Encouraging Independent Learning

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Encouraging Independent Learning
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Issues Pro-activity and support

• I asked KS4 and 6th formers what encouraged them
  to think and study independently
  
• being active was the number one response. They
  continued to say that, even though they knew they
  were expected to be pro-active, they didnt know
  how to be without suitable support.

• SoThere needs to be both the expectation from
  the teacher that they will be pro-active, and
  assistance from the teacher is achieving that
  expectation

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Teacher Modelling

• Teacher models how to do task amount of
  depth/detail etc.
  
• Students attempt task independently with a
  different example.
  
• Or, even better their own independently chosen
  example.

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Example Construction of pop stars images

• Teacher models how to analyse the image of Amy
  Winehouse, and linking it to specific audience
  values.
  
• Then students do the same for a music artist they
  choose.
  
• Supported by word-bank to help them articulate
  ideas.
  

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Example Amy Winehouse

• Textual detail
• Beehive haircut, like 60s soul singer.
• Sailor tattoos makes her seem tough
  (masculine)
  
• Eye make-up emphasises femininity
• Clothes arent skimpy shows her music is more
  important than being sexually attractive
  
• Face/posture meets our eyes, leans forward as if
  to confide in us
  

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Image and values

• Beehive hair reflects her style of music
  (Motown soul). Shows she likes tradition and is
  old skool
  
• Tattoos shows she may sing love songs but she
  is quite tough and hard (supported by reports of
  drugs and booze binges)
  
• Make-up emphasises that she is feminine and
  vulnerable too (supported by breakdowns,
  overdoses etc.)
  
• Posture/face sincere and honest, but not trying
  to seduce us.

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What type of audience would this appeal to?

• Fans of old, 60s/70s soul music who think modern
  RnB is rubbish
  
• People who like non-conformists
• Women who like other women to show their
  strength
  
• Men who are attracted to strong women
• People who have had personal difficulties but
  have overcome them
  

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What image does Marilyn Manson have? How is
created?
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What image does Beyonce have? How is constructed?
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Now try it yourself

• Homework
• Choose a music artist
• Print out colour photo (preferably from a CD
  cover or other promotional text)
  
• What impression do we get of this artist?
• Annotate the costume, hair, props, location,
  colours etc and link to image created.

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BEING ACTIVE - some strategies

• Match theory to example the teacher explains a
  theory and models how to apply this to an
  example
  
• Students then find their own example to explain
  the theory in their own words. The student has
  used their own example, independently applying a
  theory (thus displaying genuine understanding)
  and having a sense of ownership over the example
  they are discussing.

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e.g. I introduce consumerism by using a clip from
Sex and the City, and brainstorming with groups
how material wealth is represented positively.
Students then find choose their own TV show/film
examples to write about for homework
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• Can you think of a theory or idea from your
  subject that could be tested in this way?

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Peer presentations and fact-sheets

• Set topics for individual/small groups and ask
  them to take the next lesson on this topic, or
  produce notes for the other students.
  
• This saves the teacher time, energy (and
  photocopying budget!), and more importantly makes
  students responsible for their own and their
  peers learning.
• A nice basis for a lesson is students take the
  first half, and then the teacher can fill in
  any missed areas, clarify or develop ideas i.e.
  ensure the students have all the relevant
  notes/knowledge needed.

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Video essays

• an alternative to presentations or essays, is to
  ask students to make a short documentary about
  a topic area.
  
• They can show their knowledge through the
  information, but also experiment with more
  creative ways of presenting it. (Plus develops
  ICT skills)
• New OCR AS specification actually requires
  information to be presented electronically

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Choose/write your own question

• Students choose an area/topic/specific question
  to respond to for their cross-year assessment.
  Offer a range of tasks that target different
  skills.
• Again, students feel more personal investment
  because they have the element of choice. Plus,
  they can choose a task that tests a skill they
  know they have.

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Role Play

• Great for any concept relevant to real life
  roles.
  
• e.g. Making links between magazine adverts and
  lifestyle values
  
• Students choose a magazine and try to identify
  values (from list)
  
• Students given a random advert would the
  advertiser put this in the specific magazine?
  Why? Why not? Link to values of readership.

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• Can you think of an area of knowledge from your
  own subject area that could be tested in this
  way?
  

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Short research tasks

• Ensure students have focused questions to guide
  research.
  
• Many students believe research is merely finding
  any random website and printing it out. Or just
  cut and pasting paragraphs.
  
• Some ideas are to have a quiz based on the
  questions or to work in a groups with different
  topics in order to make a posters for display
  around the room.

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Research Projects

• These have the greatest scope for student
  independence, and exploiting students own
  interests (thus providing lots of personal
  investment).
• Firstly, a teacher introduces a range of ideas on
  a topic (e.g. who votes in elections? Why?)
  
• Students then develop a focused hypothesis within
  this topic (e.g. Teenagers are passionate about
  issues but not party politics),
  
• and write a research proposal (as if applying
  for a grant!) in which they outline their
  hypothesis, their methods, what they need to find
  out and where they will find it.

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• The students use research methods discussed in
  class to investigate their hypothesis encourage
  both primary and secondary research.
  
• They then record results on charts/graphs and
  try to form a conclusion.
  
• Each student then presents their findings to the
  rest of the class who can compare results with
  their own project. In small groups, they can try
  to extrapolate from all their projects, to form
  general conclusions on the topic.
• My yr12 and 13 classes have actually formed a
  research community for their projects where
  every students findings assists the rest of the
  class in reaching their extrapolated conclusions.
  These tasks do need a lot of teacher support (see
  next!) but students have said that it really
  helps them to engage with a topic, and makes them
  feel more professional.

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• Can you think of a theory or idea from your
  subject that could be investigated in this way?
  

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Assault the Theorist

• Aim to encourage students to criticise
  theories.
  
• Cardboard cut out of theorist and balls of
  paper.
  
• Student A theorists bodyguard. They must
  summarise the theory and give evidence for why
  this theory is correct
  
• Student B the attacker. To persuade the
  bodyguard to move aside, B must offer two good
  criticisms of the theory.
  
• If A is convinced, they stand to one side, and B
  can throw the ball and knock down the theorist.
  

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SUPPORTING STUDENT INDEPENDENCE
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Resources

• Do the students actually have access to the texts
  and statistics they need?
  
• Before setting the task, it is a good idea to
  check the library or internet to ensure the
  students can do the work you have set!

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On-line resource bank

• Create a folder on your school intranet that your
  students (and staff) can access.
  
• Download relevant articles from the net, or scan
  in chapters from books/magazines. You can also
  store worksheets and handouts here.
  
• Save on photocopying by asking the students to
  print out materials before the lesson (believe it
  or not, they actually READ them if theyve used
  up their printer credit on them!)

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On-Line Film/TV

• To encourage wider reading, we have a number of
  on-line versions of films, TV shows/documentaries,
  news broadcasts etc.
  
• In Film and Media Studies students must watch at
  least one of the films per half term and write a
  short review or answer questions relevant to
  their current unit (e.g. stereotypes of men and
  women in films and TV)

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Research projects Where do I start?

• Students will need at least one lesson discussing
  and isolating relevant research methods. A good
  beginning exercise is to fill in the What do I
  need to find out? table.
• Encourage a Russian Doll approach every
  answer begets three more questions.
  

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Where do I start? pt2

• Once they have a list of what info they need to
  find, students often need a springboard to
  start them off.
  
• This is where your on-line resource bank is
  useful. The more documents that are in your
  folder, the more clues the students will get
  about keywords for search engines,
  main/alternative views on the topic, links to
  other sites, appropriate texts.

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Making a questionnaire

• Ask the students to think about what results they
  expect to get or what their own opinions are.
  
• What other possible results might you get?
• What questions do you need to ask to find out if
  these responses are true or not?

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Example

• Hypothesis Teenagers are passionate about
  politics but not party politics
  
• Possible responses Teens care about Iraq war,
  terrorism, racism, employment and education but
  dont like boring old men and language they cant
  understand
• Alternate responses news is boring, voting age
  reduced to 16, more in about politics in CPSHE,
  school elections with parties.

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Example

• Questions
• How do you feel about the war in Iraq?
• Passionate Dont
  care
  
• 1 ____________________ 5
• Which political leaders do you feel is the most
  trustworthy?
  
• Name two policies/actions that make you trust
  this leader
  
• 1
• 2
• What would make party politics more relevant to
  you?
  
• Younger politicians Politics shows
  on TV aimed at young
  
• Lowering voting age Clearer
  explanation of policies

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Monitoring/structuring research

• A good idea is to give each student a monitoring
  sheet that shows what targets have been achieved
  and teacher-negotiated targets for next week
  
• Try to have at least one meeting per week with
  each student, so that you can set targets, check
  they are being met and give advice about relevant
  books, articles, commentators etc. they should
  investigate.

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Use a progress sheet like this oneWomen are
represented less stereotypically in non-Hollywood
films
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EXTRAPOLATION!

• This is possibly the area that students need the
• most help with
• Model a list of specific results,
• Show how to form a conclusion based on these
  results
  
• Show how macro-comments can be formed from this
  specific micro-conclusion.
  
• Then ask the students do try to do this
  themselves, comparing results with others, and
  trying to form a general conclusion.

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Extrapolation

• Micro-results
• 87 scored 4 or 5 on passionate feelings about
  Iraq War
  
• 74 said they didnt trust any politicians
• Top reasons for trust were making policies
  relevant to younger peoples worries and not
  flip-flopping on policies
  
• TV shows featuring celebrities, aimed at the
  young was top choice for making the young more
  politically aware.
  
• What micro-conclusion can be drawn from these
  results?
  
• What macro-conclusions can be made?

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In groups.

• Discuss the ideas you noted down earlier

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What problems would your department have with
this..?

• Subject skills arent being tested?
• Course doesnt leave enough time for this kind of
  work?
  
• Other problems?