Independent Learning

At Chobham Academy, we place a high emphasis on developing our students as learners. As well as being interested and engaged in the classroom, we want to help nurture young people who are able to learn for themselves and who enjoy learning.

We are conscious that Chobham students will move on from school into an exciting, fast-changing world filled with opportunities. Our students will be truly global citizens and it is vital that they are equipped with the skills to learn effectively throughout their lives.

So what are these Independent Learning skills we are seeking to cultivate?

Firstly, curiosity; we want to develop students who love learning for its own sake. Young children are excited to find out about the world around them. The most frequent question they ask is ‘why?’ This is partly why young children learn quickly. We want to maintain this excitement and interest in learning as our students move through their secondary careers.

Next, resilience; young people need to be able to work things out for themselves and to know what they should do when they encounter difficulties in their learning. Getting stuck is part of the learning process. At Chobham, we want to help students become problem solvers with the determination and strategies to persist until they have found a way to make progress.

Resourcefulness is also very important. At Chobham, we seek to develop young people who can think for themselves and do so under pressure. We want our students to be able to look at issues from differing perspectives and choose the best resource to find solutions.

Effective study skills make a big difference too. Our students will be more confident and successful learners if they know how to study for themselves. Learning and revision techniques form a key part of our wider curriculum at Chobham. We also emphasise to students the importance of being able to study effectively alone as well as in a classroom environment.

We also encourage our students to have a wide range of interests, both in and out of school. In particular, reading for pleasure is an excellent way of building up a reservoir of knowledge, understand and emotional literacy.

The development of life long Independent Learning skills also has a practical value in school. Students become better problem solvers in their lessons and their concentration improves. They are also better prepared to revise alone, thus creating a positive impact upon examination results.

Homework

Also, on a practical level, we set homework for all students at Chobham and expect them to complete it regularly and to the best of their ability.