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Are they ‘bovvered’ about their learning experiences? A group of Mixed Ability
Year 7 students’ own perspectives on some of the factors which block/propel
them to learn.
Abstract
This research ‘Are they bovvered?’ is partly inspired by the work of Jean Rudduck et
al (2003) on the importance of pupil voice. In their study, they found that the more
students are involved in their learning, the more they will want to learn and achieve.
Their study dealt with students moving (from passive or oppositional to more active
and collaborative) and found that there was an increase in self esteem and the
improvement of pupil teacher relationship which caused pupils to be committed to
their learning.
My study therefore highlights the need for students to be consulted on all aspects of
their learning which I believe will produce healthy classroom environments where
teachers and students can learn from each other in mutually respectful ways. It also
highlights the fact that, contrary to popular beliefs based on perceived emotions and
attitudes, most students are concerned about their learning and achievement in school.
It is hoped that at the end, teachers will be convinced that they need to deliver student-
centred learning, focusing on the needs of individual students and to integrate AFL
into their teaching and learning. To support the assertions made in this paper, I have
drawn on a wide range of research material, personal observations made within the
classroom setting as well as meaningful dialogue with the students themselves.
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Are they ‘bovvered’ about their learning experiences? A group of Mixed Ability
Year 7 students’ own perspectives on some of the factors which block/propel
them to learn.
Chapter 1
Introduction
Being educated in the Caribbean during my primary and secondary years, I do reflect
on my learning experiences periodically trying to decide in my mind whether or not
they were effective. Doing this course has awakened several questions in my head that
cause me to think about learning in a completely different way. I remember being an
‘averagely smart’ student in school who would be very attentive to what the teacher
had to say. My memories of the classroom were basic: the teacher spoke, we repeated
what we had had been taught then we write what we had learnt in silence. If anyone
spoke to another student (even about the work) then you would be punished; beaten.
This was learning as I knew it. It was rote, repetitive and silent. The teacher who had
the class that was most silent would be known as a good teacher and the student
would be deemed as students who have learnt. During assessment, which was quite
regular, we would do well because we would simply regurgitate what we had repeated
or ‘learnt’ and the process is thought of as an effective one.
Those grades got me through Primary and Secondary school. So, what is the fuss
about effective learning? What is the difference between my era and today? You see, I
have come to the realisation that they are completely different eras with completely
different students and a vastly changed society. For that reason, I believe that with the
current context of recession, the burgeoning pace at which technology is spiralling or
the compelling force of globalisation, there is now a general consensus that a new
paradigm for learning is inevitable. As a student, I had no phone landline or mobile
phone; absolutely no PSP; no clue about Nintendo wii; and certainly, no computer or
internet. As a matter of fact, although colour television was out at the time, my family
could not afford it so whatever I saw on television was black and white and not very
enticing. Therefore, learning at school was easy for me. Looking at and listening to
the teacher talking at the front of the room was entertainment for students as the
teachers we had ranged from downright astute to ridiculously comical. I however have
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Are they ‘bovvered’ about their learning experiences? A group of Mixed Ability
Year 7 students’ own perspectives on some of the factors which block/propel
them to learn.
to place that experience in context as students should not be subjected to that
approach. Perhaps it could be argued that it worked then but time has moved on…
As Coffey et al., 2005 states:
Practice is ripe for modification when teachers begin to understand that nature of
the gap between their own current actions and the picture, they have of themselves
as professionals. In the process of becoming the person or professional they want to
be, contradictions between beliefs and actions may be confronted, new belief
systems may be constructed, existing beliefs deepened, and often times, risks are
taken as new actions and behaviours are tried in the classroom.(ibid:170)
Because now, dawn breaks and I realise that as a teacher, I am privileged to teach in a
new era – a renaissance of learning. This is an era in which teachers (such as me)
cannot continue to fuse with tradition in just being an imparter of knowledge as
knowledge has certainly outgrown us. If we do, we will find ourselves teaching in a
world that no longer exists- my era! Certainly, we have an awesome responsibility
not only to facilitate learning and to help students develop strong bonds and
relationships but also to motivate and inspire pupils in this modern and
technologically advanced world that we live in.
One of the saddest experiences for me as an educator is to see pupils leave primary
school being totally excited about learning only to have that enthusiasm gradually
constrict throughout their secondary years. Covington 1998:5 claims that students
‘enthusiasm, like that of previous generation, will also dwindle and soon evaporate.’
The truth is, I have seen a number of students become paralysed in school because of
horrific teaching and learning experiences that they have encountered in secondary
schools.
Because I have always been intrigued by the learning process and the factors that
impact on the way students learn, I have decided to look at what students think are the
factors that help or harm their learning and I have focused my attention on my present
year 9 group. Another reason why I have decided to focus on this topic is that
recently, I have been humbled by the efficiency of some of my students as they helped
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Are they ‘bovvered’ about their learning experiences? A group of Mixed Ability
Year 7 students’ own perspectives on some of the factors which block/propel
them to learn.
me to create a face book account. I watched them as they worked effortlessly in
organising the information and getting me in touch with so many friends I have been
to school with. As I sat there, I was awed at their expertise and confidence in carrying
out the process. It then occurred to me that these students didn’t have a ‘direct
teacher’ to tell them how to manipulate the site. For some, it seems to happen by
instinct while for others it was a trial-and-error process; in other words, they were
autonomous in negotiating sites like face book. The fact is, they spend many hours on
these sites being ‘their own boss’ and enjoying the chance they have to really explore
and express their feelings.
Then they come to school and are met with a group of teachers from a different era
(perhaps similar to what I described before) whose main instinct is to tell them what
to do and perhaps how to go about doing it and, understandably so, they switch off.
Most teachers however cannot understand it. We believe that we have planned our
lessons and executed them so well that we become confused that our students find it
difficult to engage in the lessons we have spent so much time on. As a result, a tension
is developed in the classroom because we spend hours trying to get students into our
world and in the process have become totally oblivious about how they cope in theirs.
As a matter of fact, we think that students are not really bothered about what we teach
and how we teach, and we expect them to accept our approaches and ‘run with it’.
Dann (2002: 142) ‘… whereas much research and discussion have linked formative
assessment to ways in which teachers have tried to inform their own practice so that
pupils needs are more specifically met, there has been little sustained analysis of the
ways in which pupils participate in this process.’
It is against this background that I have decided to hear from the students themselves
by looking at the factors that students believe may help or hinder their learning. I have
not used levels or grades to ascertain this information, instead, I have allowed students
to reflect on their experiences and the use of assessment for learning strategies in their
learning and discuss with me how they think these have helped or hindered their
learning.
