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- April 25th, 2011
Gavinburn PS - The REAL School of Rock
- Derek Robertson
- Comments: 7 Comments »Tags: cfe, game based learning, games based learning, gaming, Guitar Hero
The movie School of Rock starring Jack Black is a fun movie. Although it has the very best of Hollywood’s cinematic licence to hook you in it also contains a truth about education in that there really is the need to ensure that relevance, purpose and appeal should be at the heart of learning for learners. Make school like this and who knows what our children can do?! It also makes a great point about the appeal of rock music and how it has great potential as a context that could excite and create scenarios that would have cultural resonance with learners in schools. This post showcases Scotland’s very own School of Rock, Gavinburn PS in Old KIlpatrick, West Dunbartonshire and shows how effective leadership can create that feel good factor with impact on learning in a real setting…
Guitar Hero in schools: How did it begin?
Back in 2006 when Guitar Hero was first released we bought it for the Consolarium. I remember playing against the LTS technician that afternoon when Laurie O’Donnell (Head of Future Learning at LTS at that time) peeked his head in to see what we were doing. “How on earth are you going to use that in schools?!” he enquired. “Just wait Laurie, I have a a plan!” was my reply. Since then the initial use of Guitar Hero in Aberdeenshire schools has led to its mainstream use in a huge number of classrooms across Scotland and further afield, two National Scottish Schools Guitar Hero competitions and has even seen an award winning use of it in East Lothian Council!
As a teacher I always believed in the benefits of contextualising learning and how a collaborative story could create the framework, or a contextual hub as I referred to it, about which learning could flourish. I firmly believe that using this approach appropriately and imaginatively can create the space in which learners will ‘suspend their disbelief’ and willingly go with the teachers on their journey through this evolving collaborative story. Having seen primary and secondary kids wearing Ramones, Thin Lizzy, Kiss, Guns N’ Roses etc. t-shirts I thought that the time was right to use Guitar Hero to suspend disbelief and impact on learning…
Move over Jack Black - Gavinburn PS is the REAL School of Rock
Over three years ago the Headteacher of Gavinburn PS, Gillian Penny, saw a Consolarium presentation about Guitar Hero at a Leadership event and she asked if she could try it out in her school. What she, her staff and the pupils at Gavinburn PS have done with Guitar Hero since then really is one of the finest examples of effective, sustainable and aspirational examples of game based learning that I have been involved with or seen. The Guitar Hero, or Band in a Box project as Mrs Penny has now christened it is firmly established in the school calendar. The children now expect to do this and await it with relish. The project comes to a crescendo with the Gavin Awards where parents and dignitaries are invited to a wonderful evening that celebrates learning. At this event the children’s creative energies are shared and the music and videos that they create as part of the project are premiered to an audience that I have always seen amazed at the quality of learning.
This year we have set up a series of posts to showcase the incredible learning that has been happening at Gavinburn PS. Please do take time to look at the work the children have done and feel free to leave comments for them to read.
- School of Rock 1/10: Epic with Immortal Love
- School of Rock 2/10: Papercut with Just be Yourself
- School of Rock 3/10: Peas on Earth with Timeout
- School of Rock 4/10: Red Hot Ice with Burning Love
- School of Rock 5/10: Skulls and Rockbones with Fear
- School of Rock 6/10: Explosion with Poison
- School of Rock 7/10: Starstruck with High School Boy
- School of Rock 8/10: Kcor with Party on our Own
- School of Rock 9/10: Riot with The Start of the Beginning
- School of Rock 10/10: Sting with VIP in NYC
These posts show how we can make learning relevant, purposeful and appealing but most of all, they show just what our children can do when the bar of expectation and aspiration is raised!
Categories Curriculum for Excellence, West Dunbartonshire
Here via @steven_moffat’s RT from @gillpenny, and here from California!
What you’re doing is brilliant. It’s taking everything that children have and putting it to use in a lively way. I’m so glad I found out about this project!
Will Tweet and Facebook this if that’s ok?
Thank you for your comments. This project really highlights the excellent work being done with games and technology within the class room. Feel free to contc us via the blog or twitter @consolarium
Thank you Jan. Feel free to tweet or Facebook this work by all means
I think these children deserve an audience. Delighted that you dropped by to look.
Wow, very impressed - I did a few spoof dvd’s for work the last few Christmases and it took me hoooouuurrrrs. The kids have succeeded in making me feel very old - which I suppose is their job! Cool!
[...] L’article de présentation est disponible à cette adresse : https://ltsblogs.org.uk/consolarium/2011/04/25/gavinburn-ps-the-real-school-of-rock/ [...]
[...] Presenter Links: Derek Roberston:School of Rock https://ltsblogs.org.uk/consolarium/2011/04/25/gavinburn-ps-the-real-school-of-rock/Mario Kart with P.2 and a granny’s perspective on [...]
It was a very thrilling experience to play Guitar Hero with the students of Gavinburn PS, the curricular learning is very well integrated with the game to lay an effective and sustainable impact. Its a brilliant job Derek Roberston is doing in colloboration with Gillian Penny.