'Skills' are situated, contextualised and discipline specific socio-cultural practices. Offering generic study skills make little practical sense.

As Wingate (2006) argues, study skills should not be decontextualised from the process of learning and the subject matter being taught. Learning to study is about learning to learn and must be informed by relevant research from psychology.

We cannot expect learners to apply skills without domain-specific knowledge. Rather than teaching generic skills we need to focus on building bodies of knowledge and getting pupils to practise applying this knowledge to develop their understanding.

MacNaughton (2003) offers 3 views of education: Conforming (passing on knowledge & control). Reforming (developing independent thinkers). Transforming (challenging inequalities). To transform we need to be able to use an Academic Literacies approach in our teaching.

Biesta suggests the aims of education are: qualification (knowledge & skills), socialisation (orientation in traditions & practices) & subjectification (the formation of the person) - a broader view of education is necessary and quality of process matters. The question 'what is quality?' is not a technical question about what works, but is a political one about judgement.

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