Facilitating Effective Sixth Form Independent Learning

For young people who have opted to continue their education post-sixteen, it is difficult to overstate the importance of the independent learning which takes place in the Sixth Form. Typically, the balance between classroom teaching and private study shifts dramatically at this point and individuals who intend to go on to university find themselves having to put in place strategies that will stand them in good stead for the next stage of their academic lives, in addition to serving their current needs.

Facilitating Effective Sixth Form Independent Learning is a comprehensive guide for educators looking to support independent learning in the Sixth Form. It takes the reader on a step-by-step journey showing how an appropriate teaching programme may be set up and offers proven tools and strategies that can be adopted in the classroom. The book advises on how a worthwhile research question may be formulated and establishes the importance of teaching unifying methodologies, in addition to individual techniques, before various means of finding information are identified. It develops an approach to help students think systematically about the available options and considers methods for evaluating information and managing time. The book then addresses the construction of essays and reports and then guides readers through understanding and implementing the Information/Writing Interaction Model (IWIM). Further coverage includes strategies for countering plagiarism and numerous suggestions for promoting student reflection.

Rigorous yet accessible and featuring numerous practical examples, Facilitating Effective Sixth Form Independent Learning is an essential resource for educators working in a world where developing independent learning skills is not an option, but essential.

Andrew K. Shenton, BA (Hons), MSc, PhD, DLitt, PGCE, FCLIP, has worked at Monkseaton High School, in north-east England, for the last 17 years. Dually qualified in education and information science, he has been involved in teaching the Extended Project Qualification since its inauguration in the organisation in 2010. Andrew is a specialist in the fields of information behaviour, information literacy and research methods. He is widely published and highly cited, with over 200 publications to his name across a range of professional periodicals and peer-reviewed journals in education and LIS. On becoming a Chartered Fellow of CILIP in October 2020, Andrew gained the unusual distinction of holding both the highest academic degree in his field and the highest professional qualification.