ARP Reading Data #1

ARP PGcert 

Reflections and Criticality:

At this stage with this initial research being done these seem to be the main takeaways:

• Students benefit from weighted information and simplified non-academic language, regardless of any neurodiversity, but it is specifically important for English second-language students. 
• Blending academic outcomes and language with unit briefs can cause confusion, some students like academic language and others find it overwhelming. The goal may be to blend academia with clear tasks/ goals 
• Visuals matter; if a brief is dense with small text or unappealing in a design sense, it can have negative outcomes for students and be read as intimidating or non-reassuring (especially for independent study)
•  Contact information for the tutor should be clear and present on the brief, regardless of if it’s used it can be reassuring to feel as if help is always readily available

I especially found the ‘Zones of Confusion’ to be a sticking point for me, it gave me insight into my own learning and how ‘positive confusion’ and ‘negative confusion’ can give tutors a wonderful vocabulary to reach out to students during formative assessments. I’ve noticed this in students during my practice naturally, sometimes there’s a sense of shame involved for the student if they feel a negative sense of confusion, it can be especially problematic if the student doesn’t have any friends on the course and can’t get reassurance from their peers. I fear that students who feel this negative confusion may also feel ‘stupid’ or ‘behind’ from their peers, I always want to emphasise to students that learning is supposed to be hard at times, that feeling confused can be a positive part of their journey. As Jake the Dog says in Adventure Time  “Sucking at something is the first step to being sorta good at something.”

This reading has proven to be very helpful for my initial search into this topic, legible unit briefs and learning outcomes is clearly an existing concern for various teachers. The area I’m most interested in as of now is understanding what I can do to reach out to students and give them a reassuring push if they’re struggling to cross the bridge from structured school learning to academic, independent learning.