A few thoughts on retrieval. 1. I thought we were now supposed to be talking about knowledge. Retrieval talk is more pedagogy in my book. 2. If we're going to talk about retrieval, we need to talk a lot more about what's worth retrieving and that *is* a question of knowledge! 1
3. We need to ask whether retrieval in English is the same as in Science, History or other subjects. If a topic in Y9 requires knowledge from Y7, retrieving that knowledge is important. In English does work on a Shakespeare play in Y9 require knowledge from a Sh play in Y7? 2
If so, what is that knowledge? The names of characters, the plot, witchcraft in early modern England? Or, understanding of a 5 act play structure, the difference between comedy/tragedy, how playwrights use dialogue, soliloquy, asides, stage directions, patterns of symbolism. 3
None of these latter kinds of knowledge depend heavily on retrieval. Names of characters, plot detail etc do but they're not the knowledge you want to take forward. 4. In Y10 & Y13 (& in mocks or exams at KS3) retrieval of basic info about a text as a 1st base is important. But 4
...as run of the mill, day to day English work, it's a waste of time to be retrieving that kind of information/knowledge. Spend the time instead on developing the knowledge that needs to be taken forward - conceptual subject knowledge about the way texts work & readers read.. 5
So, if we're going to talk about retrieval, I'd like to see the discussion turn away from the 'how' to 'what should we ask students to retrieve?', which in the end, *is* the question we should be asking about knowledge in the English curriculum.
