Please click on each image to enlarge them.
Interview with Students 1, 2 and 3 – 14.06.16
Each drew a picture
that represented what learning looks like in the sixth form at Sidmouth
College.
Interviewer:
Can you tell me about your drawing?
Student 1:
I started like a little flower, all cute and happy, and then suddenly the worms
came and started eating my roots. Then it’s coursework time, I fall behind
deadlines and the rain cloud comes and then the flower dies. I’m no longer a
cute little flower; I’m under stress and I die. I died during the business
coursework. And tech coursework. And media coursework. In fact, all coursework! I think that’s because I
don’t do deadlines. I don’t know why
that is. I could have done a little more work but I feel like I did all right.
The business coursework was particularly bad – it was really hard and there was
a ridiculous amount of it.
The worms represent the coursework starting to come and then
I fall behind and that’s when the thunder clouds strike and kill me off.
Interviewer:
Can you tell me about your drawing?
Student 2: These
are sardines and it represents how we are all crammed together in a net
shouting, “what’s going on?!” because it all hits you in the face really
suddenly. The books represent how in some subjects like history and English
people find that it’s really ‘bookey’. For me personally, I learn through doing
different things and can’t just regurgitate information which I think is
expected of us a lot of the time. I just can’t do that. I’m a person who needs
to know ‘why’; I need to know what is going on before I can explain it or put
it in my own words. If I’m in a lesson where the teacher sets a task where
we’re just working from a textbook or given information I’ll do it because
that’s what we’ve been asked but if I had time I might try to write it out in
my own words.
This messy head represents disorganisation. Sometimes, if I
have coursework approaching, deadlines, and other things it all becomes
disorganised. Not the process, but me!
This line represents the never-ending nature of sixth form.
It’s very continuous in the amount of work that gets loaded on.
The equals sign symbolises the equality or the relationship
between the teacher and students. When you become a sixth former you get more
responsibility but you still get help and are supported through it. But at the
same time you’re very much on your own.
The steps represent the change from GCSE to AS and what is
expected of you because working independently is fine but not to the extent
where you’re told what you have to do and are just left to go away and get on with
it. That’s what‘s going on. And now the teachers are saying that there is another
big gap between and AS and A2!
Interviewer:
Can you tell me about your drawing?
Student 3: This
person in the middle represents a student. I don’t know where they are; they
might be in an exam, a classroom or at home. All of these ‘INFO’s are all of
the information that you get put it in and it’s in capitals because it’s a lot.
It’s so much and it’s coming from every direction. These squiggly blue and red
lines are stress, anxiety and, “Aaaaaarghhh! Someone please help me!”
Some of the other things represent how learning is done. So
the computer shows that learning is modern and quite a lot of learning is done using
the internet which helps you to research and develop your ideas. You can also
clarify your ideas and it helps us to present our work differently.
That’s why there are no squiggly lines or angry red colours
going towards it. The book is another example of that. The mobile phone is a
distraction. The time is also a source of stress so the clock has exclamation
marks around it and it’s feeding into the student to remind him that he’s
running out of time. The people with the hearts are friends and they are going
towards the student because they help. All of these faces represent the
emotions you feel as a sixth form learner. All of the question marks show how
confusing it is and how we don’t know what’s going on sometimes.
It’s interesting that of our three drawings stress, anxiety
and panic seem to be a recurring theme.
Student 2:
It’s a sudden thing. September was fine and I was enjoying it. But then
Christmas came and we had to sort out work experience and then there were mock
exams and coursework and back to work experience again and then deadlines!
Student 3:
Yeah. It’s a real rush of responsibility.
Student 1:
It depends whether you enjoy it as well. I signed up for work experience within
the first week because I found a placement I really wanted to do. It’s the same
with media; we did our film early on and got it done pretty quickly because we
really enjoyed it. But for maths GCSE I really didn’t enjoy it so I didn’t
revise and spent those lessons teaching myself how to use Photoshop!
Student 3:
I know what you mean.
Student 2:
There are ways of getting yourself to enjoy subjects though.
Student 3:
I like the subjects I’m doing but I still feel pressure with deadlines and
things.
Student 1:
I enjoy doing coursework and writing research up but when it got to the
evaluative work it just felt like too much. I didn’t enjoy it so I didn’t do
it.
Interviewer: Tell
me about your learning goals for this year.
Student 3: Learning
goals?
Student 1:
I want to do an apprenticeship so I’m just wasting time until I can start that
next year. I could have done it this year but wanted some A Levels behind me
first.
Student 3:
For me it’s about getting the grades I need to get into university. I need two
As and a B to study English literature. To achieve those grades I need to do
some extra work outside of the classroom, not just homework but extra research
and stuff. I need to stay on top of deadlines because time management is one of
my downfalls.
Student 2:
Mine is literally just to keep my options open as much as possible. I know I definitely
don’t want to go to university but maybe another type of course or an
apprenticeship or something. I want to get the grades to allow me to actually get
somewhere without feeling like I have
to go to university. I don’t want bad grades that would mean I could only do
apprenticeships but I want to do something that isn’t university. So one of my
goals is to work out what my options are besides university or apprenticeships.
Interviewer: What
are the barriers to your success in education?
Student 1:
Location. A lot of the stuff I want to do is in London.
Student 3:
Same. Exactly the same. What I want to do as a career is all London-based.
Student 1:
My work experience is in London but that’s as far as it goes. Looking at apprenticeships
in London isn’t realistic. I want to go to an art college for graphic design in
London but it’s just not realistic for me.
Student 2:
Funding. We don’t have the opportunities to explore things. I feel like the
only things that are promoted to us are university, apprenticeships or
part-time jobs. I’d like the opportunity of other speakers coming in to talk to
us about how they got where they did. Funding to try things out and experiment.
The character project was really good as it gave us points for university and
things but to go and try out being in a work environment or crash courses in
life skills (such as basic accounting or putting yourself out there and
promoting yourself) would be more valuable to me.
Interviewer: Reflecting
on the feedback you have received throughout your academic career (in report
cards, parents’ evening etc.), what do you see in terms of patterns and trends?
Student 1: For
me it’s my lack of concentration in class and my poor behaviour in class
although I don’t think it was that bad. It hasn’t been an issue in sixth form
because I enjoy it more.
Student 3:
I think behaviour in GCSE is different.
Student 2:
GCSEs are really patronising.
Student 1: In
years 7-10 I just didn’t really care.
Student 2:
You’re patronised in your GCSEs and then when you get to A Level you’re told to
do it by yourself.
Student 3:
Yeah it’s two extremes.
Student 2:
They want you to be independent but you’re still expected to put your hand up
to ask to go to the toilet!
Student 3:
You’re thrown in the deep end. You’ve been coerced by teachers and heavily
guided since reception. In years 7-11 you are really reliant on teachers and
they know that and accept it. But then as soon as you get to sixth form it’s
like, “I’m on my own now!”
Student 1:
But that can be a good thing.
Student 3:
Yeah it can be a good thing but if you aren’t a person who can adapt to an
independent environment, you’re screwed.
Student 2:
I think I’ve been partly successful at that.
Student 1:
Yeah. I’ve been successful. You’ve got freedom to do what you want which helps.
Like in the media coursework we could make whatever film we wanted and with the
business coursework it can be on what you want.
Student 2:
It’s more creative.
Student 3:
Creativity is important.
Student 2:
Creativity is something that gets sucked out of you in school. All of the
home-educated people I know do things because they want to. If you’re forced into doing something you won’t enjoy it
as much. They bang on about target grades as well!
Student 3:
But I think target grades help. Because then you know what you can achieve if
you really want to.
Student 2:
The feedback should be more specific; the feedback should be personalised more
and also more honest. If someone isn’t academic just tell them. My feedback
tends to be about asking more questions in class. The positive comments I always
got were about my concentration but they weren’t really about my skills or the
work.
Student 3:
I was always praised for having confidence to contribute in class.
Interviewer: Describe
your study habits.
Student 2: Awful.
Student 1:
I don’t have any study habits. I don’t study. Well, I do in school but not
outside. I don’t work at home. If I did it would be things I enjoy and things
that I think will benefit me in the future. I want to know that I’m spending my
time studying things that would help my career. I could adapt work to make it
beneficial but then it might not meet the requirements of the course.
Student 3:
It’s difficult to adapt work. Obviously you can’t get rid of set courses but it
doesn’t give much freedom to develop work around what you find interesting.
That’s what we’d like – more freedom. There is a lack of opportunity to
incorporate what we find interesting and what we like to do.
Student 2:
And you have to do everything on your own. There are two extremes: you either
do everything by yourself or you are talked through everything step by step
until you get it right. There aren’t really any happy mediums.
Student 3:
At the start of the year I like to research extra stuff that I find interesting
but after the first fortnight it stops because homework and deadlines pile up.
Student 2:
Or when you do have time you’re already sick of it. It’s hard to get yourself
motivated I find. I have to enjoy studying or motivated by stress. In school
I’ll do the work because it’s in front of me but when I’m at home I need to be
really pushed.
Student 3:
When it comes to revision and stuff I just sit there. All my work will be in
front of me and I’ll try to make notes but it doesn’t work.
Interviewer: How
do you spend your time outside of school?
Student 3:
I just chill. I like watching TV.
Student 2:
Me too. I like documentaries and film.
Student 3:
And a part-time job!
Student 1:
Me too.
Student 3:
What I was saying earlier about researching extra stuff, I did that last night.
I’ll do that in my spare time until I don’t’ have time any more. When you have
so much homework, you neglect it more than if you had a small or reasonable
amount of work.
Student 1:
Unless I enjoy it, I’m not going to do it.
Interview with Students 4, 5, 6 and 7 – 21.06.16
Each drew a picture
that represented what learning looks like in the sixth form at Sidmouth
College.
Interviewer: Can you tell me about your drawing?
Student 4: I drew the teacher at the front stereotypically: board, computer desk. It represents how at the start of the year everything is teacher led. So in photography for example, Miss taught us skills and then in the second half of the year we went and developed it and did our own thing. So my second picture is that; us sitting at desks, doing our own thing, working out what we want to do for final pieces or filming and editing and stuff. So overall, it’s teacher-led at the start and then student development after that. The transition was fairly smooth. It’s not difficult but there are obstacles in the way. In photography, it wasn’t hard to go from one to the other but it was hard to create ideas independently and we’d have to keep trying things to get them to look how we want. I’m not very good at that – I overthink things and get paranoid that they aren’t going to turn out how I want. I give up. To help I might try to find a different inspiration or concept, or try a new piece of work and come back to it later. Having breaks from that thing helps a lot.
Student 5: This is a student going to a teacher for help or feedback on their work. We get a lot of support from the teachers. I think you still get that at Year 12 and 13. It’s different from GCSE though because you are more independent; you have to do things yourself. You get taught things but to get a better grade you have to do your own exploration of topics. It’s harder but it’s more independent learning rather than being spoon-fed. I think I’m good at that… when I want to be. If I’m motivated and in a good mood, I’ll do it. If I’m in a bad mood, I won’t do it. Getting a good grade and finding work interesting motivates me.
We have to be independent in lessons too. In your lessons for example, you’d teach us things but give us tasks to do things ourselves. Independence is something you’ll need for your whole life so it’s important to develop that skill.
Student 6: My picture represents someone who finds the step up from GCSE really difficult. Because it isn’t the same; you have to put a lot of work in and it’s a lot harder but it can be done. If you use the resources around you, you can learn from it. It’s harder than GCSE because, even though you have less lessons and they are what you have chosen to do, you have to put more into it, develop what you’ve been taught and expand your knowledge as an individual,. You can’t just rely on teachers.
Interviewer: Can you tell me about your drawing?
Student 4: I drew the teacher at the front stereotypically: board, computer desk. It represents how at the start of the year everything is teacher led. So in photography for example, Miss taught us skills and then in the second half of the year we went and developed it and did our own thing. So my second picture is that; us sitting at desks, doing our own thing, working out what we want to do for final pieces or filming and editing and stuff. So overall, it’s teacher-led at the start and then student development after that. The transition was fairly smooth. It’s not difficult but there are obstacles in the way. In photography, it wasn’t hard to go from one to the other but it was hard to create ideas independently and we’d have to keep trying things to get them to look how we want. I’m not very good at that – I overthink things and get paranoid that they aren’t going to turn out how I want. I give up. To help I might try to find a different inspiration or concept, or try a new piece of work and come back to it later. Having breaks from that thing helps a lot.
Student 5: This is a student going to a teacher for help or feedback on their work. We get a lot of support from the teachers. I think you still get that at Year 12 and 13. It’s different from GCSE though because you are more independent; you have to do things yourself. You get taught things but to get a better grade you have to do your own exploration of topics. It’s harder but it’s more independent learning rather than being spoon-fed. I think I’m good at that… when I want to be. If I’m motivated and in a good mood, I’ll do it. If I’m in a bad mood, I won’t do it. Getting a good grade and finding work interesting motivates me.
We have to be independent in lessons too. In your lessons for example, you’d teach us things but give us tasks to do things ourselves. Independence is something you’ll need for your whole life so it’s important to develop that skill.
Student 6: My picture represents someone who finds the step up from GCSE really difficult. Because it isn’t the same; you have to put a lot of work in and it’s a lot harder but it can be done. If you use the resources around you, you can learn from it. It’s harder than GCSE because, even though you have less lessons and they are what you have chosen to do, you have to put more into it, develop what you’ve been taught and expand your knowledge as an individual,. You can’t just rely on teachers.
In GCSE, teachers teach you what you need to know whereas at
A Level they teach you the basics and you have to develop that in your own time
to get the A* material. At first you don’t really understand the step up but as
you develop throughout the year you learn that you need to be more independent.
When you come back after the long summer, you aren’t really ready to take a
role in independent learning.
Student 7:
Mine is about the sixth form community. So, we learn from each other. The
students are stood closely in a circle as a metaphor to show how we all learn
together but the lines show how our different ideas branch off.
There is not teacher because I’ve done more bonding with
peers and learning with them. That’s been the main aspect of sixth form for me.
The teachers are there but learning from peers has been significant.
At GCSE we were all separated but now, in sixth form, we are
closer socially so we learn together.
Interviewer: Tell me about your learning goals for this year.
Interviewer: Tell me about your learning goals for this year.
Student 4: To
keep on track with work. Everyone says it and never does it but it’s nice to have
that thought and work towards it. Keeping up to date and meeting deadlines.
Student 6:
definitely. I struggle with that too. Procrastination is a problem. When you
have a deadline you put it off and put it off but then the deadline is
tomorrow. You go into panic and realise you haven’t left enough time. You don’t’
reach your potential that way.
Student 4:
Leaving things to the last minute gives you a lot of anxiety about even going
to the lessons. I’m worrying about if I’ve done it right or if I’ll get in
trouble for not putting much effort in.
With A Levels you pick subjects you want to do, so I love
all of my subjects but I still struggle to motivate myself to complete the
work. I’m lazy when it comes to work. I’ll do anything to avoid it. Social
media and my phone are problems.
Student 5:
Meeting deadlines is a problem for me too.
Student 7:
It depends what it is. In media I didn’t find the deadline for the film
difficult because I really enjoyed doing it. But with the writing (which I really
didn’t want to do), it was a real struggle and I put it off as much as
possible. That was the same in technology as well. For me it comes down to
whether or not I will enjoy the work.
Student 6:
Sometimes I still put off work in subjects I love. I put it off. I enjoy this
as a hobby but it’s harder in school: you’ve got deadlines and too much to
think about. There’s a lot of pressure and that puts me off. We get pressured
in photography to put it before everything else and it just turns me off. I end
up avoiding it.
Student 4:
You have to balance out how much work you put into each subject and I think we
find that hard.
Student 6:
Staying organised in general is going to be key this year.
Interviewer: What
are the barriers to your success in education?
Student 5: Not
being organised! When I am organised, if my room is tidy and my folders are
ordered, I get down to it and crack on with the work. I get in a flow. I do that
well and the organisation really helped me to stay on track and meet the deadlines.
It keeps me happy and makes me feel good.
Student 6:
Being in control helps you to keep on track with schoolwork.
Student 7:
For me it’s about lack of motivation. If I don’t enjoy things, I don’t have motivation
to do them. I’m motivated by practical things but not written stuff.
Student 4:
Couldn’t you turn the things you don’t like into things you do? Like the research
for media, instead of essays, you could have done a documentary or something.
Student 7:
I didn’t think of that!
Interviewer: Reflecting
on the feedback you have received throughout your academic career (in report
cards, parents’ evening etc.), what do you see in terms of patterns and trends?
Student 6: My
poor attitude. Since year 7 I’ve had a negative attitude in school. I didn’t
want to get along with teachers or do the work. I didn’t want anything to do
with school. That’s ingrained in my head now and school is now a negative
experience. I do enjoy sixth form to a point but I just associate school with
negative feelings.
Student 5:
I’ve always been told to work harder. They’ve always said that I have potential
but I don’t use it. Or that I’m bright but don’t work hard enough. It’s probably
true but it’s down to motivation. I think it goes up and down. I go through
bursts of doing well and not so well. It’s across most of my subjects I think.
With art I went through a phase of two months of not doing anything. But that
was down to personal circumstances. They distracted me and put me off school
work.
Student 6:
Mental health has a big impact as well. If you haven’t got a positive and
stable mental health, that’s going to show in your school work.
Student 4:
I have been told that I have the basics but need to develop my points. I get panicky
about the time and don’t extend things. I do that in most of my subjects. I
think I need to stress less about time and focus on getting into the topics. I
need to [put more effort tin during my own time. Instead of having a nap when I
get home, I should do more research into topics. But I don’t. I always tells
myself to do it but then don’t. Then I beat myself up about it.
Student 7:
Disorganised. I’ve always been disorganised. Every teacher told me that. In lower
school I just didn’t do homework. I just couldn’t be bothered. I would do it if
I was scared of the teacher but not otherwise.
Interviewer: Describe
your study habits.
Student 6:
Non-existent!
Student 4:
Late. Everything happens late. It’s annoying because I don’t like working the morning but I go to bed early so there’s
only a short window of time to work.
Student 6:
I procrastinate constantly.
Student 4:
Yeah my phone is a real problem. If it goes off once I will be on it for at least
ten minutes.
Student 5:
If I’m at home I’ll set a time to work but then if it accidentally goes past
that time, I’ll just put it off.
Student 6:
There are a lot of people at home so my space is my bedroom. I get really
distracted in that room.
Student 7:
My study habits mainly involve watching Youtube videos on the topic.
Student 4:
I re-write notes but it doesn’t help. I just re-write it, copying the words but
I don’t absorb the information. If I re-read it, it would probably stick.
Student 5:
Revision cards and spider diagrams are helpful.
Student 4:
Essays are helpful. I set reminders on my phone to structure my time. I was
failing media so set myself times to write practise essays every day and I did
see my grade improve. It’s something I’ll try again this year.
Interviewer: How
do you spend your time outside of school?
Student 6:
Horses and socialising.
Student 5:
I have two jobs. One in a fish and chip shop and a pub. Other than that I nap
and socialise.
Student 7: I work
in a café.
Student 4: I work
in a little soap shop in town at the weekends. I spend a lot of time on my
phone. It’s constant.
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