“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society”. Martin Luther King (The Marion Tiger – Morehouse College newspaper, 1947)

The newly reformed GCSE and A-Level examinations require students, now more than ever, to navigate their way through knowledge rich curricula, which seek to embed content that can be recalled under examination conditions. Teachers have responded by drawing upon evidence-informed strategies that enable students to retain and apply subject-based knowledge. Although the evidence supporting these approaches is strong, it should be recognised that the resultant risk is that we lose the opportunity to develop students’ understanding about the nature of knowledge and its application beyond the school environment.

Educationalist and author Alex Quigley suggests that “we need to develop our pupils’ knowledge of themselves as learners, and of tasks”, highlighting that teachers should ensure that students’ engage in a holistic experience which encourages them to reflect on what they are learning and how this impacts what they already understand about the world. An argument exists that this steers away from the rigour of content-based learning, and that affording time for deeper reflection limits the time available to meet the demands of knowledge-rich curricula. However, Quigley assumes a more nuanced stance, which recognises that knowledge acquisition and skill development need to work side by side. He recommends that students should be supported by learning experiences which scaffold from a state of dependency through to self-regulation. To achieve this, teachers should explicitly share strategies which enable students to plan and monitor their own work, therefore building the skills and attitudes which enable them to act as independent agents of their own learning.

During my first half term as Deputy Head at Bedford Girls’ School, I have had the pleasure of visiting a variety of lessons in which students have engaged in activities, which promote a blend of both knowledge and skills. This has enabled the girls’ to develop a deep understanding of their subject, together with a sense of responsibility and pride over their learning experience. With the increasing pressures of examinations, striking the right balance seems more relevant than at any other time.