Exploring strategies for independent learning

last updated:01 Sep 2007

Tabor Science College in Essex is a semi-rural comprehensive. In trying to promote positive behaviours for learning, design and technology teacher Anna Spruhan decided to explore her students’ expectations about the help they receive. She wanted to use the evidence to develop strategies for more independent learning.

Anna surveyed a group of Year 9 students and asked them to identify the types of help they expected and whether they felt they had received it.

The students reported that on the majority of occasions they received the help they expected, although sometimes they felt that the help they needed wasn’t given or wasn’t clear. Anna found that when she encouraged students to reflect on the help they received, they noticed they got more help than they first realised.

Improving teaching skills
Anna concluded it was important for her students to be aware of the different types of help available within the classroom. She plans to support her students to recognise this, and develop their skills for independent learning, by:

• ensuring they are clear about the lesson objectives
• helping them to understand the types of help they can expect from the teacher
• evaluating each lesson with them
• providing them with their own targets
• encouraging them to ask each other for help
• encouraging them to keep a record of what happened during each lesson.

Anna plans to implement these strategies in her classroom and then survey her students again to find what impact they have had.