social skills and confidence in the way that learning in a group tended to. But even
learning as an isolated individual can result in wider networks and broader horizons.
5.2 Learning experience
Teaching style and subject area contribute to the learning experience. Four
interrelated but distinct aspects of teaching style have emerged from the fieldwork as
significant in terms of wider benefits of learning: support and encouragement;
guidance; level of pressure; and learning as a group or individual process. The first
three aspects impact primarily upon benefits experienced by the individual, although
they may lead to community benefits. In contrast, group learning through discussion
or collective tasks impacts upon social attitudes and values, and relationships.
5.2.1 Support and encouragement
Supportive teachers were identified as ones who had time for students, gave them the
attention they needed, were patient and listened to them. Encouragement, reassurance,
praise, and demonstrating a belief in learners were also tremendously important.
Support and encouragement helped to build up and sustain self-esteem and confidence
in abilities. It is not surprising, then, that it was mostly in relation to basic skills that
respondents mentioned their importance. More generally, the respect that teachers
paid to every member of the class, the way they listened and responded to them,
provided a model from which students learned social values and behaviours.
Teachers can only be supportive and encouraging if they have time. These findings,
then, have policy implications relating to class sizes, flexibility of curricula and
administrative burdens - especially in relation to courses in basic skills, where support
and encouragement appear to be particularly significant in terms of generating both
wider benefits and academic success.
5.2.2 Guidance
Respondents described unhelpful or non-existent careers advice when they left school.
This evidence is retrospective and so does not reflect current policy or its
implementation but the findings are nevertheless a salutary reminder of the dangers of
unsatisfactory guidance. Women described being steered towards gendered
employment, or were advised to continue with what they were good at, irrespective of
progression routes that they claimed to be more interested in. This led to employment
that was ‘hated’, and university courses that had no meaning or purpose and left
respondents not knowing why they were there. In one instance, this led to the onset of
depression.
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