Aquired: www.sociology.org.uk

The Theory...
1. The study materials in the "downloads" section of this site are based around a system of teaching and learning known as "The AQuIRED system", a mnemonic that stands for: Answering Questions by Identifying knowledge, giving Reasons, using Examples and making Decisions.	2. The AQuIRED system has been developed and refined - both theoretically and practically - over a number of years as a means of enabling teachers and students to come to terms with the examination demands of A-level Sociology. By design, it's a system that can be used by any A-level Sociology student, whether at the very beginning or the very end of their course, although the sooner a student starts to use the system, the easier it is to develop the good practice around which it is based.
3. The system has been designed to be very simple to learn and easy to use. However, once learnt, it is flexible and powerful enough to be adapted to the specific requirements of all students, from the most to the least motivated. It does this by providing a clearly structured framework that is then used to develop students' understanding of sociological theories, concepts and practices.	4. AQuIRED is a complete system of teaching and learning designed specifically for use by A-level Sociology students. Although all forms of teaching involve, implicitly or explicitly, some form of strategy and system, AQuIRED is slightly different in the sense that it is built clearly and around the Assessment Objectives set by A-level Examination Boards.
5. The AQuIRED system works by identifying the basic skills an A-level student is required to demonstrate. It then establishes a framework that encourages students to develop and apply these skills in their answers to sociological questions. In basic terms, therefore, the system has two main qualities:
Firstly, it is simple to learn, remember and practice. This is an important quality because by making it simple to learn, students find it easy to remember and apply. Once the basic principles of the system are learnt, therefore, it becomes transparent to the student, in the sense that it provides an invisible framework against which a student can develop their examination skills.	Secondly, the AQuIRED system encourages students to develop a questioning approach to their use of sociological theories, concepts and methods by creating a well-defined teaching framework for the expression of their ideas. This is important because at A-level examiners demand students not only remember things but, more importantly, have the ability to reflect on, apply and criticise the knowledge they use.
6. By using the AQuIRED system for teaching, it's easy for students to learn the skills needed at A-level because they are always presented with knowledge in a systematic way, effectively teaching the system as part of the general learning process (thus, the AQuIRED system is transparent to the student because, although they are learning to use it, they are not necessarily always conscious of this fact). By adopting the system as part of the general learning process, students are effectively socialised to use it quite naturally to develop the skills required by A-level examiners.

1. As I've noted above, the AQuIRED system works, in theoretical terms, by providing a consistent teaching and learning framework that reflects the Assessment Objectives (Skill Domains) required by A-level Examination Boards. The Associated Examining Board (AEB) for example, requires a student to:	1. Understand sociological questions. 2. Identify relevant knowledge. 3. Interpret knowledge. 4. Apply knowledge. 5. Evaluate knowledge.
2. For all but the most basic examination questions, therefore, any answer a student produces must use all the specified skills. To encourage this in a practical context, the AQuIRED system reflects these requirements in terms of a five-stage approach that can be defined as follows:

1. Answering Questions.	This is the starting point for the system. Students are encouraged to develop knowledge and understanding by answering questions (put by their teachers, examiners, etc.).
2. Identifying knowledge.	Students identify knowledge that can be used as the basis for an answer to the question posed (in effect, the key ideas in any part of the course).
3. Reasons.	These need to be given for the belief that the knowledge initially identified is useful and relevant in terms of answering the question posed. This will usually involve definitions and explanations (in simple terms, the meaning / significance of identified knowledge).
4. Examples.	Sociological studies, personal experience and so forth can be used as examples to support and illustrate the reasons and knowledge used to answer a question. As such, examples are probably the simplest way of applying knowledge.
5. Decisions.	The process is completed by making decisions about the question, based on the knowledge generated in the previous stages. This involves ideas like:
	Criticisms of the reasons and examples used to support a particular piece of knowledge. Summaries of the points made in previous stages. Conclusions about the question, based on the preceding stages.

At the start of this section I suggested that AQuIRED was a "complete system of teaching and learning" and, thus far, we have looked at the way the system encourages teachers and students to initially think about organising answers to sociological questions around the required skills. A further dimension to the system, however, involves the development of a simple, practical, way for teachers and students to apply these skills systematically to questions. This is achieved by organising the Resource-Based Learning materials around four basic questions that are used as a means of both identifying the required skills and using them as systematically and efficiently as possible. These questions are sign-posted, within each Unit in the following way:
1. Firstly, a key idea (usually an important concept or theory) is identified by the label "What?".	This signifies knowledge that is the basis for the interpretation, application and evaluation that follows. ("What knowledge do I have to answer a question?").
2. Secondly, this key idea is developed by explaining its meaning or significance.	This is sign-posted by the label "Why?". ("Why do I think this knowledge is important?").
3. Thirdly, this initial explanation is supported by the use of examples drawn from relevant sociological material.	This is sign-posted by the label "How?". ("How can I use examples to apply this knowledge?").
4. Finally, once a key idea has been identified, explained and illustrated, the signpost "Decision" indicates some form of conclusion, criticism or summary of the key idea. ("What do I understand by the knowledge just used?").
Although this sounds complicated, it is, in reality, very simple and straightforward once the basic principles of the system are grasped. To use the AQuIRED system does,however, involve planning and organising the teaching and learning process in a particular way (it should be used consistently throughout a course since, in this way, students come to internalise the basic principles and are consequently able to apply them in an exam without having to think consciously about them).