Although this is quite a late stage in the term to be writing my blog posts compared to where I was at this stage in the previous units, I am thankful to be reminded that I have completed the physical aspect of the unit and am now ready to begin typing it all up. I can’t lie, this is certainly a daunting task, especially with the upcoming christmas break and the foreshadowing of a whole new busy year on the horizon – but at the same time must remind myself compared to any previous qualification I have done, I have been completing it at the same time as running a technical area, supporting students to make some amazing work and more importantly have received great feedback along the way; a prop that I can’t take for granted. This blog post is my attempt at beginning to put pen to paper and getting the documentation process rolling!
This term has reminded me of the very reason I chose the route for my action research project, as I have been busier than ever, and have found myself really excited to put everything I have been working on in to practice next term. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with my previous unit, I have set my research question to:
How can a structured workflow incorporating scaffolded and flipped learning models enhance student autonomy and teaching efficiency in technical education?
To answer that question I decided to focus my action research project on creating a whole new learning pathway designed from the ground up to support students, to support themselves. Designed to be the keystone of a wearable technology project it focuses on a clear and concise three step process:
Step 1: The student independantly outlines their goals, current understandings, interests/admirations.
Step 2: A one-to-one consultation with a student and technician. Allowing time for the technician to understand the person and the project, and a time for the student to become familiar with the technician, resources available and the commitment expected from them.
Step 3: An ongoing cycle of trial/error, success and failure, support and independence all the way to a final outcome.
So why does this project / teaching resource need to exist?
My first recommendation would be to read my intervention plan from the second term. The post goes into a lot of depth about the origins of this project but also my own experience of being a neurodiverse student and my journey to learning how best to work with the traits I have; click here if you’d like to read that, however for those without the time, here’s a small recap .
The project came out of necessity more than anything else. When I first began the role at LCF in 2021 the number of students I saw were very minimal and the area had no exisiting structure was in place. As time went on numbers grew and so did the ambition and complexity of the projects. This meant that the number of individual tutorials grew to cover the knowledge gaps created by the highly individualised nature of the projects. So I set out to create a new way of guiding students, covering frequently asked questions but also being modular enough to tackle and support any student, for any project. Highlighting early on potential issues before they arise and streamlining the teaching process whilst still covering a broad range of diverse topics. Freeing up my time to support students for the times that they need it the most, along with allowing me time to produce new and cutting edge learning materials and research – but more importantly embedding the independent learning skills required to thrive within this area.
After a lot of work, developing, presenting and gaining feedback from my students. I am excited to share with you what I have developed, and will continue to develop into the future! If you have any questions, thoughts or references you’d like to share – I’d very much look forward to hearing from you in the comments!