Breaking through the a level effect: A first-year tutorial in student self-reflection

The A level experience of geography is often structured around carefully written textbooks which provide comprehensive 'maps' to the discipline. Such a structured geography does not encourage sophisticated critical faculties and results in what might be termed the A level effect. Many of the learning outcomes of the first year of a degree programme are designed to remove the impact of this effect. This paper describes a new first-year tutorial designed to introduce students to techniques of self-reflection constructed around a critique of their A level experience of geography. The argument is that the introduction of reflective learning practices to first-year students has an impact on their performance, transforming many passive student listeners into proactive, enthusiastic learners.