What Happens Next? Teaching Students To Explore Subjects Beyond The Curriculum

By Esin Akdogan

Students come to the end of their mandatory, full-time education after year 13, which is a scary prospect for many. Most students, especially those at Westminster Academy sixth form, will go on to study a subject of their choice at a British university. Of course, others who prefer a more vocational route progress into apprenticeships and other jobs. It is therefore important to plant the seeds that will help students explore subjects beyond their curriculum. In the context of WA, many students have parents who did not go to university which means higher education may not be a part of the normal discourse at home. Whilst this doesn’t seem like a big deal, the anecdotes guardians tell their children about their experiences at university at home is an important part of shaping their understanding of what higher education is like. As such, teachers play a crucial role in bridging the gap for students who have not been exposed to the ‘university talk’ at home. The most obvious way of getting students to start thinking about the next steps is in school. Of course, every student will have different needs and hence need individualised support which is provided to them when they reach the sixth form. In the meantime, I have listed some things staff could be doing in the classroom to get students to explore subjects beyond their curriculum. Whilst this list is not exhaustive, it is definitely a good place to start.

What does the Sixth Form team do already?

We have already kick-started the UCAS process for year 12s with an assembly explaining what university is, whether it is suitable for them, what to consider when making their choices and how to narrow their choices down. Later this term we will have students start writing their first drafts for their personal statements. Aside from this, WA is also great at providing sixth form students with extra and super-curricular opportunities, by posting frequently on Managebac and promoting it during tutor time. Westminster Academy is also the hub school for OxNet and the London Centre for Languages and Culture (LCLC), two unapologetically academic access and outreach schemes, with the aim of raising aspirations for students who are interested in attending Russell Group universities or doing languages at university.

How can you help? Inquiry-based learning: inquiry-based learning essentially flips the concept of learning on its head. Rather than teaching students to memorise information, inquiry-based learning encourages students to become more invested in their subjects and spark their curiosity. The IB is already great at teaching students to ask questions, with the help of their Theory of Knowledge lessons and Extended Essay research projects. This gets students into the habit of expanding their learning outside the classroom which might lead to them discovering an area of interest they might want to explore further at university. Teaching students to be inquisitive essentially does the job for you. Exposure: talking about your own academic and social experiences at university is a great way to ‘plant the seed’ in their minds. I noticed that speaking to students about my university experience during TTB meant that they were also talking about it amongst themselves during break and lunch. The more they are exposed to other peoples’ first-hand experiences, the better their understanding will be of what is expected of them before they start. Resources: you should spark interest in students to want to research and explore new topics in their free time. Giving them reading suggestions or even links to YouTube videos, based on a topic you have covered in class gives them the chance to explore topics that relate to but how above and beyond their curriculum. Talking about your favourite part of your own subject with them will also spark an interest that will encourage them to put the work in to discover subjects beyond their curriculum.