August 15th, 2011

The Land of Me at Port Ellen PS: Parental Involvement 4/5

Derek Robertson

Comments: none Tags: Tags: cfe, curriculum for excellence, game based learning, Land of Me, parental involvement
 : Categories Argyll & Bute, Curriculum for Excellence, Parents, writing

When I first chatted with Janice McRae about her plans for using The Land of Me one of the first things she made reference to was her desire to encourage parental involvement in the project. Having a strong belief that parents should be as good a partner as possible in helping children learn she was very keen to create ways in which this could happen. A letter of information was sent out to all parents asking for help with building some of the class scenes as well as telling them about the opportunity to come and in to the classroom to support some learning activities.. This desire is very much in concert with that of Scottish Government’s views on parental involvement:

Parents who take on a supportive role in their child’s learning make a difference in improving achievement and behaviour. The active involvement of parents in the life of the school can help promote a learning community in which pupils can engage positively with school staff and their peers.

I was keen to get an overview from some parents about what their perception of this project had been and what impact, if any, they felt that it had had on their children. One mother I spoke to talked of her delight at being asked in to the classroom to help in the first place but also of her sense of amazement at the spread and range of
curricular activity that was happening. She also commented on the information letter that went home from the school being something that immediately captivated her attention and at her delight of how the project helped make relevant learning about her daughters own community and environment.

On the day that I visited the class a writing activity had been planned that involved parents coming in to help the children with a story about the characters in The Land of Me. There were quite a number of parents in the room that day and the atmosphere was focused and industrious. Following on from the stories that can be read when the player/learner visits Granny Olive in The Land of Me the guidance given to the children and the teacher was
that their story would be in three parts, would contain one of the main characters from The Land of Me and that it would have either a happy, sad or funny ending. The parents acted as scribes where appropriate and worked with their child to encourage the telling, drawing and writing of their own Land of Me story.

I also took time to interview some of the parents that took part in this writing session. The parents were hugely impressed with the open and visual nature of the learning environment and they were delighted to be playing such an active part in their children’s learning in school as well as out of school.

Parent Interview 1

Some of the points of made by this parent about this experience included:

“This approach to learning is completely different, it really leaves it open to their imagination.”

“The reading, the writing and the arithmetic is all in here..the kids are making it all themselves.”

“It’s been great getting in here and seeing them working…the classroom is so vibrant and busy!”

Parent Interview 2

Some of the points of made by this parent about this experience included:

“This is fantastic, lovely…I like that we’re involved in it all.”

“It’s fantastic because they can get so involved in it. It’s not like just picking up a book and putting it away-they are part of it every day.”

“My husband and I coming to help has been significant for us…we know what she is talking about when she comes home because we have been involved.”

Port Ellen PS clearly view the parents of their children as a valuable resource and as allies in helping to take children forward. It was clear from my discussions with the parents that such willing encouragement for them to be part of the life of learning really made them feel god about being a partner in their child’s development. What I saw in my time there is testament to this approach-happy children and happy parents working together with thoughtful and committed teachers in a vibrant and inquisitive learning space.

August 5th, 2011

1st Class Kidz Digital: News, Weather & Sport reporters 5/5

Derek Robertson

Comments: none Tags: Tags: cfe, curriculum for excellence
 : Categories Aberdeenshire, Curriculum for Excellence

This is the fifth of a series of 5 blog posts about the 1st Class Kidz Digital radio project that took place in Hatton Cruden PS. Introductory post can be viewed here.

1st Class KIdz Digital not only bring you the best in modern day music, quick-witted DJs delivering comedy sketches and the best of local industries featured in high quality advertising. Oh no, as with any radio station they also bring you the news, the weather and sports bulletins in every show. I managed to interrupt the team who cover all these areas and got the lowdown on how they gather their material for broadcast on 1st Class Kidz Digital.

News Reporters
How do we manage to mix up serious and not so serious news so that it appeals to our listeners. Also, where should we source our news stories - BBC or Sky?

Sports Reporter
Exploring local sport stories, exploring minority sports and discussing controversial issues in sport such as that rugby punch!

Weather Reporter
How we go about gathering the weather report for out area and what it means to be the person giving the bad news about rain for the weekend!

Thank you once again to all at Hatton Cruden PS for allowing us to share this excellent project with everyone.

August 3rd, 2011

1st Class Kidz Digital: The Advertising Team 4/5

Derek Robertson

Comments: none Tags:  : Categories Aberdeenshire, Curriculum for Excellence, Enterprise

This is the fourth of a series of 5 blog posts about the 1st Class Kidz Digital radio project that took place in Hatton Cruden PS. Introductory post can be viewed here.

In relation to Enterprise in education the Curriculum for Excellence website argues that good enterprising teaching and learning should:

• provide opportunities for learners to think and act in enterprising ways
• provide a clear focus on core and employability skills, and the ability to transfer these to different contexts, in particular the world of work
• provide opportunities for work-related experiences, both in and outwith the classroom
• adopt an enterprising approach to learning and teaching
• promote positive attitudes
• provide opportunities for learners to develop skills such as problem solving, decision making and evaluating risks
• provide entrepreneurial experiences.

The Advertising team at 1st Class Kidz Digital in Hatton Cruden PS had most certainly shown how they were addressing many of these aspirations (particularly the last three) with their efforts to attract local businesses to advertise on their school radio show. The local market and bakery both agreed to a deal that involved them supplying fruit and cakes in exchange for a well-scripted and well-crafted advert to feature on 1st Class Kidz Digital. I had a chance to speak with the Emily and Haley, who were the Advertising executives in the team, about their work:

Some good evidence here of a range of skills being applied in this task. Technical competence most certainly being developed as the children have been using Cool Edit to record and manipulate their adverts as well as writing poems/lyrics and negotiating business deals with local shops! Yet another effective team with the wider machine of 1st Class Kidz Digital.

August 3rd, 2011

1st Class Kidz Digital: Meet the DJs 3/5

Derek Robertson

Comments: none Tags: Tags: cfe, curriculum for excellence
 : Categories Aberdeenshire, Curriculum for Excellence, Literacy

This is the third of a series of 5 blog posts about the 1st Class Kidz Digital radio project that took place in Hatton Cruden PS. Introductory post can be viewed here.

One of the most important ingredients in ant radio show id the presenter, or in the case of a music station, the DJs. I met with two sest of DJs at 1st Class Kidz Digital and chatted to both. First up are DJ Groove and DJ Tic-Tac. Have a listen to our chat:

These boys said a number of things during our chat that really chimed with me in terms of how this experience had impacted on them as learners. These phrases included,

“Mr Mier has given us the independence to work on this project”

“This radio project has made me look forward to coming to school, it’s not just textbooks now!”

“Everyone is focused on their jobs and we are all responsible…well most of us anyway!”

We learn from our mistakes…it’s a good experience to learn from your mistakes.”

I then met DJ DBoy and DJ Fluff Hop and chatted with them about what the inspiration for their comedy interludes were. To help me understand this they run through a rehearsal of their forthcoming show with me. Have a listen:

It is clear from that short chat with these boys just how involved and serious about this fun yet demanding learning experience they are. Watch out for these up and coming DJs on a local radio station near you in the future!

August 3rd, 2011

1st Class Kidz Digital: Meet the Station Manager 2/5

Derek Robertson

Comments: none Tags: Tags: cfe
 : Categories Aberdeenshire, Curriculum for Excellence, cross-curricular

This is the second of a series of 5 blog posts about the 1st Class Kidz Digital radio project that took place in Hatton Cruden PS. Introductory post can be viewed here.

One of the most important jobs at 1st Class Kidz Digital was that of the Station Manager. Efficient performance in this role was integral to any broadcasts being on time and of the appropriate quality so it was with great delight that I managed to spend some time speaking to Niamh who was a very effective StationManager. Niamh had been walking round the classroom speaking to the children and was taking time to ensure that all was well and that all tasks were well under way and that the show would be ready in time for broadcast. She then called a team whole meeting which she chaired. You can see a brief part of this meeting in this video.

After this I took some time to talk to Niamh about her role and what she felt she had learned from it. She said that she was delighted to get the role as Station manager after interview and that that process in irself was a great learning experience. She also said that she felt she had developed a great deal of confidence because she had to speak to the team all the time to ensure all was going to plan and that she had learned to listen more because she had to resolve difficulties and problems when they arose- all to the satisfaction, where possible, of everyone!

You can hear my chat with Niamh here:

I was really struck by what I saw at the team meeting. Not only was there a very confident and effective Station Manager but her team were also working in a similar way AS were the rest of the pupils when giving their updates. The children in this class have really embraced the responsibilities given to them and clearly shown how they can react in such a positive manner to learning experiences that have purpose, cohesion and relevance.

August 3rd, 2011

1st Class Kidz Digital: The Radio station in the teacher’s cupboard 1/5

Derek Robertson

Comments: 2 Comments » Tags: Tags: Aberdeenshire, cfe, cross-curricular
 : Categories Aberdeenshire, Curriculum for Excellence, Glow, Parents

One of the most exciting and rewarding aspects of teaching is being able to bring your own talents and interests to the fore to help drive learning. Chris Mier from Hatton Cruden PS in Aberdeesnhire has done just that this year when he decided to bring the skills and experience he had honed in working in radio and DJing on the internet to the life and learning of his P.7 class. This interest of his was the catalyst for a project that crossed all curricular boundaries and made so many connections across learning. This series of 5 posts will hopefully give you a flavour of this exciting project and yet another illustration of the standards that children can achieve when the bar of aspiration and expectation is raised.

In the teacher’s cupboard in Mr Mier’s room is a cupboard. You know the type - the ones where books, paints, resources etc are kept. However, this cupboard is a little bit different from most. Have a look to see what is inside this one:

This range of resources that includes the cutting edge DJ equipment Tracktor was the resource that enabled Mr Mier to establish a whole class enterprise project based on a radio broadcasting business. 1st Class Kidz Digital radio company became a real enterprise over the course of the second half of last year in this P.7 class. My discussion with Mr Mier about this project can be heard here:

Getting started

Mr Mier created 25 jobs in 1st Class Kidz Digital that needed to filled. This meant that the perfect opportunity to teach the children about letter writing, CVs, interview techniques within a purposeful and relevant context was established. The children then had to apply for the jobs and were then interviewed for these jobs by some of the parents of the children. Their decisions were then fed back to Mr Mier who posted the newly filled positions on the class Glow site. Once the elation and disappointment of success or other wise had settled it was down to work and to start getting the radio shows produced!

The range of jobs

A radio station needs DJs of course but what else does it require? Well, a station manager was appointed and she was in essence the boss. She held weekly whole class meetings where she was given updates on progress from the DJs, scriptwriters, jingle creators, news reporters, weather reporters, sport reporters, advertising team, art & design team and the class blogger. Each ‘employee’ had to ensure that they were on task and that all necessary work was completed by an agreed due date.

Impact on learning

Mr Mier talked about the success that this enterprising approach to learning had had on his pupils and in particular he talked about his perceptions of:

• how the confidence levels had grown in the children over the course of the project. He attributed this to the ownership and responsibility that was afforded to the children and the way in which they embraced this. He also talked of the reality of the learning experience and how it was relevant, purposeful and important to the children
• how his pupils had engaged with and completed tasks to a very high standard and at times way beyond what was expected of them. This was particularly evident in areas such as writing and music making.
• how the social dynamic of the class was enhanced as a result of the project and the way in which the children took responsibility for their individual and collective tasks. The programme and the business was run with minimal input by Mr Mier with the children really owning 1st Class Kidz Digital.

Having spent an afternoon with the team at 1st Class Kidz Digital I have to say how impressed I was with their industry, creativity and maturity. I think that this shows how Curriculum for Excellence can work so well when a teacher uses specific skills that they have to create purposeful learning experiences for children; experiences that make them want to come to school, to learn, to achieve and to show us just what they can do.

Thank you to all at Hatton Cruden PS and 1st Class Kidz Digital for making me so welcome.

August 1st, 2011

Doon in the Wee Room: Building a can do culture with the iCan 3/3

Derek Robertson

Comments: none Tags: Tags: aifl
 : Categories Aberdeenshire, Aifl, Curriculum for Excellence, Glow

Back in 2003/4 some of my colleagues at the University of Dundee introduced e-portfolio, via Blackboard, to the PGCE(S) course. This was designed to enhance levels of responsibility, ownership and peer collaboration in the course. I was not directly linked to this work as it was led by Bob Doig, Graham Williamson and Joe McLuckie but I watched it develop and grow and became very interested in how this innovative and thoughtful use of technology could enhance learning. In essence the students at Dundee used the GTC’s SITE Benchmarks as the template to which they would document their progress and achievements over the duration of the course. Students would work in peer sets of three and would offer formative feedback on each others work at set times of the academic calendar and whenever else they felt it appropriate. A range of evidence could be drawn upon to show just how the students were meeting each of the benchmarks.