are evident issues of
‘cultural capital’ that also have an impact on English language skills (Bourdieu 1973).
The students seem to exhibit the same strength in speaking and listening as mirrors
3
http://www.education.gov.uk/inyourarea/results/lea_302_las_3.shtml
184
national trends but they often express that they do not enjoy reading, and rarely, if
ever, read.
During our first lesson each year I ask the students to ‘self-audit’ their skills and
identify areas they feel they need to work on, by completing a short survey. Over
60% of the students identified the novel in the final exam, or the final exam itself as
obstacles to their having achieved a C grade. Wider conversations with students
during that initial lesson also lead to comments such as ‘I hate that book’, and ‘it was
so boring!’ (in reference to ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck (1993). Yet, when
asked, all students requested to do the same novel for their exam text this year.
Nationally, the vast majority of schools pick ‘Of Mice and Men’ as their exam text,
with 90% of schools having at least some of their cohort study it (BBC News, 2011).
Of the 16/18 students in my class who had previously sat the GCSE, all had studied
this book. Being short, accessible and with a plethora of resources available for
teachers and students alike, this is in some ways understandable.
For the previous two years I had been the only English teacher at Highlands to study
‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee (1960). My premise was that exposure to
another, perhaps more challenging text, would stretch them and widen their
vocabulary. I also felt that, if nothing else, I would have successfully ensured that
they had read one more, great novel (as students often tell me that ‘Of Mice and
Men’ is the only ‘proper book’ they have read). I did this through ‘round robin’
reading aloud in every lesson, and active reading activities such as Directed
Activities Related to Tests (DARTs), puzzles, writing tasks, group discussions and
Critical Skills group challenges. I was thoroughly convinced that this was a worthy
and successful strategy throughout these two years, and my students’ exam results
gave no particular cause for concern.
However, due to timetabling constraints, this year I was placed with a
twilight/evening class whom I would see only once a week. Not only would they be
coming back to College after a day in placement, for a 5.30 -8pm class, but I would
have around 15 fewer contact hours with them over the year. In addition, as they
had one long lesson (2.5 hours) I would have to give them a break mid-way:
something I had avoided in previous years, which again meant that I lost valuable
minutes with them each week.
I decided that I would not be able to read and study a whole new novel in this
context, and that I would need to adopt a new approach to meet the evident needs of
my learners. I was worried that if I simply repeated what they had experienced at
school, that they would get the same grade that they had achieved in school. My
priorities remained both that the students achieve a C at GCSE, and that they
improve and expand their reading skills.
Students studying at post-16 level might legitimately be expected to have developed
some independent reading skills and relevant strategies; for example, the ability to
close read, skim and scan, to take notes and précis. Competences such as being
able to extract relevant information from texts, to note-take and read accurately all
featured in the Framework for Teaching English Year 7, 8 and 9 (DfEE 2001).
185
Teaching and learning techniques to accompany these would include text marking,
sequencing and cloze activities (IoE [online] accessed 28.01.14) – none of which is
far from what we would cover in our re-sit programme. Some of these reading
techniques are even covered in Key Stage 2 curriculum. However, every year many
of our students still appear to have gaps in these skills.
In previous years I had drawn upon a range of active reading strategies to try to
improve my students’ skill sets, including teacher-led activities, individual work, pair
work and group work. However, as it was apparent that students were still not
completely secure in some skills targeted at KS2 and 3, I wondered if I should be
looking for inspiration from interventions often associated with younger learners, and
adapting appropriately; hence, I considered Guided Reading.
Small group reading instruction has been undertaken in the US and UK for some
time as an intervention to improve reading for emergent and developing readers
(Pinnell and Fountas, 2010). In England and Wales small group reading, and
structured guided reading, have been integral to the teaching of literacy as
foregrounded in the National Literacy Strategy 1999 (later superseded by the
Primary National Strategy in 2003). It remains recommended practice in many LEAs
even though the current coalition government has archived the documents pertaining
to it.
Guided reading is essentially small group, silent or individual reading, with a
foregrounding of the strategies used in decoding and interpreting texts, and with the
groupings differentiated to target specific skills. Learners are guided through preand post-reading activities that involve discussion, reading and sometimes writing
activities. Burkins and Croft (2010) identify the following amongst its key features:




Working with small groups
Matching student reading ability to text levels
Prompting students to integrate their reading processes
Engaging students in conversations about the text.
Moreover, “the goal is to help students develop strategies to apply independently”
(ReadWriteThink [online] accessed 08.01.14) and the texts chosen should be age
appropriate, in other words not so challenging that the reader cannot decode most
words independently. This meant there was a natural synergy between using guided
reading groups in my class - to improve independent reading skills for the exam with the fact that I was progressing to a text that was arguably less challenging in its
reading age than that which I had taught in previous years.
It seemed possible to adapt the premise of guided reading to an older age group.
While there is a relative dearth of literature on the subject of using this for older
students, the premise of reading independently and then analysing both the content
and strategies was reminiscent of Geoff Petty’s ‘double decker thinking’ (Petty, 2006)
and it did not seem like something the students would object to.
My research question was, ‘If I use guided reading strategies, will students’ ‘reading
for meaning’ skills improve?’ Reading for meaning in this context is reading for
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surface meaning and de-coding, as well as ‘reading between the lines’. “To read for
meaning, students must simultaneously utilise clues from all cueing systems.
Readers bring knowledge and past experiences to the reading task to construct
interpretations and to determine if the print makes sense to them” (Saskatoon Public
Schools, 2004). I wanted students both to be able to decode the sound and
meaning of unfamiliar words in context, and to be able to effectively analyse the
writer’s language choices and techniques.
As mentioned earlier, in previous years I had completed ‘round robin’ reading. I had
always been careful to set this up within parameters – foregrounding that we needed
to ‘establish a safe environment’ for all learners and that they would demonstrate
varying levels of confidence when reading aloud. I would give students an object to
pass around the class so that they could ‘pass on’ to the next student as soon they
felt the need (though they had to read at least a sentence each).
There were various benefits – for example, I learnt a lot about the individual
difficulties students had with texts, who was a fluent reader and who might be
struggling. I felt it helped with confidence and encouraged participation. It also
foregrounded for me the vocabulary in the text that the students might struggle with.
However, I was also aware that in a larger class some students might be waiting for
some time before it was their turn to read, that they might be frustrated by the slow
reading pace of others, and that, however I established the activity, some might find
it painful. I was interested in what might happen if I reduced the size of the group of
students working together. Research suggests that, in reading, small-group
instruction may increase student achievement by increasing their rate of progress in
reading. (Taylor et al., 1995; Hiebert et al., 1992; Pinnell and Fountas, 2010).
I also wondered if small group sessions might work well in the context of my once
weekly lessons. Essentially, I would have less time to ‘get to know’ my class, both
personally (to build a rapport) and in terms of becoming more familiar with their skills
and subject specific deficits. Research suggests that, apart from parent-child
relationships, young peoples’ attitudes to reading for pleasure are also ‘strongly
influenced by relationships between teachers and children’ (DoE, 2012) and I felt I
need to develop this relationship.
The teaching of reading – and comprehension – strategies is explicit and specific in
Guided Reading, which was apposite for me:
In guided reading, teachers provide specific demonstrations and teaching of
comprehension strategies such as inferring, synthesizing, analyzing, and
critiquing. Teachers prompt readers to think and talk in these strategic ways
(Pinnell and Fountas, 2010: 3).
Various research supports the notion that this works, such as the America National
Reading Panel which has suggested that teaching a combination of reading
comprehension techniques is effective in helping students recall information,
generate questions, and summarize texts (NICHD, 2000).
However, I decided that I would not be able to work exclusively using guided reading
groups. Guided reading might work well with ‘Of Mice and Men’, but, while I could
187
touch on some aspects of the exam text throughout the year, the course is fast
paced, and the majority of the reading and writing exercises covered in the first two
(of essentially two and a half) terms pertains to controlled assessments where
students write about non-fiction, and have to produce their own texts. While there
would be times when I could still use guided groups, I would also need to continue to
explore DARTs, timed writing tasks, etc., to ensure the students knew the texts as
well as possible, could write effectively and were prepared for their assessments. I
would also need to spend some time working on language techniques and aspects
of form and purpose, etc. - so there were constraints as to how far and easily I could
experiment.
The project
Early in the academic year I began to split the class into reading groups. The class
knew they would be working in a range of groupings for different exercises but I did
not explicitly refer to these as ‘guided reading groups’; I was concerned that for some
there might be connotations to this.
Initially, it was difficult to group them in a targeted way, as ability range was apparent
but not to the degree that would be found in a truly mixed-ability class. It was
difficult, in the first instance, to identify specific needs that would need targeting. I
did not have the same degree of baseline data or handover that a teacher in a
secondary or primary school might have (end of year NC sub levels, access to
previous reports or assessments, etc.) I used an on-entry baseline assessment to
get some bench marking information but this was a writing assessment and meant,
in retrospect, that I knew less about their reading skills than their ‘nuts and bolts’
literacy skills.
Over two terms I completed a variety of guided reading group exercises and as I got
to know the class I changed the groups around, fitting with the ‘dynamic’ grouping
premise of guided reading (Pinnell and Fountas, 2010). On a few occasions these
grouped sessions replicated the traditional form of guided reading , where I worked
with a small group while the rest of the class worked on something else
independently, but often I found that time constraints meant the groups all had to
work simultaneously while I moved from group to group. This meant that I
sometimes foregrounded specific reading strategies to an individual group before
they read, and at other times I had to speak to the whole class before they all worked
in groups. I felt a little that these time constraints diluted the change in teaching
practice that I wanted to establish, which was frustrating.
Guidance for teachers of primary aged children suggests that in sessions ‘children
read independently either in a "soft" voice or silently while the teacher moves round
the group listening to individuals reading a short extract’ (Cumbria Grid for Learning,
2013). However, I did not ever ask class members to read individually to me as this
type of ‘one on one’ approach seemed inappropriate to their age; moreover, I was
still able to assess their reading fluency when we read as a whole class.
One example of a guided reading exercise early in the academic year was when the
students were first given a non-fiction text that they would be writing about and
analysing in their controlled assessment. As a class, we discussed annotation and
highlighting as a tool for helping them to signpost key features of the text. The
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students then worked in set groups to read the text silently for the first time.
Ordinarily, this first reading of a text would have been done as whole class activity
and, initially at least, teacher led. They were told to skim read the text and then
close read for a second reading and highlight as they did so. In groups, the students
then discussed 1) their first thoughts on the text and 2) which features they had
highlighted and why. After the groups discussed this, I worked with them to draw out
further comments as to who may have highlighted too much or too little of the
extract, and the impact of this, etc. The groups then split into sub groups to work on
a poster ‘Challenge’ where they could use only quotations/extracts that they had
highlighted in the text. This further illustrated to them the importance of effective
identification and highlighting of quotes.
Having completed guided reading groups alongside other active reading strategies I
began trying to dovetail the two things. Towards the end of the academic year, when
students began working more closely and regularly on the exam set text, they were
given key extracts from the novel to read silently, in groups or sometimes as a whole
class. They were given a specific reading strategy to use – usually skimming,
scanning, highlighting, annotating or note taking. After this, they had other tasks to
complete such as group discussions, etc. One example of this amalgamation of
guided reading and test practice was when they had some close reading questions
requiring a written response, embedded in the text. Students skim read the whole
text, and then worked their way through with a close reading, answering the
questions as they went. At specific points they had to de-brief and discuss with their
group. This was a way of bridging the gap between guided reading and exam
technique preparation. The questions given were very targeted and a way of
unpacking the exam questions they would have, to elucidate to the students exactly
what they would need to do to effectively answer the exam questions. While I felt a
little as if I was moving towards ‘teaching to the test’ I was also pleased to see that
the students were confident in all of these activities and that the transition from
guided reading and discussion to practice response was quite seamless.
Evaluation and Findings
This action research was evaluated and findings assessed through the triangulation
of qualitative and quantitative data sets.
Observations of student participation in the sessions showed me that students
responded well to be in the guided groups, in the main. However, this generally
worked better for shorter reading exercises (comparable to the manner in which it
would also be implemented with younger readers). Silent individual reading,
annotation, note taking, etc., was harder for them to sustain on their own for a
sustained piece. However, the nature of the course and curriculum pressures meant
it was necessary to complete longer reading exercises on occasion. The students
then sometimes failed to read closely or carefully, or became distracted. Silent work
and individual work was harder for them if it meant working this way for long periods.
Guided reading as a means of foregrounding ‘double decker’ thinking (Petty 2010) –
with reading technique and reading content both being analysed verbally by students
– was observed to be the most effective outcome of this exercise, even if only to
plainly illustrate to students their own short comings such as not having effective
skim reading strategies. This enabled them to set themselves medium term targets.
189
Student response was gauged via a ‘Moodle’ survey, where they were asked to
identify what they felt they needed to improve on in preparation for their final exam.
They were also asked to comment upon their experience in the classroom. Some of
these questions were the same, or very similar to, those given to students in the
initial self-audit at the beginning of the year.
The final means by which the project was evaluated was through a quantifiable
source – student results. The full set of results will not be available until later in the
year but initial marks attained for controlled assessments suggest that approximately
57% of them are on target for a C or above. Their ‘reading for meaning’ skills are
tested in all of their reading assessments, as shown in the table below (Table 1)
Table 1 – Reading Assessment Results (Controlled Assessments 01.11.13 and
02.03.14)
8
7
6
5
Below Expected Level
Borderline
4
At expected level
3
Above expected level
2
1
0
Reading Assess. 1 (Nov 13)
Reading Assess. 2 (Mar 14)
While the number of students achieving within our targeted ‘band’ has remained the
same, those receiving a mark at borderline (i.e. 1 mark below Band 4) have
increased significantly, and one student has moved into Band 5.
Lessons Learned
It may also have been easier to judge the success of the research if I had a second,
parallel group (which I have sometimes had in the past) that I could use as a control
group. This would also have provided me with more data for evaluation.
While the fact that I saw the group for only one, long lesson a week was the initial
stimulus for the enquiry, it was also, ironically, one of the biggest challenges. I found
it difficult to sustain this as a regular activity under the time pressures felt, and the
190
weeklong gaps between classes also made it hard to establish the new practice with
the students, unlike in a school where this might be a daily activity.
As I only saw the students once a week, the concept of regular and systematic
guided reading sessions was always going to be difficult to establish. Furthermore,
curriculum pressures (including the time available, and the fact students also needed
to work on writing, and speaking and listening skills) made this harder still to
establish. I often found myself falling into previous strategies which I knew could
work, such as work sheets, paired annotation, compare and contrast activities using
Venn diagrams or tables, creating mind maps, using PowerPoint, etc. While it was
always intended that these would be parallel to the experiment, they sometimes
superseded the guided groups, which then fell by the wayside in some sessions.
This illustrates notion that it takes 20 attempts before new teaching habits are
formed (Petty 2010).
References
BBC News Magazine (2011). ‘Who, what, why: Why do children study Of Mice and Men?’,
BBC News , 25th March, 2011 [Online]. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine12829392 [Accessed 29th March, 2014].
BBC News Jersey (2013). ‘Jersey States report finds lack of maths teachers.’ BBC News, 6th
November, 2013 [Online]. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europejersey-24837681 [Accessed 2nd April, 2014].
Bourdieu, P. (1973). ‘Cultural Reproduction and Social Reproduction’ in: R. Brown
(ed.) Knowledge, Education and Cultural Change: Papers in the Sociology of
Education. London: Tavistock, pp. 71-112.
Burkins, J. M. and Croft, M. M. (2010).
strategies for guided reading teachers.
Association.
Preventing misguided reading: New
Newark, DE: International Reading
Cumbria Grid for Learning (2013). The Structure of a Guided Reading session
[Online].
Available
at:
http://www.cumbriagridforlearning.org.uk/index.php?category_id=815.
Department for Education (2012). Research evidence on reading for pleasure
[Online].
Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/researchevidence-on-reading-for-pleasure [Accessed 13th May, 2014].
Department for Education and Employment (2001). Literacy across the curriculum.
London:
DfEE.
[Online]
Available
at:
http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/4818/1/lit_xc2_023501_intro.pdf
[Accessed 29th March, 2014].
Department for Education and Employment (2001). Framework for Teaching English
in Years 7, 8 and 9 [Online].
Available at: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/4818/9/
lit_xc2_023501 mod05active.pdf
191
Department for Education and Skills (1999). National Literacy Strategy.
Department for Education and Skills (2003). Primary National Strategy.
Harper, L. (1960). To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company.
Hiebert, E. H., Colt, J. M., Catto, S., and Gury, E. (1992). Reading and writing of
first-grade students in a restructured Chapter 1 program. American Educational
Research Journal, 29, 545–572.
National Reading Panel (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based
assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for
reading instruction: Reports of the subgroups. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, NIH Pub. No. 00-4754 [Online]. Available at:
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/nrp/documents/report.pdf [Accessed 13th
May, 2014].
Petty, G. (2006). Improving Grades by teaching thinking, writing and Study Skills.
Available at:
http://www.geoffpetty.com/downloads/PDFs/Subject%20pedagogy%20+%20modelin
g.ppt
[Accessed 4th April, 2014].
Pinnell, G.S. and Fountas, I. C. (2010). Research base for Guided Reading as an
Instructional
Approach
[Online].
Available
at:
http://la.scholastic.com/sites/default/files/productspdf/GR_Research_Paper_2010.pdf [Accessed 13th May, 2014].
ReadWriteThink. Using Guided Reading to Develop Student Reading Independence
[Online]. Available at:
http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/usingguided-reading-develop-30816.html [Accessed 8th January, 2014].
Saskatoon Public Schools (2004). Instructional strategies online: What is reading for
meaning? [Online]. Available at:
http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/readmeaning/index.html [Accessed 1st April,
2014].
Taylor, B., Short, R., Shearer, B. and Frye, B. (1995). ‘First grade teachers provide
early reading intervention in the classroom’ in Allington and Walmsley (eds), No
quick fix: Rethinking programs in America's elementary schools, New York: Teachers
College Press, 159–176.
192
Anne Audrain
Research question: If I make online resources more user-friendly will this
encourage independent learning?
Keywords: Health and social care; independent learning; online resources; virtual
learning environments; and Level 2.
The use of VLEs (virtual learning environments) has grown significantly across
educational establishments over the last decade. However these systems do not
seem to be used as often as they should by most students and some teachers.
Highlands College uses the Moodle system which appears to be one of the more
popular mediums. Each course has its own dedicated page onto which all course
information and materials can be loaded by tutors and accessed by students. In my
first year of teaching, despite having an above average knowledge and application of
IT skills, I found the site to be not very user-friendly and students were often missing
resources for lessons through not knowing how or where to access them.
Ramsey (2003) states that VLEs “have a role in facilitating new, participative ...
student/tutor relations and more ... engaged student/student relations.” Her research
found that students using VLE forums provided better information to share but that
this was hindered through the range of teaching methods employed by different
tutors.
There are a number of VLEs in use with a current move to use SCORMs (Shareable
Content Object Reference Models) with all student information, i.e. tracking,
communication, attendance, learning resources and assessment all being accessed
from one medium. Currently in the College these are all on separate systems which
can be time consuming for both students and teachers in accessing the appropriate
area.
I believe that if students are expected to use Moodle more regularly and their
lessons link to resources available that they may start to use the medium more
effectively. Therefore my research question was ‘If I make online resources more
user-friendly will this encourage independent learning?’
My first task was to amend the layout and materials available to my group of Level 2
Health and Social Care students. As I am tutor to this group I was able to take
control of managing their particular page. I began by removing all past materials that
were not relevant or up to date (saving these to a staff accessed drive). I then used
a range of fonts and colours to make the appearance more attractive. I set out unit
sections starting with general course information and then followed by information for
each unit of study. The current layout has mostly been in the form of long lists of
resources which take time to scroll through. I laid out each unit with four folders;
PowerPoints and presentations, worksheets, assignment information and a forum.
This meant the length of the page was much shorter and easier to navigate.
193
The project
I started my project as soon as the new cohort began at college by explaining
Moodle in Induction Week. I used the Smart Board to demonstrate the layout of the
page and to identify where paperwork required for assessments was. I also spent
one of my first group tutorial sessions using a computer room and ensuring all
students were able to independently access the site. I also used the general
discussion forum as a means for sending messages to students regarding lessons
for the week, placement and other information. I also used this forum to ask them to
print out specific worksheets and resources prior to certain lessons. The first
attempts at this did result in a small number of students not bringing the pieces with
them but approximately 75% did respond to the forum requests.
I also wanted students to actively contribute to the VLE. To enable this I set a
number of research tasks in the different units I was teaching. These tasks involved
assigning specific research points to individuals or pairs of students and asking them
to contribute to the specific unit forums to upload their findings. I explained to them
that this would contribute to a shared knowledge base and that they would be
helping each other to learn certain aspects of the unit while sharing resources which
would help with their assignment requirements. Again the majority of students
undertook this although many needed guidance and support on the process of
uploading to a forum.
Knowledge shared was checked for accuracy and
consolidated using a Q and A session.
Findings
Overall I feel the project was successful and I am now in a position where this
learner group are regularly accessing Moodle and all printing off the relevant
materials needed for assignment submissions/ class work when requested. I was
surprised at how limited some of the students’ skills were in navigating and using the
environment despite all regularly using other forms of IT, for example social media.
My students also reported that they liked the page layout and found it easy to
navigate. They did struggle with accessing information for units not taught by myself
as the relevant tutors managed these sections of Moodle. I noted the other tutors
did not regularly use or upload material and this limited the students’ ability to use
the site for these subjects.
I also taught a unit to a group of Level 3 students. Their Moodle page was poorly
laid out, difficult to navigate and contained a lot of past information not relevant to
their current studies. Units were not in order and although I laid out my unit in the
folders as mentioned above, students were reluctant to access it. I ensured I used
Smart Board facilities to clearly show them where resources could be found and also
set them a research project to be uploaded onto the relevant forum. Unfortunately
there was a very poor response with this group with only 30% of students uploading
to the forum. This increased over a period of two weeks with further prompting but
was not generally liked by this student group.
Lessons Learned
I do believe that my project has shown that with correct management VLEs can
provide a useful and progressive tool for learners but this is entirely dependent on
the tutor group and its main teachers.
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To be used effectively the site needs to be made a primary source of information
from the beginning of the students’ journey and must be regularly promoted and
used within class time. Limited access to computer facilities is a limitation to this and
I was only able to make this work as a number of my lessons were timetabled in IT
rooms.
There also needs to be more uniformity in the layout of the resources and it would be
beneficial for all tutors to use the same template for this. I felt my layout using
specific folders under unit headings worked effectively and made the page easy to
navigate. I believe IT resources are the way forward in teaching and learning but
feel that current VLEs available would benefit from being updated. The students are
much more familiar with the layout and use of social media type sites and perhaps a
similar layout would promote better usage.
Personal Reflections
As someone who uses IT resources regularly I have enjoyed carrying out this
project. I am proud of my students who have definitely improved their own IT skills
and become more independent learners.
I did feel some frustration that other tutors were not on board with this and feel that
this limited the success of the project however I also shared the information I was
using with a number of colleagues who seemed keen to use a similar approach. As
always the limitations to this are time and I did spend a considerable amount of time
outside work hours planning and working on the layout and content of ‘my’ page.
I will definitely continue to use Moodle and promote its use with the next cohort of
students. I also aim to be able to attend a range of teaching and learning sessions
run by the college in the use of other IT facilities available with the hope of passing
this technology on to students and continuing to use it to promote independent
learning.
References
JISC Infokits. ‘Effective use of virtual learning environments (VLEs)’ [Online].
Available at: http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/vle/ [Accessed on 15th November,
2013].
Oxford University Press, Online Resources Centre. ‘Learn about Virtual Learning
Environment/Course Management System content’ [Online].
Available at:
http://global.oup.com/uk/orc/learnvle/ [Accessed on 10th November, 2014].
Ramsey, C. (2003). ‘Using virtual learning environments to facilitate new learning
relationships.’ The International Journal of Management Education, 3(2), 31-41.
Available at:
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/bmaf/documents/publications/IJME/Vol3no2/Ra
msey_VLEs_new_rels.pdf [Accessed on 14/10/13].
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Andrew Rouillard
Research question: If I develop an extensive reading programme for students will
they read more and begin to read independently?
Keywords: Functional skills English; Concentration; teacher modelling; Independent
reading; Level 1; and Level 2.
Context
The research has been carried out with two groups of Functional Skills English
students, including one group of 1st and 2nd year Culinary Art students (12 students)
and one group of 1st year Construction students (7 students).
In general, most of the students have completed Functional Skills Level 1 and, in the
case of the Year 2 students, have elements of the Level 2 Functional Skills.
Students in these groups tend to view literacy as an add-on to their vocational
courses and its value is somewhat compromised. In the case of the Culinary Arts
students there is support for Key Skills from the faculty. Other groups, however,
tend to be timetabled late in the day and therefore maintaining interest and
motivation is challenging. Functional Skills is a multipart qualification and requires a
considerable amount of practice in the relevant skills, particularly in writing.
Issue addressed
This research project was designed to address the extent of independent reading
undertaken by students. Having taught ESOL to adult learners for many years I am
well aware as to how important reading is in helping develop and consolidate
language skills. Motivated learners have not only shown that they are able to
improve their exam performance at all levels, particularly from E3 upwards, but they
also gain in language skills, increased and more sophisticated vocabulary and
expression as well as general confidence.
There is a long-established offer of graded readers in ESOL, often simplified
versions of novels but also a wide range of specially-written fiction and non-fiction. A
significant amount of research exists which clearly demonstrates the value in positive
effects of extensive reading. This is a mode of reading instruction that is well
established in ESOL teaching and has proven to be very beneficial. The basic
principles are outlined by Maley (2009) below.
The following is a digest of the two lists of factors or principles for successful
extensive reading (ER):
1. Students read a lot and read often.
2. There is a wide variety of text types and topics to choose from.
3. The texts are not just interesting: they are engaging/compelling.
4. Students choose what to read.
5. Reading purposes focus on: pleasure, information and general understanding.
6. Reading is its own reward.
7. There are no tests, no exercises, no questions and no dictionaries.
8. Materials are within the language competence of the students.
9. Reading is individual, and silent.
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10. Speed is faster, not deliberate and slow.
11. The teacher explains the goals and procedures clearly, then monitors and guides
the students.
12. The teacher is a role model … a reader, who participates along with the
students.
The research was developed in order to investigate what benefit there could be for
native speakers, specifically the less engaged or able cohorts that take the
Functional Skills route. The aims of the research were as follows:
1. To encourage learners to read at a comfortable level and hopefully to spark an
interest in more extensive and independent reading.
2. To achieve this in a relaxed and non-interventionist way as per the ER principles.
The demands of the Functional Skills exams and the particular aspects of reading
addressed are, by nature, narrow and purely functional. Learners are required to
develop skills which focus on the format of text and how messages are conveyed, as
well as developing an awareness of register, tone, bias, etc. Skimming and
scanning are also required skills.
Whilst these are important skills in negotiating text in its most common contemporary
form, i.e. web-based, there is clearly little emphasis given to extensive contact with
text where the focus is on concentrated and contemplative reading. The cognitive
benefits of this are well understood and there are clear additional benefits in the
development of imagination and empathy which reading fiction can potentiate.
Further, learners seem to have had very little experience of reading in their
secondary school education and they show little or no evidence of independent
reading, nor any inclination to engage in this activity.
How much this is a consequence of how English is taught in schools or a reflection
on present day digital experience is debatable. However, the qualification of choice
in the college, Functional Skills, becomes just functional; an enterprise which
focuses exclusively on the reading and writing skills necessary to navigate in the
marketplace.
If I develop an extensive reading programme for students will they read more and
begin to read independently?
The project
The first aim was to get an idea of how students felt about reading. I considered the
use of a questionnaire but felt this would overly formalise the project. I wanted the
learners to see reading as a normal, natural activity, where books were part of the
habitat and a positive component of everyday experience.
Thus I opted for a discussion on reading in order to tease out the ideas and concepts
held by the learners in a nonthreatening and informal way. This took place over a
number of sessions as I wanted this to be an ongoing discussion.
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The results were enlightening but not altogether surprising. In the group of 12
students only 2 read anything apart from the course material and the day-to-day
reading on social networking sites or occasional web reading on other areas of
interest (in the group of 7 none were independent readers).
Many claimed to have only read ‘Of Mice and Men’, the common text at GCSE. I
tried to understand what might be the reasons behind this. Many commented that
they felt reading was “boring” and there was little there to hold them. Others
commented that they felt somewhat intimidated by the length of some books and
how this seem to be a huge commitment in time and cognitive effort.
However, I got the impression that they actually wanted to be readers and that, in
some way, consider themselves readers who do not read, that is they could pick up
a book and read whenever they wanted to. This I felt was the way into helping them
to become independent readers. It was necessary to give them the time as well as
guide them, initially at least, to the kind of reading that would enable them to feel a
sense of achievement and to understand that reading was not such a boring, taxing
or difficult thing after all.
Having also taught literacy at Level 1 and Level 2 to adult learners I was aware of
how important it was to get readers started on relatively easy and achievable texts.
From my own reading as well in foreign languages, I was aware of how, despite
good intentions to finish, a difficult text would very often lead to a book being left on
the shelf and in some way reproaching the reader for not having completed it.
The intervention
 My first action was to accompany the students to the library, introduce them to
the library staff and give them some orientation as to where they could find
suitable and inspiring reading. The library now has a dedicated section for Quick
Reads and for ESOL simplified readers. With the Level 1 group from
Construction I initially suggested they start with relatively low-level ESOL readers.
Some of the more confident students were able to start on the high-level books or
on Quick Reads. The rationale behind this was the idea that, in extensive
reading, the text should be at a level which is comfortable for the reader. In the
case of the Level 1 group this seemed to work very effectively as they were able
to achieve completion on the initial readers quickly.
Back in the classroom, with their books chosen, I started a series of short, sharp
reading sessions. With the Level 1 group this was about seven or eight minutes
initially, perhaps repeated after a short break but increasing to 20 minutes. I decided
to establish a 20-minute reading session at the beginning of every class and have
maintained this throughout the year so far.
As I wanted to achieve a relaxed and natural reading environment I decided that
there would be no testing, questions or activities related to the individual books that
the students were reading. There was some relaxed and natural feedback on what
the students were reading and very often books would be recommended to other
readers.
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With the group of Culinary Arts students I let them take charge of their own books
which they had to bring to the session every week. Obviously some forgot or failed
to bring the book and in this case I would supply them with other reading material or
encourage them to go to the library and choose something else.
With the other group I kept the readers in their files and produced them for the
reading session every week. This was a conscious decision as I wanted to compare
how giving more responsibility to the learners would impact on the development or
otherwise of their reading habits.
I considered enrolling students on the Six Book Challenge but I thought it would
formalise the idea of reading as too much. I wanted reading to be a part of normal
life, not a competition.
Findings
Students were consistently engaged in the reading sessions, they were quiet,
focused and there was relatively little low-level disruption. I also read in the sessions
and in the same way I would show interest in what they were reading, they would
ask me as well.
Because the reading was at a comfortable level students made real progress in
completing books, sometimes in one or two sessions. On completion, I would ask
the students to go to the library and choose something else to read. They would
engage with the library staff in the choice of books and in general, made coherent
choices in their reading. Very occasionally I would have to ask them to reconsider
their choice but this was not a frequent occurrence.
The reading program is continuing at present and I anticipate that it will finish at the
end of the course. I am considering using a questionnaire to gauge and assess any
behaviour or attitude changes. However, this may formalise the process and make it
seem like any other college based learning activity.
The following quotes from students throughout the year give some indication of how
attitudes to reading have changed and how there is definite and clear development
as readers. In the Culinary Arts group there are four of five more students who have
indicated that they are beginning to read independently. One student in particular
has been a revelation and has gone from never reading anything to completing the
“Twilight” trilogy. In the construction group there has also been some very positive
feedback and reaction to reading. Some have taken the books home and have read
during holiday periods.
“I don’t really have time. I like reading but..”
“I’m reading all the time now.”
“I’m beginning to enjoy this book.”
“That book was sick!” (sic)
“I read my book at home over the half-term”
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“Can I just finish this chapter?”
The research remains to be completed as follows:





Extend research period to end of May
Possible questionnaire (Appendix 1) to be given at end of project
Give students option to use read books as entry for the Six Book Challenge
Continue to collect informal feedback
Make final analysis
Reference
Maley, A. (2009). ‘Extensive reading: why it is good for our students… and for us.’
TeachingEnglish [Online], 8th December, 2009. Available at:
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/extensive-reading-why-it-good-ourstudents%E2%80%A6-us [Accessed 6th May, 2014].
Appendix 1 Reading Questionnaire
1. How much did you read before starting this year’s course?
2. What kind of things did you read?
3. How many books have you completed since we started reading in class?
(If you can’t remember you can ask at the Library)
4. Have you enjoyed the books you have read? Why? /Why not?
5. How do you feel about reading now?
6. Are you reading more outside of class? Give some details.
7. Do you think you will continue to read independently in the future?
Any other comments
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Michael Millar
Research question: By focusing on supporting independent learning through use of
personal development plans (PDPs), will students learn more than they would if all
students were required to achieve the same outcomes?
Keywords: ICT; Independent learning; Meta-learning; Mixed ability teaching;
Personal development plans; BTEC Level 2; and BTEC Level 3.
Context
Working in ICT, the majority of my work is with BTEC Level 2 and Level 3 students.
Each year we have at least two Level 2 groups and two new Level 3 groups as well
as two second year Level 2 groups. On completion, most of these students either
seek employment or continue on to a degree program.
As well as the BTEC programs, we also run a foundation degree in association with
Plymouth University, with the majority of these students coming from our BTEC
programs.
Issue addressed
The subject I am teaching to our degree students is “Introduction to Software
Development” which largely focuses on programming. To date, we have taught this
subject using the language C# as this is probably the most used by professional
developers within the island. Programming should be fun, it is a creative process
that involves design and the solution of logic puzzles. My problem is that students
starting this course have a huge range of understanding and love of the subject.
Teaching the same thing to all as if they are beginners could be extremely boring for
some students, while moving too fast would alienate others who did not take to it in
the past or who are new to it. The issue I faced was how to engage with all these
students.
As the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) states, the primary
objectives of PDP [personal development planning] are:
“… to enhance the capacity of learners to reflect, plan and take responsibility
for their own learning and to understand what and how they learn. PDP is
based on the skills of reflection and planning which are integral to knowing how
to learn in different contexts and to transfer that learning throughout life.”
(QAA, 2009)
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Figure 1: The four-stage cycle of effective learning (based on Kolb, 1984 and
adapted from QAA, 2009)
Key to a student’s success is the need for them to value and therefore work actively
towards achieving the learning objectives of any course they undertake. Four key
elements to this are to identify learning needs of specific students, setting goals to
achieve these, working towards meeting the goals and reflecting on progress and
experiences. However, it is extremely difficult for a lecturer to achieve this alone,
especially when working with a diverse student body.
The aim of introducing a personal development plan is to enable students to take
control of their learning, allowing much greater diversity of challenges as well as
learning methods than a more conventional approach to teaching in which the
lecturer sets the same objectives, with limited differentiation, for the whole class:
“PDP embraces a range of approaches to learning that connect planning (an
individual's goals and intentions for learning or achievement), doing (aligning
actions to intentions), recording (thoughts, ideas, experiences, in order to
understand and evidence the process and results of learning) and reflection
(reviewing and evaluating experiences and the results of learning)”. (No date,
Higher Education Academy)
This year’s cohort includes:
 Several students who have taken programming as an option within the BTEC.
One of these is particularly gifted and spends many hours each week learning
and practicing programming in his own time.
 Two students who did not enjoy their entry level programming course within
the BTEC and are fearful of the subject.
 Two students from outside the college, one with no programming knowledge
and one with only a very small amount.
This is the most diverse set of learners I have taught since starting to teach this unit
five years previously. To continue with a fixed syllabus with all students covering the
same material would not have been appropriate, hence my desire to try something
different.
Having researched the use of personal development plans (see
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references), in particularly the advice from the QAA, I decided to embed their use in
the subject, making them a formally assessed piece of work in their own right.
Therefore, my research question was:
By focusing on supporting independent learning through use of personal
development plans (PDPs), will students learn more than they would if all students
were required to achieve the same outcomes?
The project
To assess this unit, I have previously set a number of interim assignments for
students to complete, each building on the last and requiring the use of specific new
skills. I have also set a fixed final project which is worth nearly half the unit marks.
This year, in order to facilitate independent learning, I added a new assignment, the
personal development plan (PDP). Also, rather than forcing all students to learn the
programming language C#, I allowed them to choose the language of their choice,
giving them freedom to choose the language they wanted to use for the interim
assignments. For the first half of the module, students were asked to make regular
entries in their PDP with the following titles: Skills/Knowledge; Action Steps;
Resources; Anticipated Results/Outcomes; Target Dates; Actual Progress and
Comments.
My aim was to support this with regular one to one sessions in which we would
review their personal development plans. Review of this project would be by:
 Observing student engagement and the learning methods they chose to use.
 Reviewing personal development plans.
 Informal interviews with students.
 An end of course survey.
Findings
I very quickly found that multi-threaded learning was taking place in the classroom.
With students either using Raptor (which allows students to write programs using
flow-charts) or C# (a language used by many businesses in Jersey) to learn new
skills. Two students who had not enjoyed and failed to get to grips with
programming on their previous course found that Raptor was easier to program and
enabled them to build their confidence. While others moved on to C#, they
continued using Raptor for several weeks before switching languages. Only one
student went on to use a third advanced language (which I had never even heard of).
Half (approximately) of the students were happy to undertake independent learning,
using resources they found themselves or those suggested by me. The rest wanted
more guidance, with some being reluctant to use their own time for new learning
(though they were happy to use it to work on assignments). The main reasons given
for not using time outside class to learn were “too busy” and “too much work to do”.
Part of this resistance may also relate to culture of the BTEC courses that they had
studied previously.
Students tended to fill in their PDPs retrospectively and therefore gained little benefit
from using them. This was in part because I allowed the focus of one-to-one
sessions to shift to helping with things they had done that were not working, topics
203
they had not fully understood and new learning they wanted guidance with rather
than the PDPs.
To make the completion of the PDPs more useful, I changed the format of the PDP
for the second half of the module. The revised format requires a weekly entry with
the following entries: Week; Learning Achieved; Learning Method; Outcomes; Next
Steps. The aim of this change was to simplify the process and to make students
more accountable for their time. I am yet to receive the final versions of their PDPs.
In pursuing their learning, none of the students took up the offer of a text-book,
preferring to use web based resources. I have used a text book as the primary
learning method in previous years of teaching this module and students found the
two books we used (in different years) difficult to follow. This is partly down to the
detailed nature of the content and the need for serious concentration required.
There are many resources to help teach programming on the web. These include
video tutorials, help pages and exercises, allowing for a wide range of learning
styles. However, most of these aim to teach discrete skills, rather than providing a
complete course leading to finished applications. They do not help students develop
the ideas and logical thinking needed to be a software developer.
The assessment methodology may also have played a part in the reluctance of some
to study independently. Assignments were set every few weeks that concentrated
on specific skills. I suggested resources to learn these skills independently, but also
set exercises in class that would allow students to test their understanding. Several
students waited for the class exercises and used the completion of these to gain the
required skills. The final major project assignment has included a specific element
for new skills learned independently; this has provided a boost to independence.
Despite all I have said in this section, this year has been a success and students
have learned more than in previous years. Several pushed themselves to tackle
areas of software development that are outside the scope of a first year subject. The
final projects (just completed) are on average of a higher calibre than previous years
with several being very impressive. Perhaps the expectation of independent learning
has led to a more mature attitude to learning and, though not always achieving this
goal, it focused minds and improved concentration in class.
Lessons learned
The initial version of the PDP was task focused rather than time focused. Changing
to a time-focused (weekly entry) PDP was simpler for students to complete and
encouraged more active use of the plan. If I repeat this next year, I would like to use
an online (but private) blogging resource. This would make it easier for me to rate
each week’s entry away from the distractions of class but before the official hand-in.
The rating may well trigger more interest in and proactive use of the PDP, focusing
minds during one-to-one discussions during class.
I provided a list of several resources available for students to use in their learning.
However, I did not identify which (in my opinion) were better or worse for the various
skills to be learned. I had expected that students would dip into various resources to
find those that that suited their learning style, but this may have been a step too far
204
for some. I have been and will continue to work on an improved list of resources for
future years.
While students may not like the additional work required to complete a PDP, its very
presence is a reminder that they are expected to use their own time constructively to
learn new skills. This in turn may encourage a more mature attitude to learning than
has been seen previously. Hopefully, by refining the process and implementing the
other lessons learned above, I can further increase the percentage of students who
use their time outside class to proactively learn new skills.
References
Carnall, L. (1998). ‘Developing student autonomy in education: The Independent
Option.’ British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 61(12), 551–555.
Gough, D.A., Kiwan, D., Sutcliffe, K., Simpson, D. and Houghton N., (2003). A
systematic map and synthesis review of the effectiveness of personal development
planning for improving student learning. London: EPPI-Centre, Social Science
Research Unit.
Available at: http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/Default.aspx?tabid=309 [Accessed 14th May,
2014] .
Higher Education Academy (no date). PDP – Personal Development Planning.
Available at: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/pdp/pdp [Accessed 14th
May, 2014].
Kolb, D., Boyatzis, R. and Mainemelis, C. (1999). Experiential Learning Theory:
Previous Research and New Directions. Cleveland: Case Western Reserve
University.
Available
at:
http://www.d.umn.edu/~kgilbert/educ5165731/Readings/experiential-learning-theory.pdf
Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) (2009).
Personal
development planning: guidance for institutional policy and practice in higher
education.
Available
at:
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Documents/PDPguide.p
df [Accessed 14th May, 2014].
205
Paul Spencer
Research question: If I help learners refine their research and evaluation skills, will
they become better independent learners?
Keywords: Website development and digital graphics; Evaluation; Independent
learning; Research skills; and BTEC Level 2.
The development of key skills is incredibly important to any learner and any
educational institution. Given that one of the many goals that we want to achieve at
Highlands College is to produce capable, efficient and independent learners, the
development of robust and high functioning research techniques is key. The fact
that these skills can be transferred to any subject is invaluable to a learner’s needs in
a society where almost any information is available to any individual with access to a
computer.
Many of the younger learners that we teach are used to multi-tasking and
disseminating information very quickly. This is a by-product from the amount of time
they can spend online in a social context, indeed the phrase ‘hyper-connected’ has
been coined for this generation.
“For older students, the media multitasking habit extends into the classroom.
While most middle and high school students don’t have the opportunity to text,
email, and surf the internet during class, studies show the practice is nearly
universal among students in college and professional school.” (Paul, 2011)
The use of the web in class is integral to learners when studying the web itself and
finding resources on line to promote independent learning. The learners have
previously indicated that there had been little to no input in their educational lives,
regarding how to do this effectively. This is a major concern, given the volume of
information available to them at any given point in the day, wherever they are, and
the apparent lack of skills needed to evaluate the validity of this information. As a
result the focus of the research skills being improved will be online focused.
“If I help learners refine their research and evaluation skills, will they become better
independent learners?”
The research question could be construed as being obviously vague and expansive,
and could be tackled in a number of different ways with varying grades of accuracy.
To counteract these issues the research methodology surrounding this task will be
measured using the following constraints: time and achievement.
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The project
 New research techniques will be delivered to the class, with opportunities
embedded within the curriculum to test and try to develop these skills.

The learners will be given a number of questions to answer, that will require a
level of research. Results will be recorded, mapped and used to try and
improve future lessons focused on improving these skills.

All learners will be given the same amount of time, and access to the same
resources during testing.

When enough data has been collected it will almost certainly be divided into
individual learning plans, with regards to this particular process that are
dependent on each user’s results and individual learning styles.

Re-evaluate learners’ progress and ability to research topics using different
methodologies.
It is important to note that the results from this process are going to be based on a
small group of learners with a wide range of abilities, backgrounds and needs. The
use of a control group was considered, however this would have risked obscuring
the overall results due to the diversity of needs and abilities that are apparent in
every learning environment.
The research techniques that would be utilised and built upon would be those that
are embedded in the Google search engine. Google was chosen due to its size and
spread of use: over “2,161,530,000,000” searches are made a year (Static, 2014).
The Google model is often utilised by other smaller search engines. The use of its
embedded search points are also utilised by YouTube which is arguably the world’s
second largest search engine with “More than 1 billion unique users visit YouTube
each month” (YouTube, 2014) (also owned by Google).
Findings
The first set of results seemed to indicate that there was a range of abilities with
regard to research skills existing within the class. All learners had the same amount
of time to complete the task (30 minutes) and were allowed the same access to
resources.
Early results seemed to indicate that there was a range of methodologies used by
the learners with some taking their time and cross-referencing the facts and figures
researched and others racing through using time spent on the task (or as little as
possible) as a motivating factor.
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First Review
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no of correct answers out of 30
Time Taken
Session 4
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Time allotted
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Time Taken
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14
These early results indicated that more time spent on the task the better the result,
however this was not conclusively the case, and over the first four sessions and
tests, learner results gradually improved across the board.
The key factor would be determining whether this improvement was down to the time
spent on the paper, or directly linked to the enhancement of research skills. It is
highly likely that both factors would have a positive influence on the learners,
conversely without a control group it is difficult to ascertain whether this is in fact the
case. The key is to determine which is having the more positive impact on the
learner, and possibly answer which is the more holistically beneficial in the learning
environment.
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Session 7
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Time allotted
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Time Taken
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Amendments to research
The acquired results indicated that the more research techniques that the learners
had developed the higher their scores in each round of testing. However it should be
noted that the learners who spent more time completing the test, on average
attained the more accurate research.
The fact that time spent on the task was having a more positive impact on results
than the research task that has initiated forced a change in testing methodology to
ascertain whether there could be a direct correlation between the understanding of
the task and the accuracy of the results.
A five-minute window was used at the beginning of the next round of testing, this
window was to be used solely for the purposes of reading the questions that were
about to be tackled, and for the individual to make notes in preparation for their
searches.
This simple task induced an improvement in results from every learner from the
previous round, and interestingly the biggest margin of improvement in any one
round, from the four learners who had consistently gained the lowest scores in the
test and struggled with the tasks.
209
After enforced 5 min reading of
questions
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
2
3
4
Time allotted
5
6
7
Time Taken
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Conclusion
The nature of the exercise was changed after a number of results and tests where
implemented, however they seem to suggest that the influence of research
techniques had a positive impact on the learners’ ability to source information.
The immediate impact of the enforced reading of the task before tackling it was
surprising, especially as all of these students have been in mainstream education
where reading, writing and arithmetic are cornerstones of the educational system.
Whilst this could be perceived as an obvious observation, the impact of a five-minute
enforced reading exercise set before the task had a much more effective impact than
a half-hour session that refined research techniques.
Should these learners already have the skills to read and understand the questions
to a task before proceeding? Is it too presumptuous of educators to expect these
skills to be integrated before FE?
These are questions that are impossible to answer on such a small study with so
many variables and changes to circumstance.
Once again it is important to highlight that these results are far from conclusive due
to the numerous tests that learners were put through, before the changing of the
criterion and goals. However the results do seem to suggest that the disseminating
of information by the learner before tackling the task had a much more positive initial
impact on the success of the exercise, as opposed to improving the research skills of
each individual over a number of weeks.
Using these results an individual learning plan was devised with each learner that
focused on the initial understanding of tasks, and the continual development of their
online research skills.
210
References and Bibliography
Anderson, T. (2011). e-Research: Methods, Strategies and Issues.
Dochartaigh, N. O. (2010). Internet Research Skills: How To Do Your Literature
Search and Find Research Information Online.
Dochartaigh, N. O. (n.d.). Internet Research Skills.
Paul, A. (2011). ‘You’ll Never Learn!’, Slate.com [Online]. Available at:
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/05/multitasking_whil
e_studying_divided_attention_and_technological_gadgets.html
Static (2014, January 1st). ‘Google Annual Search Statistics’, Staticbrain.com
[Online]. Available at: http://www.statisticbrain.com/google-searches/
YouTube (2014, January). ‘Statistics’ [Online]. Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/yt/press/en-GB/statistics.html
211
Elaine Richomme
Research question: If I encourage my L1 learners to embrace the Faculty’s
assessment policy, by using Moodle to access and use the required assessment
paperwork and sign in their coursework on the agreed deadlines, will this support
independence and help them to take ownership of their own learning
responsibilities?
Keywords: Health and social care; Planning; Taking responsibility; Assessment
policy; and Level 1.
Context
I am a member of the Faculty of Community Studies and have the role of Course
Tutor and Personal Tutor to 18 learners on a BTEC Level (L)1 course in Health &
Social Care. I am also Personal Tutor to a group of 15 learners on a CACHE L2
course in Childcare and Education.
Outside of my of faculty, I also teach Functional Skills English at both L1 and L2 for
the General Education team and Forest School sessions to learners predominately
from the Faculty of Guidance and Support as well as my own learners. I also run a
walking course with a colleague for the Adult Education team.
The group of learners who were the focus of my research were the 18 learners in my
BTEC L1 course in Health and Social Care. Fifty percent of these learners had
progressed from an E3/L1 course at Highlands College with the Faculty of Guidance
and Support, with the other half joining the course from school at 16, with the
exception of one mature student.
My focus group are aged between 16 – 21 years and are of mixed gender; two thirds
of the group do not have English as their first language and require additional
support in class and have extra support either 1-1 outside of class, or join others in
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes to meet their needs. A
number of students in the class have a specific learning need relating to reading,
writing etc.; and one student has a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD), which is managed with medication and partial in-class support throughout
the week. Approximately one third of the students have outside issues that impact
on their learning.
Issue addressed
As previously mentioned, the group have joined their course at Highlands either from
school after completing their GCSEs or, have progressed from the E3/L1 course with
Guidance and Support.
Each faculty and/or curriculum area in the college has its own assessment policy;
usually driven by the policies of the range of examining bodies used by Highlands.
Community Studies currently has a policy that expects its learners to meet agreed
deadlines for coursework and sign coursework in on submission. Learners are also
permitted to make two attempts at each piece of coursework. This works as follows:
learners meet the first deadline; the tutor assesses their work and gives verbal and
212
written feedback; the learners have ten working days to act on feedback and meet
resubmission deadline, before tutor reassesses and awards final grade(s). Learners
who do not meet the first deadline only get the chance to submit their work on the
date of the second submission and this grade is their final grade, unless they can
offer mitigating circumstances, for which they need to complete a form.
When I moved to Community Studies approximately five years ago from teaching the
same course with Guidance and Support, there was no expectation that the L1
learners would follow the same procedures as learners within the faculty at higher
levels and as noted above. However, it soon became apparent that without this
expectation and this structure for completing and handing in coursework on agreed
deadline dates, that neither learners, nor tutors could keep on top of coursework or
the marking thereof and that learners got into the habit of submitting work and
continuing to resubmit until they received the grade they wanted, rather than a grade
that reflected their ability in a particular subject area. In essence, the final grade
work often bore little resemblance to that of the ability of the learner and this
impacted, not on their progression to courses at a higher level, but at their ability to
be successful on the higher level courses, as they simply were not strong enough
academically to sustain learning at this higher level. The learners who arrived on the
L1 course directly from their GCSE years also reflected similar issues, as again in
some cases at school GCSE work was submitted and resubmitted numerous times
before a final grade was awarded, which again may not have been a true indication
of student ability.
It is current practice for learners on the E3/L1 programme with Guidance and
Support to work on coursework within lesson time and hand this in for marking when
they are ready in order to meet their varied learning needs.
As mentioned above, it was common practice for learners on the L1 Health and
Social Care course when it first transferred from Guidance and Support to
Community Studies to follow the same pattern. We have, in the last three to four
years started to change this to bring this course and its learners into line with the
assessment policy of the whole faculty. The final element of this change is covered
by this research project.
Research question
If I encourage my L1 learners to embrace the Faculty’s assessment policy, by using
Moodle to access and use the required assessment paperwork and sign in their
coursework on the agreed deadlines, will this support independence and help them
to take ownership of their own learning responsibilities?
The project
Over a period of three to four years, we (the tutors who teach the L1 learners) have
tried to encourage our learners to meet deadlines. We are a little more flexible with
the L1 learners than with those of higher abilities, in order to meet their needs. We
negotiate our deadlines with the group, whereas at higher levels they are set by staff
at the start of the academic year. However, once the L1 deadlines are agreed by the
group, they are fixed and recorded on Moodle.
213
We moved on from meeting deadlines to signing work in, in a designated place at a
designated time. This was followed by the ‘two submissions only’ part of the
assessment policy, although, again, as they are L1 learners, we do have a degree of
flexibility here to meet specific learning needs.
This year and as part of this project, we have put all the relevant paperwork for handin on Moodle to complete the process. Historically, we had given the paperwork to
students directly. The learners were asked to take ownership of the whole policy by
completing their work on time, retrieving and completing the relevant paperwork from
Moodle and attaching this to their work before signing the work in on the deadline
day in the agreed place at the agreed time.
Findings
The first deadline was 7th October 2013 for Unit 9 of their course, ‘Managing Your
Health at Work’. This first deadline was met by 17/18 learners in the L1 group. The
learner who did not meet the deadline was then required to wait until the deadline for
the second submission of coursework before they could hand their work in and
receive their grade.
Since October 2013, when the first deadline was met, the learners in this group have
embraced this policy in full with all their assignments and all their units. They follow
the rules on hand-in to the letter by completing their work, printing off the relevant
paperwork and completing this, before signing in their coursework on time and to the
correct place. They now do this completely independently and have taken
ownership of their own learning responsibilities.
The caveat to this is that there have on occasions been exceptions due to genuine ill
health of learners, although often those unable to attend college on deadline days
due to ill health email their completed coursework to us, which again reflects that
they are taking responsibility.
Conclusion
Completing this research project with a group of L1 learners who were historically
seen to be unable to work independently and take ownership of learning due to their
level of ability has proved that this is not always the case and that maybe given the
chance and the encouragement to be more independent and take ownership of
learning at any level should be an expectation, we as tutors should instil in our
learners.
We are hopeful that in encouraging the learners to do this, that those who progress
onto our L2 courses will already have the skills to follow this process at higher levels
and continue with this independence and ownership of learning.
For those learners who seek paid employment following the L1 course, we also hope
that in enabling them to be more independent in college that they will be useful
members of society and support the economy.
214
Perseverance
215
Dom Glennon
Research question: If I do more teaching and learning on distinction criteria on
Level 2 will more students go for the criteria and achieve the mark as well as
developing the habit of going for more distinction criteria?
Keywords: Sports; Assessment criteria; Raising aspirations; Persistence; Emotional
intelligence; and Level 2.
Context
I work in the Sports Department of Highlands College. I teach Level 2 and Level 3
students as well as a group aged from 14-16. There are 2 groups in Level 2. I will
be focusing my action research project on Level 2 Group 1 which is my tutor group.
The group has a wide range of abilities, as well as including students who have
learning difficulties and students for whom English is not their first language. There
are 16 students in the class, 11 males and 5 females.
I chose this group to do my action research on because last year I mostly worked
with Level 2 students and was their main teacher for most of their units. Although
the year proved to be very successful with a large number of students progressing
onto Level 3, there was a distinct lack of distinction criteria achieved. In order to get
onto Level 3 students need to achieve merits overall which could explain the lack of
distinctions achieved by Level 2 students or alternatively, this outcome could be a
result of me not teaching distinction criteria to a level where students feel they can
achieve this grade.
Issue addressed
My research was designed to find an answer to the reasoning behind a lack of
distinctions in Level 2 and hopefully offer a solution to how I can increase the
number of students going for distinction criteria. One issue with the validity of this
action research is that both case studies are not equally matched. The strict
guidelines of Level 2 were made more flexible this year to allow for a larger number
of student applicants. Consequently if the groups were matched on GCSE grades,
last year’s Level 2 group which did not achieve a large amount of distinctions would
be seen as a far more likely group to achieve higher marks. This means my action
research will have to consider me progressing my teaching style teaching for
distinction criteria as well as the motivation of the group to achieve high grades.
David Budden (University of Melbourne) discusses ways in which students can
achieve higher grades but places that responsibility solely on the student themselves
rather than the lecturer teaching them:
“I was still able to manage some quite healthy high distinctions, purely by
managing my time and study correctly.” (Budden, 2012)
Research on the whole is quite scarce on this subject, although there is much
research done on different types of learning to achieve higher marks, including group
work as a means of increasing class participation and raising grades of the whole
216
class. This research done by an American professor showed excellent results in his
study which encourages me to use this potential learning tool to help clarify
distinction work with the students.
My research question of “If I do more teaching and learning on distinction criteria on
Level 2 will more students go for the criteria and achieve the mark as well as
developing the habit of going for more distinction criteria?” was based around the
number of students I had going for distinctions the previous year. Hardly any
students went for distinction criteria last year and my teaching and learning on these
criteria was reduced due to this reluctance. In order to try and increase students’
aspirations I have done more teaching and learning on the distinction criteria and
based my research around this question. The question also is linked to developing
“habits of mind” using grades as an indicator but not the only outcome.
The project
When discussing their ambitions in their initial tutorial, many students stated that
they wanted “to achieve as many distinctions as possible”. Comparing this to the
previous year I found a lot of last year’s students also had the same willingness to go
for distinctions and identified this in their targets, just as my group this year. This
linked comparison showed me that Level 2 students mostly come in with the same
targets each year, which is to aim for distinction criteria, even though they are made
aware that to progress onto Level 3 they need a merit in all units. This indicates to
me that students last year failed to go for distinctions either because they found the
workload for Level 2 too much to spend more time on assignments or that my
teaching and learning did not help them enough to confidently go for distinction
criteria.
In order to determine why students last year failed to go for distinction criteria I got
them to fill out a questionnaire identifying their reasoning. In the first part of the
questionnaire students from last year had to answer and expand in three questions
which were;



How many distinctions did you go for last year?
Did you think they were taught in enough detail?
What would have persuaded you to go for more distinctions?
In the second part of the questionnaire the student gave scores out of 10 to the
following areas;
 Score out of 10 for motivation to achieve the distinction and push for a higher
grading
 Score out of 10 for how much they looked at the distinction criteria
 Score out of 10 for the lecturer’s teaching of the distinction criteria
 Score out of 10 for the difficulty of the distinction criteria
Findings
The first question on how many distinctions did you go for last year produced scores
of 0,0,1,1 for a level of study that had over 16 distinctions in. This was a
disappointing result and overall only two distinctions were achieved all year in a
group which had nearly one third progressing into Level 3.
217
The second question asking if they thought the distinction criteria were taught in
enough depth resulted in a mixed response. Respondents 1 and 4 both identified
that the distinction was taught in enough detail, with candidate 4 saying “I thought
they were taught really well”. However Respondent 1, although happy with the
teaching, stated that “I thought they were taught well I just didn’t go for it because I
got a merit”.
The two other respondents identified that the distinction needed more explanation,
with respondent 3 stating that “they were taught pretty quick”. This links directly to
my action research question suggesting that an increase in teaching and learning of
the distinctions would have resulted in more attempts.
The third question which asked the students if they would be persuaded to go for
more distinctions resulted in all students except one stating that they would go for
more distinctions “if they were easier and taught better”. This again highlights that a
larger number of students may have gone for distinctions if taught to a higher
standard and made clearer to the students.
The second part of the questionnaire used a scoring system out of 10 to highlight
students’ views on the distinctions, with one being the lowest score and 10 being the
highest.
Discussion 1: Score out of 10 for motivation to achieve the distinction and push for a
higher grading
Student 1
3
Student 2
7
Student 3
7
Student 4
7
Motivation
10
5
0
1
2
3
4
This graph shows that a number of students were fairly motivated to aim to get the
distinction criteria. It also shows that students felt their research skills were strong
enough to be able to attempt the distinction criteria.
218
Discussion 2: Score out of 10 for how much you looked at the distinction criteria
Student 1
2
Student 2
8
Student 3
8
Student 4
8
Observing
10
8
6
4
2
0
1
2
3
4
This graph shows that students did look at the distinction criteria with the intention of
attempting it. The high scores indicate that student’s level of understanding was
high and that this demonstrated that they had good research skills.
Discussion 3: Score out of 10 for the lecturers teaching of the distinction
Student 1
8
Student 2
5
Student 3
4
Student 4
9
Teaching and learning
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
0
1
2
3
219
4
5
This graph shows a mixed response. It identifies that 2 of the students think the
teaching is to a high standard on the distinction whereas 2 disagree and think it can
be improved.
Discussion 4: Score out of 10 for the difficulty of the distinction.
Difficulty
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1
2
3
4
This graph shows that a lot of the students found the distinction itself difficult to
attempt.
All of these results have indicated that the teaching and learning can be improved as
a method of trying to improve the chances of students achieving the distinction
criteria.
The next stage of my investigation will give out the same information sheets to the
new Level 2. As it is fairly early in the year the students would have had the
opportunity to go for fewer distinctions, however already there has been the
possibility to go for six across Level 2 and one from my unit in fitness testing and
training.
This academic year I have focused more on developing my teaching of Level 2
distinctions through use of question and answer, quizzes and assignment
workshops. I am hoping not only will the grades reflect this but also the
questionnaires that were given to last year’s Level 2. I also hope to develop the use
of reflection skills in the students as well improving their research skills.
As most students were not at Highlands last year, the first question was not a
relevant question so students left this section blank originally. After bringing the
questionnaires back in I decided to re-word the question to “how many distinctions
have you gone for this year?” as well as asking the students to explain their
reasoning. (The results are put in brackets to highlight a verbal question being
asked.)
220
The numbers came back much higher in one term this year in comparison to the
whole of the academic year of last. This increase in distinctions could be down to
having a range of different lecturers so I have also highlighted how many are in my
fitness sessions. Every student tested went for a distinction in my unit of the one
distinction handed out.
Here are the results of the question for all units.
1
3
2
3
3
2
4
3
The next question if distinctions were taught in enough detail was answered
extremely positively by the students, with students claiming “tutors sat down and
explained distinction criteria”. Students also said “teachers always know how to
explain distinction criteria so it’s easier to write assignments”. These more positive
comments identify that teaching and learning has increased for distinction criteria.
The last question of “what would have persuaded you to go for more distinctions in
your work?” prevented the reoccurrence of the previous year’s answer of “I only
wanted merits!” from last year’s Level 2. This demonstrates that students are not
just looking at doing the criteria that allows them to get onto Level 3, but they are
looking to achieve the highest grade possible. The students did identify that they
would like “more time “to work on distinctions which was a common reason why
students did not go for distinctions last year.
The second part of the questionnaire with the same questions as last year, was
given to this year’s student
•
Score out of 10 for motivation to achieve the distinction and push for a higher
grading
•
Score out of 10 for how much you looked at the distinction criteria
•
Score out of 10 for the lecturers teaching of the distinction
•
Score out of 10 for the difficulty of the distinction
Score out of 10 for motivation to achieve the distinction
1
7
2
8
3
8
221
4
6
Motivation
9
8
9
8
1
2
3
4
These results compared to last year’s show a higher motivation to go for distinction
criteria from the students. This shows that students are showing more emotional
strength in regards to their work and a better understanding of the unit content.
Score out of 10 for how much you looked at the distinction criteria
1
9
2
10
3
5
4
7
Observing
9
8.8
8.6
8.4
8.2
8
7.8
7.6
7.4
1
2
3
4
These scores did not provide a lot of linked information and were quite random in
result.
222
Score out of 10 for the lecturers teaching of the distinction
1
10
2
10
3
9
4
8
Teaching and learning
9.2
9
Score
8.8
8.6
8.4
8.2
8
7.8
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
Student
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
These results showed a clear increase in the students rating of the teaching of the
distinction criteria. This helps to support the notion that by increasing the time spent
on teaching and learning will increase the number of distinctions attempted and
develop more well-rounded learners.
Score out of 10 for the difficulty of the distinction
1
2
3
8
8
9
223
4
9
Difficulty
9.2
9
8.8
Score
8.6
8.4
8.2
8
7.8
7.6
7.4
1
2
3
4
Student
The answers for this study show that the distinctions have not got any easier. This
helps provide evidence to suggest that distinctions are being taught in more detail
this term than last year.
Conclusions
The data collected has proven that the number of distinctions has increased this
year. The increase appears from the findings down to a push on teaching in more
detail the distinction criteria and allowing students the opportunity to ask more
questions to how it can be gained. Consequently we should take into account that
the increase in distinctions may be down to a wider range of tutors this year and a
higher grade criteria needed to go onto Level 3.
I think that tutors looking to increase the overall grades of their groups should look at
this research. It supports the idea that each criteria should be taught individually
rather than teaching just the assignment as a whole.
I learned that I should focus more on the teaching and learning and be less
concerned with students meeting assignment deadlines and falling behind. The
better the teaching and learning the limited number of second submissions and the
more time students will have to work on assignments.
The research has also helped to show that students have improved their learning
skills from last year. The research suggested that students’ research skills are more
advanced now, with students feeling more confident to attempt distinction criteria.
The research also suggests that students are more adventurous learners, with
students willing to go for higher and harder criteria.
As a next step I may try this research with a few Level 3 groups in order to try and
higher the already impressive grades of our Level 3 students here on sport.
224
Reference
Budden, D. (2012). How to get high distinctions [Online], 6th March,, 2012. Available
at: http://www.davidbudden.com/high-distinctions/ [Accessed 16th May, 2014].
225
Evaluating the influence of different spelling programmes on
learning
Jo Gueno
Research question: If I introduce a spelling programme of my own will my learners
become better spellers? Or If I use a set spelling programme will my learners
become better spellers?
Keywords: English; ESOL; Spelling; Memorising; Perseverance; and Mixed levels.
Context
Highlands College is a higher education facility catering to a huge range of learners.
Our diversity and differentiation varies according to age, ability, educational
background, experience and special needs. My vocational area is ESOL. I teach
English to speakers of other languages in two areas of the college.
I focused my research on both my cross-college learners, (Group A) who are a group
of 7 students ages between 17 and 19 years old, and (Group B) my Diploma in
Vocational Studies learners, who are a group of 9 students aged between 17 and 19
years old, and whom are of mixed levels and abilities. Both groups have two ESOL
lessons per week.
Several members are hoping to take the Cambridge First Certificate in English
Language in June 2014 and each member is a full time student on a vocational
course. These include Sports, Business, Hair and Beauty, and the Diploma in
Vocational Studies Year 2.
The issue addressed
I have chosen to focus my research on spelling because I feel it is an area of
language that is often ignored but is very easily improved and measured and it also
introduces new useful vocabulary to my learners.
I have always included spelling programmes in my schemes of work in the past and I
felt it was manageable, and SMART (specific, measureable, achievable,
realistic/relevant, and time-bound).
I chose to include a spelling programme in my lessons because in my experience it
has been a very useful tool for the learners. I taught adult ESOL learners for many
years and always began every lesson with a spelling test. It was valuable and every
student improved in their reading, writing and spelling as well as their understanding
of our phonetics.
I am currently teaching Group A the Cambridge Compact First, following the official
preparation material for the FCE and including extra relevant and appropriate
materials to the scheme of reading, writing, speaking, listening and Use of English
format set by the University of Cambridge ESOL Examination Board. With Group B I
am following a topic-based scheme of work based on a model produced by
Cambridge University Press. Within this learners learn new words, do reading
226
comprehensions, practice vocabulary orally and aurally and write reviews, poetry or
music.
My research questions
a) If I introduce a spelling programme devised by myself will my learners become
better spellers?
b) If I use a set spelling programme will my learners become better spellers?
The project
I decided in Term 1 and Term 2 that I would test 10 new words per week. For Group
A I used the set spelling programme from the vocabulary section in the FCE
students’ book. I gave the learners 10 new words to learn in lesson one, I then
tested this group on those words in lesson two. For Group B I used my own spelling
programme put together from the 100 misspelt words in English from a Spellzone
programme online. With this group I gave the learners 10 new words per week, retesting weekly. At the end of Term 1, I set an overall review spelling bee of 40 words
with both groups from their individual spelling programme. In the 2 nd term I then
reversed the arrangements so I used the set spelling programme with Group B and
my own spelling programme with Group A, and also did an end of term spelling bee
of 40 words with both.
The intervention
Initially I was going to have the learners only write their overall spelling review, but
after speaking to my fellow observer, I decided to make the review more fun and a
little competitive for the groups. I therefore decided to try a spelling bee, where I
read out the words and individual learners called out their spellings. For those who
were less confident I allowed them to note their words down first before competing.
This turned out to be as measurable and time bound as I had hoped. I have used
the written test results in my findings.
Findings
My data is based upon the regular attenders from Group A and B
Set programme A
Student
Weekly %
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
78%
61%
64%
68%
51%
60%
70%
82%
92%
56%
100%
71%
Min-max
Overall %
40%
50%
40%
30%
60%
70%
60%
30%
40%
80%
0%
30%
75%
37.5%
37.5%
40%
52.5%
100%
100%
87.5%
100%
45%
100%
50%
227
A+B compared
(min-max)
10%
20%
Same
10%
10%
60%
40%
10%
10%
40%
20%
Same
Set programme B
Student
Weekly %
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
69%
54%
63%
67%
62%
86%
89%
88%
89%
51%
96%
75%
Min-max
Overall %
50%
70%
40%
40%
50%
10%
20%
20%
30%
40%
20%
30%
50%
40%
50%
75%
77.5%
97.5%
97.5%
95%
100%
62.5%
100%
75%
A+B compared
(overall)
-25%
+2.5%
+12.5%
+35%
+25%
-2.5%
-2.5%
+7.5%
Same
+17.5%
same
+25%
In programme A, 11 out of 12 students improved their score on a weekly basis. One
of the 12 students started with 10/10 and continued with this score throughout. Two
out of the 12 students took a dip in their score at the halfway point.
In programme B, 8 out of the 12 students improved their score on a weekly basis, 4
out of the 12 students showed varying degrees of improvement but did not do this
progressively.
For both programmes 10 out of 12 had above 20% improvement from their minimum
to their maximum score.
The results of the overall tests combined with the percentage difference between
minimum and maximum results and their weekly progress percentage show that both
programmes worked equally as well however:






Spelling programme A had better min – max results for 6 students
Spelling programme B had better min – max results for 4 students
2 students had the same min – max percentage for both spelling programmes
Spelling programme A had better overall results for 3 students
Spelling programme B had better overall results for 7 students
2 students had the same overall results for both spelling programmes
Lessons learned
My conclusion is that the learners learnt a lot of new vocabulary from both spelling
programmes. The majority of learners achieved and progressed on a weekly basis
and they surprised themselves by feeling more confident each week. The written
results were easier to measure than the spelling bee, but that was added in to make
the experience more enjoyable. I had to allow for varied attendance and I therefore
chose to plot data from those learners who attended every class, spelling test and
the overall review at the end of both terms.
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Just write
Paul Bisson
Research question: If students spend ten minutes engaged in free writing at the
start of each lesson will their writing ability, SPAG and written output improve?
Keywords: Writing; Creativity; Perseverance; Free writing; Male students; and
GCSE.
Context
Reading and writing go hand-in-hand and it is through writing that children learn to
formulate thoughts and improve their creativity and thinking skills … It’s down to
teachers as well as parents to nurture a love of writing in boys’ (sic) and help to
develop positive attitudes towards it early on in their education.4
So asserts Julie Gibbings, Senior Programme Manager at the National Literacy
Trust, in response to the findings of the Trust’s 2012 survey Children and Young
People’s Writing in 2012. Radio presenter and children’s author Simon Mayo (of Itch
and Itch Rocks fame) is equally concerned with combating the entrenched antipathy
of our young male writers, and has leant his weighty support to the Trust’s campaign.
The teenage Mayo ‘wasn’t particularly interested in writing at school,’5 Simon Mayo,
ibid. an admission he candidly proffers in support of the Literacy Trust’s assertion
that ‘‘writing is more fun (sic) when you can choose the topic.’6
Whilst Simon Mayo is to be praised for bringing this educational shortfall to our
attention (as well as for providing a solid buck to recent BBC DJ / YA trends), a brief
survey of British psycho-pedagogical literature over the past two hundred years
reveals that the problem with young males who ‘drooping sit’7 when confronted with
the prospect of written work is nothing new, but rather a lingering phenomenon
responsible for the blighting of A-C grade percentages since time immemorial.
The ineluctable fact is that most boys don’t like writing. And not just in Simon Mayo’s
homeland; according to a 2012 DfE report “The research evidence on “writing” (caps
omitted in original doc) ‘the underachievement of boys in English has been observed
in many English-speaking countries.” Possible causes for this gender discrepancy
are listed by the DfE, including the following:
“… the way lessons are conducted such as an emphasis on story writing, not
giving boys ownership of their writing, a discrepancy between boys’ reading
preferences and writing topics, using ‘counting down’ time strategies and a
dislike by boys of drafting and figurative language.” (DfE, 2012:10)
Similar conclusions were drawn by Ofsted in their 2003 report Yes he can: Schools
where boys write well. Inversely, they claim that well-writing boys ‘emerge’ from
schools where (among other things):
4
Julie Gibbings, www.literacytrust.org.uk/media/5722
Simon Mayo, ibid.
6
Julie Gibbings, ibid
7
William Blake, The Schoolboy, Songs of Innocence and Experience 1794
5
229

pupils write frequently and at length (often as homework) and in this way
develop stamina as writers, but they seldom rewrite long pieces unless for
‘publication’
 pupils are often given choice as to the content of their writing, even when
the form or genre is prescribed
 a good balance is maintained between support and independence, with
pupils always expected to be as independent as possible (Ofsted, 2003:3).
It was, notionally, the notions of ‘independence,’ ‘choice’ and ‘frequency’ that were
addressed in this (somewhat notional) trial, the mechanics of which are addressed in
the proceeding section with (given the limited remit of this study) regrettable
notionality.
What was it that caused our embryonic Radio 2 DJ and his co-gendered peers to
perceive the act of writing as anathema? Was it perhaps due to a consolidated view
(unwittingly foisted upon them by their pedagogues) of writing as an act to be
undertaken solely at the command of others, as an answer to this question, as a
means to satisfy that task, as a mere (and oft-extended) response with which to
counter their teachers call?
How often were they invited to simply write - to no end other than the act of writing?
What if, for ten minutes at the start of every lesson, this experimenter’s pen-bearing
neophytes were handed a single word or phrase and told to just write? No outcome,
no tasking, no grades forthcoming … just the act of solitary expression via the
deployment of inked alphabetic symbols on the page. What then?
Ours was a simple experiment, in theory. Interestingly (and amusingly) the initial
instruction to students to spend ten minutes simply ‘writing about’ (or as a jazz
musician might put it, ‘riffing on’) a given word or phrase - thus instigating a period of
non-specified, formless writing – can be viewed as a quasi-rebellious attempt to
subvert the leading affirmation of Bakhtin’s famous theory of the Utterance, where
‘every utterance must be regarded as primarily a response to preceding utterances
of the given sphere’ (Bakhtin,1986:91), (the sphere in this instance comprising the
various classroom settings in which respective invitations to write have previously
been extended) with the worthy aim of ascertaining (from which the better to inform
future practice) whether the decoupling of a pressing, quantifiable ‘response’ (to
pedagogue, assessor or otherwise) might lead to an observable increase in
participatory student exuberance (with – hopefully – subsequent corollary
amelioration vis grammar, syntax and style) and actionable output via the physical
act of openly committing thoughts to page by means of a manual, hand-held device
(as opposed to the various technological interfaces with which the boys are familiar),
of reconstructing (to quote Vygotsky, and in manifest (and yes, paradoxically given
the opening instruction) opposition to Bakhtin’s insistence on the necessity of a
response) ‘the situation … to represent it to (the students’) selves, demanding as it
does a ‘detachment from the actual 8 situation’ (Vygotsky,1962:99) (said situation
here being the classroom, the lesson, the expectation of a steered and assessable
8
my italics
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written response in order to satisfy the demand of curriculum, pedagogue, exam
board, etc.) with a view to implementing similarly-themed heuristic activities into
future lessons should final (formative and, at the commencement of the trial dateunspecified) assessment (quantitative, as shall be seen) indicate that this might
possibly be quite a nice thing to do. 9
The project
The subjects for this trial were seventeen IT students (all male at time of writing,
approximately seventeen years old), all of whom were present (twice a week,
Tuesday and Thursdays, 9-10.30 am) to complete a one-year English GCSE resit
course, the goal of said course being the supplanting of their narky and problematic
D grade with a thoroughly wholesome C.
This experiment lacked a control group, though use may yet be made of two
students who, having appeared on the register at the start of term, failed to show for
any subsequent lessons and were thus excluded from exposure to the writing trial.
(It may still be worthwhile to attempt a comparison of these two students’ writing with
those who took part in the trial, though so far this impromptu (and admittedly
nominal) control group have yet to make any form of physical appearance, in any of
the experimenter’s English lessons, ever.
The boys were each presented with a small blue A5 notepad (lined) to be used
specifically for the ten minute ‘free writing’ activity (the colour blue being specifically
chosen in an attempt to assuage any student anxieties arising from the perceived
threat of de-masculisation (attendant upon my request that the boys write something
down) via subconscious reinforcement and in line with current socio-genderal
research (Read, 2009).
Over a period of fifteen lessons (during the term spanning September to December
and excluding those lessons where students were required to sit controlled
assessments) the boys were presented with one of a succession of solitary words
and phrases (arbitrarily chosen depending on the mood, proclivity and caffeine
intake of the experimenters) and asked to write on that topic - in silence - for ten
minutes.
The words chosen were thus: Soap Operas, Roadworks, Honour, Death, Body
Language, Goldfish, Grease, Persuasion, Politicians, Revision, English Weather,
Christmas, Time, Podcasts, Birthday.
Findings
The concluding base data for this particular trial consists of a set of seventeen
notebooks with the students’ respective entries set out page by page. In an attempt
to assess the cumulative impact of the ten-minute writing tasks on the boys’ learning
it was deemed best and most thorough to effect an extrapolation of grammatical
mistakes as a percentage (both individual and as a class) (Y axis) plotted over time
(X axis) with further subdivisions of qualitative study being allocated with regards the
nature and scope of grammatical errata (e.g. capitalisation of proper nouns, misuse
of a semi-colon, catastrophic apostrophisation) before eventual reduction into a
9
One can but wonder what Simon Mayo would make of all this.
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series of algebraic formulas designed to produce a conclusive quantitative analysis
culminating in an emergent percentage figure by which it could be claimed students
had improved as a result of the trial. A total of thirty-five graphs were produced,
though in the interests of clarity, brevity and general mental well-being only one (an
over-arching representation of the full and total impact of the trial upon the class in
toto) is reproduced below.
As will be noted, errors in SPAG (‘spelling and grammar’ in the acronymic English
pedagogical canon) reached their zenith shortly after the instigation of the ten minute
free writing period, though proceeded to drop to an laudable low of 2% some ten
weeks later. Alas, a return to 5% SPAG errors was effected towards the end of
December (prompting speculation as to the effect of emotional anticipation of the
Christmas holidays with regards the quality of students’ work, an avenue that (as a
pleasing corollary of this study) now surely presents itself as meriting further
investigation, especially in light of the fact that many English GCSE students sit their
CAs with one ear to the approaching bells of Santa’s sleigh). From there we find a
marked upturn of errata at the start of January (further studies on the effect of overconsumption and/or cold weather on students’ SPAG?) followed by a welcome and
immediate reduction in SPAG errors on the concluding days of the study suggestive
of a welcome and homeostatic return to previous levels of SPAGgery. (An amusing
aside: the verbalised hypothesising of said suggestion to several of the boys
received short shrift when they misheard my use of the word ‘homeostasis’ and took
mild though mercifully short-lasting offence).
A successful trial then, in terms of the wide and oak-lined avenues of suggestive
further study thrown up by the data, yet one that is rather inconclusive with regards
to that which it sets out to ascertain. It would perhaps be useful to expand the trial in
terms of time and scope, with nation-wide extension (and subsequent meta-analysis)
presenting itself as an intriguing possibility, though it is of course beyond the remit
and influence of this particular experimenter to provide anything but a nod and a
nudge to those with the will and financial wherewithal to bring such an elevation of
this study into being.
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This report will conclude with some observations of a more subjective nature
(unconnected to the task of grammatical amelioration) made with regards the
seventeen male students’ fluctuating reactions to their bi-weekly writing task. Whilst
it is possible to pick out sporadic bursts of nascent belletrism amidst some of the
more fluent writers, the over-riding impression gleaned from the boys’ entries is of an
unfolding expressionistic joie-de-vivre, as in this treatment of the topic of ‘Christmas’
(sic throughout, and beyond):
A wasted day that celebrates a Pagan Festival, though the aim is to boost moral and
get family’s close together it is a stupid idea.
…or this for ‘Politicians’:
These are the people that destroy the economy by changing the laws. Making life for
us ‘better’ whilst their pay is tax funded.
…or this illuminating treatise on ‘Goldfish’:
When I was little I had 2 blue jalminos(?), they aren’t goldfish but I would tell my
friends that they were goldfish this would freak them out as I told them I used food
colouring.
…or this exploration of more abstract concepts when presented with the topic of
‘Time’:
Personally I both love and hate time.
The preceding examples all come from the same student, and (along with many
others that could be set before the reader) provides evidence of a distinct narrative
voice emerging as (possible) evidence of New Zealand scholar Marie Clay’s
‘recurring principle’ (Clay, 1975) (i.e. the notion that through repetition over time and
with regular reinforcement students begin to view their writing as an extension of
their own personality and a vehicle for self-expression and/or influence). Note the
confessionary elements of the student’s goldfish entry, the use of the qualifying
adverb ‘personally’ in his exposition on time – both examples of an awakening sense
of ownership and the beginnings of a renewed relationship with the act of writing as
extending beyond the merely responsive and reactionary (as mentioned at the start
of this report), and becoming a facet of personality itself.
Conclusion
This trial set out to see if boys’ attitudes and abilities with regard to their own writing
could be in any way altered by a reframing of the pedagogical context in which the
activity occurred. Minor fluctuations in SPAG were recorded, a nascent drive
towards greater and more fluid self-expression through writing noted, and further
avenues of study presented as worthy of separate investigation.
Final thoughts
It is important – if we are to achieve those all-important A-C grades – that we
motivate young male students to approach writing as something to be enjoyed. In
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answer to the questions ‘why are we doing this?’ or ‘who’s even going to read this?’
or ‘isn’t this whole exercise just a colossal waste of my time?’ we must break open
that seventh box of biros, point to the page and extend the invitation to explore,
enjoy and play. We must divest young male writers of the notion that their weary
engagement in the written word is solely a responsive and reactionary move, whilst
disarming them of the view that the pen is merely a weapon to be wielded, when
absolutely necessary, to see off the threat of external pedagogic or authoritative
forces, instilling in them instead the belief that writing can be immersive, expressive,
and above all jolly good fun.
References
Bakhtin, M. M. (1986). Speech Genres and Other Late Essays. Trans. by Vern W.
McGee. Austin, Tx.: University of Texas Press.
Clay, M. M., (1975). What Did I Write? Auckland: Heinemann Educational Books.
Department for Education (DfE) (2012). What is the research evidence on writing?
DfE [Online]. Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/18347
9/what_is_the_research_evidence_on_writing.pdf [Accessed 16th May, 2013].
Ofsted (2003). Yes he can: Schools where boys write well. Ofsted [Online].
Available at:
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/yes-he-can-schools-where-boys-write-well
Read, M. and Upington, D. (2009). ‘Young Children's Color Preferences in the
Interior Environment’. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36(6), 491-496.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1962). Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
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Primarily Further Education – the case for promoting independent
reading at FE level
Simon MacDonald
Research question: If I plan for time within my teaching sessions where reading is
initially promoted for a real purpose, will students embrace it as ‘just another thing
we do’ and feel more confident about it, rather than an activity that they are simply
expected to undertake at school and self-monitor outside of the classroom?
Keywords: English language; Perseverance; Independent reading; and GCSE.
“Many students sign up to vocational education because they are keen to leave
the school environment at the earliest opportunity.
Virtually all young people are allocated to a pathway based on their suitability or
unsuitability to the academic route, rather than their suitability or unsuitability to
the vocational route. Young people are often allocated or counselled into a
vocational pathway not on the grounds of talent or interest in those domains,
but because they are thought unlikely to succeed at the next level of academic
education.
Consider vocational education as ‘a safety net that reduces the risk of falling to
the bottom of the labour queue’.
FE colleges work on a ‘deficit model of provision offering a second chance to
those who have struggled in mainstream schooling’.” (Lucas, Spencer and
Claxton, 2012)
The provision of re-sitting English GCSE is part of that second chance and, while the
above is all very well, when Week 1 of teaching the English GCSE re-sit comes
round and we introduce the course content with its units on Media Awareness and
Spoken Language Study, we cross our fingers and hope that we can sneak the
Exam unit in while the new students are animatedly discussing slang as a feature of
everyday speech with great abandon and no little colour – so much so that they
won’t notice us flash the cover of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck across the
whiteboard screen while whispering:
“And this is what 60% of your GCSE is based on.”
And then we duck. Or better still, announce that it’s time for a break.
Joking aside, the news is generally poorly received. Why? It’s what they have
already failed at. It’s the thing stopping them from moving on and, to use an
appropriate cliché, it appears to be a closed book to them. What will be so different
this time? “I couldn’t read it at school, so I won’t be able to here. This will be
pointless”.
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I have seen this reaction many times before and with HTTVE to back me up, I
resolved to address the issue.
I intended my action research to be focused on sustained independent tasks that are
considered historically challenging for all FE/post-16 students: reading and writing.
How is this manifested in the student body? Generally by a general lack of
enthusiasm, often seated in fear, a ‘learned hopelessness’ about facing, engaging
and completing tasks in these areas.
This can result in a spoon-feed approach to teaching reading or, worse, an
avoidance of it altogether. What happens between that idyllic representation of
parents/carers sharing books with their children from an early age to the stark reality
of the disenfranchised, de-motivated, labelled as a failure, post-16 student appearing
at FE college on Enrolment Day hoping that they won’t have to ‘do English any more’
as they have signed up for vocational education?
From my background in primary education where reading and writing begins as a
low-risk ‘eureka’ activity that, for many, is enjoyed on that basis alone, my hunch is
that somehow this gets lost between ‘there’ and ‘here’ - the reading and writing
expectations of some students are low when they reach us at FE level – they believe
that they are now involved in a vocational education where, magically, reading and
writing will play little part. The belief is that there is now going to be a ‘doing’
approach to learning and an attitude that reading and writing is both theoretical and
academic exists. How do we counter this view and establish that reading and writing
is both functional and vocational? Low expectations in these areas will reap low
results, surely. By raising the status of reading and writing - ‘a little every day’ - and
making it commonplace, will we also be able to raise expectations and improve
students’ confidence, independence and achievement?
Rather than allow for a repeat of previous years’ experience where extended reading
activities are promoted towards the study of the exam text, I decided that I would
lead with introducing the concept of independent reading at the start of the year.
Before this, I determined to discover the reading habits and attitudes of new students
to the college in two of my scheduled re-sit classes for English Language GCSE.
The classes took place within agreed cross-college slots according to timetabling
protocols. One group – students from the Faculty of Construction, Engineering and
Technology (CET) were timetabled for two 90-minute sessions on a Monday and
Wednesday morning from 9am to 10.30am. The other –students from the Faculty of
Art, Information Technology and Media (AIM) - had their two slots on a Tuesday and
Thursday at the same time.
The rigours of the current National Curriculum and the choice of board followed by
Highlands College for this academic year are a matter of public record. While the
non-attainment of pass grades (C or above) in English GCSE is not a barrier to
successful application to study here, the emphasis on improving this key skill forms
an integral part of the institution’s ethos and service to students. A visible, top-tobottom support of this provision is evidenced throughout all college policy and best
practice guidelines. This is, in turn, supported by policy from ESC locally and from
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OFSTED nationally.
However, Highlands College makes this offer of an English GCSE re-sit opportunity
in a ‘reactive’ mechanism driven by results achieved by incoming students from
feeder schools on the Island. In its current incarnation, the Edexcel English
Language GCSE – now in its third year of delivery – is a one-year, fast-track course.
The decision to adopt this board and qualification was made in consultation with
English HOD colleagues in the feeder secondary schools when the last major
changes to the curriculum were mooted in 2010. Since then, independent decisions
by HOD to follow boards other than the agreed one has resulted in new students to
college being required to re-sit an English GCSE but in a different form from the one
that they followed at school. Such are the perils of having to react to market
conditions. With further new changes on the horizon – from a modular to a linear
approach – it is hoped that the island’s secondary schools and this FE college can
agree on ‘one board for one qualification’ in order to ‘join up’ provision and serve its
students better in the years to come.
If I plan for time within my teaching sessions where reading is initially promoted for a
real purpose, will students embrace it as ‘just another thing we do’ and feel more
confident about it, rather than an activity that they are simply expected to undertake
in school and self-monitor outside of the classroom?
The project
To begin my enquiry I carried out an informal Question and Answer activity with my
new class of students within the first month of the new academic term beginning.
The following questions were asked and answers were scribed:
•
•
How much reading do you do at home each day?
If you read at home each day, what do you read?
A large number of students in each parallel class answered that they did little, if any,
reading at home each day. The response to reading from this group was largely
negative and of a self-conscious variety. On further questioning, it was clear that the
respondents assumed that the question referred to the reading of books alone.
I then qualified the question by redefining what reading material we may encounter
on a daily basis, but do not necessarily acknowledge or take much notice of,
excepting books, by listing the following on the whiteboard:
• cereal/breakfast/food/drink packaging
• appliance instructions
• junk mail
• application forms for:
• employment
• driving licences
• passports
• Social Security cards
• subscriptions to clubs or other organisations
237
• bank account applications
• internet
browsing/websites/email/online
newspapers/magazines/graphic
novels
• films with/without subtitles – e.g. Manga/Anime
• music lyrics
• phone text messages
I then delivered a visualised journey from home to college and this took in the
following:
• road signs/destinations/directions
• advertising
I then included books – fiction and non-fiction, newspapers and magazines in order
to make this as comprehensive a list as possible.
I gave the students a pen and asked them to come up and tick any of the reading
materials that they had encountered that morning/week. The response was moving.
A slow trickle of ambling to the front became a fast-moving stream and then a torrent
as positions at the board were jockeyed for. By the end of the process, the list was a
multi-coloured rainbow of ticks made with varying degrees of flourish. What struck
us all as we reflected on the record was just how much reading had taken place
without being consciously aware of it.
Further questioning centred on the content of the English GCSE course – both the
recently taken one at school and the current re-sit that they were attending this class
for. As I explained that the focus text was going to be Of Mice and Men by John
Steinbeck, there were a few celebratory whoops, but more audible groans. My
Specific Observable Behaviours (its apt acronym being SOB) record shows the
following responses:
“Oh my God! No!”
“Yes! I know that one. This is gonna be easy.”
“Sweet!”
“I’m going now.”
“I’m not reading that again.”
Then some more colourful responses that I have deemed unfit for publication!
Needless to say that across the group, there was a quite clear 85% majority that
considered this choice of exam text as ‘deeply unsatisfactory’.
So this was my starting point. I accepted their reticence with empathy, but explained
that this was the functional reality of taking this particular qualification. Contextually,
a pass at English GCSE has gained far more vocational currency in recent years and
I stated that this was the challenge ahead of us all.
The Intervention
I explained that each student was going to record their independent reading progress
in a Reading Log that they would take ownership of and fill in. They were to date the
entry and mark their progress through the text by page number to page number. Up
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to 20 minutes per lesson would be set aside for independent reading of the target
text. This would include me as tutor and the teaching support. I also explained that
this slot was not fixed and could occur at any point in the 90 minutes allotted.
The First Session
Lighting the fuse and stepping away … The first session, limited to just 15 minutes,
went surprisingly smoothly – I say ‘surprisingly’ as I felt that this was a huge risk to
take. Not only was I suspending conventional teaching time, but also my attention
away from the group in order to model my own involvement in reading
independently. There was little unfocused behaviour – nothing too major and
nothing that required more than non-verbal intervention. So far, so good. On the
whole, the group embraced the activity. On reviewing the Reading Logs later, some
had recorded progress as far as the end of the first chapter while others were no
more than two or three pages in. All had recorded some progress.
Future Sessions
I pre-empted the possibility of future avoidance of this task by not setting it at a
specific time within the session. Sometimes we opened with it, other times it was in
the middle or before a break. We also employed it as a final plenary activity.
The Results
A bout of ill health meant that I was absent from a number of sessions and that cover
teaching was put in place. This resulted in a temporary suspension of the project
activity until my return. Towards the end of one of those first recommenced
sessions, a student made the following remark:
“So why aren’t we doing any quiet reading anymore?”
I smiled and asked the student about this query. He said that he had liked the
activity and that so had a lot of the others, not that they would tell me, and that for
the first time since primary school, reading hadn’t been made either a performance
to be shied away from or a punishment for non-compliance.
The next session focused on questioning the students further about their reading
history at secondary school.
Many anecdotal contributions to this prompt centred around ‘reading aloud’ as a
significant part of everyday English lessons. Perhaps not the most eagerly
anticipated of exercises, but further qualification served to provide possible reasons
for such learned reading reticence that I faced. A large number of students said that
if you refused to read aloud, this was often punished by withdrawal from the lesson.
For those who wished to avoid ‘making a fool of myself in front of my mates’, through
lack of confidence in their own ability, refusal followed by inevitable withdrawal
served as a highly effective means of realising this. Conversely, those who were not
initially put off reading aloud were quick to realise that the approbation of their more
rebellious and reluctant peers was not worth the effort and quickly fell in line to the
point where reading became guided by the tutor, was short, prescribed and focused
more on writing frames than the actual activity of reading.
239
Was this one of the reasons why reading was viewed with such pessimism and lack
of engagement?
Findings
At the end of the half term in October 2013, I asked the students to benchmark their
own progress in Independent Reading by referring to their Reading Logs and by
answering a number of navigational knowledge questions on the set text. I also
asked whether this way of completing reading in class was – in classic opticianspeak – better now, worse, or just the same?
The two groups’ responses were favourable. They liked the non-confrontational
approach. They could read at their own speed and measure their progress with
others working at the same pace. More confident readers were able to progress
through the text and make substantial notes of their own choosing – something that
had been allegedly denied them at secondary school. My last intervention set them
the group target of finishing the reading of the book by Christmas break and for
those who managed to do so more quickly, I set exam preparation comprehension
tasks to complete. With the exam board removing the teacher-assessed speaking
and listening tasks from the English GCSE, I made the text the focus for the group
and assured them that this would reward their independent reading and building of
knowledge for the exam. They prepared presentations on characters, group
discussions on chapters and role-plays based on imagined events. All were
accepted and undertaken in a far more co-operative and willing approach than in
previous years.
Lessons Learned
On reflection I would like to say that this approach has resulted in a far more relaxed
and involved response to the reading of the set text. Of course, there is the hope
that it will impact on attainment for many of these students – the proof will not be
known on that issue until Results Day in August – but the tangible positive change of
attitude on the part of these reluctant learners in this subject will endure for me. It is
a method of working that will form the spine of all my future planning on the scheme
of work for this subject area. I will also attempt to promote reading for both interest
and leisure by introducing varied non-curricular reading resources available in
classes from the beginning of the next academic year.
I am not so sure I would have been able to stand back, observe and evaluate my
teaching in this way without the formalisation of this project. But I am sure that it will
have a practical and positive impact on my future teaching. In the wider context,
there are issues raised here that require sensitive handling. A period of reflection
and quiet consultation may result in the seeds of change being sown in this highly
important area of teaching and learning in the future.
Reference
Lucas, B. Spencer, E. and Claxton, G. (2012). How to teach vocational education: A
theory of vocational pedagogy.
London: City & Guilds Centre for Skills
Development.
240
Karen Wray
Research question: If I am honest with the students, telling them what is expected,
will they take pride in their work? (Including preparation for classes) Will they
develop the resilience to try again when they make mistakes? Will they persevere?
Keywords: Mathematics; Resilience; Routine
Craftsmanship; Business-like attitudes; and GCSE.
expertise,
Resourcefulness,
Context
I regularly teach GCSE Mathematics to groups in the college. Traditionally, my
groups have consisted of 16- to 17-year-old boys with a main area of study being
construction, engineering, ICT or sport. All students have attempted GCSE
Mathematics previously at least once, in some cases as many as three times.
Student prior attainment in most cases is GCSE grade “D” with some with an “E”, a
few with Functional Mathematics at Level 1 or 2 and a smattering of students have
no recognised mathematics qualification. Students tend to believe that they will
progress as their practical skills develop and sometimes do not see the value in
improved mathematics/numeracy. On the other hand, employers tend to prefer their
employees have a recognised mathematics/numeracy qualification with GCSE grade
“C” being the norm.
Reading ‘How to Teach Vocational Education’ I realised that I want my students to
show routine expertise, resourcefulness, craftsmanship, business-like attitudes and
improve functional literacies. I was struck by the ethos and, as a believer in holistic
education, how I wanted to see mathematics/numeracy fully included appropriately in
all education. In particular relating to students developing: - routine expertise,
resourcefulness, functional literacies (numeracy to complete the mathematics and
literacy to understand what GCSE questions are asking for), craftsmanship
(particularly wanting to do a good job), entrepreneurial sense and skills for growth
(for employment and lifelong learning) (Lucas et al., 2012).
“Individuals need adequate levels of English and maths in order to study,
especially beyond Level 3; Employers need staff who have adequate levels of
English and maths, at least to Level 2, to work effectively. And the country
needs to build a highly skilled workforce, able to attract investment and
compete in international markets.” (Harkin and Smith, 2013:27)
How does this contribute to expansive education?
Issue addressed
Recently I have become disheartened myself with success rates (9% June 2013,
33% Nov 2013) and student focus/pride in work. I feel students have very little
desire to improve on their mathematics grade, giving the impression that it is
impossible and does not matter anyway. Very few have good memories of
Mathematics previously. This is at a time when GCSE Mathematics is becoming
more rigorous with more emphasis on use and application.
241
I have found that students expect to fail and believe this is linked to their limited
experience of success in the past. Students must believe they can succeed and
develop craftsmanship and resourcefulness.
“A sense of self competence is important here, since individuals are more
likely to embark upon, and continue with, the journey toward autonomy if they
have the confidence in their ability to achieve their goals.” (Miller and Lavin,
2007:21)
I often find that a student believes an answer to be incorrect when it is the same
value but in a different form, as with a fraction, or when part of the question has been
misunderstood, so leading to correct calculations with false information.
In order to turnaround these types of students Fullan (2006) advocates aiming to
narrow societal income differential, with education playing a role in this and by
working intensely on literacy, numeracy and student well-being.
Using and applying mathematics develops reasoning and communication. A point I
make to colleagues and other professional adults who challenge the need for
learning algebra and quadratic equations. I remind them that, although they have
not needed to solve a quadratic, or use algebra, they have certainly used the
reasoning skills they perfected when learning how to complete such tasks.
If I am honest with the students, telling them what is expected, will they take pride in
their work? (Including preparation for classes) Will they develop the resilience to try
again when they make mistakes? Will they persevere?
The project
In September 2013 I met my GCSE Mathematics resit groups. One group
comprised 20 males, from Level 1 and Level 2 Construction and Engineering
courses and the other included 10 students from Level 2 and Level 3 ICT courses,
again, all male. The average age of students was 17 years.
Without further reading or investigation I began. I wanted to follow my instincts and
provide mathematics lessons that students want to attend and contribute to. I
believe that students are more likely to participate honestly if they are in a
comfortable environment.
I worked to provide an environment conducive to learning mathematics in addition to
being welcoming and comfortable for the students. The room is bright and tastefully
decorated with tables arranged in groups to facilitate discussion. (Tables are moved
to a more formal arrangement when practising for examinations)
Relaxing/concentration music is played at the start of lessons and programmes of
study are shared with the students. Each week the students are informed of the topic
following (as in the programme of study or any changes). Use is made of past
papers and discussions take place with students on marks needed to achieve “C”s,
how to “set about” questions presented in words, etc. I made the effort to always ask
about students’ days between lessons, how they are, have they had a good holiday?
And chat generally about their vocational areas. I have built up a good rapport and
242
gained the trust of my students with comments fed back to personal tutors every
lesson.
I am honest regarding the value of the mathematics they are required to do. (If they
need the technique to gain the marks in the exam – I will tell them). Always aiming
to understand exactly what my students are thinking as they work through problems
so that I can help them to improve.
Hattie’s (n.d.) table of effect sizes states that teacher style has an effect of 0.42,
mastery of learning an effect of 0.5 and classroom environment 0.56. Considering
these effects I hope to encourage an improvement in students’ disposition to learn
(effect 0.61).
The students attend on time and participate well in lessons. (Registers, attendance,
peer observation notes.) I mark and give feedback in writing on all classwork.
Findings
I spent time from September to November 2013 getting to know the groups. In
November 2013 my first question to the students was: - “How long did you spend
preparing for today’s lesson?”
The result was a mean of 3.6 minutes.
In January 2014 I asked, “How long, each week, do you spend preparing and
practising for your GCSE Mathematics class?” This question produced a mean time
of 57 minutes.
Even allowing for a degree of exaggeration, this appears to be a big increase on the
original 3.6 minutes.
My classes are well attended 86.58% (college mean 79%) and, on the occasions of
an island wide electricity failure, all students moved to sit by the window so that they
could better see the work they were doing rather than leave the class or give up.
Maybe I have encouraged resilience???
The atmosphere is mutually respectful and all students are keen to improve. They
are confident to ask questions, confident that their questions will be answered and I
will always take the time to understand the strategy they are using in order to help
them improve.
I am honest regarding the value of the mathematics they are required to do. (If they
need the technique to gain the marks in the exam and may not use the technique in
the future – I will tell them – although I am always quick to remind them of the
reasoning they develop whilst mastering algebra.)
Conclusion
After the period of my action research I found several sources which encourage a
caring and supportive manner. This is an approach I aim towards. I believe that
more effective learning will take place if the students are comfortable, willing to learn
and feel it is OK to make mistake, ask questions, etc.
243
Great teachers have empathy; they care about their students and take the time to
get to know them is a view supported by the clip on YouTube, “What makes Great
Teachers Great” (2010).
I will ask students what how they have reasoned through a problem and work
towards showing them a strategy which will work for them. I will continue to
challenge my students, encourage practise and give them the confidence to make
errors. This is a view from a further YouTube clip, “Seeing Through the eyes of a
Student” (Hattie, 2008).
Carrying out this small project has reassured me that I am successful in building
relationships and communication with my students and encouraged me to continue
to question and review my practice.
References
Fullan, M. (2006). Turnaround Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Harkin, J and Smith, M. (2013). IfL research to inform the Commission on Adult
Vocational Teaching and Learning. London: Institute for Learning
Hattie, J. Seeing through the eyes of a student. YouTube 28th April, 2008 [Online].
Available at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SisXbT7CWWs&index=2&list=PL48E749FDCD0C
8091 [Accessed 16th May, 2014].
Lucas, B., Spencer, S. and Claxton, G. (2012). How to Teach Vocational Education:
A theory of vocational pedagogy. London: City and Guilds Centre for Skills
Development.
Miller, D. and Lavin, F. (2007). ‘But now I feel I want to give it a try’: Formative
assessment, self-esteem and a sense of self competence. Curriculum Journal,
18(1), 3-25.
Teachers toolbox (n.d.). Professor John Hattie's Table of Effect Sizes. Availavble
at: http//www.teacherstoolbox.co.uk/T_effect_sizes.html [Accessed 16th May, 2014].
‘What makes Great Teachers Great?’, YouTube, 10th May, 2010. Available at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXaLGt460e4 [Accessed 16th May, 2014].
244
Carol Tyrer
Research question: ‘If I ask my students to grade their participation level after each
lesson (using specified criteria), will they become more self-aware about their own
performance and become more engaged in classroom activities?’
Keywords: English language; resilience; self-reflection; student participation; selfassessment; and GCSE.
Context
The national importance of developing English and maths beyond the age of 16 had
been put forward by Professor Alison Wolf, Professor of Public Sector Management
at King's College London, in her report on improving vocational education for 14- to
19-year-olds. She found that too many vocational qualifications lacked value for
employers and too many young people were entering adult life without adequate
skills in literacy and numeracy:
“Good English and maths grades are fundamental to young people's
employment and education prospects … Individuals with very low literacy and
numeracy are severely disadvantaged in the labour market.” (Wolf, 2011:8)
Wolf welcomed the implementation of her proposals:
“Every other country in the developed world concentrates on improving the
language and maths skills of its post-16 students, and so should England.
Recognising the central place of English and maths skills in society is long
overdue.” (Wolf, 2011)
At Highlands College, only 17% of students entering the college have GCSE grade C
or above in maths and English which means a significant proportion of students will
re-take their GCSE English Language at some point during their time at college.
Currently there are 254 students enrolled on the GCSE English programme with an
average class size of 22. Highlands College has a Maths and English Policy which
underpins the provision and sets out student entitlement to achieve maths and
English qualifications up to Level 2:
“Learners who are under 19 and do not have GCSE A*-C in English and/or
Mathematics are required, as part of their programme, to pursue a course
which either leads directly to these qualifications, or which provides significant
progress towards them.” (Highlands College, 2013)
As it is usual for students to improve one grade per year, the cohort is primarily
made up of those who have already achieved a grade D.
Issue addressed
Some of these learners narrowly missed out on a grade C in August 2013 - in some
cases being only one or two marks away. Others were on the low side of grade D
and have lots of skills gaps in terms of spelling, punctuation and grammar. Both
groups are very mixed in terms of motivation and participation. Although the classes
245
include a number of committed and motivated students, there are a significant
number who fail to engage with tasks in class and need to be constantly reminded of
the value and significance of the qualification. The ‘best’ students in terms of
motivation are those on Level 3 programmes who may wish to apply for university or
will be actively job-seeking in the near future where recruiters will insist on GCSE
English at grade C or above.
Some of the more able students ‘resent’ having to complete the course again, having
been so near a grade C (the grade boundary changes that have caused so much
national controversy remain an issue). Equally, other students see their GCSE re-sit
as a ‘bolt-on’ to their main course and do not value the qualification as highly as their
main programme. Unsurprisingly, the weaker and less motivated students are often
a distraction to those who wish to focus and be successful. Attendance across both
classes is on average 84%.
Study groups
The two groups chosen to participate in the project were:
Group 1
mixture of: Level 1 Business/Level 3 Sport/Level 3 Business 26
students
Group 2
mixture of: Level 2 Art/Level 3 Art/Level 2 IT/Level 3 IT
24 students
‘If I ask my students to grade their participation level after each lesson (using
specified criteria), will they become more self-aware about their own performance
and become more engaged in classroom activities?’
This question centres on self-assessment and the benefits it can have not only in
terms of learning but of engagement and participation.
“Self-assessment encourages students to be reflective about their learning,
and helps to develop their skills in judging, and therefore improving, their
work.”
(Kear, 2011:150).
They become more aware of the gaps in their knowledge and understanding,
providing them with feedback on areas to develop, and an opportunity to reflect upon
the skills and experience they have gained.
The project
The action research project was carried out during January/February 2014. Two
groups of GCSE English Language students were identified to take part in the
project over a period of four weeks.
Students were given a sheet to complete after each lesson whereby they graded
themselves using set criteria (Appendix 1: adapted from the teaching and learning
observation grid). After each lesson I performed the same activity to ascertain
whether the perception of level of participation matched up between tutor and
student. At the end of the project I held a focus group discussion and recorded the
reflections and comment of the students.
246
Evidence and data
The learners completed their reflection sheets between January 27 th and 17th
February. The following charts show results of the student and tutor reflections
(colours in bar chart columns represent colours in questionnaire)
1
Excellent
attendance
2
Good
attendance
3
Satisfactory
attendance
4
Poor
attendance
Student Responses
50
45
40
35
30
Dark Green
25
Light Green
Amber
20
Red
15
10
5
0
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Tutor Evaluation
50
45
40
35
Dark Green
30
Light Green
25
Amber
20
Red
15
10
5
0
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
247
Week 4
Comments from focus group meetings on 11th and 12th March, 2014






‘I feel more aware that I am being distracted and not focusing on work in
class.’
‘Yes I think that my overall participation has increased.’
‘Yes I feel more aware of my performance’.
‘I feel that my overall participation improved a lot more when we were filling
out the sheets.’
‘The sheets made me think about things at the end of the lesson but didn’t
really make me take part more in class.’
‘I started to look at the others in the class and think that they weren’t taking
part as much as they should do.’
Conclusion
The data from the question sheets and group discussions clearly show that the
students:






consistently rate their performance and participation level higher than the tutor
only reflect on their participation level when prompted to do so
no long term changes in behaviour observed
some short term awareness of participation level observed by tutor and
reflected in scores
useful in short term to raise students’ self- awareness
students would need to monitor themselves over a longer period of time in
order for behaviour and attitude to change completely.
Recommendations
Whilst much of the evidence is inconclusive in terms of changing behaviour and
participation I feel that this would be a valuable tool to use at the start of a
programme as students would need to be self-aware from the very beginning. They
could then chart over a longer period of time their involvement in lessons and
hopefully be able to reflect on when their motivation is beginning to wane a little. It
would also create a stronger ‘group identity’ and help to foster a more collaborative
atmosphere given that the students are from a diverse range of course, subjects and
levels.
References
Highlands College (2013). Mathematics and English Policy.
Kear, K. (2011). Online and Social Networking Communities: A Best Practice Guide
for Educators. Abingdon: Routledge.
Wolf, A. (2011). Review of vocational education – the Wolf report. London:
Department for Education. Available at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DFE00031-2011 [Accessed 29th May, 2014].
248
Appendix 1 Participation record
Please write clearly
Name
Day/time of class
English tutor
Main programme of study
Personal tutor
Carol Tyrer
Participation Record
GCSE English
January/February, 2014
Attendance &
punctuality
Learning &
participatio
n
1
2
3
4
 Excellent
record of
attendance
(95%); never
late for
lessons
 Good record
of
attendance(9
0%); mostly
on time for
lessons
 Satisfactory
record of
attendance
(85%);
sometimes
late for
lessons
 Poor
record of
attendance
(below
85%);
mostly late
for lessons
 I was
enthusiastic,
motivated
and engaged
at all times
I
demonstrate
d that I could
work well
independentl
y once given
instructions
by my tutor
 I contributed
effectively to
group work
and keep on
task at all
times
 I made
valuable
contributions
when asked
a question by
the tutor; I
 I had a
positive
attitude for
most of the
lesson
 I worked
independentl
y and
produced the
work required
 I was able to
answer
questions
fairly
confidently
when asked
by my tutor
 I made some
good
contributions
to group work
and kept on
task most of
the time
 My phone
 I had a
positive
attitude for
some of the
lesson
 I found it
hard to
keep on
task but
tried my
best
 I answered
questions in
class but
sometimes
needed to
be
prompted
by my
tutor/classm
ates
 I made
some
contribution
s to group
 I was
disengaged
and
distracted
throughout
all of the
lesson
 I distracted
others in
my group
 I didn’t
know any
of the
answers to
questions
asked by
my tutor
 I was
unable to
concentrat
e and was
never on
task
 I made no
attempt to
249
was keen to
offer answers
and share
ideas
 I completed
all tasks to
the best of
my ability
within the
time limit
specified by
my tutor
 My phone
was switched
off and in my
bag/pocket
throughout
the lesson
was switched
off and in my
bag/pocket
throughout
the lesson
work but
sometimes
relied on
others
 My phone
wasn’t a
distraction
Overall grade for attendance / punctuality
Learning and participation grades:
Date
Grade
Tutor signature:
Date:
250
Signature
contribute
to group
work or
discussions
 My phone
was a
distraction
during the
lesson
Sustaining student perseverance in writing using peer feedback
and role-play
Jo Terry-Marchant
Research question: If I regularly embed learning through feedback and role-play
into my "IDVS" GCSE English group's lessons, will it increase their ability to sustain
coherent written texts?
Keywords: English; Vocational studies; Perseverance; Learned helplessness; Peer
feedback; Role-play; and GCSE.
Context
This action research project refers to a class of Level 1 students whom I teach for
three hours a week. There are 11 students in this class; they are all enrolled on an
Introductory Diploma in Vocational Studies (IDVS). This course is part of the
Foundation Learning Offer. Two thirds of the students enrolled on the programme
normally do not apply to study the Diploma by choice. They can be characterised by
their lack of achievement in compulsory education. Twenty-five percent of our fulltime students in 2013 to 2014 are on our “inclusion register” and nearly half of those
on the register are enrolled on the IDVS course.
The class has six males and five females. Six of the group have additional needs
which require additional support from a range of sources. The main objective for the
GCSE re-take course is for every student to improve their prior achievement in
GCSE English by one grade. The average verbal reasoning score for the class is
88, where 100 is average (a mean CAT score of 100 is an indicator of C grade
potential). The course lasts for approximately 30 weeks at three hours per week;
some time is lost to work experience and vital enrichment activities.
I chose to focus upon this teaching group because I knew from my profile of their
learning needs and prior achievement that there was a range of barriers to learning
which we were going to have to negotiate if they were to be successful. Also, early
on, it became apparent that they had low self-esteem which was expressed verbally
and via ‘learned helplessness’. Most classroom activities were greeted by “I can’t do
this”, or “I don’t read/write like this.”
Issue addressed
If I was to tackle their “learned helplessness”, I wanted to test the impact of
systematically embedding a range of tried and tested learning techniques as
identified by Lucas, Spencer and Claxton (2012:10).
I revisited and reviewed my research question to take account of the “people, places
and cultures” (ibid) which would impact upon their learning and achievement. This is
the research question I posed:
If I regularly embed learning through feedback and role-play into my "IDVS" GCSE
English group's lessons will it increase their ability to sustain coherent written texts?
251
The potential of my research was further exploration into the impact of a learner’s
mindset upon their ability to express their understanding in a reasonably developed
and intelligible manner. I embedded these evidence-based learning techniques as
referenced in my research question above to test recent thinking in the learning
sciences, particularly that of the work of Carol Dweck (Lucas, Claxton and Spencer,
2013). It seemed clear to me as a practitioner researcher that these students
demonstrated a ‘fixed mindset’ about their abilities in English and I wanted to test
how far they could be encouraged to have a ‘growth mindset’.
Review of current literature
Literature on theories of learning is a burgeoning field. The work of the ‘Assessment
Reform Group’ is relevant here in that the role of feedback in learning has a major
impact upon student achievement. Moreover, the impact of feedback upon student
progress is greater when the relationship between the teacher and learner
encourages learner autonomy.
“We must help teachers to reconstruct their relationships, in both learning and
assessment, as they shift responsibility to the students. This does not mean
the teacher giving up responsibility for student learning and progress; rather, it
means involving the learner more as a partner.” (Gipps, 1999 p.386)
My action research set out to assess the impact of various forms of peer
assessment. Furthermore, the work of Hattie (2012) suggests that a combination of
role-play which required co-operative learning and peer feedback should have a
measurable, positive impact upon students’ progress. Activities were planned where
“feedback was given and sought” and “deliberate practice” was aimed at achieving a
goal (Hattie, 2012:18).
The deliberate practice of taking on roles, working in groups, performing scenes and
peer assessing performances against shared assessment criteria were designed to
promote their learning; to shift their mindset towards ‘growth’. Lucas, Claxton and
Spencer argue the importance of watching when we learn:
“Group work matters because for all of our lives how we work with others will be
a defining characteristic of how intelligent we effectively are. Another aspect of
group working is that it provides the simplest way for us to learn by watching
others. For it is widely accepted that much learning takes place through a
process of imitation.” (Hattie, 2012:21).
Therefore, opportunities for peer feedback in various forms were planned for
whenever the class presented to the class. This peer feedback was shaped by
shared success criteria. Therefore, they would prepare, present, peer assess and
then present again.
The project
Over a period of 12 weeks I planned and delivered 36 hours of learning experiences
for the group. I aimed to include at least one instance of peer assessment or roleplay every week. In reality, this was a difficult plan to execute. Some examination
board materials lent themselves to role-play, others did not. It was easy to plan for
an interview with an author of children’s literature on a topical chat show. It was less
252
easy to facilitate a group devised presentation where you had to incorporate facts
about how children learn to read. The time taken by the students to research the
issues was far greater than anticipated and therefore the group presentation
suffered.
I had a peer observation during the period of the intervention which was a useful tool
to aid my self-reflection. I quickly realised that the task had lacked role definition and
this had impacted upon their ability to peer assess.
I felt the time pressure of the assessments and terminal examination. It is a
challenge that teachers face every year, balancing the time required to maximise
learning with the need for the students to practice timed, unaided writing. In all
honesty, I believe I fall into the trap of being too didactic as the examination
approaches and have to deliberately incorporate peer assessment when my default
would be to teacher assess all written outcomes against the assessment rubric.
In order to foreground peer assessment in my planning I used “The 5 minute lesson
plan” (2014). This de-cluttered visual plan (Figure 1) helped me to focus on what
was important, i.e: how I was going to incorporate role-play through the “student-led”
activities and how peer assessment was going to take place under “AfL”. The
college’s Sports team alerted me to this format.
Figure 1 - The 5 minute lesson plan
253
Evaluation and findings
I conducted an initial survey of the class in January 2014 using an adapted version
of the “Learning Power Questionnaire for Students”. I then asked the class to
complete the survey again in April after my interventions. Tables 1 and 2 present a
summary of the students’ responses: There are seven respondents who were
present on both dates when we did the survey:Table 1
January
2014
respondents
QUESTIONS
-
7
1. I think I can learn most
things if I try 1 2 3 4 5
2. I’m willing to have a go at
something new 1 2 3 4 5
3. I’ll stick at something
difficult till I’ve got it 1 2 3 4 5
4. I get completely absorbed
when I’m trying to master
new things 1 2 3 4 5
5. My brain comes up with
lots of creative ideas 1 2 3 4
5
6. I like making links between
things in my head 1 2 3 4 5
7. I enjoy working on
improving what I’ve done 1 2
345
8. I make good use of things
around me to help me learn 1
2345
9. I am well-organised and
careful when I’m learning 1 2
345
10. I’m honest with myself
about how well I’m doing 1 2
345
11. I’m well aware how I
learn best 1 2 3 4 5
12. I like to think how I can
apply what I’m learning to the
workplace and elsewhere 1 2
345
13. I’m happy to stick up for
what I think in a discussion 1
2345
14. I’ll take the lead when a
group is working together 1 2
345
123RARELY OCCAS SOME
4 - QUITE
OFTEN
5ALWAYS
0
0
0
4
3
0
0
2
4
1
0
0
4
3
0
0
0
4
3
0
1
1
1
3
1
0
3
2
2
0
0
2
4
1
0
0
4
3
0
0
0
5
0
1
1
0
1
1
4
1
0
1
2
2
2
0
1
3
3
0
2
0
4
0
1
1
3
0
2
1
254
15. I’m ready to accept
feedback and advice from
others 1 2 3 4 5
16. I help others see how
they could improve 1 2 3 4 5
17. I am stimulated by what I
am learning, it makes me
want to find out more about it
12345
18. I feel confident continuing
to learn in my area if I
needed to in the future 1 2 3
45
19. What I learn makes me
feel confident with putting
forward my own ideas in the
workplace and be open
minded to others ideas 1 2 3
45
20. I understand and use
strategies
to
help
me
improve and progress 1 2 3 4
5
SUM TOTALS
Table 2
April 2014 - identical 7
respondents
Questions
1. I think I can learn most
things if I try 1 2 3 4 5
2. I’m willing to have a go at
something new 1 2 3 4 5
3. I’ll stick at something difficult
till I’ve got it 1 2 3 4 5
4. I get completely absorbed
when I’m trying to master new
things 1 2 3 4 5
5. My brain comes up with lots
of creative ideas 1 2 3 4 5
6. I like making links between
things in my head 1 2 3 4 5
7. I enjoy working on improving
what I’ve done 1 2 3 4 5
8. I make good use of things
around me to help me learn 1 2
345
9. I am well-organised and
0
1
3
0
3
0
3
2
2
0
0
2
5
0
0
0
1
3
3
0
0
1
4
1
1
0
1
2
4
0
4
30
49
42
15
123RARELY OCCAS SOME
4 - QUITE
OFTEN
5ALWAYS
0
0
2
2
3
0
1
1
4
1
0
3
1
3
0
0
0
6
1
0
0
1
2
3
1
0
2
4
0
1
0
2
2
2
1
1
0
2
3
1
0
2
3
1
1
255
careful when I’m learning 1 2 3
45
10. I’m honest with myself
about how well I’m doing 1 2 3
45
11. I’m well aware how I learn
best 1 2 3 4 5
12. I like to think how I can
apply what I’m learning to the
workplace and elsewhere 1 2 3
45
13. I’m happy to stick up for
what I think in a discussion 1 2
345
14. I’ll take the lead when a
group is working together 1 2 3
45
15. I’m ready to accept
feedback and advice from
others 1 2 3 4 5
16. I help others see how they
could improve 1 2 3 4 5
17. I am stimulated by what I
am learning, it makes me want
to find out more about it 1 2 3 4
5
18. I feel confident continuing
to learn in my area if I needed
to in the future 1 2 3 4 5
19. What I learn makes me feel
confident with putting forward
my own ideas in the workplace
and be open minded to others
ideas 1 2 3 4 5
20. I understand and use
strategies to help me improve
and progress 1 2 3 4 5
SUM TOTALS
0
1
2
3
1
0
1
1
3
2
0
0
4
2
1
1
1
0
2
3
2
1
3
0
1
0
0
3
2
2
0
2
5
0
0
0
1
3
3
0
0
1
3
3
0
0
0
5
2
0
0
0
4
3
0
4
19
56
42
19
Overall, the survey results show an increase in learning power as perceived by the
students. The overall count for “occasionally” reduces from 30 to 19. For
“sometimes” there is an increase from 49 to 56 and finally the count for “very often”
goes up from 15 to 19. Clearly, this is not a reliable source of data on its own.
Therefore, I have triangulated these results against other evaluative measures.
Each student has to complete four controlled assessments which account for forty
percent of the overall GCSE grade. Controlled assessments are challenging, the
student has to write unaided for two hours. They are able to refer to one page of
notes which they have prepared with the support of the teacher. At the beginning of
the course I asked the class to compose a letter addressed to themselves which they
256
would open at the end of the course. In that letter they were to explain what they
were hoping to achieve academically and socially during the one year course. Every
student struggled with the writing process. The frame for the writing asked for three
paragraphs. The controlled assessments specify that the student should aim to write
1,000 words. Every student completed every assessment and the results, which
have been moderated, are as follows (Table 3).
Table 3 Student assessment results
Entry
Total reading
GRADE and writing
assessments
– English
Today
D
25
E
20
E
28
E
23
E
21
E
22
E
24
E
23
E
31
D
27
E
27
Total reading
and writing
assessments
– Spoken
Language
24
20
28
21
19
22
22
23
31
30
33
Band –
predicted
grade
3
3
4
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
Band 3 Expresses and
develops ideas
appropriately.
A clear sense of
the purpose of the
writing and
audience.
Well-chosen
vocabulary and
shows some
evidence of
crafting in the
construction of
sentences.
Organisation is
sound, with a
clear text
structure,
controlled
paragraphing to
reflect opening,
development
and closure,
together with
successful use of
cohesive devices.
Band 4 Effectively
presents ideas
in a sustained
way.
A secure
sustained
realisation of the
purpose of the
writing task and
its intended
audience.
Aptly chosen
vocabulary and
well-controlled
variety in the
construction of
sentences.
Organisation is
secure, with a
well-judged text
structure,
effective
paragraphing
and use of
cohesive
devices between
and within
paragraphs.
Anecdotally, one student declared, “I have never written 1,700 words in one go in my
life!”
Evidently, it is difficult to establish a causal relationship between the
intervention and improved writing outcomes.
However, the four controlled
assessments tell a story of developing ‘voice’ as a writer and the sheer length of the
pieces demonstrate their ability to sustain ideas in words.
Finally, I am going to refer to a critical incident which I logged relating to one student
in the group. This female student displayed features of “learned helplessness”, she
often responded to tasks by stating she couldn’t do them, even before she’d seen
the task guidelines. A critical incident occurred the day we were due to complete her
third assessment. The student told me and her tutor who had specific pastoral
responsibility that she was not going to attend the assessment. In fact, she attended
and completed over 1,000 words unaided. The key to the change in her mindset
was referenced to a presentation task she had done to the whole group, despite her
initial certainty that she would be unable to take on the role of a television presenter.
I am convinced that the deliberate practice of repeated performance and peer
feedback had a positive impact upon her ability to sustain a voice. The recall of
257
those events enabled her to sustain her voice in writing and not absent herself from
a very difficult, examination-type experience.
Lessons learnt
This project was rewarding in that it had unintended consequences. It has
reinvigorated my professional practice. Planning is less time-consuming and more
focused, my palette of peer-assessment tasks has widened. I am determined to
read further about mind-sets and their impact upon learning capacities.
If I were to do this project again, I would spend greater time planning the evaluation
methods. The project would have benefitted from observation notes and I could
have employed the learning support assistant to do this whilst doing her targeted
support work.
In conclusion, it is paramount that we teachers continue to be learners and role
model that process to students. We have to avoid the trap of default behaviours and
aim to change our habits for the benefit of our students. I have not been entirely
successful in achieving habit change with this project, but I am committed to
continuing this work.
References
Claxton, G., Lucas, B. and Hodgkinson, E. (2011). Making it – Studio teaching and
its impact on teachers and learners. Winchester: University of Winchester.
Elliot, A. J. and Dweck, C. (eds.) (2005).
Motivation. New York: The Guilford Press.
The Handbook of Competence and
Gipps, C. (1999). ‘Socio-Cultural Aspects of Assessment.’ Review of Research in
Education, 24: 355-392.
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible Learning for Teachers. Oxon: Routledge.
Lucas, B., Claxton, G. and Spencer, E. (2013). Expansive Education. Berks: Open
University Press.
Lucas, B., Spencer, E. and Claxton, G. (2012). How to teach vocational education: a
London: City and Guilds Centre for Skills
Development.
‘The 5 minute lesson plan’ (2014). Available at: http://www.tes.co.uk/teachingresource/The-5-Minute-Lesson-Plan-by-TeacherToolkit-6170564/
[Accessed
9th
June, 2014].
258
Using target setting to improve the focus of learning support
sessions
Andrew Wilson and Robert Cameron
Research Question: If I set targets thoroughly for students using the forms
available, will this improve the focus of learning support sessions?
Keywords: Learning needs; Dyslexia; Target setting; Recording student progress;
and All levels.
Context
The student population of Highlands has rapidly grown in the last ten years from
around 500 full time students to just over 1,000 full time students enrolled in the
2013-14 academic calendar. As the number of students has grown, so has the
demand for support. At present the learning support at Highlands is provided by
around 21 part-time and 6 full-time members of staff. These staff members provide
in-class and individualised support, as well as exam assessment and diagnosis for
470 students with individual support need in such areas as autism, dyslexia, hearing
impairment and ESOL. This individualised support is a crucial lifeline for many of the
students and enables them to flourish both academically and socially whilst at
Highlands. Due to the high demand and the lack of available time that the support
tutors can give to each student, the need for SMART individualised target setting
becomes paramount in order to achieve the most from the time the tutor has with
each student. This finite resource leads to the reason behind our research paper
and the need for support tutors to not only have SMART targets but have
individualised targets that can achieve the most from the allocated time frame given
to each student.
Our role in the college is to provide one-to-one support for students who have
learning needs, in particular dyslexia. This support needs to be managed in order to
measure the value and effectiveness of the learning support provision. The purpose
of our research is to find out how valuable the forms we use to document and
facilitate learning support are for students’ learning.
Issue addressed
At present when meeting a one-to-one student, there is a Learning Support
Lesson Plan, a Learning Support Initial Meeting form, a Learning Support
Target Sheet and a Learning Support Lesson Log – four forms that need to be
filled in before, during or after the session (all forms at Appendix 1). Then any
relevant comments from the session are posted on the College Online Reporting
Browser (ORB) which is accessible by the student’s personal tutor and by the
appropriate college curriculum manager.
The Learning Support Lesson Plan
used to be in a duplicate book so that a student could take away a copy of notes
made before or during the session. It is now just for tutors’ use.
We feel that we need to rationalise these forms and that it might be valuable to have
a duplicate form system available again so that we can give students some record of
what happened in the session, which is at the same time a record of the session for
the tutor.
259
If I set targets thoroughly for students using the forms available, will this improve the
focus of learning support sessions?
The project
The research will commence in the week beginning 14 th October 2013. Each tutor
will work with two groups of four students each. With the first group, the A group, all
forms will be completed rigorously before, during and after each learning support
session. With the second group, the B group, the forms will not be completed. After
four sessions, the students will be given a questionnaire (Appendix 2) to discover the
student’s perception of the value of the forms used.
Intervention (All of the students’ names have been changed)
Andrew Wilson
A group (forms filled in)
1. Ann
2. Andrew
3. Alice
4. Adam
Interviewed
27 November 2013
7 January 2014
7 January 2014
30 January 2014
B group (forms not filled in)
1. Betty
2. Brian
3. Billy
4. Becky
20 November 2013
3 February 2014
6 February 2014
28 January 2014
Robert Cameron
A group (forms filled in)
1. Sammi
2. Sophie
3. Jose
4. Geraldo
Interviewed
22 November 2013
22 November 2013
18 November 2013
20 November 2013
B group (forms not filled in)
1. Helen
2. Robyn
3. Aaron
4. Patrick
22 November 2013
20 November 2013
18 November 2013
20 November 2013
Evaluation
Robert Cameron’s groups were controlled very closely in terms of gathering research
data: the research began and concluded in the same week for all the students.
In Andrew Wilson’s groups, the students chosen for the two categories changed over
the weeks. In particular, student B4 was initially selected for the A group, but in the
first session with the student, some urgent work that she needed to do had to be
260
dealt with, so no forms at all were completed; therefore she became an ideal
candidate for the B group. Student A3 was initially selected for the B group, but the
initial meeting form seemed most appropriate for the session and this led on to
completing the duplicate Learning Support Lesson Plan form, as there were a
number of recommendations that Andrew wanted to make to her, for her to try out
before the next session.
These changes immediately highlight the need for flexibility needed for any system
of recording of learning support sessions. In some cases, form filling is not
appropriate, as a student requires immediate attention for specific issues, for
example an assignment deadline.
Andrew also did not stick to the regime of giving the questionnaire after four
sessions, but waited for a suitable time when the student had time to answer the
questions.
Findings
What is the purpose of the forms used in one-to-one sessions? Is it to monitor the
tutor’s activity, or is it primarily to enhance the learning opportunities of the student?
Forms serve several purposes, as records and evidence of work done, but the main
purpose of any teaching activity must be to manage a learner’s learning most
effectively.
Forms used to monitor the teaching activity of a set curriculum are necessary to
check that particular areas have been covered and criteria met, to prove, as far as
possible, that teaching and learning have taken place. One-to-one sessions are
different in that there is no set curriculum and this has to be tailor made for each
student. The forms used for one-to-one sessions are valuable for the tutor as a
record of what has been done in order to avoid duplication and to assist any tutor
who steps in to take over a session if the one-to-one tutor is absent. They can also
be valuable as a plan for what needs to be done by the tutor and the student both
within and beyond each session.
Our research into how forms are used in one-to-one support did not come up with
very positive results. Both the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) and PATOSS (the
Professional Association of Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties)
were unable to help us with our enquiry about what forms are typically used in oneto-one sessions. The former replied: “This is not something we could help you with”
and referred us to the latter, who replied: “Unfortunately, we do not have any
example forms”. The Assistant Learning Support unit at Plymouth University, with
whom Highlands is a Partner College, sent a copy of their form, which is attached at
Appendix 3.
This is a very comprehensive form that can be used to check off what has been done
with a student in support sessions, but as the tutor who sent it to us noted, “We tend
to fill in the top two rows and also tick the study skills bit at the bottom. I do not
normally bother with some of the others unless I have a particular reason. The form
was the old ADSHE guided one when we needed to send ILPs to Student Finance.”
This suggests that the completion of forms for one-to-one support can in some
261
circumstances be principally guided by external contingency and not necessarily by
a student’s learning need.
We thought we should contact Student Finance England to check if they still need
evidence of work done with students, and Andrew phoned them on 0845 300 5090.
The person he spoke with confirmed that Student Finance no longer require
evidence of work done in support sessions, and that this is now left up to the
Educational Institutions to monitor. In a way, this suggests that the use of forms in
support sessions has moved from being an external monitoring process, checking
that the teaching that has been paid for has been done, to being more to do with the
learning of the student.
The most universally valuable form of the four used with one-to-one students is the
Initial meeting form. This can be especially useful with students who are not
forthcoming about their needs. It also establishes a base from which targets can be
set on the Learning Support Target Sheet.
The overriding message from the questionnaire was that the forms used for learning
support sessions had no effect at all on a student’s learning. What was important
was that a student was guided during the session in tasks and was given tasks to
complete, where appropriate, after the session and before the next session. Targets
for learning were therefore implicit in the tasks set. The majority of the feedback
given by learning support tutors to students was verbal rather than written, both in
their school and college experience of learning support.
The following table is based on responses from the questionnaires:
Respondents
Have you had
learning
support before
at school or
college?
Were targets
set for you by
the
learning
support tutor?
Forms filled in
7 yes
1 no
Forms not filled in
6 yes
1 yes (private support)
1 no
1 can’t remember
3 no
1 no, practising spellings
in class
1 yes maths questions
2 yes, spellings given to
do
What feedback 3 no feedback
did you receive 3 verbal feedback
from
the 1 verbal feedback and
learning
written reports at school
support
sessions? Was 1 verbal feedback and
this verbal or reward system at school
written?
Could you use 4 no responses
this feedback 1 yes
262
2 yes, given spellings to do
1 yes, for organisation
1
yes,
spellings
and
organisation
4 no
6 verbal feedback
1 no feedback
1 a sticker reward system at
school
4 yes
to set targets
for
future
learning?
Do you set
your
own
targets
for
everyday life
and how do
you do this?
How
useful
have
you
found
additional
learning
support? From:
1=not at all
useful
5=very useful
3 no
4 no
6 no
1 some planning
1 assignment
dates
2 ‘to do’ list in the morning
2 organisation
hand-in 1 strategic, e.g. ‘to pass
course’
3 no
School
N/A x 2
college
3
School
N/A x 2
College
3
1
4
1
4
1
4
2
4
2
5
2
5
2
5
2 (private 5)
5
3/4
5
Not graded
5
Not
specified
5
Not
specified
1 then 5
Not
specified
5
The split between those for whom forms were filled in in sessions and those for
whom forms were not filled in does not appear to affect the responses, but the
overriding picture is that even when records and paper-based feedback are used,
the use of forms has little effect on a student’s evaluation of learning support. This
would suggest that any use of forms should be kept to the minimum: those that are
essential for record-keeping and administrative purposes and, more importantly, for
directing a student’s learning.
Conclusions
In conclusion, it seems clear that forms need to be used sensitively and flexibly in
response to student need in one-to-one support sessions. If a student urgently
needs to be reassured about work or complete an assignment, the forms need to be
put to one side until the situation has been stabilised. If a student is not forthcoming
about their needs, the forms can be used to establish what their needs might be.
This can be very useful with dyslexic students, who can often not want to open up
about their difficulties. The initial meeting form in particular is valuable in such a
case as it focuses on strengths and aspirations as well as difficulties.
It is also clear that the forms used must serve a worthwhile purpose. The duplicate
form seems to meet the needs of record keeping and guiding student learning, as
both the tutor and student have a copy of anything that has been discussed and
decided. This could include targets and plans for individual sessions. It should
263
ideally be left as open and clear as possible to allow the tutor and student to adapt it
to their own needs.
The key words for setting targets for students receiving learning support are value
and flexibility. As Paul Martinez stated:
“Targets need to be measurable so that both learners and teachers can monitor
and review progress. There are two specific problems with this. Firstly, there is
a tendency to use targets that can be easily measured, rather than those that
are actually worth measuring. Secondly, the measuring procedure itself may
substitute for learning. If the criteria used are too time-consuming to monitor,
track and record, then there will be less time available for learning – not to
mention possible demotivational consequences for both educators and
learners.” (Martinez, 2001)
Reference
Martinez, P. (2001). ‘Great expectations: setting targets for students’. London:
Learning
and
Skills
Development
Agency.
Available
at:
http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/11308/1/012040.pdf [Accessed 6th May, 2014].
264
Appendix 1
265
266
267
268
Appendix 2
Questionnaire for Learning Support Students
1. Have you had learning support before, at school or college?
2. If yes, were targets set for you by the tutor? Please explain.
3. How much did you set your own targets for support?
4. What feedback did you receive from the support sessions? Was this mainly
verbal or written?
5. Could you use this feedback to set targets for future learning? If yes, how did
you do this?
6. Do you set yourself targets in everyday life? Can you give examples of this?
7. How do you set your own targets?
8. How useful have you found additional learning support?
1
2
3
4
Not at all useful
5
Very useful
Thank you very much for completing this short questionnaire
269
Appendix 3
270
271
272
273
Real-World Learning
274
Tony Tyrer, Paul Caulfield, Adrian Desmond, David Freeman, Colm
Lawless, Leo McCarthy, Norry Murray, Peter Powell and Malcolm
Simms
Research question: If I strive to improve the communication skills of my learners,
will this lead to enhanced prospects when seeking and gaining employment?
Keywords: Building services, Welding and fabrication; Communication skills;
Confidence; Embedded tasks; and Level 1.
Context
This is a written account of the HTTVE action research project carried out by team
members from Building Services and Engineering. A total of nine staff were
involved, along with twenty students.
Issue addressed
The project we chose to undertake focused on effective communication. Feedback
received during recent employer engagement carried out by the college as part of a
wider review, indicated that many employers would like their potential employees to
be more effective communicators.
"The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately
determines the quality of our lives." (Anthony Robbins)
Our role at the college is to prepare our learners to work in industry and we tend to
focus on developing their practical skills to enable them to perform well in their
chosen vocation. We felt that if we could also develop their confidence when
communicating, it would firstly enhance their chances of employment and secondly,
help them on a daily basis when dealing with colleagues and customers.
We asked the learners to complete a questionnaire before the start of the project to
ascertain how confident they were when communicating with others. We would then
embark on a series of activities purposely designed to improve their communication
skills. At the end of the project they completed another questionnaire that allowed us
to measure any increase in their confidence or skill level.
Rather than separately timetable and deliver specific communication sessions, the
team decided to look for opportunities within the existing curriculum were we could
develop the learners’ communication skills. We could then, almost subliminally, build
their confidence and experience up to a level where they could communicate
effectively with their peers and others.
As the learners undertake a period of work experience during their time on the
course, we aimed to gather feedback from the experience providers relating to how
they felt the learners communicated during their time on placement.
"Communication works for those who work at it." (John Powell)
275
Study groups
The two groups chosen to participate in the project were both full-time first year
groups. The students are all male and are mostly aged 16-17. The students join the
college from school and have been through a selection process involving an
interview and a short task.
Both courses are designed to prepare the learners for work in their chosen industry.
The entry criteria is the same for both courses; E grade GCSE in both English and
maths. The total number of learners participating in the project is 22.
The first group are undertaking a Level 1 Access to Building Services course.
The Building Services qualification offered concentrates solely on the services sector
of the construction industry and provides a direct route into the learners' chosen field
and a smooth progression route in terms of the college's part time offer.
This qualification is intended as a taster qualification for those who wish to enter any
of the following industries;




Plumbing
Refrigeration and air-conditioning
Electrical installation
Heating and ventilating
Once learners have successfully completed this qualification they can progress onto
any of the following qualifications;



Level 2 Access to Building Services (full time)
Level 2 and 3 Diploma in Electro-Technical Technology (part time)
Level 2 and 3 Diploma in Plumbing and Heating Installation (part time)
The second group chosen are studying for a level 1 in Welding and Fabrication.
Students on this course complete ABC units at Level 1 as well as centre devised and
certificated units in motor vehicle and electrical installation. The current course offers
a user friendly method of continuous assessment and knowledge tests that
encourages and enables those candidates, previously unfamiliar with this area and
level of training, to achieve a level of competence suitable for progression to further
courses and into employment. For those candidates wishing to gain accreditation
alongside other routes of study, it can be used as a fast track programme. It is also
an ideal scheme for employers wishing to offer training for the purposes of specialist
skills development.
The course aims are:
To provide basic knowledge and skill in order to enable the student to handle
materials, tools and equipment both safely and competently
To provide a basic introduction to various aspects of engineering work as a
foundation for progression to further education and training
To improve job prospects
276
To develop core skills in the context of engineering
To widen access to vocational training
The question we centred our project around was:
‘If I strive to improve the communication skills of my learners, will this lead to
enhanced prospects when seeking and gaining employment?’
The project
Because our aim was to develop the learners’ communication skills in a noncontrived, subliminal way, they were not told about the project at the beginning.
An initial questionnaire developed by the team aimed to establish how confident the
learners felt during various forms of communication. They were also asked what
kind of communication related support they felt they would benefit from. All the
learners from the control groups completed the questionnaire.
The teaching team then identified areas within their curriculum that could be used to
integrate communication related tasks. Examples of the planned tasks the team
decided on were:

One student to do a demonstration to the rest of the group relating to a
practical task. This could be something like how to bend a 90 degree angle
on a piece of copper tube.

Group to price up one of their assessment tasks (including materials and
labour) and present the costings to a member of staff acting as a customer.

Individual students to phone a supplier for a materials quote/order from the
workshop stores in the presence of a tutor.

Group of engineering students to do a presentation to Building Services group
relating to an assessment task. (How they did it). And vice versa.

Individual or pairs of learners present to the group on a given subject.
(PowerPoint, etc.)
The performance of the learners during these tasks was to be informally assessed
by the tutors and recorded using a pre-prepared task sheet. These tasks were then
to be carried out at naturally occurring opportunities during the course.
The idea behind these tasks was to get the learners used to communicating with
new people from differing genres. This would include their fellow learners, different
tutors, suppliers and employers. The fact that nine different members of staff were
involved meant that we could always make sure that learners could communicate
with ‘previously unknown’ tutors.
It was also thought to be useful for the learners to be provided with examples of CV
templates. This was to be facilitated during tutorial slots.
277
Findings
The learners completed the initial survey during the week beginning October 7th
2013. Some results from the initial survey revealed:







91% of the learners would feel uncomfortable at a job interview.
40% would not be comfortable placing an order over the phone with a
supplier.
67% of the learners felt they would benefit from some support relating to
communication and employment skills.
100% recognised the importance of politeness when dealing with customers.
40% felt they would be nervous explaining the operation of a newly installed
component to a customer.
35% would be confident filling in a job application form.
15% felt they could confidently give feedback to another learner regarding
their work.
Whilst many of the leaners assessed themselves as being confident when formally
communicating to others, early activities carried out with the group indicated that
most were nervous when speaking out in the class formally and certainly lacked
confidence. This is, however, expected during the early stages of a course that
brings new people together and we were sure our project would benefit all the
learners as it developed. After some six months on the course and after a
substantial amount of work from all the staff involved, we asked the learners to
complete a second questionnaire, the questions reflecting the fact that we wanted to
find out if they thought being on the course had improved their communication skills.
The leaners were also asked at the end of the survey if they felt they had improved
and invited to make comments. The results of the questionnaire are below along with
their comments.
100
80
60
Agree Completely
40
Agree Mostly
20
Disagree Mostly
Disagree Completely
0
I feel more
I now feel more
I would feel I would feel happy
confident talking confident talking nervous if I went explaining the
to people older
on the phone for a job interview operation of a
than me
component to a
customer
278
100
80
60
Agree Completely
40
Agree Mostly
20
Disagree Mostly
Disagree Completely
0
I feel more
confidentplacing
an order with a
supplier
I now feel more
I feel more
I would feel more
confident
confident in
confident when
discussing my compiling my CV filling in a job
progress with my
application form
tutor
100
80
60
40
Agree Completely
20
Agree Mostly
Disagree Mostly
0
I know where to I would be able to I now feel more
I feel I have
find information write a letter to a confident giving benefitted from the
regarding job company inquiring
feedback to
support I have
vacancies
about a possible
another student received regarding
work placement relating to a piece communication
of work
and emplyment
skills
Disagree Completely
100
80
60
Agree Completely
40
Agree Mostly
20
Disagree Mostly
0
I can pick up
If I have
information
completed a task, I
relatively quickl;y
will ask for
and remember it something else to
do
I would be happy If I felt I was being
to redo a task if treated unfairly at
my supervisor felt work, I would be
it was not up to
confident to
standard
approach my
supervisor
279
Disagree Completely
“I feel my communication skills to others has improved and I am enjoying the
course.”
“Yes I believe that my overall confidence has increased.”
“Yes I feel more confident.”
“I feel that my overall communication skills have improved a lot more as the course
has progressed. I feel that I can talk to consumers with ease and I feel confident with
talking on the phone or in person. I find ordering materials from a supplier easy but I
struggle with the order of the materials when placing an order but I feel that I can
improve greatly on this skill.”
“Yes I feel more confident talking to my work placement provider.”
“Yes, I feel that my communication skills have improved since starting this course, I
am much more confident when talking to other people in the Building Services sector
of work.”
“Yes, my communication skills have improved due to me spending more time with
other people.”
“Yes I am way more confident then I used to be before.”
“Yes I think that they have improved during my time on the course.”
“Yes, it helped me contact my work experience.”
“Yes I feel more confident in an industrial context.”
Some of the classroom-based communication tasks carried out during the project
included:




One of the groups was allocated the task of knocking down a brick chimney in
the plumbing workshop. One learner was appointed as group leader and it
was his responsibility to organise the activity and communicate to the others
how the project would commence. The tutor feedback indicated that the
learner performed well in the task and gave clear instructions. An area for
development was to ensure some members of the group remained on task.
On a few occasions a group were given a topic relating to their vocational
area and asked to prepare a PowerPoint presentation and present it to the
rest of the class, including other tutors. On the whole these sessions were
successful. The content and quality of the PowerPoints were always of a high
standard. The remit was always to ensure each member of the group
presented some of the topic. Learners generally became more confident after
they had had a practice first.
Individual learners were tasked with producing a short report to present to the
department technicians. This was on a one-to-one basis and involved the
technicians questioning the learner about the report. This was a hugely
successful activity and it was felt this was because of the one-to-one factor.
Two tutors interviewed two learners (not from their own group) to ascertain
how they felt the communication tasks they had been given during the course
may have benefitted them.
One of the main issues highlighted was that the learners all felt nervous
talking on the phone to people they did not know. This was despite the fact
that they all own mobile phones and spend a considerable amount of time on
them.
One suggestion as a result of these interviews was that the learners should
perhaps take pictures of some of the larger practical tasks they complete at
the college as evidence to present at interviews.
280



A student gave instruction to classmates in relation to lifting a heavy object.
The tutor feedback indicated that the instructions were clear and concise. In
order to prevent potential injury, it is vital that these instructions are given very
clearly.
Presentation relating to health and safety to the rest of the group. The learner
managed to include some humour in the presentation which is a clear
indication of confidence.
Members of one group created a video clip, featuring other group members.
This involved all the group communicating with each other and also learners
having to be confident both sides of the camera.
Conclusion
The data from the survey clearly shows that overall, the leaners feel they have
benefitted, in terms of developing their communication skills, during their time on the
course. The tutors report that they have seen a rise in confidence levels across both
study groups. It is to be expected that learners will develop in confidence the longer
they interact with their immediate peers, but because we ensured that we took them
out of their comfort zones when possible, it means they have had to interact with
many different people. It was also apparent, whilst examining the curriculum, that
the structures of both qualifications contain many naturally occurring instances were
communication skills can be developed without detracting from the main programme.
We hope that the learners have benefited from our project and we will endeavour to
continue these tasks with other groups as it did not impact negatively on the core
subject. We, as a team, feel that being able to effectively communicate definitely
enhances leaners’ job prospects and also serves to have a positive impact on their
day-to-day lives. We feel that we have answered the question the project was
centred around with a resounding yes!
281
Heather Davies, Siobhan Grieve, Dawn Hodgson, Lorna Morgan,
Elaine Richomme and Micki Swift
Research question: If child care tutors plan and deliver sessions that will provide
learners with an opportunity to practice and develop their planning and delivery of
activities skills, will this help build on their confidence within placement?
Keywords: Child care; Planning skills; Confidence development; Work-based
learning; Placements; Level 2, and Level 3.
Context
The Child Care courses available at Highlands College are divided into Level 2 and
Level 3. We offer full-time and part-time courses to those wanting to work or who
are currently working with children aged birth to 16 years. There are currently 76
full-time Level 3 students - 38 in Year 1 and 38 in Year 2.
Issue addressed
Students on the CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Child Care and Education course are
required to spend 50% of their course in placement, therefore students engage in a
placement Monday to Friday, on alternate weeks. Students are provided with
placements over the two-year course which will provide them with experience of
working with children aged 0 – 8 years within a variety of settings. Whilst in
placement students are required to carry out and engage in a variety of tasks, which
need to be authorised by the setting supervisor once they have been achieved.
Many of these tasks include planning and delivering activities, which many students
lack confidence in. This knowledge has been acquired by personal tutors via the
placement supervisor, Professional Development Profile (PDPs) reports and student
feedback. The reason for this could be due to a number of contributing factors,
including:





Students having a limited experience within child care or with the age range
they are currently working with;
Students not having the knowledge and skills to plan and deliver activities
appropriate for the children they are working with and the setting they are
working within;
Settings not being supportive of students planning and delivering their own
activities. Some settings are reluctant to allow students to attend weekly
planning meetings, this often results in students being unaware of the
planning for their setting and feeling excluded from planning;
Some students do not feel as part of a team within their setting, as they are
there on a temporary basis, week in and week out;
Students not having experience of planning and delivering their own activity.
This has become an issue for the faculty as some students are not grasping the full
opportunities their placement presents them with. This causes delays in their
development as child care practitioners, as they are not experiencing planning and
delivering activities they have planned independently for the children they are
working with, which in turn results in their assessments within college being
282
impacted. Students also miss out on opportunities to reflect on their practice and
establish means of improving their performance within college. The Level 3, Year 2
personal tutor asked their students how they felt about planning and delivering their
own activities in placement. The majority said they did not feel experienced or
confident enough and were concerned they would make a mistake and it would be
reflected in their final Professional Development report.
When asked why they felt this way the responses included:






I don’t have a good relationship with my supervisor, so I don’t feel confident
enough to ask for allocated time in the planning to deliver my own planned
activities;
As I am in placement alternate weeks, I miss the planning meeting for the
week I am in, therefore I miss the chance to take on my own planning;
There isn’t enough time in the settings planning to allocate me time;
I don’t know what activities would be suitable to the age and stage of children
I am working with;
I don’t have the skills to plan an activity effectively;
I am scared that if I plan a session and it goes wrong it will make me look
incompetent in placement and the supervisor won’t support me as it was my
own activity, and not the settings.
Rather than each member of staff posing a question that would aim to address the
same issue, the child care team worked together to establish a research question
which everyone would be involved in, with the ambition of making it a success:
If child care tutors plan and deliver sessions that will provide learners with an
opportunity to practice and develop their planning and delivery of activities
skills, will this help build on their confidence within placement?
The project
The team worked together to put an action plan into place, which required all
members of staff to take an active involvement in with the aim of support students in
building on their confidence in planning and delivering activities within placement.
The action plan is defined within the table below:
Start date End date Action
September December All students in Level 3, Year 2 complete a
2013
2013
questionnaire which asks them to reflect
on their confidence carrying out a variety
of tasks.
Students will be given back their
questionnaire in December to complete
again to review progress.
Organised by
Lorna Morgan
Heather
Davies
Micki Swift
Elaine
Richomme
September December All students have been issued with the Lorna Morgan
2013
2013
following target for placement:
Siobhan
To plan and deliver one activity per week Grieve
in placement that is age and stage
283
appropriate for the children you are
working with and is in keeping with the
settings planning and procedures.
September December All students complete an activity plan and
2013
2013
evaluation for each activity they deliver,
this is to be shared with placement and
used to inform reflective tasks
Lorna Morgan
Siobhan
Grieve
Placement
supervisors
September December As part of Unit 7 and Unit 9 students will Lorna Morgan
2013
2013
be given opportunities to plan and deliver Siobhan
activities within college. Students will Grieve
also engage in a range of activities
planned by their peers.
September June
The students are required to carry out Lorna Morgan
2013
2014/5
tasks within placement, these are Siobhan
referred to as PERs (Practice Evidence Grieve
Records). Students must have all PERs Heather
signed off to achieve the full Diploma. Davies
We prepared a diary for students to assist Placement
them in knowing how and when to carry supervisors
out these tasks. We linked the tasks with
what they are expected to do each term
in college, thus making the links between
college and placement stronger.
October
Twilight
The curriculum manager and placement Heather
2013
session
coordinator will deliver a session on what Davies
is expected of students within placement Siobhan
and how supervisors can support them in Grieve
developing their professional practice.
September December All students will be visited in their Lorna Morgan
2013
2013
placement by their personal tutor or the Siobhan
placement coordinator. During this visit Grieve
the student’s target will be reviewed
along with their progress during the
placement.
December
Review the students’ progress during the Lorna Morgan
2013
first term. Reflect on the question and if Siobhan
students have increased in confidence Grieve
during the term as a result of the action Heather
plan.
Davies
Findings
Since this action plan has been put into place all Level 3, Year 2, students have said
they have increased in confidence when planning and delivering activities within
placement. Below are some individual tutorial reports for level 3, Year 2 students
(names deleted).
[Name 1] is currently working in the baby room of her placement. [Name 1]
has passed her Interim 4 PDP for this placement. I visited [Name 1] at her
284
placement during the first half-term, during this visit I set [Name 1] the target
of planning and delivering one activity per week. [Name 1] has so far
achieved this target every week and has found it has increased her
confidence with the age group, planning and within the team.
[Name 2] said by doing one activity per week during the first half-term, within
her Toddler placement, has helped her to learn how to meet the needs of
children within this age group - as this age group was new to [Name 2].
[Name 2] feels as a result of this target she has increased in confidence in
planning and delivering activities to toddlers and has become more aware of
their abilities.
[Name 3] found that from planning and delivering activities she was able to
learn about the children she is working with. [Name 3] initially over estimated
children's abilities and attention span, so from doing the activities [Name 3] is
now confident and effective in planning and delivering activities suitable for
children aged 1 - 2.
The Level 3 Year 2 tutor asked students to reflect on their targets for this term. All
students had individual set targets which they had set with their personal tutor during
their initial tutorial, in addition to the target of planning and delivering one activity per
week in placement. The tutor asked students to think about how their targets have
helped them and why and reflect on what they could do to promote their
development further and improve their progress on the course. Below are some
responses to the planning and delivery target, extracted from the reflection sheets.
“I have learnt that I need to take 20 minutes after I have implemented the
activity to actually review and evaluate it. It has helped me to understand how
much planning is implemented in to the practice and what skills are needed to
carry out a successful activity.”
“Planning and carrying out one activity per week has helped me to develop
my planning skills. It has helped me to plan for different areas of children’s
development, such as fine motor skills”
“I have developed confidence in talking to other staff and work together to
implement a planned activity.”
“Planning my own activities has given me the confidence to interact with the
children and implement activities to them, it has also informed me about how
much planning needs to be done for the children.”
“My confidence has grown with planning and delivering different types of
activities, my understanding of the age group has also developed and I have
learnt more about their abilities in different areas.”
Lessons Learned
It has been found for the Level 3 groups that the students have benefitted from the
active teaching of activities for placement. It has provided good results for
observations in placement and good feedback from supervisors. It is yet to be
285
extended to Level 2 but with the introduction of the new course next academic year
this will be an integral part of the course and teaching.
It became very clear that students need this input prior to carrying out the activity in
placement; it provides them with the confidence to complete successfully. With the
new specifications next year this will be a necessary part of the course. We will
extend this into Level 2 as we have found that although successful for the Level 3,
the Level 2 courses need a lot more input and more support. With the new course
there will be a lot more work on the theoretical aspects of the activities in college
prior to carrying them out in placement. Additionally, for the Level 3 groups, the
activity will now be observed by a college tutor for this next academic year, firstly to
see if students carry out their activity with the children confidently but also to provide
support to placement supervisors who do not always have the time to observe such
things.
286
Ellie Johnson
Research question: If I encourage critical reflection of personal and professional
experiences, will learners become more effective real-world problem solvers?
Keywords: Hairdressing; Reflection; Work-based learning; and City and Guilds NVQ
Level 3.
Context
“Workplaces have always been sites of learning and every workplace creates
its own unique version of a learning environment. In these environments,
learning takes place in a range of different ways along a continuum that
stretches from formalised activity at one end (e.g. a supervisor showing an
apprentice how to change the settings on a machine on the factory floor)
through to a group of employees discovering the answer to a problem by
informal discussion round the water cooler.” (Unwin, Felstead and Fuller, n.d.)
In my experience as a lecturer in hairdressing, the skill learners find hardest to
develop is the ability to critically reflect on work and skill-based problems. Although
this is a naturally occurring skill which is developed over time, most learners do not
get the opportunity until they develop relationships with a clientele at NVQ Level 3.
I have used the City and Guilds NVQ Level 3 Hairdressing part-time learners for the
purposes of this action research, incorporating a unit from the qualification and
introducing initial, formative and summative self-assessment. The learners are all
working full-time within industry at senior stylist/manager level with fully commercial
clienteles. They are aged between 20 and 28 and have all previously achieved the
City and Guilds NVQ Level 2 Hairdressing here at Highlands College. Some I have
taught before, some not.
If I encourage critical reflection of personal and professional experiences, will
learners become more effective real-world problem solvers?
The project
When deciding on the question for this project, I spent some time looking at my
learners and how they develop within the workplace, using my previous knowledge
and experience of the level and also my knowledge of the industry as I know it to be.
The workplace is a busy and productive environment in which learners are quickly
developed after completing the NVQ Level 2 qualification. There is no focus or time
for self-evaluation and reflective practice until much later when they start to
encounter situations which require critical reflection, such as issues with clients,
colleagues or levels of productivity within the workplace. Below is some case study
evidence:
287
Case Study One: The Hairdressing Salon
This small, single owner hairdressing salon, in a market town in the East Midlands,
has eight staff and an annual turnover of £200,000, of which 10-15% is net profit
reinvested into the business every year. The owner belongs to an elite club of hair
designers of which there are about 500 members in the UK. Annual membership of
the club (which has just celebrated its 25 year anniversary) costs several thousand
pounds per year. As a result of adopting the club’s sales techniques, the salon’s
annual turnover of products has increased by 500%. The motivation to learn in the
salon is stimulated by the desire to earn money and to ensure that the salon
achieves maximum capacity. If stylists can continually reach their targets, they will
be promoted every three months and could end up as a profit-sharing partner in the
business. This competitive approach did not appear to undermine team-based
approaches to learning. Staff described how they learn, informally, from each other
in the salon through observation and through discussing the best techniques in
relation to each other’s clients. They also coach each other to improve their skills
and learn by reading trade magazines.
Employers generally focus on staff becoming financially productive and development
focuses on practical skill. This can leave the learner disengaged and feedback was
consistent with a general feeling of ‘stuck in a rut’ and generally offering the same
services week after week, unable to see the way forward.
I encouraged learners to develop a more constructivist approach (Bruner, 1961, cited
in McLeod, 2008), and will talk about how I did this and the benefit to the learners in
the next section.
At the start of the course, learners were asked to complete a self-assessment
questionnaire to enable a clear establishment of:
 Current skill
 Aims and aspirations
 Course expectations
 Strengths and weaknesses.
This enabled me, as tutor, to work with learners and develop individual targets and
action plans. A full assessment of their day-to-day working, including not only their
practical strengths and weaknesses but also personal were identified and the
learners developed individual action plans with clear targets and timelines.
We worked on these together whilst incorporating a unit within the qualification, G19
Improving Customer Service Improvements. The evidence requirements for this are:
 Use feedback to identify potential client service improvements
 Implement changes in client service
 Assist with the evaluation of changes in client service.
Bruner (1961, cited in McLeod 2008) believes that the most effective way in which
learners can construct their own knowledge with the aid of organising and
categorising information is to discover and develop a coding system of their own.
This is also known as the constructivist approach as mentioned above.
288
Learners started this project in October 2013, beginning with the development and
distribution of individual client satisfaction surveys which were distributed to each
client over a two-month period. The findings were then collated and analysed by the
learners and the information fed back to their managers.
It became apparent very quickly that the problems were generally consistent within
the workplaces, could be easily actioned and suggestions for improvement were fed
back to colleagues and managers/owners during scheduled staff meetings led by the
learner. This new approach gave learners a sense of empowerment and increased
motivation. As a tutor I saw an increase in confidence when approaching new or
challenging tasks and a cohesive approach to sharing individual experiences with
the workplace.
Some of the areas for development that were identified as a result of the client
analysis were:
 Client incentives
 Retail promotions
 Social media advertising
 Later opening/flexible appointment times
 Generic salon issues.
All issues were raised with the employer and staff, implemented and evaluated over
a period of five months.
Findings
This project has reinforced my belief that employers find it easier to focus on skillbased training to develop or create productivity, rather than develop and encourage
critical and evaluative thinking. The evidence that has been generated by the
learners involved in this project is a clear indication that by developing the
fundamental self-evaluation and work-based developmental strategies, learners, in
time, develop the skills required to critically reflect and drive their own progression
both within an educational context and work based. The opportunity to learn in a
structured way outside the workplace can be immensely valuable, not just in terms of
providing employees with new skills and knowledge, but also in terms of time for
reflection.
Conclusions
Moving forward, this research has reinforced the importance of developing learners’
ability to critically reflect, not only at Level 3 but also at Level 2. If these skills are
developed earlier and learners are encouraged to problem solve through shared
experiences, the process of critical evaluation will no doubt enhance the work based
experience and progression. Having shared my findings with my team, we will be
introducing shared practice and implementing more work-based activities which
require problem solving and the development of these invaluable skills.
289
References
Berger, R. (2003). An Ethic of Excellence: Building a culture of craftsmanship with
students. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Educational Books.
Lucas, B. Spencer, E. Claxton, G. (2012). How to Teach Vocational Education: A
London: City and Guilds Centre for Skills
Development.
McLeod, S. A. (2008). ‘Bruner’, SimplyPsychology [Online]. Available at:
http://www.simplypsychology.org/bruner.html [Accessed 7th May, 2014].
Topping, K (2009). ‘Peer assessment’, Theory into Practice, 48 (1), 20-27.
Unwin, L., Felstead. A. and Fuller, A. (n.d). Learning at work: towards more
‘expansive’ opportunities, Paper prepared for the NIACE Commission of Inquiry into
‘The Future for Lifelong Learning’ [Online]. Available at:
http://www.niace.org.uk/lifelonglearninginquiry/docs/Workplace-Lorna-Unwin.pdf
290
Lisa Collas
Research question: If I develop a self-reflection area on the RWE and consultation
sheets specifically aimed at interpersonal skills, will the students reflect upon this
and include it in development and personal target setting?
Keywords: Hairdressing; Reflectiveness; Interpersonal skills; Self-evaluation;
Craftsmanship; Work based learning; and Full time/part-time/adult.
Context
My research is aimed at finding out if engaging students in evaluating their own
personal skills will encourage them to develop interpersonal skills.
In our industry it is relatively easy to encourage and coach students to develop
technical skills in hairdressing and with practice, these students can become
accomplished stylists who are competent and capable hairdressers.
Issue addressed
Over a period of four years I have been course tutor for a minority group of students
that have opted to stay on at college on full-time basis rather than following
immediate employment route. The full-time route has become a more popular option
in the last two years as Jersey has seen a drop in the hairdressing jobs available to
school leavers. These students are spending two days a week gaining work
experience in industry as part of their weekly timetable; the students also have two
practical sessions working with clients that visit the College salons. The historic
feedback from future employers, lecturing staff and the students themselves appears
to be lack of confidence in approaching clients, communication techniques and
general interpersonal skills, which are all highlighted as weaknesses.
This area is where I aim to develop wider skills required not just to produce
competent skill based hairdressers, but work-ready, confident and capable
craftsmen. My target group are all in their late teens or early twenties. The group
includes six from the full time provision, six from the day release provision and six
adult staff members, who are occupationally competent.
The issue is mainly communication and confidence in dealing with members of the
public of various ages. Self-reflection in this area with two groups of students, eight
from the full-time cohort and eight from the day release provision and also some
feedback from staff members about whether or not the students noticed their own
behaviour was any different formed the focus of this research.
“Being able to reflect on what they are doing before, during, and after its
occurrence does not come naturally to many young people. They may be
keen to dive in and get started, respond to things and come to a conclusion as
soon as possible before moving onto something else. Teachers can
encourage forethought, planning review and improvement.”
(Gornall,
Chambers and Claxton, 2005:112)
291
If I develop a self-reflection area on the RWE and consultation sheets specifically
aimed at interpersonal skills, will the students reflect upon this and include it in
development and personal target setting?
The project
I have introduced a new sentence on our client consultation sheet that asks the client
`Did your stylist show good interpersonal skills?’ Here the clients have the
opportunity to discuss this with the students.
Then on the same sheet the student can reflect on their own performance and grade
themselves 1-4. I wanted to see if it would encourage them to focus on this as an
area for development, and then plan to enhance their skill and improve their
professionalism when communicating. I have discussed this with my tutor group of
full time students and also with my other focus group that works in industry full-time
and only attend college on a weekly basis.
The final piece of research is to focus on these skills as part of my RWE lesson plan.
I pass comment and there is an area for student comment also on presentation. So
far this has created a great amount of debate and has had a very strong effect on
students’ dress code, especially footwear, which has been checked by the students.
They often like to see what is written about their professionalism and interpersonal
skills. After the first term the students were talking about the session plans and how
it had affected their dress code and behaviour.
Findings
At the end of the second term I decided to record their responses by using an
evaluation sheet asking the following questions, basically my X and Y. I decided to
record their responses to how they felt the research had affected them personally, I
questioned the full-time students and also the part-time students and also the staff
involved in the delivery of the practical sessions. These were the responses:
292
How do you feel the RWE plan
that has been used has helped
you to reflect upon
interpersonal skills of the
students
staff
day release
full time
When I checked the evaluation sheets for the project it demonstrated that the
students were not reflecting on this as much as the staff. Staff found this area on the
RWE to be extremely useful and it encouraged them to check this as part of the
routine of the job, along with all other aspects, for example, good general health and
safety and good general hairdressing techniques.
Do you feel that the RWE plan
that has been used this
academic year has enhanced
the reflection of the students'
proffesionalism and
appearance
Staff agreed
Day release agred
Full time agreed
293
Interestingly, the day release group had found this to be a very useful tool for selfreflection as they claimed it helped them to develop skills in this area. Overall, all
staff questioned remained unconvinced about whether or not the plan had actually
had an impact on appearance, and this continues to be an area for improvement.
Do you feel that the having an
opportunity to record your own
targets has enhanced your own
development
Staff
Day release
Full time
This evidence I feel was conclusive that all parties involved agreed that this was an
area to keep for all groups in the future, as it has had maximum impact on students’
personal development.
Lavery (2008) compared the relative effects of many learning strategies and found
the highest effect on learning was aimed at the forethought phase of learning, such
as goal setting and planning, and self-evaluation.
“Self-evaluation strategies allow the learner to self-reflect on performance in
relation to the previously set goals-which is much more important than selfmonitoring (such as ticking off completed tasks), because it requires the extra
step such that the learner actually evaluates what he or she has monitored.”
(Lavery, 2008 cited in Hattie, 2012:116)
Lessons learned
Lessons learned from this project are that the focus on encouraging interpersonal
skills is essential and staff should address this as part of their wider practice in
developing craftsmen. It would also help to enhance employability. However, there
is still a lot of improvement needed in this area and encouraging students to record
this as a target is essential to reaching higher levels of professionalism. All staff
members were in agreement that target setting and self-evaluation are very useful
294
tools and all students agreed that this was a useful exercise for their own
development. Once they had written a target students immediately took ownership
of this and felt the need to achieve it.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the challenge is to ensure that interpersonal skills are highlighted by
all and that action points and targets set by staff and students alike specifically focus
on this aspect. All need to be reminded of the progress in these professional areas.
Next steps are to continue with the use of target setting and self-evaluation.
References
Gornall, S., Chambers, M. and Claxton, G. (2005). Cycles of reflection: The learning
powered tool. Bristol: TLO.
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: maximising impact on learning.
London: Routledge.
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Improving students’ employability for the tourism industry: can
heritage education help?
Jeanne Ward
Research question: If I incorporate interpretation as part of my teaching of local
heritage and culture, alongside the current curriculum offer, will the Travel and
Tourism students be more suitably prepared for employment in the local tourism
industry?
Keywords: Tourism; Employability; Heritage site visits; Interpretation; and Level 3
Extended Diploma.
Context – Education
Tourism education has featured, in one form or another, in the provision of
vocational education at Highlands College for the past 25 years, initially as an
optional pathway on the Business Studies course and thereafter developing as a
subject alongside Leisure. Finally, from 2005 it became a standalone vocational
choice, associated, quite appropriately, with Travel.
Currently, provision concentrates on the training and development of students
(primarily in the 16 – 19 age bracket) at Level 3, by way of an Extended Diploma
qualification in Travel and Tourism (equivalent to 3 A-Levels) and aims to prepare
candidates for either progression to higher education or employment in the local
tourism industry. The number of students enrolling on the Travel and Tourism
course has been continually rising since 2011, on the back of a redesigned
marketing approach, where Travel and Tourism was promoted as an alternative
business course, concentrating on preparing students for front-line provision to
customers in a wide range of organisations – hotels, information bureaux, tourist
attractions, airports/ports and events.
The course aims to develop ‘people
professionals’ who have:





Knowledge of the industry
Knowledge of the organisations they work for and with
Knowledge of the products/services they offer
Knowledge of the competition
Knowledge of customers.
By the end of the course, it is hoped that students will have developed both a wider
understanding of what tourism is all about as well as the necessary skills to enable
them to communicate with, and effectively handle, a range of customers. It will be
their job to interpret the tourism product for the customer and so it is vitally important
that they leave education with increased confidence in their ability to ‘make a
difference’.
Context – Tourism
It is unfortunate that, in terms of visitor numbers, the Jersey tourism industry has
been on a continuous decline since 1990, with a marked and rapid decline seen
between 1997 and 2002.
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“The five-year period from 1997 was marked by further, rapid decline and
during this period the size of Jersey Tourism, its budget, its representation
overseas and its marketing activities all contracted.” (Tourism Shadow Board,
2014)
Although this was followed by a period of relative stability, another dip occurred in
2009, since when the downward trend in staying leisure visitors has continued, albeit
more slowly.
“In 2012 there were 333,000 staying leisure visitors, a reduction of 43% on the
1997 number. Adding all other categories, there were 688,000 visitors that
year compared with 985,000 in 1997; a reduction of 30%. During the same
period visitors to the UK increased by almost 22% and the number of UK
residents travelling overseas went up by 23%.” (Tourism Shadow Board,
2014)
Over the years, particularly since the turn of the century, Jersey ‘fell out of love’ with
tourism, as political leaders seemed to offer insufficient attention to the Island’s
second most-important economic activity. In contrast, the finance industry achieved
outstanding success, outgrowing all other economic sectors and leading to tourism
no longer being regarded of great importance.
It is interesting to note that, from 2000 to the present day, Highland College’s tourism
student numbers at Level 3 have remained constant at around 10 – 12 each year
and that between 2000 and 2008, over half the number in each annual cohort went
on to university, while the other half went into employment, mainly in the finance
industry or public sector, with just a small number entering tourism, mainly at the
airport.
Tourism is still very much a seasonal product, which provides a level of insecurity for
those local young people who may want to enter the industry but are deterred by the
prospect of unemployment in the 4 months from November to Easter. Likewise, the
level of salary, in comparison to that in the finance industry and in relation to the cost
of living, is seen as inadequate for long-term prospects of savings and ultimately
house purchase.
Linked closely to the previous observation, the industry is heavily reliant for the
delivery of its front-line services on immigrant seasonal workers, for whom the salary
is attractive in comparison to what they could earn at home. Unfortunately, however,
in terms of service to visitors, there is a recognised shortfall in the level of knowledge
and awareness on the part of these temporary, short-term employees. As recently
acknowledged by the Tourism Shadow Board:
“Long term dependency of (the) industry on migrant workers (is) possibly not a
sustainable model.”
Also,
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“(A) lack of employment licences (are) a threat (to growth) as it is impossible
to find good, well qualified, staff locally, which leads to poor service and
retention issues.” (Tourism Shadow Board, 2014)
Issue addressed
When it comes to applying for, and securing, employment, it seems that having
actually studied the industry for two years does not provide the Travel and Tourism
students with any advantages over other, less knowledgeable and less-skilled
candidates. This, despite the fact that our students are local and fully aware of what
the work entails and have demonstrated the right attitude with regards to customer
service and ‘going the extra mile’ to enhance the visitor experience – qualities
identified as lacking in relation to the current provision.
Currently, our job as tutors for the Tourism sector is made all the more easy by the
fact that, somehow or another, our students come ready-made with friendly and
appealing personalities and a positivity towards building on those qualities and
developing the skills to make them more effective in the workplace. As a result, over
the last few years, we have adapted the content of our Level 3 provision to ensure
that we develop not only the underpinning knowledge and awareness but also the
appropriate workplace skills, e.g. front of house, event planning, tour operations,
teamwork, communication, IT, etc., to give the students the confidence and ability to
perform at the highest level.
However, it would appear that, even with this variety of skills and knowledge, the
industry is reluctant to employ our students over other candidates, often quoting
‘over-skilled’ as the reason.
There is a need now to work towards creating an environment where knowledge and
skills are given due recognition and where emphasis is placed on the ability to meet
the needs of both the customer, who comes in search of an experience, and the
Island, in terms of delivering an accurate picture of the product on offer.
According to Robert Mackenzie, one of the contributors to a recent review of the
local tourism industry, people from Jersey and the UK see tourism as the ‘poor
cousin’ of the finance and legal sectors. He said that needed to change and people
needed to do away with any embarrassment about a job that involved serving others.
“Local people should only be trained if they have the desire to work in the
industry.”
There is no doubt that all those who come through our Travel and Tourism courses
have ‘the desire to work in the industry’, and work hard for two years to make
themselves more employable. Unfortunately, that does not currently seem to be fully
recognised or acknowledged by the industry.
The structure of our current provision, i.e. the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Travel
and Tourism, is very much focused on the development of the underpinning
knowledge and awareness of the complexity of the industry, so that candidates
develop the understanding and confidence they need, to enter any of the diverse
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areas of employment. One of the key drawbacks comes from the requirement to
offer an 18-unit course of study, since this leaves little time for including the
development of local knowledge and pertinent skills, in addition to the UK-based
content. As a result, some of the unique qualities and abilities that might strengthen
the employability of local young people for the local industry are often not fully
addressed.
Two years ago, in order to introduce more variety to the course and to work towards
making it more appropriate, we imported three hospitality units which focused on the
key activities in the local industry – front-of-house operations, hospitality event
management and alcoholic beverage service.
On the back of this move, we have enjoyed two years of improved work placement
opportunities, which have enabled our students to showcase their abilities, qualities
and potential to be effective employees and enabled many to secure employment
within both the hospitality and the travel sectors.
Through working more closely with employers and spending more time in discussion
with them they are certainly impressed with the calibre of our students and the
standards of their performance. However, in its recent review of the industry, the
Tourism Shadow Board is still insistent that young people are neither keen to enter
the industry nor adequately trained. The Board cites three major issues facing the
local industry:
“Jersey’s ageing population, the problems of fewer economically active
‘qualified’ employees and consequent employment issues.”
“Desire to employ reducing pool of residentially qualified staff over immigrants
has a negative impact on costs.”
“Hospitality not seen as an attractive industry to work in and available higher
education courses are outdated.” (Tourism Shadow Board, 2014)
Given that local people are the best people to talk about the Island with some degree
of passion and that employing local people is the key to sustainability of the industry
and the Island, it is up to us, as a provider of vocational education, to ‘produce’ the
right quality of employee. But where does one start?
If I incorporate interpretation as part of my teaching of local heritage and culture,
alongside the current curriculum offer, will the travel and tourism students be more
suitably prepared for employment in the local tourism industry?
The success of a destination, and therefore its tourism industry, ultimately depends
on the overall experience the visitor gains from their stay in relation to the
expectations they had when choosing their holiday. Those expectations no doubt
come from the destination’s or the tour operator’s marketing material and the images
that the visitor creates of being in that holiday environment. The aim of the
destination, therefore, is to make those ‘dreams’ a reality. In Jersey’s case, visitors
see heritage as part of the whole background character of the Island and this is fully
promoted through the TV and media. However, even with all that coverage, the
Tourism Shadow Board (2014) insists that Jersey needs to:
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“recognise the importance and reach of its heritage story internationally.”
And if that line is taken, it will be even more imperative that this Island has people
working on the front line services who can fully interpret the Island and its heritage
story in the most effective way.
A number of employers have expressed a wish to see greater development in
students’ local knowledge and heritage awareness; so that staff can respond to
questions and enquiries more efficiently and thus enhance the organisation’s overall
delivery of quality customer service.
In order to create the ‘total visitor experience’, there is not only a requirement for
knowledge but also for the skill of interpretation, which is defined by Tilden (1977)
as:
“an educational activity, which aims to reveal meanings and relationships
through the use of original objects, by first-hand experience and by illustrative
media, rather than simply to communicate factual information.”
People who are able to communicate and interpret information are surely going to be
more attractive prospects for employment – aren’t they?
The project
Step 1 - Incorporate the development of local knowledge as well as UK knowledge in
the key overriding unit of the course (Unit 1) and continually reinforce the concept of
‘total visitor experience’ as the key to success of tourism at a destination.
We started the unit with a visit to the new Waterfront development, where the
students received an explanation of the ‘before and after’ and the political, economic,
social and environmental impact that had been experienced. This prompted a high
degree of discussion, not just at the time of the visit but throughout the unit, and
helped to put future learning into perspective when looking at developments in the
UK and the presentation of heritage and cultures there.
In addition, we carried out a scavenger hunt around the town, which encouraged the
students to discover and read about certain important dates and incidents in local
history and their significance to island life today. This was followed by a visit to the
Jersey Museum, where the history, as discovered by the students, was brought
together in a new DVD.
This unit is still open and due to close early in the Summer Term when the portfolio
of evidence will be complete. The final section will hopefully highlight the extended
learning, understanding and appreciation of the ‘total visitor experience’.
Evaluation Method: Evidence portfolio
Step 2 - Measure the current perception of heritage and culture amongst young
people to establish a starting point for future monitoring.
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An attitude survey, carried out previously with students across the College, had
highlighted, amongst other things, that:
 young people’s interpretation of the term ‘heritage’ is limited to the old-style
belief of historical monuments, cultures and the environment;
 young people’s attitude towards visiting heritage sites is rather negative, once
the compulsion of ‘having’ to visit (with school) is removed;
 many young people would place a worth on going to heritage sites if there
was something, other than the heritage aspect, to enjoy, e.g. special activities,
‘action’ in the form of simulations, even white-knuckle rides;
 many young people are not aware of the fact that special events, e.g. F A Cup
Final, Grand National and Battle of Flowers, are actually part of heritage;
 whilst many would support the preservation of heritage for all the right
reasons, their ideas of what should be protected, and how, differ from those of
the authorities
(Ward, 1999).
It would appear that the first steps that needed to be taken were to tackle the image
of heritage and to instil motivation within local young people.
Using this as a focus for discussion to establish the current attitudes of young
people, it was discovered that the vast majority of students had not visited a heritage
site or even attended either of the major heritage events of the year, i.e. The Battle
of Flowers and the Air Display, since they were in their early teens. In addition, no
student could name an annual, all-Island parish event, involving road inspections, or
the meaning of the titles, given to the members of the Island’s Honorary Police Force
(let alone the role of the Honorary Police!)
It is information and knowledge like this which will ensure the sustainability of tourism
in the island and the preservation of local heritage and culture – the main selling
point of the Island.
Evaluation Method: Attitude survey
Step 3 - Familiarise the students with the history and culture of the Island and
develop a broader awareness of the importance of both, in terms of appeal to visitors
and contribution to the economy.
For the first time, we arranged a tour of the heritage sites and areas of the Island,
where local traditions and important events took place many centuries ago. Using a
hand-out and the information provided by our own qualified Heritage guide, students
were able to listen to and make connections between cultures, legends, history and
events. In addition, having an experienced guide gave them first-hand experience of
interpretation techniques.
Evaluation Methods: Heritage Away-days; learning logs; questionnaire
Step 4 - Develop an understanding and appreciation of the importance of heritage
and culture, in order to raise enthusiasm and interest in their value to society and the
Island as a whole.
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The Spring Term has exposed the students to the wider realms of the ‘visitor
experience’ as they study visitor attractions and hospitality operations. They are now
being exposed to a broader insight into the operation of heritage and conservation
attractions and the importance of maintaining a balance between the needs and
expectations of the tourist and the objectives of the provider. Once again, the
information is being provided by people who are enthusiastic and passionate about
their product and communicate/interpret their information in such a way as to ensure
that the listener/receiver leaves the site, knowing that they have gone through a
positive and worthwhile ‘experience’.
By asking the students not only to take notes but also to reflect on their ‘experience’
in a diary and highlight the key techniques used and/or observed, which contributed
to that ‘experience’, enables the student to learn and note down the skills used.
Evaluation Method: Diary
Yet to be addressed:
Step 5 - Train the students in the skills of interpretation through practise, coaching
and increased presentations.
The summer term will see the students working towards completion of their first year
of study and being required to carry out far more practical tasks for their
assessments. In particular, they will have to pitch their ideas for the development of
a new facility and convince people to support and finance the project. They will
therefore need to ‘interpret’ and sell their ideas with passion and conviction, in order
to succeed in bringing the plans to life. The brief will require justification of providing
‘all things Jersey’ and ‘links to the past’ and therefore the student will need to
demonstrate some of their learning from their previous activities and interpret the
links. To do this, the students will be encouraged to reflect and analyse impact and
will spend time, practising the skills required and being coached by both their peers
and their tutors.
Evaluation Methods: Observation grids; critical incident review
In Year 2:
Step 6 - Summative assessment through practical demonstrations and the
undertaking of live guided heritage walks.
In preparation for employment the students will be exposed to a range of situations,
where they will have to work with the public and provide information, deal with
enquiries and escort groups on walks. This will be the culmination of all their
additional learning and development and hopefully will involve industry providers and
tourism personnel as customers or receivers.
Evaluation Methods: Observation grids; recording
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Findings to date
In addition to the information, given above in Steps 1 and 2, the following information
was gathered under Step 3 through the questionnaires completed by 14 respondents
from Year 1 Travel and Tourism students.
Students’ local knowledge
1. 92% knew how many parishes there were in Jersey. Probably taught in primary
school.
2. Only 7% knew which parish had the shortest length of coastline. Knowledge of
the actual location and boundaries of the parishes should enable students to answer
this question – perhaps the primary education does not go that far these days.
3. 71% knew that St. Catherine’s Breakwater was in St. Martin.
50% knew that Grosnez Castle was in St. Ouen.
92% knew Durrell was located in Trinity.
57% knew that the Amaizin’ Maze was in St. Peter.
Durrell is a very popular attraction in the Island and probably frequently visited by the
students whilst they were growing up, unlike the others, which are more landscape
attractions or paid-entry.
4. No-one knew the name of the Governor, after whom many of the ancient towers,
seen around the coastline of the island, are named. Information was given in the
heritage day handout.
5. 71% knew that the Bay of Grouville and Gorey had formerly been important for
oyster fishing. Information provided on site verbally by the qualified guide on the
heritage day out.
6. 92% could name the tower in the Bay of La Rocque. Information provided on site
verbally by the qualified guide on the heritage day out.
7. 57% knew that Bouley Bay was famous for the legend of the Black Dog.
Students had stopped off at Bouley Bay and learnt about the legend during their
heritage day out.
8. 78% knew where to find the memorial to Sir Billy Butlin. Once again, the students
had made a stop at the memorial during their day out and had been told what parish
they were in.
9. 28% knew that La Rocque Harbour was where the French army landed when
they invaded Jersey in 1781. Information provided on site verbally by the qualified
guide on the heritage day out.
10. No-one could name the type of tower, known as First Tower. Once again, the
information was provided verbally on the heritage day out.
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11. Only 14% knew who had priority in Green Lanes. This is a unique feature to
Jersey, and given that many of the students travel by bike or car around the Island,
the answer should have been known.
12. Only 57% knew the meaning of the term ‘Annual Branchage’. This again is a
tradition in the Island – but probably its significance is not taught.
13. Very few respondents (between 1 and 3) could name the parishes on a range of
journeys. The students may know the parishes but they do not seem to know the
order or location of the parishes or possibly did not know where the starting points
and finishing points of the journeys were.
14. 86% could name the only vineyard in the Island.
attraction and the only one of its kind.
Once again, a modern
15. 35% knew the early closing day for the Central Market. Another tradition, which
has recently been in the headlines – maybe the students do not read the local
newspaper.
16. 35% knew the two most popular tourist attractions in the Island. This information
was once again communicated clearly on the day out.
17. 21% could name two ways in which the maritime theme is interpreted on the
quayside of the Albert Pier and harbour. Information and demonstrations were given
on the Waterfront walk in Step 1.
18. 92% matched Gerald Durrell with conservation.
100% matched Nigel Mansell with racing cars.
92% matched Billy Butlin with holiday camps.
92% matched Bergerac with keeping the peace.
These results demonstrate sound knowledge of modern heritage and local
knowledge.
Evaluation
1. Which of the following do you associate with the term ‘heritage’?
42%
92%
□
50%
the countryside
history
football
Jersey-French
78%
92%
28%
14%
museums
42% Fort Regent □
cricket
castles
7% the Beatles 78% churches
the environment 7% Madame Tussauds
arts and crafts
□ Disneyland
There still appears to be this perception of heritage as being history, castles and
churches, whereas all the features listed are heritage
2. On a scale of 1 – 10, where 1 = very low and 10 = very high, how would you
score each of the following as having been an effective learning method for you:
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Visits to facilities
Themed day out
Creating displays
High
Med
Discussion after the event Med
Med
Guided walk
Med
Use of interactive displays Low
Scavenger hunt
Low
Watching films/DVDs
Med
It is interesting that the methods, that were expected to be the most effective,
were ranked medium.
3. On a scale of 1 – 5, where 1 = very important and 5 = not important at all, how
would you rank the need for heritage knowledge in the following jobs:
Front of house Reception
Tour guide
3
3.5
Bus/coach driver
2
Shop assistant
3
Attraction steward
3
Check-in agent at the airport
3
The correct answer was all of them.
4. Do you think heritage is more or less important as an appealing factor to tourists,
who are considering a holiday to Jersey, than
Events
Outdoor activities
Sport
Eating out
Attractions
78% More / Less
64% More / Less
More / 78% Less
64% More / Less
86% More / Less
Heritage was ranked more important than everything except sport.
5. Do you think that including ‘Heritage Tourism’ as a unit of study on your
Extended Diploma would make a difference to your employability prospects?
88% YES
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The respondents seem to rank the knowledge and understanding of heritage as
highly important.
Lessons learned
This research is still in its early stages and the overall findings, which will enable the
original research question to be answered, will not be established until later in the
year. However, it is interesting to see a few pointers for future consideration already
emerging, namely:
1. The assumption that teaching in primary school covers the development and
learning of local knowledge cannot be made. Many may move into their teenage
years still not knowing the composition and layout of the parishes.
2. Many young people know of places but not where they are located – this may
come from the tendency for them to be taken to places when they were younger,
rather than finding their own way there.
3. Information communicated verbally appears to be more effective than written
information.
4. Actually visiting the site does not always result in the majority remembering the
experience (see responses to KNOWLEDGE – questions 7, 8 and 9).
5. Local traditions are not priority teaching nor priority learning.
6.
Heritage is still linked to the past and ‘old’ things, e.g. history, castles and
churches.
7. Use of interactive displays was considered low in the rankings of effective learning
methods.
8. Knowledge of heritage is still considered as most important if you are going to be
a tour guide.
9. Sport is ranked more appealing than heritage.
10. Students appear to feel that the study of heritage tourism would make a
difference to their employability - in view of the fact that it does not seem to have
featured with any prominence in their education in the past, and given that
heritage is a key appealing factor for tourists to the Island, there is probably an
urgency now to change the current situation and start working towards a
sustainable industry for the future (another aim of the Tourism Board).
At this particular stage of the project, the following conclusions have been drawn:
 Students definitely have more knowledge of local heritage than when they
started on the course last September. However, it is still not clear whether the
understanding is in place of how the different pieces of heritage fit together to
form a distinctive identity of Jersey ’culture’ – facts are important but not
enough.
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
It would appear that, even if students have the appropriate knowledge and
skills, it may not be enough for them to secure employment, when employers
and their representative bodies have the belief that islanders do not possess
the skills and knowledge. This is probably where the most work is needed –
in changing the mind-set of the industry and providing increased opportunities
for students to demonstrate their skills directly to those, whose awareness
needs to be raised.

Of particular note is the high ranking of ‘visits to facilities’ as an effective
means of learning. This has been borne out in the second half of the spring
term, where visits to heritage and conservation sites have played a key part in
the teaching of two units (see Step 4). The quality of the questions asked by
the students and of the reports which they have completed shows an
increased level of content, comment and analysis – qualities which are taking
their performance to the next level in terms of Bloom’s taxonomy.
In terms of teaching, these conclusions, to a certain extent, confirm the need to
maintain and build on the current out-of-College experiences for the students and, in
particular, to continue to give them exposure to industry, but more so to those people
who need to be made aware of the talent of the young people. In order to do this,
we need to concentrate on developing complete understanding and to then begin to
coach them in the different techniques they need to ‘make a difference’, both within
the industry and to the ‘overall visitor experience’.
All these considerations will be borne in mind as the research progresses through
Steps 5 and 6 and will be used as part of the evaluation process, prior to planning for
the final stages in the next academic term.
References
Tourism Shadow Board (2014). Preliminary Report of the Tourism Shadow Board.
St Helier: Tourism Shadow Board. Available at:
http://www.jersey.com/business/marketing/Pages/Tourism-Shadow-Board.aspx
[Accessed: 2nd July, 2014.
Tilden, F. (1977). Interpreting Our Heritage (3rd Edition). Chapel Hill: University of
North Carolina Press.
Ward, J. (1999). Sustainability: can Tourism, Heritage and Environmental Education
Help? St Helier: Highlands College.
Articles from the Jersey Evening Post and other local media.
Industry specialists and providers.
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Mind the gap
Joe Cottam, Tony Bechelet, Marc Bertalli, Mal Morgan, Keith
Pomroy and John Sheehan
Research question: Would open accessibility to multiple tutors in order to fill
knowledge gaps through short questions be of a measurable benefit to the Level 3,
Carpentry, Brickwork, and Painting and Decorating students experience and career
progression?
Keywords: Construction crafts; Resourcefulness; Reflectiveness; Questioning; Realworld learning; and Level 3.
Context
The college is the only FE provider in Jersey and caters for both full- and part-time
learners.
We decided to focus on learners who were in their final year of Level 3 Construction
Crafts specializing in Painting and Decorating, Carpentry and Joinery, and
Bricklaying and Blockwork. There were 18 students in total spread across the three
provisions and they were all male.
The issue addressed
It had become apparent that students would sometimes ask questions that either the
tutor felt were outside of his expertise area or were not applicable to the qualification
they were currently studying towards. However as the frequency of these questions
increased and often were repetitive in nature it was decided that if we could attempt
to fill these knowledge gaps across the trade areas the students would be better
informed and may even decide to continue their education at the college, post trade
qualification.
After initial discussions it became apparent that there was a variety of knowledge
gaps that have naturally occurred with the Level 3 students which in the main are
due to the students being taught in discrete trade areas and to a particular syllabus.
These knowledge gaps tend to cover areas that fall into the following categories: Important information that would be of definite relevance to the student
 Anomalies of their understanding as to how they may progress within their
chosen career/trade area
 Basic trade principles that could be useful to know for both practical and
technical reasons
 Lack of basic contractual knowledge in terms of both cost planning and
contractual definition.
This list is indicative of some, not all of the gaps that seemed apparent to the tutors
of the areas.
The research question we posed was:-
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Would open accessibility to multiple tutors in order to fill knowledge gaps through
short questions be of a measurable benefit to the Level 3, Carpentry, Brickwork, and
Painting and Decorating students experience and career progression?
“Your problem is to bridge the gap which exists between where you are now
and the goal you intend to reach.” (Earl Nightingale)
The project
Having reviewed this issue, the next stage was to produce a series of questions that
we felt were representative of some of the knowledge gaps.
A spin-off benefit of carrying out the project was that we hoped there would be an
increased interest from the Level 3 completers to move onto a bridge course and
commence a HE route alongside their practical career path. This would bolster the
sustainability of our programs and better position the students for career
advancement within the industry. Thus the project seed was planted and we devised
our questions which are listed below with tutors’ initials denoting who was
designated to respond to student enquiries. Tutors participating in the project were:Joe Cottam (JC):- Construction coordinator
Tony Bechelet (TB):HE Curriculum manager
John Sheehan (JS):Carpentry and Joinery lecturer (BSc Hons)
Marc Bertalli (MB):- Carpentry and Joinery lecturer
Mal Morgan (MM):- Painting and Decorating lecturer
Tutor devised questions for the student activity
1. What do we mean when we use the term “contract”?
JC
2. What other courses can I move onto after my trade?
JC
3. How can I progress further within my career?
JC
4. What top tips can you give me when considering employing a painter and
decorator? MM
5. What top tips can you give me when considering employing a brick/block layer?
JC
6. What top tips can you give me when considering employing a carpenter or
joiner? MB/KP
7. When can I apply for an extension of time to a contract?
JC
8. What is tendering?
JC
9. What is the best way to repair a hole in a plastered partition wall?
JS
10. How do I know at which stages of my construction process I need to contact the
building inspector?
JS
11. I want to build an extension, what are my first steps?
JS
12. I always get paint on my hands, what is the best method to clean them?
MM
13. Are there different brushes for different types of paint and varnishes
MM
14. What are the ratios for mixing mortar? Is this always the same?
JC
15. What can I do to ensure that my mortar is the same colour and strength?
JC
16. How do you go about making a staircase?
JS
17. What are the most common joints used in carpentry and joinery?
MB/KP
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18. How do I turn a rough sawn piece of timber into a square, straight and useable
piece of timber? What other processes are involved in making a timber product
from this?
JS
19. Can a painter and decorator become a site foreman?
JC
20. What is an ordnance bench mark?
TB
21. What types of foundations are there?
TB
22. What is the difference between a truss roof and a cut roof?
MB/KP
23. What is the difference between a “Chartered Architect” and a “Chartered
Architectural Technologist”?
TB
24. What is the difference between a “quotation” and an “estimate”?
JC
25. What are the fundamentals of estimating?
TB
26. Is membership of the CIOB an option for me to progress my construction
education? TB
27. Once I finish my craft qualifications at Highlands what is available for me in
terms of “further” and “higher” construction education? TB
28. What do you understand to be the difference between “technician”, “higher
technician” and “professional” construction education? TB
29. Is it important to be able to read a drawing?
MB /KP
30. Do you understand the hatchings and symbols present on construction
drawings? MB/KP
31. What are trade “preambles”?
TB
32. What are “preliminaries”?
TB
33. What are “Provisional” and “PC” Sums?
TB
34. What are “liquidated and ascertained damages” and how do they differ from a
“penalty” clause?
TB
35. What do you understand by the differing meanings of “maintenance” within a
construction context?
TB
36. What is a “defects liability period”?
JC
37. What does “procurement” mean?
TB
38. What does the term / profession “project management” mean to you?
MB
39. What is “contract documentation”?
TB
40. What does a “site investigation” encompass?
TB
41. What is “negligence” and “professional liability”
TB
42. What is “PI” insurance?
TB
43. What attributes do I need to become a “Site Supervisor”?
MB
44. What is the difference between a “Trade Foreman”, “General Foreman”, “Site
Manager”, “Site Agent”, “Contracts Manager” and a “Contracts Director”?
MB
Having identified some appropriate questions and correlated these with whom might
be best placed to answer them we committed to time slots of when we could be
available ensuring these married up with the students attendance days in college.
Tutor availability:JC: Mon 1600-1700 & Thu 1330-1430
JS:
Wed 1330-1630 & Thu 1230-1630
TB: Mon 1000-1400 & Wed 1000-1400
MM: Mon 1100-1200 & Wed 1530-1630
MB: Wed 1530-1630 & Thu 1500-1600
KP: Wed 1300-1400 & Thu 1300-1400
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We then shared the questions with the students and amended/added questions to
suit their requests. They then identified which questions were of interest to them and
the tutor who could answer those for them.
This information was collected and distributed by the report author to the various
tutors defining a time when the students would visit the lecturer. The first
observation was that a lot of the students chose the same questions. This facilitated
the process and where there were anomalies the tutor either negotiated a different
time with the student or the student elected to join their colleagues and in effect tag
onto their time slot. This worked well as it meant that although tutors may have
committed to a one to two hour time slot in which to be available, this was now
compressed to a 30-minute question and answer time.
The tutors now met with the students, confirmed their question choices and
discussed the answers, this naturally spilled out into exploring other areas of interest
and each group of students were offered the opportunity to meet with specific tutors
to further explore answers or areas of interest.
Findings
The final part of the research was to gauge the students’ feedback as to how useful
the process was. Two of the tutors produced an online questionnaire hosted through
Moodle. The questions are shown in Appendix 1.
Data for the results was collected using a Moodle survey. This collected both
quantitative data shown in charts 1-6 and qualitative data shown in table 7.
The quantitative data was collected using a multiple choice questionnaire which had
the choice of four responses; the option of using five choices was omitted as this can
lead to respondents choosing the third choice, so not making a definitive decision.
The qualitative data was collected by allowing the students to make comments on
any additional questions they may have liked to ask.
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Percentage score per answer
1. I feel that having the opportunity to ask questions to lecturers from
different backgrounds has enhanced my understanding of specific
courses.
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Question 1
Agree Completely
Agree Mostly
Disagree Mostly
Disagree
Completely
Student Response
2. I now know the answers to questions I have always thought about, but
not had the opportunity to ask.
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
Question 2
30
20
10
0
Agree
Completely
Agree Mostly
Disagree Mostly
Student Response
312
Disagree
Completely
3. This has been a worthwhile exercise?
60
50
40
30
Question 3
20
10
0
Agree Completely
Agree Mostly
Disagree Mostly
Disagree
Completely
Student Response
4. I now have more confidence in exploring other courses which
previously I had limited knowledge of.
60
50
40
30
Question 4
20
10
0
Agree Completely
Agree Mostly
Disagree Mostly
Student Response
313
Disagree
Completely
5. The tutors were helpful and gave good answers and advice to the
questions asked.
70
60
50
40
30
Question 5
20
10
0
Agree Completely
Agree Mostly
Disagree Mostly
Disagree
Completely
Student Response
6. I was able to ask other questions while talking to the tutors, not just
the ones listed.
60
50
40
30
Question 6
20
10
0
Agree Completely
Agree Mostly
Disagree Mostly
Student Response
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Disagree
Completely
7. Are there any other questions that you would have liked to have seen
listed? Please take this opportunity to make comments.
Respondent
Student A
Student B
Student C
Student D
Student E
Student F
Student G
Student H
Student I
Response
Highlands college should run a general builders course to
give basics on the main trades to help give an overall view
on how the trades interlink.
What a waste of time!!!!
No comment
No comment
No comment
No comment
I would like to receive a list of available options of further
courses within construction. This would be helpful for me
and my employer to discuss.
No comment
No Thanks
Conclusion
After we had concluded the survey we met to discuss the outcome of the research
and below is a summary of our thoughts.
Maybe there should have been more input from the students with regard to writing
questions.
The research project could have captured all the Level 2 as well as Level 3 students;
this would have added to more robust data to measure the project success and
allowed for the inclusion of students who may decide to leave after obtaining Level 2.
Rather than small splinter groups of tutors who were available to answer questions
at a set time, it may have been more constructively beneficial to get all the separate
trade area students together with all the tutors and have more of an open forum. We
did discuss this as a follow up mechanism for next year before the L3 students leave
to see if there are other questions they have.
What have we learned from carrying out the project?
There clearly are knowledge gaps for a variety of students whereby they appreciate
the extra question and answer opportunities from specialists other than their key
tutor. Some students value more than others the benefit of being able to tap into a
specialist lecturer’s knowledge.
It gave the tutors the opportunity to explore how they might like to progress with their
career and where Highlands may be able to facilitate them. It was interesting to note
that quite a lot of students were not aware they could progress onto a technical route
after they have completed their practical qualification; this therefore presented an
opportunity to explore both career options and further progression within the College.
They much appreciated the fact we could identify students who had started from a
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craft background and now were working in management positions across the island
or indeed abroad.
It is a proven statistic that whilst the vast majority of tradesmen continue to work
within their trade area, a lot of students who have a practical background can go on
to make first class construction managers and have a very fulfilling career.
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Appendix 1 - Student questionnaire - Action research project
Relevance
Responses Not yet answered Almost never
Seldom
always
In this online unit...
1 my learning focuses on issues that interest me.
2 what I learn is important for my professional practice.
3 I learn how to improve my professional practice.
4 what I learn connects well with my professional practice.
Sometimes
Often
Almost
Seldom
Sometimes
Often
Almost
Seldom
Sometimes
Often
Almost
Seldom
Sometimes
Often
Almost
Seldom
always
17 other students encourage my participation.
18 other students praise my contribution.
19 other students value my contribution.
20 other students empathise with my struggle to learn.
Sometimes
Often
Almost
Sometimes
Often
Almost
Reflective thinking
always
5 I think critically about how I learn.
6 I think critically about my own ideas.
7 I think critically about other students' ideas.
8 I think critically about ideas in the readings.
Interactivity
always
9 I explain my ideas to other students.
10 I ask other students to explain their ideas.
11 other students ask me to explain my ideas.
12 other students respond to my ideas.
Tutor support
always
13 the tutor stimulates my thinking.
14 the tutor encourages me to participate.
15 the tutor models good discourse.
16 the tutor models critical self-reflection.
Peer support
Interpretation
Seldom
always
21 I make good sense of other students' messages.
22 other students make good sense of my messages.
23 I make good sense of the tutor's messages.
24 the tutor makes good sense of my messages.
25 How long did this survey take you to complete?
26 Do you have any other comments?
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The value of De Bono’s thinking skills in promoting career
decision-making
Steve Turner
Research question: If I can use Edward De Bono's CoRT Thinking Skills by
continual practice with the students, will their thinking skills and decision-making be
more relevant to their college career?
Keywords: Vocational studies, Careers; Self-management; Communication skills;
Creative thinking; Real-world learning; Behaviour management strategies; Entry
Level 3; and Level 1.
Context
I am a member of the Faculty of Guidance and Support and teach across the faculty,
as well as having personal tutor responsibility for a group of students aged 16-17 on
the E3/L1 Diploma in Vocational Studies. There are 10 students in the group and
they are all male. Two students do not have English as their first language and all
students find themselves on this course, rather than dedicated vocational courses in
specific fields due to having GCSE grades at the lower end of the scale, or no GCSE
grades at all. Some students have issues outside college that may impact on their
learning. The students in this group are the focus of this research project.
Outside of my own faculty, I also teach First Aid across college and run courses for
the Probation Service for offenders, as well as teaching Maths to adults in the
evening and running a walking course with a colleague at the weekend.
Issue addressed
Historically, students on the E3/L1 Diploma in Vocational Studies are on the course,
as mentioned above because of poor GCSE results at school. Some students have
displayed challenging behaviour in school and may have been excluded, or been
part of an alternative provision; some students have specific learning difficulties,
which have impacted on their learning in school and some have issues outside of
college, which may impact on their learning.
Many of these students, not only in my personal tutor group, but across the faculty
have very poor speaking, listening and communication skills and many struggle to
understand the boundaries of communication in an educational/work-based setting
as a whole.
It is in order to support these students and help them to improve their communication
skills in class/college on an initial basis and take responsibility for managing their
own behaviour that I carried out this research.
It is current practice in my faculty for tutors to manage challenging behaviour within
their classrooms to avoid exclusion of students. This management comes in a
variety of guises; e.g. additional classroom support, one-to-one support in the
classroom and externally for students with specific learning or behavioural needs,
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time-out, reduced timetables, Orb recordings and very occasionally the use of
learning contracts.
There are times when some or all of the classroom management strategies are
effective with some of the students; however, this is not always the case.
There is a need to explore new behaviour management strategies and strategies
that encourage students to manage and take responsibility for their own behaviour
should be considered.
If I introduce a short (four week) programme of Creative Thinking Skills into my
classroom for the students in my personal tutor group, will this support the
improvement of their speaking, listening and communication skills and will we be
able to see a measurable improvement when revisited after eight weeks?
The project
I introduced the group to some of Edward De Bono’s Creative Thinking Skills over a
period of four separate two-hour slots on Friday mornings. The sessions were as
follows:




PMI (plus, minus and interesting)
CAF (consider all the factors)
RULES
AGO (aims, goals and objectives)
The students were encouraged to use the above creative thinking skills to solve
problems they might encounter academically or personally during their time in
college.
The sessions were held at the same time each Friday and part of each session was
filmed.
Eight weeks later, I carried out the same Friday morning sessions using four different
creative thinking skills to see if there was any improvement in their speaking,
listening and communication skills – these sessions were also filmed.
These sessions included:
C & S (consequences and sequel)
DECISIONS
FIP (first important priorities)
PLANNING
Findings
On observing the students during the first set of four sessions and looking at the
recording of the sessions and again, observing the students after eight weeks and
during the final four sessions and reviewing the recording, it was evident that there
was very little measurable improvement in their speaking, listening and
communication skills. The listening skills of the students had not improved at all, in
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fact in a couple of cases they had deteriorated. The oral communication skills of the
group had stayed the same after eight weeks, as they were at the beginning of the
project and showed no improvement with all the students talking over the top of each
other, thinking what they personally had to say was more important than anything
else. Not the results I had hoped for.
Conclusion
In trying to promote better speaking, listening and communication skills within the
classroom environment in the hope of encouraging students to take responsibility
and manage their own behaviour, I was hoping that this would see a measurable
improvement in the general behaviour of students in class. If this outcome had been
favourable, I feel that more learning would take place in class, as tutors would have
to spend less time managing challenging behaviour and more time teaching the
vocational skills.
Reference
Edward de Bono (2014). ‘CoRT Thinking Skills Curriculum’, edwdebono.com
[Online]. Available at: www.edwdebono.com/cort/index.html [Accessed 30th May,
2014].
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Flipped Learning
321
Matthew Crick
Research question: does giving students the opportunity to explore a new body of
knowledge by themselves, before teaching, help their understanding?
Keywords: IT, Web design, graphic design; Questioning; Self-confidence;
Independent learning; Self-study; BTEC Level 2; and BTEC Level 3.
Context
My predominant teaching takes place with Level 2 and 3 BTEC IT students, doing
web development and graphical design. My experience of teaching is one that is
forever evolving and being sculpted by forces such as the college, my own personal
growth, failures and success. A common failure I have noticed is the students’ ability
to pick up new paradigms and terminology that are needed when working within
website and graphical design. IT as a whole draws information from a lot of different
places. HTML, the common language used to output and deliver all web pages, lies
at the heart of internet communications and can appear rather scary when you first
approach it. This is a prime example where the inability to grasp the basics can
have detrimental effects on later study and assignment writing.
Highlands College is the islands only HE college on the island and caters to a large
number of students who study a plethora of subjects, from beauty, hair and makeup,
welding, tourism, art and of course, IT. My focus for this research would be my Level
2 and 3 groups doing web and graphic design. I thought this would be useful to
allow me to see if there would be different results between the levels of learners.
Issue addressed
I started off my research by reading Effective Learning and Teaching in Computing
(Effective Learning and Teaching in Higher Education) by Sylvia Alexander and
Alastair Irons. This book was written to meet the needs of teachers, lecturers and
tutors and provides a comprehensive guide to understanding the key issues, best
practices and new developments in learning and teaching in information and
computer sciences in higher education. This was an interesting read as not only did
it cover a number of current issues with this subject but it also detailed things that
could be done to support learning and suggested exercises to facilitate this. From
the offset the authors demonstrated that we shared some key thoughts, such as:
“The breadth of the subject area in computing draws from and encapsulates
principles from mathematics, engineering, business studies, project
management, design, psychology, sociology, ethics and many other
disciplines.” (Alexander, 2004:1)
I went on to read a book entitled Perfect ICT Every Lesson which identifies that
technology is at the heart of learning for all of us and every teacher needs to be
using social media, mobile technologies and transformational digital learning
opportunities as an integral part of their range of strategies for helping students
make the maximum progress. This was useful as not only did it cover tools that I
have to teach to students but also illustrated how to use them in other contexts to
promote learning.
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Lastly I read Teaching ICT (Developing as a Reflective Secondary Teacher) which
offered me some additional insights into reflective practice that I could use in order to
better diagnose things that went well, not so well and why these things happened.
“Reflection is an important skill for teachers to progress. It enables you to
identify issues and formulate solutions, and it means that you should become
more adept at noticing small details in your classroom which can have a big
impact on your lesson.” (Simmons & Hawkins, 2009:18)
Does giving students the opportunity to explore a new body of knowledge by
themselves, before teaching, help their understanding?
The project
I chose to focus my project on my Level 2 and 3 classes whilst teaching website
design. This is an area where there is a lot of technical knowledge needed in order
to understand and excel in the subject and one where I often find that because
students have not grasped the basics that they experience difficulty in later work. As
I teach two Level 2 classes and one Level 3 class I thought this would give me
enough of a chance to determine if this period of self-study would help concrete
understanding when it came to teaching the subject.
With my Level 3 class I have to teach HTML, the language that creates the
webpages we see in our web browsers. Normally I would start with a presentation
on what HTML is as well as some examples, as HTML is a computer language this
can often be overwhelming when first looking at it. This time round I decided to point
students towards the W3 Schools site which contains a number of small HTML
lessons that include a page where they can see the code and its results in the same
place. After showing them how this worked I gave them two lessons in which to
freely explore these tutorials as well as any direction they wished to go in this time.
With my Level 2 classes I started by giving them a list of hardware and software that
enable internet functionality as well as a request for a new internet technology that
they found interesting. I also allowed them two lessons in which to do this self-study,
come up with understanding of the listed hardware and software and find a new
interesting technology.
After the classes had been allowed their time for selfresearch I went on to teach the relevant course material towards the first assignment
for both the Level 2 and 3 groups. After the classes had finished their first
assignment on the new material I gave out a questionnaire to gain some feedback
from the students on their experience.
Findings
Whilst my experiment did not help all students it was identified that the majority of
students, 85%, found that the practice was helpful, with a further 64% saying they
preferred this style of learning than other current methods they had encountered
across their lessons. When teaching the Level 3 class the basics of HTML it was
noticeably easier given the fact they had already been exposed to the format of the
language and could already identify certain elements of it. Even though most
students, 64%, felt that their understanding of HTML was still weak from their own
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exploration, a motivational 78% of students felt that their understanding was good
once I had taught HTML after their self-study time. This was a most definite
improvement compared to my identification of students’ knowledge after previous
teaching of the same subject with different groups. Out of the group of 14 students
10 passed their first assignment on the first attempt. Previous years saw less than
half of the group achieve criteria at this stage.
With my Level 2 classes 78% of the students said that they found the self-study time
helped improve their understanding of the technological aspects of internet
functionality with 64% again saying that out of other methods this was their preferred
method of introduction to new material. When teaching about the necessary
hardware and software for internet functionality there was no need for me to give a
single answer! The students themselves, as a group, managed to cover all aspects
and technology involved. What really surprised me was the discussions that came
about due to asking them to find one new internet technology that they found
interesting. Covering subjects such as privacy, Google Glass, DDOS attacks,
Anonymous, Apple, Drones and cyber security, I suddenly found myself teaching
these students about something they were really engaged with. Over the two groups
66.6% of students (scary?) passed the assignment on their first submission, a
fantastic result with Level 2 groups at this stage. A total of 82% achieved at least
one criterion from the assignment.
Lessons learned
Overall it is clear that this approach contributed to an increased sense of confidence
in the students, identified by both their first assignment hand-ins as well as their
answers to the questionnaire and energy in the classroom. It is now clear to me that
two major barriers to learning are self-confidence and fear at the volume of technical
knowledge one needs in IT related areas.
Personal reflections
While I feel my research was a success it has definitely highlighted necessary
improvements to the method which is something I will be evolving as time goes on.
Firstly as a number of students did not find the exercise helpful for their preferred
learning styles, it is important to cater for these students and develop a way in which
they too can experience positive results from self-study. I feel this could be achieved
through some well-planned diversification to allow some students a broader space in
which to self-study while narrowing down the breadth for students who need more
direction in this area. This greater scaffolding would be good for equality, as while all
students would be spending time researching on their own, it would give the
opportunity to those less skilled in this area to have directed self-study, enabling
them to find answers to finite questions that would help pinpoint the path to
understanding. It was suggested from an observation that giving students the
assignment brief before the self-study period would help. While I believe this could
help in some way for some students I also try to steer away from the trap of only
teaching towards criteria, as subjects often encompass a lot more than that which is
assessed. I think it would be a better approach to create some guided learning
questions for less able learners that direct them towards answers that will be useable
in the upcoming assignment but allow the stronger students free reign on their own
research. This would then not limit the learning but cater for those who did not find
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this a useful experience. I am looking forward to implementing this and evolving the
method as a whole as I progress in my teaching.
References
Anderson, M., and Beere, J. (2013). Perfect ICT Every Lesson. Wales: Independent
Thinking Press.
Alexander, S. and Irons, A. (2004). Effective Learning and Teaching in Computing
(Effective Learning and Teaching in Higher Education). London: RoutledgeFalmer.
Simmons, C. and Hawkins, C. (2009). Teaching ICT. London: SAGE Publications
Ltd.
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Andy Dewhurst
Research question: If I use a pre learning task do students gain enough prior
knowledge in a practical sports massage session to improve their skill set?
Keywords: Sports; Metacognitive learning; Pre-learning; Flipped learning; Practical
learning; and Level 3.
Context
I am a member of the Sports Department and lecture on a number of different areas
of the sports curriculum. I will be focusing this research on a Level 3 class. They
are in their second year of study. They are all high ability learners. There are 14
students in total in the class with four female students and ten male students. Not
one of them has any previous history with massage.
For this particular research it is an ideal class to focus on. I base my belief that this
particular group are an ideal cohort to focus on because in mainstream school they
have not been exposed to any form of massage. As a result they have no preknowledge. The knowledge they will gain will be as a result of what I provide them
with. As a rule during a practical session I will provide a detailed explanation and
demonstration of the skills we are focusing on. I will also provide a detailed written
list of the different techniques used in each specific massage.
Issue addressed
I choose this particular research as in previous years the quality of the skills acquired
and used by the students could be to a better standard. It is a difficult unit for the
students to grasp. The initial sessions are used to introduce the different techniques
and behaviours that are expected in massage. The first few sessions are similar to
that of a child in reception who is learning to write for the first time. All of the actions
and skills are learnt for the first time. As a result trying to find a way to increase their
skill levels quickly is quite a challenge. I decided that using a YouTube clip would be
a good way of imparting prior knowledge to the students before they get to the
sessions. I will be able to measure the success of the research by looking at their
final grades based on their practical ability.
There is limited research that gives clear evidence that pre-learning tasks help all
students. Pre-learning can be termed as metacognitive learning. Many schools
throughout the world have introduced this practice into their curriculum.
Metacognitive learning seeks to prepare a student with the skills they will be required
to have before a lesson starts.
“Pre-lesson preparation requires students to read through new materials and
learn by themselves before the lesson. Having a brief understanding before
class enables students to acquire new knowledge better and faster.” (Delia
Memorial School)
Delia Memorial School in Hong Kong suggest that metacognitive learning is essential
to a student’s education as:
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“Some students do not have a habit of pre-lesson preparation and they do not
know what to expect in class. They just listen to teachers blindly and do
whatever they are asked to do. Learning like that lacks motivation and students’
participation.” (Delia Memorial School)
The action research title I will be focusing on is ‘If I use a pre-learning task do
students gain enough prior knowledge in a practical sports massage session to
improve their skill set?’
“It is essential that an effective manager be a person who has learned to learn.”
(Mumford, 1986)
The concept of metacognitive learning is nothing new. As a student I was at school
in the 80s and 90s. We called it homework. Homework is a dreaded task feared by
every child. Breaking the stigma that any work done outside of the classroom is
considered to be ‘homework’ can be tricky. It is essential that when the students are
asked to do a pre-learning task it is fun and the benefits are seen by the students.
There are many advantages to pre-lesson learning. Through pre-lesson learning
students can identify their areas of weakness in their knowledge before the lesson so
they can overcome the problems before the lesson. With the problems removed,
they can then acquire new knowledge effectively. With the help of pre-lesson
learning students can identify the objectives and difficult parts before the lesson and
attend it with questions in mind. They become active learners who look for answers
in class. They will then be more motivated and their learning effectiveness will
increase. Students can follow teachers’ train of thought in class more easily. They
understand what they need to focus on and take relevant notes on main points.
They can then comprehend and digest the teaching materials better. The quality of
note-taking will improve as students have a picture of the lesson and related
teaching materials after pre-lesson preparation. They can then makes notes only on
what is not in the textbooks, what they do not understand and the key points
stressed by the teacher. More time will be spent on thinking and comprehension.
“Teaching children to become effective thinkers is increasingly recognised as
an immediate goal in education.” (Robinson, 1987, cited in Cotton, 1991:1)
In addition to its obvious cognitive components, metacognition often has important
affective or personality components.
For example, an important part of a
comprehension task is approaching reading with the attitude that the topic is
important and worth comprehending. Being aware of the importance of a positive
attitude and deliberately fostering such an attitude is an example of a metacognitive
skill.
The project
My research will involve teaching the same group in two different ways. For the first
two to three weeks I will teach the group as normal. They will not know what skills
and knowledge they require before they enter the classroom. After those weeks I
will ask the class to complete a questionnaire about their feelings towards the
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structure of the lessons. In the questionnaire I will introduce them to the possibility of
a pre-learning task and see what their reaction is.
After the initial three weeks I will introduce a pre learning task. This will be a tenminute YouTube clip that I will post on Moodle. The students can access this from
home. It is hoped they will watch this clip and see the skills they will be expected to
undertake in the coming session. As they have no prior knowledge before entering a
session, it is important to give the students as much knowledge as possible in a
short space of time. With a pre-learning task the students will hopefully understand
where they need to stand and what technique is required to massage the different
areas of the body.
My research will hopefully discover that by giving the ideal pre-learning task they will
perform to a higher standard than if they had no pre learning task. I can think of one
thing that will affect my research validity. If students do not have access to the
internet then they will not be able to complete the pre-learning task. This needs to
be taken into account when we look at the results.
“Metacognition enables us to be successful learners, and has been associated
with intelligence.” (e.g., Borkowski, Carr, and Pressley, 1987; Sternberg, 1984,
1986a, 1986b)
Findings
Have You Had Experience with Sports
Massage Before?
Yes
No
As you can see from these results the amount of students in the group with prior
knowledge of sports massage is limited. Only one student knew anything about
sports massage.
His experience of massage is receiving one from his
physiotherapist. This is an ideal demographic for me to conduct my research. In
essence the only information that this class will receive about sports massage will be
328
determined by me. I will look to conduct a number of sessions without giving them a
pre-learning task and then a couple of sessions with a pre-learning task.
Although the class I am focusing on are studious and the top set in their year group,
my research indicates they are not keen on homework. I am very surprised to hear
this. I will have to be careful not to make the pre-learning tasks too taxing or
arduous to prevent them from not doing the tasks.
As we can see from the data collected, not one of the students understood or had
even heard of the notion of metacognitive learning. On the same note as soon as
they are introduced to the ‘homework’ word they are put off. We can see from the
questionnaires that each student with the exception of one is not keen on the idea.
As I have said we need to be careful how the students perceive the tasks they are
asked to do outside the classroom.
Why I don't like doing work at home
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Boring
Distracted/Hard to It takes time out of my
I like to ask the
concentrate
social life
lecturer questions
One of the questions that the class were asked was if they were to be given a
homework task where they had to watch a ten-minute YouTube clip did they think
they could do this regularly? One hundred percent of the class said they would be
able to do this. Nearly all of the class suggested that they would be able to watch a
YouTube clip as it would be ‘easier’ than doing a written piece of work. A common
theme that came out of the research was that the students thought that using
YouTube for homework is more ‘interactive and fun’. This is a positive result for a
number of reasons. It shows that all students have access to the internet. They are
also open to the possibility of learning before they enter the classroom.
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If you could be taught all of the
information for the lesson before you
enter the classroom do you think this
could help your learning?
Yes
No
The feedback given in the questionnaires for the students that would not like to prelearn was interesting. All the feedback involved interaction with the teacher. The
three students felt they needed more contact with the teacher in order for them to
ask questions when they needed help. Two of the students felt that they would not
learn without a teacher with them.
The 11 students that thought being taught the information before the lesson started
was a good idea because they felt it would be ‘faster’ and they could ‘get more done’
in the session. A good point was made by one of the students when they said ‘it
depends on how they are given the information’. This is an interesting point. We
assume that young people all like interactive learning and watching YouTube in
particular. This may not be the case with everyone. Other forms of pre learning
need to be explored. A number of students felt that if they had learned the key
information about the session before they got to the lesson that they then would
have more chance to ask key questions or seek help on assignments.
All students except one watched the short YouTube clip before they came to the
lesson. They all suggested that the clip helped them with their massage techniques
and freed up more time for questions and in-depth knowledge of the different
techniques. This is a positive reaction to pre-learning. It shows that by using the
right medium, the students are willing to embrace the idea of pre-learning. The one
student who did not watch the clip did not give any details as to why he could not
manage the task. I believe from these results that an interactive task such as
watching a clip from the internet is the best way to engage a student outside of the
class room. I will continue to use this format.
One of the students highlighted that they thought a pre-learning task is a good idea
as it will reduce teaching time. This is a relevant point as in a practical sports
session it is important that the lesson is not entirely teacher led. The students need
to be able to explore and find the best way for them to be successful but within a
safe environment. One student suggested that they like the idea of a pre-learning
330
task before a session but not for every session. They stated that ‘sometimes it’s
nicer to see everything in person and ask about things whilst they’re happening’.
This is an important view going forward. At no point should a pre-learning task take
the place of actual teaching. A pre-learning task should be added to the learning
experience. All but one student found that using a pre-learning experience helped
them with their skills and knowledge.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a pre-learning task is a great tool for increasing the skills and
understanding of students taking part in a sports massage session. All students
have had experience of doing their school work at home. The work that is provided
for them has to be interesting and not become a ‘chore’. The more interactive the
pre-learning task is the more the student will learn.
References
Cotton, K. (1991). Teaching thinking skills.
Laboratory, School Improvement Program.
Northwest Regional Educational
Delia Memorial School, Hong Kong (n.d). ‘Metacognitive learning: pre-lesson
preparation’ [Online]. Available at: http://www.deliamr.edu.hk/web/metacognitivelearning-pre-lesson-preparation.html [Accessed 29th May, 2014].
Mumford, A. (1986) cited in:
http://education.purduecal.edu/Vockell/EdPsyBook/Edpsy7/edpsy7_meta.htm
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Andrew McGinnigle
Research question: If I implement a flipped learning model will students actually
engage and do the work required in their own time?
Keywords: Sport; Cognitive development; Evaluation and analysis skills; Flipped
learning; Online video resources; BTEC Level 3; and FdA .
Context
I work in Sport where I teach both BTEC Level 3 Sport and FdA Sport and
Management students. I am focusing on two groups, one BTEC and one degree,
and how they respond to the flipped learning model. The BTEC group contains 12
students (five female, seven male) and are all aged between 17 and 18 years. The
second group contains eight students (two female, six male) and range from 18 to 26
years.
Issue addressed and review of literature
The problem I have addressed is how to ensure students engage with flipped out-ofclass learning tasks as traditionally some students have not engaged due to various
reasons. By engaging in out-of-class learning tasks it means more time can be
spent on tasks that utilise the higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy.
If students can do this then their learning will be focused around higher cognitive
skills and will make them more well-rounded learners capable of creativity,
evaluation and analysis, tools that are invaluable in future careers.
Flipped Learning Network (2013)10 found a 67% increase in standardised test scores
and 80% in student attitudes through teachers using the flipped model. This generic
research suggests that summative learning increases as a result of the flipped
learning model and students enjoy the experience more. This is dependent on class
time being made to be effective and engaging.
What are the barriers to students engaging in watching flipped videos? Is it the
length? Is it the content? Perhaps who is even doing the video? Or is it simply
down to the lack of drive of the average student to do work outside of class.
Bergmann (Personal communication, 2014) stated ‘don’t save students’ if they
choose not to watch the videos, have consequences in place and follow through
every time. Using this, students should not always be allowed to watch the video in
class and those that continue to choose not to, should be given consequences such
as not allowed to be in the lesson.
Ash (2012) looks at the counter arguments to this model stating that it could be
viewed as just a time-shift in the traditional lecturing model, i.e. lectures are now just
online and not everyone learns best in this way. With regards to my research
10
http://flippedlearning.org/site/default.aspx?PageID=1
332
problem, learners may not take anything on board when watching online videos due
to their preferred learning style.
However, students who are stuck on this recall and understanding level can have
engaging tasks in class that will reinforce the online lecture, e.g. a kinesthetic lowability student will watch the lecture but also have tasks that promote recall and
understanding such as card-sorts and role plays tailored to their level.
If I implement a flipped learning model, will students actually engage and do the work
required in their own time?
I observed in my target group that students struggled with basic recall and this then
restricted their ability to evaluate and create, as they were unable to build on their
existing knowledge.
Bergmann (2012) states that the flipped learning method is a method of increasing
higher-cognitive functioning time within lessons by putting the delivery of basic
content out of the classroom.
Bergmann and Sams (2012) implemented this model to encourage learners that had
a history of absence to still be able to learn. However this developed into the
concept of teachers having more free time in the classroom in which to do more
practical hands on tasks, in this case it was experiments within a science class.
The project
What I did differently
I produced flipped videos for a variety of
units for two different groups of students,
one BTEC group and one Foundation
Degree group. I then reminded the
students to watch the video through a
range of methods: reminding in lesson,
texting, Twitter, Moodle messaging.
I collected data through an end of
intervention survey using SurveyMonkey
and field notes based on my experience
of the following lesson.
Findings
To begin with, both groups watched the videos in their own time. However as time
went on, the BTEC group’s engagement decreased citing reasons such as they
cannot access the video at college or could not find it, despite being inducted into
various ways of finding the video.
Throughout the process there were grumbles about the length of the video so
through reducing the size of the videos could increase engagement.
333
It seems that the videos only ‘somewhat’ improved the majority of my students’
learning experience and none experienced a big effect. Could this be down to the
students genuinely not being overawed about the result or whether they are blind to
the improved classroom environment? I personally felt a huge difference, especially
with my degree group after watching a video; they came ready to debate and apply
the information with formed opinions and insights.
It seems that the biggest barrier to
students watching videos was that
students tried to access the video in
college before the lesson however they
are unable to due to internet
restrictions.
The next thing is the
length and if they see that the video is
long, i.e. 7 minutes or more, then they
will not watch it. Of course, the third
biggest factor seems to be laziness
with students claiming they do not have
the time however the majority of the
students only have 12 hours of lessons
a week.
Lessons learned
The biggest barrier seems to relate to the infrastructure of college due to YouTube
restrictions.
By turning on
YouTube for Schools/YouTube
EDU, students could access video
that is deemed acceptable by the
college. The concern seems to be
bandwidth issues however after an
initial surge, surely students would
not watch educational videos for
entertainment purposes. Perhaps
have headphones available in the
LRC that students can hire out.
Other points would be to ensure
videos are short and have a
mixed media presentation, i.e.
not just using the same format of talking over PowerPoint.
Another point would be to include sanctions for those that don’t watch the videos, as
choosing not to engage in course-related tasks is an example of poor behaviour and
should not be tolerated. A recommendation would be to include lack of
engagement in the behaviour policy.
I personally found it challenging to ensure all students watched the videos I
produced and that the threat of sanctions gave the biggest results in terms of
students engaging. This was apparent from the responses to what the biggest
334
barrier to watching the videos was, that they did not like watching videos in their own
time, therefore the above point is essential, as refusing to do work cannot be
tolerated.
Texting is the most important tool for reminding students to watch videos. This is
because they have their phones on their person 24/7 and are their most important
possession.
To conclude, the flipped model is a useful tool that works especially well with higher
education students due to a vested interest in the material or perhaps due to a more
mature approach to education so therefore they do not require as much cajoling as
BTEC students.
References
Ash, K. (2012). ‘Educators view 'Flipped' model with a more critical eye’. Education
Week 32(2): S6-S7.
Bergmann, J. and Sams, A. (2012). Flip your classroom: reach every student in
every class every day. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in
Education.
335
Glenda Rivoallan
Research question: If students participate in pre-lesson material will engagement
within the lesson improve?
Keywords: Sport management; Independent learning; Resourcefulness; Graduate
skills; Flipped learning; and Level 4 Undergraduate.
Context
Until recently the only degrees which were taught on island were those delivered
through the Highlands College University Centre, with the Open University providing
access to distance learning modes of study. Higher Education courses are now
offered by Jersey International Business School (JIBS), Jersey Institute of Law, with
discussions ongoing around a University of the Channel Islands and a University of
Jersey. JIBS are in direct competition with the University Centre by offering a
University of Buckingham two-year B.Sc. in International Financial Services.
The University Centre was established in 2008 and provides a range of degree
programmes as part of the Academic Partnership with Plymouth University as well
as delivering London South Bank University Degrees in Construction. Within the
college structure the University Centre comes under the Faculty of Community
Studies. Each programme is managed by a programme manager and taught by a
team of lecturers comprising full-time staff and part-time staff known as visiting
lecturers (VLs). Visiting lecturers tend to be well-qualified industry professionals, all
of whom have a basic teaching qualification. I am programme manager for the Sport
and Management Degree which is in its first year of delivery. There are eight
students on the programme: six males and two females, with the average age being
19 years old, six students coming from BTEC National Diploma and two coming from
A-Levels in a local private school. In recent HE meetings it was minuted that some
degree students found the style of teaching rather traditional and that there were
some students who struggled to engage. It has also been voiced that many HE
students lack the necessary study skills for success in their degree education
especially students who progress from BTEC-style vocational qualifications.
Issue addressed
With the concern that 75% of the HE students on my programme have come from
BTEC, I wanted to embark on a piece of action research which aimed to increase
student readiness to study, especially their independence skills. The theory is that if
I increase pre-lesson material using a flipped learning approach students will
become more engaged and develop graduate-ness skills that can be transferred to
the workplace.
It is felt that the contribution to knowledge will be to get a better understanding of
how flipped learning impacts on student engagement in older learners. It is felt that
the research adds to our understanding of expansive education in that there is
currently a lack of research on flipped learning in the HE context. This is particularly
interesting as it is somewhat not traditionally part of HE pedagogy.
336
To counter some of the misconception about flipped learning, the governing board
and key leaders of the Flipped Learning Network (FLN) have composed a formal
definition of flipped learning. It has been explicitly defined as:
“a pedagogical approach in which direct instruction moves from the group
learning space to the individual learning space (see Figure 1), and the
resulting group space is transformed into a dynamic, interactive learning
environment where the educator guides students as they apply concepts and
engage creatively in the subject matter.” (FLN, 2014)
Many factors influenced the creation and adoption of the flipped classroom model.
In its infancy in 2007, teachers Jonathan Bergman and Aaron Sams at Woodland
Park High School in Woodland Park, CO, discovered software to record PowerPoint
presentations. They recorded and posted their live lectures online for students who
missed class (Strayer, 2011).
It seems that educational paradigms are beginning to shift. The traditional ‘one size
fits all’ model of education often results in limited concept engagement and severe
consequences including poor learning outcomes (Strayer, 2011). The digital age
has meant the way in which we access information has changed immeasurably. The
answer to pretty much any question is now at our fingertips or at the end of a mouse
or the tap of a tablet screen. This seemingly limitless access of information has
irrevocably changed the way in which students approach their learning and will
continue to so in the future – we teachers must simply endeavour to keep up!
Figure 1 – The ‘Traditional’ model versus the ‘Flipped’ classroom model
(Steed, 2012)
337
With this in mind perhaps it is time for us to re-evaluate the role of the classroom in
the learning dynamic? Schools continue to employ an instruction based model of
education which involves the teacher delivering information to their students.
Teachers will endeavour to support students in their learning and, for the most part,
do a pretty fine job working within the limitations of time and students numbers. It
seems unlikely that class numbers or the amount of time we get with our students
will change in the near future so the question is … Is there a better way? Flipped
learning is one method which attempts to do this by way of educational technology
and active learning. In flip teaching, the students first study the topic by themselves,
typically using video lessons prepared by the teacher (Ronchetti, 2010). This really
interests me as the development of independence and research skills is crucial to
HE learning. In class students apply the knowledge by solving problems and doing
practical work (Mehta, 2011; Pink, 2010). This should appeal to my Sports Degree
students as they are practical by nature and respond well to kinesthetic teaching
approaches. The teacher tutors the students when they become stuck, rather than
imparting the initial lesson in person.
Complimentary techniques include
differentiated instruction and project-based learning (Tucker, 2012). By applying this
method in my action research I feel that my HE students will benefit in that:
 It frees up class time for hands on work
 Change of allocation of teacher time allows for more targeted supports
 Differentiation of students will improve.
In a case study of flipped learning in 2011 at Michigan’s Clintondale High School
(Rosenberg, 2013) the above benefits were evident as well as measurable results
which included:
 Drop-out rates down from 30 -10%
 Graduation rates soared to above 90%
 College attendance increased from 63-80%.
It has been stated that to fully engage in flipped learning, teachers must incorporate
the following four pillars into their practice. I have assessed where I am currently
with implementation of the method in line with the four pillars.
FOUR PILLARS OF FLIP
Flexible environment
Learning culture
STRATEGIES
I establish spaces and time frames
that permit students to interact and
reflect on their learning as needed.
I continually observe and monitor
students to make adjustments as
appropriate.
I provide students with different ways
to learn content and demonstrate
mastery.
I give students opportunities to
engage in meaningfulness activities
without the teacher being central.
338
IN PLACE
Timeframes 



I scaffold these activities and make Sometimes
them accessible to all students
through differentiation and feedback.
Intentional Content
Professional Educator
I prioritise concepts used in direct Most of the
instruction for learners to access on time
their own.
I create and/or curate relevant Sometimes
content (videos) for my students.
I differentiate to make content Most
accessible and relevant to all time
students.
I make myself available to all students
for individual, small group, and class 
feedback in real time as needed.
of
the
I
conduct
ongoing
formative
assessments during class time 
through observation and by recording
data to inform future instruction.
I collaborate and reflect with other Sometimes
educators and take responsibility for
transforming my practice.
I am interested to explore what would happen if I flipped the class in an HE context.
My final action research question was:
If students participate in pre-lesson material will engagement within the lesson
improve?
I was interested to study this as the research on flipped learning (Bergmann and
Sams, 2012; Berrett, 2012; Hake, 1998; Zappe et al., 2009) suggested that:




Students learn more deeply
Students are more active participants in their learning
Interaction increases and students learn from one another
Instructors and students get more feedback.
These are all skills which are important in the HE context therefore worthy of further
study.
The project
The project involved setting pre-lesson material in advance of every HE lesson of
which the students had to engage with. This did however not take the standard
method of flipped, i.e. video. Although video was used there were some sessions
where the video was replaced with other pre-lesson material, e.g. journal
339
article/PowerPoint presentation/case study. This reinterpretation of the notion of
flipped may be important in how the students then perceived the essence of flipped
learning.
In collecting the evaluation data there were two main methods used. The students
completed a SurveyMonkey questionnaire and also a focus group.
Findings
From the survey results (see Appendix 1), all students in the group (100%) perceived
that they understood what was meant by the term flipped learning. Definitions were
in line with traditional views of what constitutes learning:
 videotaped lesson content
 out of lesson learning.
It was extremely positive that 40% of students engaged with the flipped learning
concept “all of the time” and 60% “most of the time”. This was really important to the
success or otherwise of the project as it was crucial that the students had engaged
to fully assess the impact they felt it had on their learning.
All students (100%) felt that they had engaged more with the lesson having done the
pre-lesson material. Although the main negative of flipped learning cited was “time
management” the positives of being “better prepared for what the lesson was about”
and “more knowledgeable on the topic” was cited as outweighing the negatives.
This was evidenced in that all students (100%) said that they preferred HE lesson
with flipped learning associated to the teaching as opposed to lessons which hadn’t
used the flipped learning concept.
The main benefits of flipped learning in order of frequency were:





Greater synthesis of lesson content
Independence
Lesson engagement
Knowledge and understanding
Research skills.
The focus group results correlated with the results of the Survey in that all students:
 embraced the flipped learning approach
 felt it enhanced their learning
 had a strong impact on the synthesis and retention of lesson material.
The evidence from both the questionnaire and the focus group suggests that flipped
learning is a purposeful activity to engage with. There appear to be more positives
for the learner than barriers or negatives.
Lessons learned
I am very interested to study flipped learning in the context of HE in more depth as
the results have implications for HE teaching. The students in this survey have cited
the following study skills improvement which is crucial to success at HE.
340
 Synthesis of lesson content
 Independence
 Research skills.
Developing a greater synthesis of lesson content will enhance the learner’s ability to
develop higher order thinking skills on Bloom’s taxonomy. Independence skills are
necessary to develop “graduateness” and be successful in employment. Research
skills are often cited as lacking with our students on HE courses – it is imperative
that we utilise methods to develop this; flipped learning may indeed be the vehicle to
do this. It must be noted that the flipped learning method used in this project was
more than just videos and it would be necessary to further investigate the impact of
traditional flipped learning, i.e. “video learning” compared to the use of more varied
methods used in this project. The findings of this project do suggest that there are
merits in using flipped learning in HE and that it has a positive impact on lesson
engagement.
References
Bergmann, J. and Sams, A. (2012). Flip your classroom: Reach every student in
every class every day. Washington, DC: International Society for Technology in
Education.
Berrett, D. (19 February 2012). ‘How flipping the classroom can improve the
traditional lecture’. The Chronicle of Higher Education [Online]. Available at:
http://chronicle.com/article/How-Flipping-the-Classroom/130857/
Flipped Learning Network (2014). ‘The four pillars of F-L-I-P’. Available at:
http://fln.schoolwires.net/cms/lib07/VA01923112/Centricity/Domain/46/FLIP_handout
_FNL_Web.pdf [Accessed 14th May, 2014].
Hake, R.R. (1998). ‘Interactive engagement vs. traditional methods: A six- thousand
student survey of mechanics test data for introductory physics courses’. American
Journal of Physics, 66(1): 64-74.
Mehta, D. (2011). ‘Video in the class keeps savvy students engaged’ [Online], 8th
September,
2011.
Available
at:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/digital-culture/socialnetworking/video-in-the-class-keeps-savvy-students-engaged-/article2157948
Pink, D. (2010) The Daily Telegraph [online] ‘Flip-thinking- the new buzz word
sweeping the US’ [Online], 12th September, 2010. Available at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/7996379/Daniel-Pinks-Think-Tank-Flip-thinkingthe-new-buzz-word-sweeping-the-US.html
Ronchetti, M. 2010. ‘Using video lectures to make teaching more interactive’.
International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 5 (2), 45-48.
341
Rosenberg, T. (2013). ‘Turning Education Upside Down’ [Online]. New York Times.
Available at: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/turning-educationupside-down [Accessed 14th May, 2014].
Steed, A. (2012). ‘How to ‘Flip’ your classroom’ [Online], 24th May 2012. Available
at: http://steedie.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/how-to-flip-your-classroom/
Strayer, J. F. (2011). Flipped Class Conference. USA: Ohio State University.
Tucker, B. (2012). ‘The flipped classroom’. Education Next, 12 (1). Available at:
http://educationnext.org/the-flipped-classroom/ [Accessed 14th May, 2014].
Zappe, S et al. (2009). ‘Flipping the classroom to explore active learning in a large
undergraduate course’. In proceedings, American Society for Engineering Education
Annual Conference and Exhibition.
342
Appendix 1 - Questionnaire results
343
344
345
346
347
Flipping maths
Adele Dark
Research question If I encourage e-learning using ‘Showme’ video clips prior to
the lesson, will students’ engage more in their learning of Maths?
Keywords: Mathematics; Student engagement; Flipped learning; Online video
resources; Level 1; and Level 2.
Trouble with Maths? Historically a large proportion of the population find maths
‘tricky’. A recent newspaper article beginning with the headline ‘For Britain’s pupils
Maths is even more pointless than Latin’ states that:
“Almost half of British adults have the maths skills of an 11-year-old or worse,
figures show, leaving them struggling to manage family finances, calculate
change and use transport timetables.” (Jenkins, 2014)
After a number of years struggling at primary and secondary school the students
arrive at Highlands College at the age of 16, having failed or achieved low grades in
their exams. They are demotivated with little incentive to learn maths. I wanted to
find a more appropriate way to connect with our ‘digital natives’ to inspire them to
‘come to terms with maths and hopefully find out that they can, after all, succeed in
this subject. Therefore, in this research I decided to explore ‘flipped learning’ as a
method for achieving greater engagement of students in learning maths.
Review of current practice and literature: What is Flipped Learning?
In ‘Three Reasons to Flip Your Classroom’ Marshall (2014) notes:
“A promising instructional approach that has generated a great deal of interest
in recent years is flipped learning. In this approach, students access course
content on their own outside of class and then interact in class with their
instructor and peers as they engage in activities directly related to what they
have viewed. There are many ways to implement flipped learning, but all
include this basic principle: Direct instruction takes place out of class while
practice and application take place in class.” (Bergmann and Sams, 2012)
Tom Driscoll at Putnam High School also notes that:
“Now, I have more opportunities to listen to what the students want and need,
and I can provide it for them.”
In his report Tom Driscoll (Driscoll, 2014) identifies ‘democratic elements’ of flipped
learning as being:


Personalisation through differentiation, asynchronous pacing, and student
choice
Social interaction and student expression
Active and experiential learning experiences
348



Equitable access to instruction
Promotion of student initiative and ownership of learning
Development of critical thinking and collaborative problem solving.
If I encourage e-learning, using ‘Showme’ video clips prior to the lesson, will
students’ engage more in their learning of maths?
The project
Prior to the flipped learning intervention the main part of my lessons would typically
be a topic based PowerPoint presentation followed by questions and differentiated
tasks in that topic area, ending with a plenary.
For four weeks I measured the student response to this type of teaching using a
questionnaire (Appendix 1). In order to measure their learning using this traditional
teaching method the students completed mini BKSB Skills Checks in each area.
The PowerPoint questionnaire student feedback results are shown in the Graph
below (Figure 1). In Figure 1 we can see that with the PowerPoint teaching the
student feedback on question two, ‘Did it help you to understand ‘Formulae’ better?’,
the average response over the four week period was over 60%. In contrast when
asked the same question the students who viewed the Showme clips, e.g.
http://www.showme.com/sh/?h=2nZlgLg prior to the lesson was 100%. The question
about using the information for revision also shows a marked contrast, with the
PowerPoint student response being between 50 and 70% in contrast to the Showme
clips show student response being 100%. (Q3 on the Showme questionnaire asks
‘Would you like to see more images used in the CLIP?’). The students’ response
was a positive ‘no’ and therefore 0%, I had used enough images to explain the topic.
The other feedback which was less than 100% was where I had not turned up the
volume to full when recording the Showme clip and therefore the students could
hardly hear me.
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PowerPoint teaching - student feedback
100
90
80
70
Week
%
60
1
50
2
40
3
30
4
20
10
0
Q1
Q2
Q3
Questions
Q4
Q5
Figure 1 - Feedback on PowerPoint teaching
Flipped Showme clips - student feedback
120
100
80
%
Week
1
60
2
3
40
4
20
0
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Questions
Figure 2 - Feedback on Showme clips
350
Q5
Q6
Findings
Intervention 1 - Professional Studies L2 students
The Professional Studies group were learning via the traditional teaching methods.
However, spot checks showed that their level of engagement in the lesson was more
passive than active. Sadly, only one student in this group viewed the Showme clips.
Others said they had forgotten or had not received the reminder text.
Intervention 2 – Culinary Arts L1 & L2 students
Initially, the student response was again disappointing; over the first three weeks
none of the students viewed the flipped Showme clips on Moodle. However, when I
offered prizes, in the form of chocolate, as an incentive some of the students
including the Level 1 Maths Culinary students responded more positively to the
Showme Clips and were keen to view the ‘next instalment’. Once a few students
had viewed the clips, this started the ball rolling and then a few more wanted to view
them each week which was great. The students looked forward to viewing the
Showme clips and discussed them with enthusiasm in class. More importantly the
feedback showed that they wanted to make their own Showme maths clips, which
was very exciting.
One student asked me, whilst another student was creating his own Showme clip
about the median, “Can you not get some more tablets? It would make learning
Maths more fun”. The student who made the Showme clip about the median can
now not only recall but also explain to others how to work this out.
This is the way forward, since ‘we learn by doing’. When measuring engagement
using spot checks I could see that the Level 1 students who viewed the clips
regularly progressed more in their confidence and learning than the Level 2 students.
They would often refer to the clips when completing past paper questions for
revision. I measured the response to the Showme Clips through a questionnaire
(Appendix 2). Results can be viewed on the graph (Figure 2).
In Tom Driscoll’s blog – ‘Empowering students through flipped learning’ he also
found that:
“Despite my good intentions, the traditional flipped-learning approach that
focused on assigning teacher-created videos for homework fell short of my
expectations. It was not always effective for students who did not have the
required technology at home or those who simply chose not to watch the
lessons. Because of this, many students continued to fall behind, with others
still learning the material on a superficial level.” (Driscoll, 2014)
At the end of the research I wanted to find out specifically why some students had
accessed the flipped learning materials and others had not.
I devised a
questionnaire (Appendix 3).
Four (30%) out of the group of 13 Culinary students had accessed the flipped
learning
maths
resources
on
Moodle,
e.g.
http://www.showme.com/sh/?h=N2qOYEK. Those that had found time to access the
learning rated the idea of prior maths learning clips as ‘four’, the highest rating. They
also felt that their learning had improved as a consequence of viewing the Maths
clips and rated this at a ‘four’ also. Two of these students have now successfully
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passed their functional skills maths exam, one failed by three marks and one has yet
to sit the exam. One student was very interested in making ‘Showme’ maths clips in
class. Given the opportunity he did and other students gathered around to see what
he was doing and were very interested. I was delighted because they were having
fun and learning some maths at the same time!
Other students, who had not viewed the maths Showme clips gave a number of
reasons:“Just forgot to be honest. I see now it would have helped me a lot.”
“Because I have been having loads of work to do for my course.”
‘Busy with coursework’.
“I have been busy with assignments and I have a job.”
Conclusion and lessons learned
My findings concur with Tom Driscoll’s:
“In short, it was not a one-size-fits-all solution and inspired me to search for a
more effective approach”. (Driscoll, 2013)
Tom Driscoll was inspired to search for a more effective approach, which was to
implement the flipped-mastery model. As a hybrid that fuses the flipped-learning
process with mastery learning, this approach enables students to move through the
curriculum at their own pace.
He states:
“To enhance collaboration and communication with my students, I turned to an
online learning platform called EDUonGo to help customise my lessons and
incorporate videos from my Flipped History Videos YouTube Channel, apps
and embedded Google docs to amplify classroom activities. This platform
created a whole new dynamic in how students comprehend concepts and
subject matter, and improved my ability to better facilitate lessons and
communicate with them.” (Driscoll, 2013)
In the Summer Term, 2014, I intend to trial EdUonGo platform with both groups and
encourage students to contribute content.
Through actively creating maths
resources I would hope to see a more engaged group of students who are in control
of their learning and empowered to find solutions to making maths learning more
appropriate for the ‘digital natives’ we teach today. Shift Happens’ 11 is a
collaborative presentation about the exponential speed of knowledge acquisition
because of the development of the World Wide Web. Our ‘digital native’ students
are part of the next generation which will assimilate and develop ideas using this
knowledge.
11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdTOFkhaplo
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Education has changed year after year, decade after decade to catch up with the
cultural development of mankind. We are on the brink of an educational revolution
where twenty-first century technology must be embraced so that our students have
the right ‘currency’ to learn with. Rightly, or wrongly, they have grown up on
computers and interactive game consoles with exposure to highly animated films and
graphic advertising. Mobile phones are their method of communication. Chiswick
School12 has recently developed new interactive resources using Adobe Presenter
collaboratively using the teachers and students to create interactive shared learning
resources not only for the students but for the parents also. The students have
become anime and they and their voices are used in the resources. They are
essentially and integrally involved. Learning is collaborative between the teacher
and the student, the student and his/her peers, the student and the programme, the
student and the parents, the parents and the teacher.
Imagine a learning environment designed by the students. Whiteboards for table
tops where they can draw and explain their thinking. White walls for them to show
each other their work or findings via an Apple TV. A set of iPads loaded with the
best educational apps, from which they can vote instantly or assess each other’s
work or design Showme Maths clips. Small group work stations with comfy chairs
and wireless access to the ‘Granny cloud’, a local community volunteer to support
and encourage their team working skills. Imagine, lecturers, flipping and hacking
their classrooms, loving their teaching, learning and sharing with colleagues.
“The flipped model, along with a supportive school environment that values
21st century skills, student inquiry, and effective leveraging of new
technologies, has considerable potential and promise of improving and
democratizing education in a profound way.” (Driscoll, 2013).
Technology has always fired change and change goes hand in hand with education.
I am passionate about twenty-first century learning and want be part of driving this
exciting change.
Learn More
To learn more about the flipped classroom and how to implement it in your program,
the following links may be useful:
Videos: Katie Gimbar’s YouTube videos. Available at:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB632EC24182B4D40 [Accessed 6th May,
2014].
Discussion Groups and Events: Flipped Learning Network Ning. Available at:
http://flippedclassroom.org/ [Accessed 6th May, 2014].
Webpage Resource List: Dan Spencer’s Google Doc. Available at:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IOI5-tXZvOEVCFhoN5hlsccnRa8_77nx3GDdB6C-tE/edit?pli=1 [Accessed 6th May, 2014].
12
www.chiswickschool.org
353
References
Bergmann, J. Sams, A. (2012). Flip your classroom: Reach every student in every
class every day. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Driscoll, Tom (2013). ‘Not Just Flipped - Flipped learning and another element
empowers students at Putnam High School.’ Available at:
http://edtechdigest.wordpress.com/2013/12/20/not-just-flipped/ [Accessed 6th May,
2014].
Driscoll, Tom (2014). ‘Empowering students through flipped learning’ [Online], 20th
January, 2014. SmartBlog on Education. Available at:
https://smartblogs.com/education/2014/01/20/empowering-students-through-flippedlearning/ [Accessed 6th May, 2014].
Jenkins, S. (2014) ‘For Britain's pupils, maths is even more pointless than Latin’, The
Guardian [online], 18th February, 2014. Available at:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/18/maths-more-pointless-thanlatin-british-pupils-china [Accessed 6th May, 2014].
Marshall, H. W. (2014). ‘Three Reasons to Flip Your Classroom.’ TESOL
Connections, February [Online]. Available at:
http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/tesolc/textonly/2014-02-01/2.html [Accessed
6th May, 2014].
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Appendix 1
PowerPoint Lesson – Area and Perimeter
22 Oct 2013
Name:
(0 Not at all, to 5
Kindly answer the following questions, giving a 0 to 5 totally)
answer.
012345
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Was the information given on PowerPoint easy to
understand?
Did it help you to understand the concept of ‘Area and
Perimeter’ better?
Would you like to see more PowerPoint presentations
in lessons?
Will you view the PowerPoint on Moodle, in the future,
for revision?
If asked, would you make a short video clip on your
phone to share with the rest of the class?
Appendix 2
Show Me CLIP –14-2-14
Name:
Kindly answer the following questions, giving a 0 to 5
answer.
(0 Not at all, to 5
totally)
012345
1.
2.
4.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Which clip did you view and was the CLIP easy to
understand?
Did it help you to understand the maths concept
better?
Would you like to see more images used in the CLIP?
Were you able to view it prior to your lesson?
Did you receive an SMS text to remind you to view the
CLIP.
Would you use the ShowMe Clips for revision prior to
the exam?
If asked, would you make a Show Me Clip to share
with the rest of the class?
355
Appendix 3
ACTION RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Did you view the maths ‘Showme’ clips prior to lessons?
Yes/No (if yes move to question 4)
2. Could you find the Showme clips on Moodle/Maths/Adele?
Yes/No
3. If you didn’t look for the clips prior to your maths lesson please give reasons
why.
4. Please rate the idea of maths learning clips prior to the maths lesson.
(low)
1
2
3
4
(high)
5. Do you think your understanding of maths has improved, as a consequence
of viewing the maths Showme clips?
(low)
1
2
3
4
(high)
6. Would you like to make a Showme maths clip?
Yes/No
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Stephen McGinness
Research question: If I introduce the ‘flipped learning’ method to my class, will the
students become more engaged?
Keywords: Vocational studies, Functional maths; Resilience; Perseverance; Flipped
learning; other topics; Entry 3, Level 1, Level 2.
Context
My role in the college is primarily as a tutor on the Diploma in Vocational Studies
programme. On this course, I teach different subjects including Sport, ‘Core Skills’
and Maths. As well as this, I teach Sport on the Entry and Life Programme.
The class that I decided to pilot this research on was with students on the Vocational
Studies Programme, with my Functional skills Maths class. At present there are 11
students (eight male and three female) on the register aged between sixteen and
seventeen. These eleven students have a range of learning difficulties.
Within this cohort, there is a mixture of academic ability with some students working
at Entry 3, most at Level 1 and some towards the Level 2 award.
Issue addressed
My research tried to find out about whether students would become more engaged if
the classroom was flipped. I was interested to see if students watched videos or
completed work before the lesson, would it then enable students to delve straight
into a higher level of work and focus more specifically on the areas they needed to
practice most.
The reasoning for this was because quite often I would spend time demonstrating at
the start of the lesson to students how to complete certain sums, before they
practised their own examples. With a mixed ability group, often my example was
pitched at the ‘middle’ group and thus some were inevitability disengaged with
watching an example too hard or too easy for them.
This is why, by asking them to watch videos or investigate a topic prior to coming
into the lesson, they could be able to work at their own pace so that they felt
comfortable with the topic at the start of the lesson.
From an article in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education (December
2012), students’ performance on the final examination significantly improved
compared to performance of students the previous year who completed the same
module in a traditional classroom setting.
The following research was carried out by Jacob Lowell Bishop and Dr. Matthew A
Verleger in a paper named ‘The Flipped Classroom: A Survey of the Research’. It
stated the following:
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“A search of the literature through June 2012 revealed 24 studies related to the
flipped classroom … . Despite differences among studies, general reports of
student perceptions were relatively consistent.” (Bishop and Verleger, 2013).
Opinions tended to be positive, but there were invariably a few students who strongly
disliked the change. Students did tend to watch the videos when assigned, and
even when they were not. DeGrazia et al. (2012) notes that students supplied with
optional video lectures came to class much better prepared than when they had
been given textbook readings.
If I introduce the ‘flipped learning’ method to my class, will the students become
more engaged?
I observed that the students can often be disengaged in lessons when I have to
show them examples on the whiteboard. There can often be behavioural issues
when students have to sit and listen for any length of time. It also uses up time that
could be more valuably used delving deeper and being more specific with students.
The project
The project was centred on asking students to complete minimal tasks prior to
coming to the lesson, so that we could move more quickly towards applying the
knowledge. I asked the students of my maths class three times to watch a video on
the topic before they came to the lesson.
I also ‘flipped’ a session with my tutor group. This was a different topic, where they
had to watch videos of three holiday destinations so they could share ideas with the
peers in the class.
The methods I used to collect data were an attitude survey, a diary and video
evidence. The mixture of methods was to hopefully generate both qualitative and
quantitative data to then analyse.
The attitude survey was issued once at the start of the project and once at the end.
It had nine criteria and the aim was to gage whether the students enjoyed the lesson
and learnt more before flipped learning or after it was introduced.
The diary was kept by me after each lesson to pick up on how the lesson went.
Notes were made on how successful it was in terms of students’ behaviour, attitude
and focus.
The video was used to film and analyse to observe the attitude, behaviour,
questioning and focus of the learners. Basically, it was hoped that the video second
time around would show the learners not messing around as much but instead being
more fixed on the work.
Findings
I asked the maths class I teach on three occasions to watch a video in their own time
before coming to the lesson. Out of a total of 33 students, only one student watched
a video. That meant the lessons I had planned had to be altered with providing the
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first part of the lesson with input by standing at the front of the class to explain
certain skills.
The fact that only 3% students watched the possible videos (1 student watched 1
video) meant that the data collected did not show any shift in attitude or behaviour
towards the lesson. This was because they had not experienced a proper ‘flipped
session’ and did not then gain the experience of being able to start learning from an
advanced level at the place they were ready to learn from.
From the attitude surveys, the following results were recorded:
I really want to learn
Pre-action research
100% strongly agreed
Post-action research
57%
strongly
agreed,
whereas 29% somewhat
disagreed.
71% somewhat agreed
I participate regularly in 50% somewhat agreed
class.
I disrupt others learning in 50% strongly disagreed, 43% strongly disagreed
the class.
but
38%
somewhat but the same amount
agreed.
somewhat or
strongly
agreed.
Others in the class disrupt 50% somewhat or strongly 63% somewhat or strongly
my learning.
agreed
agreed
I performed well in class.
75% somewhat agreed
71% somewhat or strongly
agreed
I
found
the
class
challenging of my personal
ability.
I received one-on-one
attention from the teacher
or teaching assistant.
I enjoyed the lesson.
50-50 split with agreeing 57% somewhat agreed
and disagreeing
63% strongly or somewhat 71% somewhat or strongly
agreed
agreed
50-50 split with agreeing
and disagreeing
I feel able to complete 75% somewhat or strongly
tasks more independently. agreed
57% strongly or somewhat
disagreed with this.
57% somewhat or strongly
agreed
Looking at the statistics, it shows the students do not feel they have progressed in
terms of being able to complete work independently free from disruption. However,
there were only eight students in attendance for the first set of data collection and
only seven for the second.
The data may lose some reliability due to the fact that they were in a hurry to
complete the surveys and rushed through them in order to leave the lesson.
Focusing back on the project, the data also loses its impact as the ‘flipped learning’
didn’t occur, due to the fact only one out of a possible 30 students watched the
videos.
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The reflection of the video analysis produced the following results.
Students
ask
a
question about the
work
Talking to others (nonwork related)
Swearing
Phones
I have to ask or
gesture for them to do
work
Messing around
14th October
(6 students
present)
3
26th November
(7 present)
6
7
2
6
3
3
4
3
6
5
4
Interpreting the data shows no real significant changes. One positive point was a
reduction in the amount of times students were on their phones. However, this may
have been to clearer guidelines and rules on phones in class.
The diary that was kept provided some reflection of the behaviours and a general
feel of who had progressed and provided some insight at where to pitch the class the
next time. However, as has been mentioned, the fact that no flipped learning
occurred, it has no real impact on providing an evidence whether flipped learning can
be successful.
So, to summarise my findings in answer to the question, I would have to say no.
Students did not become more engaged because they did not watch the video
because they are not used to completing work outside of their lesson time.
However, it also showed the reluctance of them to do try and work more
independently and highlighted a lack of responsibility to be in control of the own
learning.
Lessons learned
I have learnt the following lessons.



Flipped learning is not necessarily suited to all levels of learning. At Entry
Level and Level 1, students appeared reluctant to do any sort of work in their
‘own time’.
Certain subjects may be more suited to this method than others. For
instance, I flipped a session with another group who were researching tourist
destinations. I asked them to watch three videos on Jersey, New York and
Las Vegas. Twenty-three percent of them watched the videos and completed
the task before coming to the lesson, which is far higher than the 3% for the
maths class.
Try to ensure there is some way you know they have completed the task, i.e.
watched the video. For instance, with the group watching the tourist
destinations, I asked them to name three things at certain times of the videos
so I knew they had watched them.
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

It may be more suited to post resources on Facebook or Twitter, where pupils
are more likely to access the materials. However, there needs to be some
sort of flexibility with the college IT policies in order for a Facebook account to
be utilised.
Provide incentives or rewards for the videos. Even though I did this for the
maths class, which was unsuccessful, I still feel this is required. A reward,
such as a positive ORB, maybe provides that little extra motivation required in
order for the student to complete the task in their own time.
To conclude, I would say that flipped learning is not a successful method when
working with certain students at Entry Level and Level 1. The lack of motivation
means that they do not access these resources, as they wish to have the ‘easier
option’, as they perceive, to be told it in class.
References
Bishop, J. L. and Verleger, M. A. (2013). ‘The flipped classroom: A survey of the
research’. In ASEE National Conference Proceedings, Atlanta, GA.
DeGrazia, J. L., Falconer, J. L. Nicodemus, G. and Medlin, W. (2012). ‘Incorporating
screencasts into chemical engineering courses.’ In Proceedings of the ASEE Annual
Conference & Exposition.
Pierce, R. and Fox, J. (2012). ‘Vodcasts and Active-Learning Exercises in a “Flipped
Classroom” Model of a Renal Pharmacotherapy Module.’ American Journal of
Pharmaceutical Education, 76 (10), 196. Available at:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3530058/#!po=4.54545
361
Jason Grainger
Research question: By using ‘consumer’ targeted information management
software as opposed to ‘education’ targeted information management software, will
students:
 Be more likely to utilise and engage with the software?
 Be more likely to retain and organise important information?
 Access learning resources posted to the system more independently?
 Utilise the tools for purposes not originally ‘intended’ therefore embedding
their use as part of their learning experience?
Keywords: Media education; Independent learning; Resourcefulness; Online
learning; Information management; BTEC Level 2; and BTEC Level 3.
Context
 The Media Production Team at Highlands College consists of approximately
60 full-time students’ ages 16+. Have all 60 students had access to the new
tools?
 The curriculum consists of Level 2 and 3 BTEC vocational courses.
 Students are mixed gender with generally low Level 3 profiles.
 Approximately 50% are engaged in re-taking maths and/or English at Level 2.
 Technology forms a large part of the curriculum both in terms of the formal
requirements of the qualification and in the systems used to manage learning.
 The college’s ‘formal’ VLE has always been considered cumbersome and
unduly restrictive to be embedded effectively in the Media Production
curriculum.
Issue addressed
The more academic components of the course, including critical theory and
research, involve the management of large quantities of information both in the
production of evidence and as a revision tool.
Furthermore, the capture and management of this information is increasingly
important for assessment and verification purposes.
Students are clearly uncomfortable or unused to managing this type of information in
paper format as evidenced by them often losing handouts, failing to accurately
record research sources, etc.
Whilst these problems are of the type supposedly addressed by VLEs, my
experience is that because current VLE technology is significantly less responsive
and user friendly than the type of commercial products that students are used to
using, their uptake has been limited with media students.
Much has been written about VLEs, flipped learning and applications of technology
in education. To my mind however there is one over-riding issue with established
362
VLEs, in that they attempt to cater for every possible educational scenario and are
therefore unnecessarily cumbersome and confusing.
It seems logical that rather than attempting to find a one size fits all solution, a
custom approach using easily available consumer, and most importantly consumer
friendly, technologies that work well together in order to develop a ‘bespoke’ solution,
is worth investigating.
Research question
By using ‘consumer’ targeted information management software as opposed to
‘education’ targeted information management software, will students:




Be more likely to utilise and engage with the software?
Be more likely to retain and organise important information?
Access learning resources posted to the system more independently?
Utilise the tools for purposes not originally ‘intended’ therefore embedding
their use as part of their learning experience?
The project
I introduced three ‘consumer’ technologies into the learning environment, with the
intention of identifying which (if any) improve student performance in the four areas
listed above, summarised as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Use of online learning resources
Information management
Independent learning
Resourcefulness.
Apple Wiki (for accessing information)
Apple Wiki is a straightforward ‘wysiwyg’ web-based information depository, which
allows for a ‘flat’ hierarchy of information that is most easily accessed using a
versatile search function.
Its potential benefit is in principles of website design that state that user satisfaction
is directly influenced by the ease with which they can access information.
Information can be uploaded and downloaded in a very few clicks which makes it
attractive for both staff and students.
Within two clicks students have access to all of the resources for that unit for viewing
or download.
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Documents can also be instantly previewed, removing the need to download
altogether.
The Wiki has a powerful search, which allows students (and staff) to instantly identify
documents without needing to ‘drill’ down by clicking on links.
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Apple Wiki, like Moodle (the college’s main VLE) can easily be accessed from
outside the college.
The main function of Apple Wiki is to provide students with easy access to all of the
learning resources that they might need for a given unit, regardless of their location.
Additionally information is organised in a way that is easy to understand and
navigate and well as being less convoluted and requiring fewer clicks (a major
consideration in the design of an effective user interface) than alternatives.
Evernote (for managing information and feedback)
Evernote is a popular consumer note taking application that allows information to be
organised and shared using cloud technology.
Again, it has a straightforward flat hierarchy/search-based structure which allows for
easy access and searching of information.
It is designed to serve two functions in the classroom:
1. To allow students to easily add information (including multimedia information
such as audio and video) and organise it from wherever they happen to be
and on any device. This is useful for projects of all types.
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2. For staff to record ad hoc feedback in a way which is securely stored,
organised and always accessible to the student regardless of location.
Function 1 allows students creating their own ‘Notebooks’ based on the needs of the
project and populating them with information.
Information is time stamped and can take the form of anything from a manual text
note through a website to a video/audio link to a piece of video or audio captured
directly onto the device.
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Function 2 allows staff to type feedback from their own device (laptop, iPad, etc.) into
a special shared notebook that can be accessed and viewed (but not edited or
removed) by the student. The notebook has a separate section for each unit/project
and a ‘paper trail’ of feedback and actions/targets is produced that the student can
access at all times from any location on any device.
Students are also able to export from Evernote to PDF format so that information
gathered and stored can be submitted as assessment evidence for units that require
the storage and management of information.
Apple photo booth (for flipped learning)
Photobooth is Apple’s native video capture software which allows one-click capture
of compressed video (with audio) taken from the in-built webcam.
This represents a very straightforward way of recording information/lectures/how-tos,
etc. for easy upload to the Apple Wiki.
I have used this tool specifically to reduce my (and the students’) reliance on
handouts and to hopefully aid retention of theoretical topics for learners who are
more audio/visual.
The main advantage of this software is that it captures, compresses and saves in an
appropriate format for upload all in one-go and therefore does not require any
additional input from the lecturer beyond talking to the camera.
Short refreshers/lectures are then uploaded to the Apple Wiki for students to access
as needed. These videos do not require download and can be streamed with a
single click, regardless of location or device.
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Findings
Due to the timescale of this project it has not been possible to measure the
effectiveness of these tools in terms of student achievement; however I would
contend that this is not the best way of measuring their success anyway.
Instead I have decided to look at ‘take up’ and usage on the basis that the best
measure of effectiveness is whether students are using these resources as one of a
range of learning tools available to them. Presenting students with a variety of
mechanisms for accessing learning resources to suit not only their formal ‘learning’
style but also their mood, location and available time seems like a beneficial strategy
under any circumstances. In order to assess the effectiveness of these tools I asked
students a number of questions about their use of the tools (see Appendix 1).
Responses are summarised below. Original data was split into year groups,
however for reasons of brevity it is aggregated here in order to enable broad
conclusions to be drawn. Do you know the total number of responses received and
the total number of students using the tools, i.e. your target population? If this
information was provided the reader would have some idea about what your
percentages mean in the charts below.
368
How many times per day do you
access the Wiki?
0
1-5
6-10
10+
6%3%
91%
Do you access the Wiki from
outside College?
Yes
No
31%
69%
Do you find Evernote is a useful
way of receiving feedback?
Yes
No
20%
80%
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Do you use Evernote to help
manage your research projects?
Yes
No
46%
54%
Do you use Evernote for
anything other than research &
feedback?
Yes
No
34%
66%
Have you looked at Jason's
video notes?
Yes
No
21%
79%
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Did you find them a useful tool
for recapping?
Yes
No
Lessons learned
Has the use of consumer products made students more likely to utilise and engage
with the software?
The evidence suggests that all students are utilising at least one of the systems, the
vast majority are utilising two and some are utilising all three.
Users report positive experiences regardless of usage.
More than a third are utilising Evernote for non-academic purposes, suggesting
engagement beyond the necessity of the curriculum.
Are students more likely to retain and organize important information?
More than half use Evernote to help manage their research and 100% use the Wiki
on a regular basis. One hundred percent of those that have accessed the video
notes report benefitting.
Do students access learning resources posted to the system more independently?
Some do: 31% access the Wiki from outside college and 34% use Evernote for their
own projects.
Do students utilise the tools for purposes not originally ‘intended’ therefore
embedding their use as part of their learning experience?
Yes. See above.
Conclusions
Whilst adoption and responses vary, largely depending on group and the amount of
time spent becoming familiar with the systems, the point of the exercise is not to
provide a definitive mechanism. Rather it is to provide an alternative mechanism,
371
working alongside existing systems, that provides alternative learning tools for
leaners with different learning styles and abilities.
In the case of the video notes, these were only used on a sub-section of the sample,
however the success amongst those who accessed them suggests that a wider
rollout is appropriate.
In most respects I think that the project has been a success in that not only do
students have access to a useful set of resources that promote independent
learning, but the systems are sufficiently user-friendly that there is an incidental
benefit in that updating and maintaining them is manageable from a staff point of
view.
Finally, a quote from a student that I think highlight the extent to which these
systems are useful for those who choose to adopt them:
“I think Evernote is a fantastic way to keep track of research and evidence for
assignments and feedback. I think all students should use it.”
372
Appendix 1 Student questionnaire
Web technologies in Media
Approximately how many times a day do you access resources from
Mohawk?
0
1–5
6-10
10+
Do you access Mohawk from outside of College?
Yes
No
Do you find Evernote is a useful way of receiving feedback?
Yes
No
Do you use Evernote to help manage the research for your projects?
Yes
No
Do you use Evernote for anything else other than feedback and research
(e.g. personal projects, other units etc.)?
Yes
No
Have you looked at Jason’s video notes for Critical Approaches (first year
only)?
Yes
No
Did you find them a useful tool for recapping on the topics?
Yes
No
Do you have any other comments about Mohawk, Evernote or Video Notes?
373

how to teach vocational education

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