Booklets, not book less: Implementing booklets in GCSE Religious Studies

Previously I have written about how and why my department have moved towards using booklets in RS. Here I explain how we have implemented the use of booklets for GCSE RS classes, and what we will change for the next academic year.

Context

In my school, RS is compulsory. All students sit the full GCSE. Students have RS three hours a fortnight with student who have elected to take three sciences at GCSE, having RS only once a fortnight. Ultimately, there is a lot of time pressure on staff and students to complete the course.

As a result, efficiency matters. Booklets are a way of cutting down on wasted time (sticking sheets in, for instance) and student voice found that students did not find their books helpful for their revision as they were poorly organised and had ‘too many sheets’ and not enough ‘useful notes’.

1. Start with a house style

It might seem superficial, but the attractiveness and professional quality of the booklet matters. My view is that students are more likely to treat something with respect if it looks good.

Therefore, I spent time designing a ‘house style’ for each GCSE booklet.

• What will the front cover look like?
• What size will the font be?
• What will the font be?

Although this took time, it made the booklets recognisably ‘RS’, rather than any other booklet students receive during their school career. When staff plan lessons for me and make booklets from these lessons, they adhere to this style and this helps ensure consistency for all.

2. Explicitly teach students how to use booklets

Before booklets, I would print copies of the specification and lesson overviews and students would stick them in before starting the topic. However, unless you micromanage a 14 year to stick sheets to your exacting standards, these sheets invariably looked like they had been glued in by a child.

Therefore, each booklet has a copy of the specification as well as a host of other useful things: links to previous learning, links to other subjects and QR codes with links to online resources to help with revision. This is explained to students at the start of the lesson. Students are also remined not to ‘race ahead’ and try to complete the booklet without teacher guidance.

Although this might seem like I am penalising proactive students, the rationale is that the teacher many go above and beyond the contents of the booklet, they may even not complete sections and therefore students need to listen.

At the start of each topic, students are explicitly reminded about how to use their booklets, that they are there to help with their studies and why what is on the specification is important. This might seem obvious, but we can sometimes assume students know this when they don’t.

3. Booklets, not book less

Each lesson ends with some form of exam practice. This year, students completed this exam practice in their booklets. However, on reflection, students often did not complete as much as if they were writing in their usual exercise books. For next year we are moving to a booklets, not book less approach. Here students will complete their ‘do now’ and exam practice in their exercise books and everything else in their booklets. It also gives teachers more flexibility to adapt lessons as they see fit: the booklet is a pedagogical tool, not a tool to confine teachers.

Overall, our department and students find booklets useful. They are not a replacement for great teaching, high student attendance, revision etc, but I have found them very helpful in the context in which I teach. Naturally, our department are frequently reflecting on how we use booklets, making adaptions to lessons, and will continue to make changes in the future. The key elements I have found to be important when implementing booklets at GCSE have been:

1.  A house style
2. Explicitly teach students how to use booklets
3. Booklets, not book less