Effective Use of Sources

Ep. 132

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What to do with sources when they’re provided in an exam, inquiry report or for an extended response. 

Discover the trap that many students fall into and what they need to do instead.

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Transcript

You’re listening to The Parents of Hardworking Teens Podcast, episode 132. What to do with sources when they’re provided in an exam, inquiry report or for an extended response. The trap that many students fall into and what to do instead.

Hey VIPs! 

I hope things are going great for you and your teens.
I am mixed! We’re having a ton of issues in the planning for our renovation though I know that’s exactly how these things are supposed to go and I have to admit that I am leaving a lot of that to my husband right now - because I’ve been working really hard on setting up and running the new coaching groups I have set up. 

We’ve got the Study Smart Blueprint for Y7 + 8 students, Next Level for those in Y9 - 11 and now also Finish Strong for Y12s. 

Things are going really well with these groups. But of course it is a lot of work. 
But worth it for the great feedback I’ve had already - like this email from Phoebe who said:

So many things have just clicked with me (especially regarding extended responses). I have found the most helpful aspect of the course to be the group calls. Not only do I learn through getting feedback on my own work, but I am so surprised about how much I have picked up from the feedback given to others!

Thank you so much for all of your help, and I am so excited to continue working with both you and Gemma!

If you want more info on any of those, just email support@rocksolidstudy.com and depending on timing and when you’re listening to this - there may be space or we can add you to the waitlist as these are strictly small groups only. 

Now, one of the things I coached a student on recently was their practice for an extended response exam question where they had to use and reference and integrate a selection of sources they were given. And I want to share one thing that was keeping their response at a lower level than they were capable of.

In a significant proportion of their response, they were simply ‘telling me about’ the sources.

Now in this case, this was a Geography assessment, and the topic was liveability in relation to urbanisation and the threat of flooding and it was for a less economically developed country.

So, there were sources about population growth, about the development of slums, about the fact that these slums were built on the flood plains or along the river banks, the issue with increased water demand due to increased population. 

Now, what it didn’t have was specific sources about liveability. And that was essentially the test of the question. And I know that’s easy to see now that I’m saying it - or at least it was for the student who I was coaching - but it can be hard to see it and be sure to focus on it in the moment. Which is exactly why I put so much emphasis on the skill of dissecting the question and then focusing the response on exactly what the question is asking, in what way, at what level. Because this only really comes from lots of practise - to become skilled in it, to do it accurately and to eventually - do it pretty much automatically. 

But, this student had somewhat fallen into the trap of describing, even explaining and linking some of the sources. BUT they hadn’t then related them to the question. They hadn’t USED them to help answer the question.

The question didn’t say - what are some of the geographical issues in this place?
It didn’t say ‘describe and explain the geographical challenges facing this city.
If it had, then the student’s response would have been more on track.

The question said to analyse a challenge identified and how it relates to liveability.

This is literally what makes this an analytical task. What lifts it to the level of analysis rather than just identifying or explaining. 

Knowing the difference between explain and analyse is SUCH an important part of high school study - especially in the upper years. I do so much training on this with students in my programs and coaching.

They need to use the sources as evidence - explain that evidence - and then state the IMPACT on specific aspects of liveability. In other words, they USE the sources to ANSWER the question. Talking about the sources is not answering the question. And this goes for any subject where information, a stimulus or sources are provided. History, business studies, art…

I actually said to this student that this is a bit like when I see students telling me about what happens in the novel or the play or the text in English. They end up recounting the story or telling me about a character - rather than actually answering the question. In this case, the source is the text.

If this resonates and you’d like to hear more, then I would recommend going next to episode 114 - ‘Dont Write About - Respond To’. I’ll put a direct link to it in the show notes.

And if you’d like your child to have an expert eye on their study, their tasks, their responses in real time, with detailed personal feedback, then drop an email to support@rocksolidstudy.com and let me know what year group they’re in to see if I have any spots in the coaching groups I’m running at the moment. 

Have a great rest of your day and I’ll see you back here next time. 

Bye!