This webinar explores two interrelated studies focused on improving engagement and learning in GCSE English within Further Education (FE) settings.
Focusing primarily on how curriculum theory and assessment directly impact upon learning, Mark Hyde‘s research explores learners’ lived experiences of studying GCSE English Language at a Further Education (FE) college in London. The aim of this research is to deepen understanding of why disengagement with formal modes of the study of English language is so prevalent among learners in FE. Analysing whether student engagement in English language learning can be increased by introducing more socially-situated literacies into vocational learning and language acquisition and development activities, this study also explores the role aesthetic experiences, such as interactions with music or art, might play in reuniting disengaged learners with the lived emotional experience of engaging in education.
Dr Michael Smith will explore how peer assessment can be improved by addressing students’ interpretations of subjective criteria. It investigates the use of comparative judgement (CJ) in assessing GCSE English creative writing through workshops where students acted as peer assessors. Findings indicate that students use tacit, internalised quality markers during CJ and that a collaborative, dialogic approach is essential for making these explicit. Such an approach supports more effective peer assessment and deeper learning.
Dr. Michael Smith is Faculty Director for Apprenticeships & Quality at Barking & Dagenham College with a PhD in Educational Assessment.
Dr. Mark Hyde is Head of Teaching, Learning & Assessment at Barking & Dagenham College with a PhD in Philosophy of Education.
