Just a quick strategy you might wish to try that incorporates a number of pedagogical practices as well as ticking the independent learning box.
Simply…Past, Present and Future Learning. So, each independent learning task/HW focuses upon something completed in the past, something currently working on in the present and something that will come up in the future. This structured approach not only fosters a deeper understanding of the material but also encourages students to draw connections between their previous knowledge and current studies, reinforcing their learning. I know this is pretty obvious and you are more than likely already doing this, but have you made a conscious effort to emphasize this with your students? By clearly articulating the purpose behind each task, you can enhance their engagement and motivation, allowing them to see the bigger picture of their educational journey. Quite often we make these decisions as teachers and expect our students to just recognize (or trust) the reasoning behind it; however, I am a big believer in spelling things out. In this way, students understand the conscious decisions that impact their learning and realize that education is a continuous progression rather than a series of isolated tasks. Hence, while the name is new, the practice is not; it’s a timeless strategy that can be adapted and refined to meet the evolving needs of our students.
Past Learning:
What I mean by ‘past learning’ is not based on the usual Constructivist Learning Theory (new knowledge is built on the foundation of prior knowledge) or Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) supported by Schemas (too much new information can overload a student so new information is understood by relating it to existing schemas). Instead, I’m focusing on the current ‘buzz word’…well I’m not sure how ‘current’ it is any more as the research has been around for 10-15 years, of retrieval practice. This powerful learning strategy involves actively recalling information from memory, rather than simply re-reading or reviewing the information passively. For years students have re-written their notes into beautiful revision posters (I think I even did a blog on this years ago) or highlight the key features in their notes but unfortunately this is passive and rarely helps the information embedded itself into memory. Instead, the focus should be on retrieval strategies such as quizzing, blank sheet summaries or exam practice.
Why does retrieval practice work? It works based on a three-tier learning skills set, firstly active recall where students pull information out of their memory (and thus identifying gaps if this is not possible), which involves effort strengthening the memory and finally feedback identifying correct answers or errors. All of this reinforces learning. This cycle is then repeated for optimum results.
One example would be selecting a previously learnt topic that students must go over for HW, then simply doing a consolidation lesson and key knowledge test to check learning. Now I’ve been doing this for years but just never focused on calling it Past, Present, Future Learning (and we all like to add a name to the teaching strategy).
Present Learning:
Present work is often the independent study/HW we set the most…finish off these notes, read that section, research this part. So, the ‘present’ part is no different from your usual assessment plan.
Future Learning:
The ‘future’ learning is not as common in the pedagogical fields and most often centers around flipped learning. Flipped learning is similar but whilst flipped learning focuses on students often teaching themselves the information which is then expanded/ assessed in lessons, with this strategy students familiarize themselves with future learning, encouraging them to grapple with challenges now, so that they benefit more deeply from future instruction (also known as Preparation for Future Learning – PFL). This way the students build readiness and resilience, that even if they don’t understand the concept now (Productive Failure – Manu Kapur 2008), the strategy essentially primes the brain for better learning when structured teaching follows. If this interest you, check out the research performed by Schwartz & Bransford (1998) who found that students who engaged in problem-solving before instruction were better able to transfer knowledge in future tasks.
Some of my recommendations for future learning include:
As students (and teachers) recover from the aftermath of this year’s exam questions, I have taken some time to reflect. I have to admit I was irritated with the philosophy paper due to the tricky wording, repeating Religious Experience AGAIN and selecting topics that are generally known to be either quite hard or unpopular with students. It just felt a bit mean. Then came ethics. I think nothing other than surprise can describe my reaction. I began to question OCR – are they just playing ‘pin the tail on the spec’ randomly picking areas of the specification and seemingly forgetting about certain topics/ areas that have NEVER appeared on the exam. At this point I was also questioning OCR’s motives. Religious Studies is by design one of (in my humble opinion) the trickiest A levels because not only do you have a huge amount of content but the students also have to develop high level evaluation skills alongside being able to write full essays like a degree level student. Then throw in the mix surprising and somewhat tricky Q/topics and you just wonder, why are OCR making it so hard?!?
Now I know (as I always reiterate) OCR can do anything they want! They can pick any topics, any wording and specific small areas, as long as it is present on the spec. And yes, they are doing this. But this year broke the mould in many different ways. Over the years I have studied the patterns, taken the courses, marked exam papers, been a close advocate of OCR for many years (well my whole 18-year career), so maybe I just got complacent. Or maybe OCR need to be more mindful of the capabilities of A level students (which I already reflected upon last year in Do the exam markers for DCT need a reality check?). OCR also need to ensure they remain competitive not only with other exam boards offering the same qualification but also other A level subjects.
So here are my top takeaways from the exams this year:
The examiners might NOT ask an application question. They might ask an ‘ethical topic’ but this does not mean you have to apply it to a normative theory. So this year they did ask euthanasia but did not invite any application to a normative theory within the question (you could have applied if you wanted to, the question just didn’t specify it). Note that when it says ‘making moral decisions’ for example this is inviting you to discuss the normative theory with a ‘moral decision’ thus the relevant application topic.
Ethics application questions over the years
2018: x2
Assess the view that natural law is of no help with regard to the issue of euthanasia.
‘Kantian ethics provides the best approach to Business Ethics.’ Discuss
2019: x2
Asses the view that utilitarianism does not help with business ethics.
‘Natural law provides the best approach to sexual ethics.’ Discuss
2020: x2
Assess the view that Kantian ethics does not help with practical moral decision making.
‘Situation ethics provides the best approach to sexual ethics.’ Discuss
2021: x3
‘Issues raised by euthanasia are best addressed by situation ethics.’ Discuss
Critically assess the view that natural law is of no help in making moral decisions.
Evaluate the view that Kantian ethics provides a more useful approach to whistle blowing than utilitarianism.
2022: x1
‘Choices about sexual behaviour should only follow the approach of utilitarian ethics.’ Discuss
2023: x3
“In situation ethics, moral decision making is entirely individualistic and subjective.” Discuss
“Kant’s categorical imperative is very helpful in moral decision making.” Discuss
Evaluate the view that utilitarianism provides the best approach to sexual ethics.
2024: x1
“According to utilitarianism, a business should focus on profit making and nothing else.” Discuss
2025: x0
2. The examiners ask similar (sometimes very similar) questions between year groups. So AS questions used in A level exams and vice versa. This means going over past questions and planning answers for these would be very helpful.
3. The examiners might ask very similar questions in the same year between AS and A level papers (as seen this year with body, mind and soul topic). This means keeping an eye on the AS questions, as these may give an insight into possible A level questions.
