4.6 Gathering support through ...

Although the learning process can be a solitary affair as illustrated in some of the captured images, for the most part it does not take place in isolation. Whilst there are about the same number of whole class photos or images showing small groups, very little comment was made that the learning was social in nature, nor that collaboration was taking place. In the few images where students were clearly working in pairs or small groups, very few of the respondents highlighted that the students concerned were working together to improve their learning. It was more along the lines of noting that a discussion was taking place, without making the next leap that the discussion might be helping individuals to formulate ideas and opinions for themselves and with each other.

"That looks like a group discussion, where everyone expresses their views about things"

Despite these observations, it is quite clear that students do draw support from a network of others, or perhaps this could be described more accurately as a hierarchy, with their teachers clearly at the apex. Teachers occupy a position of unchallenged trust, providing the definitive source of support:

Figure 15 - teacher

In other words, the majority of friends can only provide a second-best solution and then only if they're 'really good.'

So the teacher may be providing the guidance about what should be learned, how to go about it and helping you resolve problems, but also helping with motivation:

"And I'd be much less motivated to do it than if I'd got a teacher there saying right you've got to do it."

The role of friends and family is seen less as being intimately involved in the formal learning process and more as providing support and encouragement:

"And if you're upset, they make you feel better."

Despite not being captured in the images, the importance of parents is acknowledged in the learning experienced as part of personal development:

"And then there's all the life skills stuff; you get all that from your parents don't you?"

For those of us involved in promoting the opportunities that online resources may be able to offer in supporting learning, there was little succour in the respondents' comments. Although the Internet may be playing an increasingly significant role in their lives and they may use it to assist certain aspects of their learning such as when searching for information or helping with revision, it is no more than a bit-player in the serious business of learning. M, the most tech-savvy of all the respondents was unequivocal in recognising the limitations:

"The Internet contains so much waffle. You wouldn't be learning such specific things and you can't learn from certain sites because people can post on them themselves and might not all be true and it might not be what you're meant to be learning. I would never try and learn my A Level courses over the Internet!"