This week I had the chance to discuss the problem I intend to solve with a group of people who gave me feedback and helped me expand what I had already discovered about the topic and gave me more areas to research that could help develop my work further. We made notes and displayed them in a clear form.
The Sutton Trust
https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Life-Lessons-Report_FINAL.pdf
The Sutton Trust is a foundation that aims to improve social mobility in the UK. They do this through “evidence-based programmes, research and policy advocacy” which is why I am examining this foundations work to help my project.
This report is all about the problem of life skills not being taught in schools and gives 3 case studies that give us an insight into the problem and gives me a broader idea of the problem and proves this is a problem all over the nation and not just the East Midlands education which I am already familiar with.
This report covers;
Why it is so important that this problem is solved and the effect it is having on young people.
Information on the national curriculum and the extent of the problem nation wide.
The challenges that may arise in schools if this problem was to be solved.
Barclays Life Skills
https://www.barclayslifeskills.com
Barclays life skills is a program set up by Barclays bank to be used in schools and in personal life to inspire young people to get more life skills that could help them through the transition from school to work. They work to help young people identify and developing personal skills, gain experience and tips on how to create a ‘toolbox’ for finding a job (CV, Covering letter, Linked In, Interview skills).
This is a good example of a project that has come about through the problem identified. It helps teachers, students, parents and businesses and encourages schools to teach work skills that are not part of the national curriculum. The app and website have a layout and style that is easy to navigate and is a clever and clear example to a successful project to help education young people in and out of school.
I also found this case study that explains the success and future aims of this scheme which can help guide me through my project and help me define how I want to solve the problem of how can student learn more life skills.
https://www.cityandguilds.com/what-we-offer/employers/solutions-for-nurturing-talent/case-study-barclays-lifeskills
The national curriculum in England
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/381344/Master_final_national_curriculum_28_Nov.pdf
I found the national curriculum for education in England to see what the requirement are for schools to teach certain life skills. After investigating this document I want to compare what schools are meant to teach student with what student have told me during my primary research that they are taught, to see if this is where the problem lies.
The national curriculum barely touches on many of the life skills I have previously thought up during this process which results in students not learning fundamental skills to be able to live comfortably due to it not being a legal requirement. Through exploring this document, i have found out just were the problem comes from and and where change is needed.
Life skills that schools are required to teach are:
Cooking
In KS1 young people are to be taught how to use the basic principles of a healthy diet to prepare dishes with lessons also on where food comes from. Across KS2 and KS3 food education expands to teach students about nutrition, how to cook a selection of savoury dishes and how to use a wide selection of skills such as how to prepare and select ingredients, using utensils and how to and know when to season dishes. There is nothing in the curriculum for coking in KS4.
Survival Skills
In geography, students are to be taught how to read a map and use a compass though out KS2 and KS3 and all schools must provide basic swimming lessons in physical education (either in KS1 or KS2) to ensure young people are able to stay safe in water.
Basic Law
In the national curriculum it is stated that students are to be taught politics through out KS3 and KS4. topics that need to be discussed are-
Other
Education on credit and debit, insurance, savings and pensions and how public money is raised and spent.
Coding is not on the national curriculum along side job skills and sewing.
When I have collected all of the primary research I want to compare what young people are saying their school teaches compared to what the national curriculum states.
During class this week I had the chance to begin thinking about my research and who I wanted to collect information from and different forms of doing so.
What do you know about the Target Audience?
Between the ages of 15 and 18, studying at GCSE or Alevel/BTech level getting ready to leave school and into independent living (university or moving out of parents home)
At a school where learning basic life skills is not mandatory or is not offered and family are unable to teach them either.
Living with Parents or career and relying on their knowledge.
Don’t know a lot about cooking, taxes, mortgages, sewing, how to fill out a job application or job interview skills.
What are your safe assumptions about the Target Audience?
Potentially male as schools tend to be sexist when it comes to subjects studied and stereotype them, however this is now always the case so the problem should be solved for everyone.
Unemployed. Tend to be at this age however if they have a job it won’t effect this as most likely won’t learn these skills in that environment
What do you need to find out about/from the Target Audience?
How they are effected by this problem personally to get a wide range of angles to work from.
If this is something they find a problem at their age or if its something you realise later on in life (after going into independent living).
what life skills are already taught at schools. (school curriculum compared to national curriculum)
Who are the Primary targets for Audience Research?
The target audience- 15-18 yr olds, if they think this is a problem
Parents, outside perspective. observers of students.
People who are new to independent living to get an idea of what they think needs changing in education and what they wish they had learn before leaving school.
Teachers
University student union well being adviser on common situations they see and how they feel these could be avoided at university level if schools taught them these instead.
PSHE teacher at a secondary school.
Create a simple research plan for each of the identified targets above. Use the following criteria when writing your plan for each target
Target audience (15-18yr olds)- surveys through social media. (email will be hard to get hold of and may not generate enough responses for this generation). Social media is a common place for teenagers so if i take the right approach should be accessible. quantitive research, one word answers and analysed in charts as an overview using google forms.
Questions-
How old are you?
What life skills did your school teach? (check boxes for a selection of life skills)
Do you wish your school taught more life skills?
Do you think you are ready for independent living?
What other Life skills (any not already mentioned in previous questions) do you wish you were taught?
Collect enough data to be able to see a pattern, a minimum of 10.
groups within the university.
Ask similar questions to 15-18 survey in past tense, this can get an idea of how with more experience opinions and
views may differ but also answer some questions that need a lot of input so get a more realistic idea of the problem.
What data and information do you need to understand about the Problem?
The national curriculum. The legal requirements around schools and what they have to teach in this area of education
Worldwide statistics of the matter