Take5 #139 Something to Watch, Something to Read, Something to Listen to, Something to Complete: An inclusive approach to independent study

This Take5 is brought to you by Nikita Bridgeman from Sheffield Hallam University. After being inspired by a gift-giving phrase she kept hearing on TikTok, Nikita has developed an inclusive approach to guided independent study to meet the needs of our diverse student populations and hopefully inspire a love of learning.

Introduction: But what should I do – and why?

One of the biggest challenges I think we all face as educators is trying to encourage learners to engage with independent study outside of the classroom; whether this is to cement their understanding of class taught concepts, revise for an exam, or simply further develop their knowledge: independent study is vital but often overlooked. 

Thinking back to my time as an undergraduate, beyond the tasks required to complete an assignment, independent study was not a priority. It’s not that my classmates and I weren’t passionate about the subject, it’s just that we didn’t know where to start, and the weekly task of ‘read this chapter of…’ wasn’t particularly inspiring. We also learned very quickly that no one would check whether we had done the reading or not, and while that shouldn’t be the point, for students trying to navigate their studies, a social life, and living independently for the first time, any tasks that weren’t necessary were avoided or simply forgotten.

Beyond my own university experiences, having worked with a wide variety of students at Secondary, FE and HE levels, I have come to realise that the factors that influence how we choose to study in our own time, or whether we can at all, are vast and complicated. Understandably, if your day starts with dropping your children off at school before a lecture or getting an hour-long train into the city for a day of back-to-back classes, the time and resources you have available to you will differ significantly. Equally, the ways in which we can engage with the resources we do have differs too; some students love to watch documentaries and can remain engrossed for hours, others struggle to focus on audio and video for more than a few minutes so prefer to read short, snappy articles – there is no one size fits all.

This highlights just some of the barriers to engaging with meaningful independent study:

• Lack of clear direction
• Uninspiring resources
• Time pressures and conflicting demands
• Accessibility

And while I can appreciate that the point of independent study is that it is independent, I believe it’s important to at least give students a helping hand to start them off; once they know how to study independently, they will be able to guide their own learning in future, and with any luck, they’ll feel inspired to do so. We all know that our students come from a range of backgrounds, all with differing needs and abilities, therefore we need to support them to study in a way that suits them.

Something to Watch, Something to Read, Something to Listen to, Something to Complete

Inspired by the gift-giving phrase ‘Something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read’ (which seems to resurface on Instagram and TikTok each Christmas) I have taken an approach to guided independent study that involves providing resources in a variety of formats and allowing students to choose what they want to engage with. Underpinned by the principles of Universal Design for Learning, this approach empowers students to study in a way that suits them, which not only advances their academic development, but can foster a sense of inclusion within the provision of guided independent study. 

The idea of this approach is that the educator allocates a resource to each of the categories, and learners choose which resource, or resources, they’d like to engage with. The resources should support the development of knowledge that builds upon what has been taught in class, meaning that a student that chooses to only engage with one resource is not placed at a detriment to a student that has engaged with multiple resources. 

When deciding on which resources to use, it’s important to consider the format that learners engage with out of class. For example, YouTube videos and podcasts are not only popular, but are currently commonplace in the daily lives of many students, therefore learning through these familiar mediums may be more accessible and viewed more favourably. Importantly, this is not about avoiding traditional academic sources like journal articles or book chapters, it’s about meeting the needs of students and supporting their learning, which may start with listening to a podcast or reading a newspaper article, but in time will enable them to develop the skills they need to learn from more complex sources. Equally, there is no reason why a journal article can’t be one of the resource options; much like some students struggle to read long, complex texts, others enjoy and benefit from them, so giving the option is always a good idea.

What might this look like?

Given the flexibility of this approach there are a wide variety of resources available:

• Something to Watch – YouTube video, excerpt from a documentary, a clip from a TV show or film, news report. 
• Something to Read – Newspaper or magazine article, blog post, infographic, book pages or chapter, journal article. 
• Something to Listen to – Podcast episode, radio broadcast, a piece of music. 
• Something to Complete – Quiz, online learning module, game.

You may find that for some topics it can be a challenge to find appropriate resources, and for others you might be spoiled for choice. Fundamentally, this approach is meant to be flexible, so sometimes it may be just a couple of resource options ‘something to watch, something to read’ and others it may be multiple options for each category. The only rule for this approach is that there is variety and choice, but that can and will look different for each topic, module, course, etc. 

In terms of how these resources fit into a module, I typically provide an Independent Study section for each week of a module, with resources that align with the focus of that week. I find that by breaking it down by topic learners are more likely to be able to springboard from the resources I’ve provided to resources they self-source – there is of course no one perfect way of doing this, and this can be done in any way you see fit. This is also an opportunity to ask your students what they might prefer: Will they engage with extra resources weekly? Would they prefer full access to the resources at the start of the module or as they go along?

Does it work? 

Like with any approach, the one thing everyone wants to know is whether it works, though this will be perceived differently depending on what ‘works’ means to you. For me this approach is all about encouraging learning outside of the classroom in a way that is inclusive but also enjoyable, with the hope that it inspires my learners to explore further resources and take responsibility for their learning. 

So far, I have found it to ‘work’, and it has been really encouraging to hear students talk about the resources they engaged with when they next come to class, especially when this is followed by them talking about other things they found or topics they discovered that they are really interested in. Something specific that I have learned since using this approach is that my postgraduate students are more likely to engage with the ‘something to complete’ activities than my undergraduates, and that the preferred resource type for all students so far is ‘something to listen to’, especially when it’s a podcast episode.

My next step will be to conduct an evaluation of this approach to develop a greater understanding of what works and what doesn’t: I suppose the beauty of this approach is that it is completely flexible and can adapt and evolve with the needs of my students, so it will continuously improve. 

At this stage I’m considering holding focus groups with students from two of my modules; one at undergraduate level and one at postgraduate level, to really get a sense of how students feel about the approach and how that may differ between students at different stages of their studies. 

I’d also be keen to learn more about the next steps of this approach – how do students use these resources as a starting point for exploring further? Do they do that at all? Are these resources just seen as homework, or do they actually inspire learners to take responsibility for their own learning?

Putting the idea into practice 

Some tips for using this approach in your own teaching:

• Use the resources as a starting point for discussion in class, not to test your students or check whether they’ve engaged, but to set the scene for some informal, though hopefully thought-provoking conversations. It also shows an interest in what they’ve been doing outside of class which can help you to build rapport.
• Refer to some of the resources during teaching – I find that if I mention an example from a podcast or an article I read, learners are more likely to be intrigued and have a look for themselves.
• Try to find resources that are interesting, engaging, and varied – if you can find resources that aren’t too time consuming for learners to engage with, even better!
• Make sure to embed resources into your VLE for easy access – I also like to give the link or reference to the resource too.
• Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to find the ‘perfect’ resources – sometimes it can be difficult to locate a resource that’s right for the topic or your students, if that means that one week you don’t have something to watch, then so be it! It’s all about quality over quantity.
• As much as this is meant to be about providing inclusive, accessible resources for your learners, it’s also meant to be a way of enhancing your practice without adding too much to your workload, so in line with the above point, don’t dedicate too much time to sourcing materials – this isn’t meant to add to your already never-ending to do list.
• Use current trends to your advantage – students are much more likely to engage with something if the subject matter/medium is trending on social media! 
• See this as an opportunity to instil a love of learning in your students – it may not work for everyone, and not all students will engage, but when you get that moment where a student tells you how much they enjoyed a video you suggested, or how they’ve discovered a newfound interest in an area of your subject, it really will feel worthwhile!

What comes next?

At the core of this approach for me has been a sense of freedom with regards to how students choose to engage; this freedom can be liberating for some, encouraging them to take ownership of their learning and enjoy the process of doing so, but for others this opportunity can come with questions surrounding what’s next: Driscoll (1994) comes to mind here – What? So What? Now What? Therefore, much like some students really benefit from the guidance a starting set of resources brings, they may also benefit from a nudge in the right direction of what comes next. This does not mean endless resources, but maybe opportunities for further exploration; a classroom starter where they can share anything they’ve found interesting since the last session, a Padlet where they can add extra resources they’ve discovered, or a discussion board on the VLE about how these resources support assignment work. 

Whatever you choose to do for your students, giving them the opportunity to share their learning not only values their engagement, but supports their curiosity; providing them with a welcoming space in which they can further explore, challenge, and learn.

Bio