literature, education, and early modern drama // the words, words, words of Dr James Alsop, Teacher of English // views are my own and do not represent those of my employer
The trick to guaranteeing that independent research is meaningful and worthwhile lies in equipping your students with the tools that they need to succeed: step-by-step instructions, clear aims and a sense of purpose, and guidance as to what they should be looking for. Enter... the Research Review.
This is one of my favourite variations of what Alex Quigley, writer of The Confident Teacher, calls “Post it note pedagogy”. The mileage of this task depends very much on the subject and the topic; while it may not be appropriate for everything on the curriculum, it works a treat when revising concepts that provoke discussion! I sell this to my students (with tongue ever-so- slightly in cheek) as “the educational party game where everyone’s a winner..."
A couple of years ago, I overheard a conversation between a group of boys at the student bar. They were, as young men are prone to do in packs, discussing women - specifically, the various reasons why they'd dumped their exes. Some of these reasons were very silly indeed...
