Student Teacher 36 | - ✏ Freelance Writer
Sep 01, 2015 | #1
This project is a demonstration of synthesis of learning in the Foundation Subjects, Science, ICT, and RE sessions during the year. It represents a holistic approach to learning. The project is a reflection of the integration of learning and practice in PG 3100.
As adults, instructors and teachers understand the interrelated nature of the world and all the facets in it. Children have not yet discovered how things relate to each other. The education and learning curriculum provides teachers with multiple opportunities to develop cross-curricular links in educational modalities. One of the best ways to develop these links is through the school visit. Learning outside the classroom is defined as "The use of places other than the classroom for teaching and learning" (DIES). According to DIES, making links between feeling and learning help the child develop into adulthood. In the process of that development, the links help affect the child's eventual lifestyle and work. The goal of learning outside the classroom is to "transfer learning experienced outside to the classroom and vice versa" (DIES).
The National Curriculum is extremely flexible. It provides guidance for a number of broad educational areas required for regular instruction, plus locally agreed syllabi to be used for religious education and a personal health and safety, social and citizenship curriculum (DIES). The National Curriculum also establishes key skills that students must develop not only for academic success for life success. Communication skills, working with others, problem solving, improving one's own learning and importance, utilising information technology, and learning to apply number skills are not only critical to life success but are apt venues for application of school visits.
Creativity is a vital part of the child's educational experience. The teacher who fosters creative activities concentrates on purposeful activity, original work, with value to student and his or her education (Quigley). By teaching the main features of the lesson, defining criteria for success, giving students wide latitude regarding the presentation of the work, and evaluating the work, a four step process for engendering creativity takes place and enhances the learning process.
As Quigley points out, learning creatively is not just a Monday morning activity; creative learning can be developed in all subjects across the curriculum. The advantages of creativity including helping the child develop life skills, encouraging them to develop their talents, and helping them to learn self-motivation while improving self esteem. Although there are established standards for learning, it is important to understand that the standards are for learning, not necessarily for learning in the classroom. In fact, Quigley stresses that by utilizing the key skills, contexts for learning can be developed for all subject areas (Quigley).
School visits offer an excellent application of the key skills and contexts of learning. With careful planning it is possible to intertwine the requirements of the different curriculum areas to produce an exciting study experience. Dean points out that there are several key concepts for teachers to remember when planning curriculum that encompasses a school visit. At Key Stage 2, the level utilized in this project, placing British history in a framework for examining change and continuity can easily be adapted to incorporate RE, or new religions in Britain; geography, environment, music and technology. When planning the school visit to the Science Museum of Central London, I ensured that Key Stage 2 items were incorporated. The visit allowed the incorporation of religious education, science, ICT, history, art, and geography. Students were able to learn how math, English, PE and modern languages all related to the main study materials.
While students go on the school visit as an adjutant to their regular learning, even the trip to the location of the school visit offers educational opportunities. By taking the underground to the museum students learn life skills. The trip also offers excellent reinforcement for diversity of humanity as students observe the people in the underground.
Newbury Park Primary School is very close to the Newbury Park underground station. The station itself is one the central line of the underground. The Science museum itself is very near the underground station. There is a tremendous amount of activity at the Science Museum, and the venue fits in well with the themes of study at the school. The IMAX 3D cinema is always attractive to children of this age range. The Fly Zone has cross-curriculum study of its own as students can watch the Red Arrows in the IMAX and then use the controls of a fighter jet in the flight simulators, called Fly 306°. The thematic unit that was developed during the pre-visit is a study of Islam. This visit will allow the linkage of all of the major curriculum areas.
Making the connection with British history is the Black Arrow rocket display. Britain was the fifth nation to launch its own satellite. Discussions for study and reinforcement include how the movement of the stars and moon are tracked, who invented the tracking devices, and how they are made. Other displays in the museum prompt investigation by students. Religion can be incorporated by investigating the display of the ways that Muslims were involved in science, including the Islamic calendar. The Islamic calendar, based on the moon, is quite different from the current calendar. The museum had historical calendars displayed, including one from Iran in 1667, one from Iraq in 1765, and one from Syria in 1766.
Hazarat Ali's sword was on display in the museum during the pre-visit. Children are fascinated with swords and medieval weapons in general. The study of Hazarat Ali's sword and where it came from, as well as where and how it was made, offers an excellent interlink with both art and history. Children can even look at the sword online before they visit; it is very exciting to talk about something and then locate it in the museum. This also provides a tie-in to the Information Technology portion of the curriculum. Other areas of linkage in Information Technology include how Information Technology has led to the current space research. The museum houses an astronaut's suit and rockets.
While Hazarat Ali's sword is an excellent example of Muslim art and history, a discussion of the sword should lead to discussion of the Ottoman Empire and a review of a timeline of history with names of people of importance to the Muslim religion. Students can make their own art, reflecting their ability to communicate with a paint brush or art pencil. Learning to make 3-D shapes ties in to mathematics but also to a wide variety of 3-D interactive displays available at the museum (Science Museum).
Mathematics, literature, and geography all have links to the Arab world. Even PE has benefitted from the Islamic culture, for Arabic dance is well known for belly-dancing. Arabic dancing belts are a form of art themselves. The location of the Arab world, the Ottoman Empire, and counties like Iraq and Syria can be explored using the guidelines established by the national curriculum. Design and Technology curriculum can be enriched with study of space rockets. Finally, the use of Arabic languages words and names can be utilized throughout the unit.
During the pre-visit, the following areas of the museum were reviewed:
- Islamic art and artifacts - Hazarat Ali's Sword, other art
- Astronomy - calendars, movements of moon and stars
- Astronomy/ICT - space suits, rockets
- History - Hazarat Ali's sword, Black Arrow Rocket, role of the Ottoman Empire
Spider Diagram
As UK Field Trips have stated, "where there is fun and adventure, there are normally risks to accompany it." The purpose of a risk assessment is to manage risk. In managing risk, teachers must consider not only the obvious risks of accident or injury but also more subtle and unlikely risks, such as kidnapping or terrorist attack. In today's litigious legal environment, responsible teachers must do an accurate risk assessment to protect children from danger, but also to protect themselves and their schools from untoward legal action (West & Hailstone).
As West and Hailstone have pointed out, by following the appropriate procedures for risk assessment and documentation, students are protected, the teacher has a better idea of situations that may be encountered, and an audit trail is developed in case there as issues later.
Risk assessments consider the type of people involved in the school visit, the context of the visit and the location of the visit. The risk assessment, outlined below, is modeled on the Lancashire Risk Assessment is outlined below.
- Make up of the group - 30 eleven year olds
- Staffing of the group - Teacher, an aide, six to ten parents
- Equipment to be used (Underground, cross walks, elevators, escalators)
- Environment - The trip will consist of outside walk, inside Underground, inside museum
- Travel - limited travel, on Underground
- Emergency procedures - In medical problem, contact emergency, contact parents. For public emergency follow directions of police and rescue units watching children until parents can be contacted.
A detailed risk assessment is provided in the Appendix.
This section provides three separate learning activities that I would provide during the visit to the Science Museum and provides the learning objectives.
Activity 1
Calendar study: Compare the Islamic calendars on display with the current calendar. Determine the date that you would have been born using either the calendar from Iran in 1667, Iraq in 1765, or Syria in 1766. Parents and teacher will help with this activity.
Learning objective: real-life problem solving, Maths problem solving
Subject/areas of learning: Maths, history, Islamic unit.
Activity 2
Red Arrows 3D movie in the IMAX followed by Fly 360° flight simulator. Watch the Red Arrows and practice flying in the simulator.
Learning objective: to experience first hand the way that flying feels and to place this in the context of the development of flight from the time of the Ottoman empire's first rockets.
Subject/areas of learning: History, design and technology.
Activity 3
Worksheet.: develop a timeline of the events you experienced today. Students can work in teams if they desire. Teacher will provide a list of the events. Students should try to put in them timeline order from the earliest activities or discoveries until the most recent.
Learning objective: to internalise the lessons learned during the school trip; to place historical events in their position in time; to problem solve alone and with others. .
Subject/areas of learning: History, geography. Working with others.
In activity one, the difference in culture between the ancient Islamic cultures and today's culture will be emphasized by attempting to figure out birthdates based on these moon-based calendars. The teacher will impress upon the students that the Islamic or moon based calendar is still in use in some Middle Eastern countries. If the children are interested in a discussion (or the discussion may be saved for a return to the classroom) the class may discuss how difficult it would be to use this calendar while the majority of the world utilises our current calendar. A number of discussion questions will naturally evolve from this discussion, including discussion of religious rights. This topic could broaden into other cultures if the class is interested and the teacher desires.
In activity two, activity with the Red Arrows, the students will experience what flying feels like. The discussion should concentrate on the historical participation of the Islamic nations in the development of rockets. The teacher can stimulate learning by asking what it would feel like to pilot a plan 'for real'. How many students are interested in being pilots? Are any students interested in being astronauts? What type of education would a student need in order to become an astronaut some day? Is it possible that the ancient Ottomans thought about flying to the moon? The moon was very important to them; would they have fantasized about visiting it?
Activity three encourages students to work together to accomplish the timeline activity. Student groups that have arranged the time lines inaccurately can be encouraged to discuss why they made the choices they did. Problem solving techniques can be used to teach students very basic logic skills by asking 'could this have happened before that?' "Why or why not?' The point of this exercise is to make the effort and to work together, more than getting the correct answer the first time.
This section describes an interactive classroom display to be produced at school after the school visit and related cross-cultural activities. It demonstrates a variety of interactive elements and engages children with different learning styles.
The interactive belly-dancing display will have a variety of stations. The first will provide harem pants in both male and female styles, along with belts and necklaces. Scarves will be provided for children to imitate turbans; the scarves will be laundered daily at the end of the day.
- A variety of drums and tambourines will be provided.
- Music will be available through a laptop set up at the station.
- Students will be able to watch videos of both male and female belly dancers.
- The laptop will have a built in webcam for recording the children as they practice with the belly dancing video. Parental permission for the action will be acquired.
This first section of the interactive display will address Art, Music, PE, History, Design and Technology (Quigley).
Students will participate in discussion afterwards:
- Is belly dancing a good form of exercise?
- Why might a male (boy) have practiced belly dancing during the Ottoman empire? Possible answers are that it would be good exercise, or that it would make them physically fit. There may be more innovative answers. Students may also say (based on watching of the videos) that it helped men or boys learn to fight with swords.
This section of the interactive display will address PE, problem solving, communication, and history.
Students will write a brief evaluation of the activity telling what they liked, what they disliked, and what they learned. Presentations will be made to the whole class. Some students may need accommodation for this portion of the activity.
Times have changed since I was a child. Wilson pointed out that in the last twenty years there has been a global revolution in education and that revolution has placed focus on creativity. However, while increasing the level of creativity has undoubtedly raised the interest level of the child, it brings certain tensions to teaching. Creative thinking has been named a key skill in the National Curriculum.With the memorialisation of creative thinking as a required skill comes a new responsibility for teachers. No longer is creativity something "extra" that teachers do for their classroom and discourage in their students! Instead, creativity is a vital part of the curriculum. It is my profound personal belief that the cure for cancer and AIDS will be found by a student who has been taught to think both critically and creatively, and who has been encouraged to 'reach for the stars'. I would like to be that teacher.
Jones and Wyse express that film can be a way of stimulating children to talk. It is this concept that suggested the interactive display to me. Children naturally respond to film; they love to watch it, they love to make films. The combination of allowing the students to dress up, make music, and film themselves incorporates the best of creative thinking and design and technology. It also incorporates a wide variety of cross-curricular learning facets. Cross curricular learning is an excellent way to engage students. How much more fun would it be to figure out the financial worth of the coins on a belly-dancing costume than to do Maths worksheets!
My favorite character on the old A-Team TV show from America repeatedly commented "I love it when a plan comes together!" I suspect he would have understood the concept of cross-curricular learning very well indeed.
Key stage 2 attempts to broaden a child's understanding of history and his or her place in it (Hoodless et al.). It takes us from how it used to be, to how we got where we are today. We are fortunate in Great Britain that there are so many learning places available. Museums, churches, cathedrals, historic buildings, castles - each of these marvelous settings offers a way to broaden a child's perspective of history and the humanities. Similar facilities are available for the sciences, Maths, design and technology: the list is endless. Learning outside the classroom is a gift, to be nurtured I children.
Learning outside the classroom does not stop with a round of museums and historic buildings. It represents so much more. By developing a partnership with teachers, parents, and community leaders, we further the child's opportunity to learn outside the classrooms (DIES):
Beetlestone stated that "physical, emotional, and cognitive development are closely linked" in children. It is my sincere belief that children who enjoy learning, who have an active learning experience, are better able to learn. Their emotional well-being has a great deal to do with their cognitive development, and healthy minds make healthy bodies. Utilising a cross-curricular modality with a wide variety of elements so that children with different learning styles are still engaged offers the best opportunity for future learning for the children that we will be teaching. This exercise has had a tremendous impact on my level of understanding of education of the primary child. I regret that my teachers did not have this curriculum guidance! It has impacted my future practice greatly.
Reference List
Barnes J. Cross-Curricular Learning 3-14: Developing Primary School Practice. London: Sage
Beetlestone F. Children, Imaginative Teaching (Enriching the Primary Curriculum - Child, Teacher, Context.) UK: Open University Press
Bonello, P. School Trips. Health and Safety March, Volume 3.
Cropley A. Creativity in Education and Learning: A Guide for Teachers and Educators. UK: Routledge Falmer.
Dean, J. Cross-Curriculum Learning. Nuffield Primary History.
DfES. Excellence and Enjoyment, A Strategy for Primary Schools Nottingham: DfES
Hoodless P.et al Teaching Humanities in Primary Schools: (Achieving QTS). Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd.
Jones R. and Wyse, D. Creativity in the Primary Curriculum. K: David Fulton Publishers Ltd.
Lancashire Risk Assessment.
Quigley C. Key Skills for an Excellent and Enjoyable Curriculum Book. UK: Focus in Education Publications.
Appendix - Risk Assessment
School: Newbury Park Primary School
Section 1: Make Up of the Group
- Number of Pupils: 30
- Student exceptionalities: None
- Evidence of consideration:
- Of the 30 students, 18 are female and 12 are male. The average age is 11 with two students aged 10 and one aged 12.
Students will be divided into groups of four. An adult will be assigned to each group. Students in each group will be given a card with the emergency cellular phone number of the group leader on the card. Students will also be given a copy of a behavioral contract that they have signed; they will keep the contract with them at all times.
Section 2: Staffing of the Group
- Number of Staff: 2 (One teacher, one aide)
- Number of parents: 8
- Evidence of Consideration:
- Staff are trained in first aid; four of the parents are very experienced in the area near the Museum.
Section 3: Equipment to be used and environment to be Considered
- Equipment will be sufficient outer clothing for the chill air; rain hats and coats as necessary.
- Environment - The trip will consist of outside walk, inside Underground, inside museum
- Evidence of Consideration:
- Children will be advised to check the weather report before leaving home; a discussion of suitable clothing will be held in the days before the trip.
Staff will carry a first aid kit and emergency cards for all of the students. Students will be requested to bring water bottles in their packs. Students are to limit valuables and carry their school ID. Small maps of the area were made and laminated as a class project; they will be distributed to students. Staff will carry a detail map.
Section 4: Travel
Travel will be limited with a two block walk to the Underground, a ride on the Underground, and a one block walk to the Museum.
- Evidence of Consideration.
- Students will obey staff directions and will walk together in a double file group.
- Students will not leave the group without permission. If students must utilise the facilities, they will go in assigned pairs.
- Students have been reminded of proper crosswalk etiquette.
- Students have been given directions of what to do if they are lost or injured: they are to use their emergency card to call an adult in the group.
Section 5: Emergency Procedures.
- If there is a medical emergency students are to notify their accompanying adult, who will contact emergency and contact parents.
- For public emergency follow directions of police and rescue units watching children until parents can be contacted.
- Evidence of Consideration:
- There is a high level of supervision
- All adults will carry cell phones and at least one child in each group will have a personal cell phone
- Students carry staff emergency numbers; staff carry emergency numbers for all parents.
- Buddy system has been assigned.
- An emergency meeting point at the west exit has been designated.
Cross-Curricular Links
As adults, instructors and teachers understand the interrelated nature of the world and all the facets in it. Children have not yet discovered how things relate to each other. The education and learning curriculum provides teachers with multiple opportunities to develop cross-curricular links in educational modalities. One of the best ways to develop these links is through the school visit. Learning outside the classroom is defined as "The use of places other than the classroom for teaching and learning" (DIES). According to DIES, making links between feeling and learning help the child develop into adulthood. In the process of that development, the links help affect the child's eventual lifestyle and work. The goal of learning outside the classroom is to "transfer learning experienced outside to the classroom and vice versa" (DIES).The National Curriculum is extremely flexible. It provides guidance for a number of broad educational areas required for regular instruction, plus locally agreed syllabi to be used for religious education and a personal health and safety, social and citizenship curriculum (DIES). The National Curriculum also establishes key skills that students must develop not only for academic success for life success. Communication skills, working with others, problem solving, improving one's own learning and importance, utilising information technology, and learning to apply number skills are not only critical to life success but are apt venues for application of school visits.
Creativity is a vital part of the child's educational experience. The teacher who fosters creative activities concentrates on purposeful activity, original work, with value to student and his or her education (Quigley). By teaching the main features of the lesson, defining criteria for success, giving students wide latitude regarding the presentation of the work, and evaluating the work, a four step process for engendering creativity takes place and enhances the learning process.
As Quigley points out, learning creatively is not just a Monday morning activity; creative learning can be developed in all subjects across the curriculum. The advantages of creativity including helping the child develop life skills, encouraging them to develop their talents, and helping them to learn self-motivation while improving self esteem. Although there are established standards for learning, it is important to understand that the standards are for learning, not necessarily for learning in the classroom. In fact, Quigley stresses that by utilizing the key skills, contexts for learning can be developed for all subject areas (Quigley).
School visits offer an excellent application of the key skills and contexts of learning. With careful planning it is possible to intertwine the requirements of the different curriculum areas to produce an exciting study experience. Dean points out that there are several key concepts for teachers to remember when planning curriculum that encompasses a school visit. At Key Stage 2, the level utilized in this project, placing British history in a framework for examining change and continuity can easily be adapted to incorporate RE, or new religions in Britain; geography, environment, music and technology. When planning the school visit to the Science Museum of Central London, I ensured that Key Stage 2 items were incorporated. The visit allowed the incorporation of religious education, science, ICT, history, art, and geography. Students were able to learn how math, English, PE and modern languages all related to the main study materials.
While students go on the school visit as an adjutant to their regular learning, even the trip to the location of the school visit offers educational opportunities. By taking the underground to the museum students learn life skills. The trip also offers excellent reinforcement for diversity of humanity as students observe the people in the underground.
Destination for Visit
Newbury Park Primary School is very close to the Newbury Park underground station. The station itself is one the central line of the underground. The Science museum itself is very near the underground station. There is a tremendous amount of activity at the Science Museum, and the venue fits in well with the themes of study at the school. The IMAX 3D cinema is always attractive to children of this age range. The Fly Zone has cross-curriculum study of its own as students can watch the Red Arrows in the IMAX and then use the controls of a fighter jet in the flight simulators, called Fly 306°. The thematic unit that was developed during the pre-visit is a study of Islam. This visit will allow the linkage of all of the major curriculum areas.
Making the connection with British history is the Black Arrow rocket display. Britain was the fifth nation to launch its own satellite. Discussions for study and reinforcement include how the movement of the stars and moon are tracked, who invented the tracking devices, and how they are made. Other displays in the museum prompt investigation by students. Religion can be incorporated by investigating the display of the ways that Muslims were involved in science, including the Islamic calendar. The Islamic calendar, based on the moon, is quite different from the current calendar. The museum had historical calendars displayed, including one from Iran in 1667, one from Iraq in 1765, and one from Syria in 1766.
Hazarat Ali's sword was on display in the museum during the pre-visit. Children are fascinated with swords and medieval weapons in general. The study of Hazarat Ali's sword and where it came from, as well as where and how it was made, offers an excellent interlink with both art and history. Children can even look at the sword online before they visit; it is very exciting to talk about something and then locate it in the museum. This also provides a tie-in to the Information Technology portion of the curriculum. Other areas of linkage in Information Technology include how Information Technology has led to the current space research. The museum houses an astronaut's suit and rockets.
While Hazarat Ali's sword is an excellent example of Muslim art and history, a discussion of the sword should lead to discussion of the Ottoman Empire and a review of a timeline of history with names of people of importance to the Muslim religion. Students can make their own art, reflecting their ability to communicate with a paint brush or art pencil. Learning to make 3-D shapes ties in to mathematics but also to a wide variety of 3-D interactive displays available at the museum (Science Museum).
Mathematics, literature, and geography all have links to the Arab world. Even PE has benefitted from the Islamic culture, for Arabic dance is well known for belly-dancing. Arabic dancing belts are a form of art themselves. The location of the Arab world, the Ottoman Empire, and counties like Iraq and Syria can be explored using the guidelines established by the national curriculum. Design and Technology curriculum can be enriched with study of space rockets. Finally, the use of Arabic languages words and names can be utilized throughout the unit.
During the pre-visit, the following areas of the museum were reviewed:
- Islamic art and artifacts - Hazarat Ali's Sword, other art
- Astronomy - calendars, movements of moon and stars
- Astronomy/ICT - space suits, rockets
- History - Hazarat Ali's sword, Black Arrow Rocket, role of the Ottoman Empire
Spider Diagram
Risk Assessment
As UK Field Trips have stated, "where there is fun and adventure, there are normally risks to accompany it." The purpose of a risk assessment is to manage risk. In managing risk, teachers must consider not only the obvious risks of accident or injury but also more subtle and unlikely risks, such as kidnapping or terrorist attack. In today's litigious legal environment, responsible teachers must do an accurate risk assessment to protect children from danger, but also to protect themselves and their schools from untoward legal action (West & Hailstone).
As West and Hailstone have pointed out, by following the appropriate procedures for risk assessment and documentation, students are protected, the teacher has a better idea of situations that may be encountered, and an audit trail is developed in case there as issues later.
Risk assessments consider the type of people involved in the school visit, the context of the visit and the location of the visit. The risk assessment, outlined below, is modeled on the Lancashire Risk Assessment is outlined below.
- Make up of the group - 30 eleven year olds
- Staffing of the group - Teacher, an aide, six to ten parents
- Equipment to be used (Underground, cross walks, elevators, escalators)
- Environment - The trip will consist of outside walk, inside Underground, inside museum
- Travel - limited travel, on Underground
- Emergency procedures - In medical problem, contact emergency, contact parents. For public emergency follow directions of police and rescue units watching children until parents can be contacted.
A detailed risk assessment is provided in the Appendix.
Engagement with Learning Environment
This section provides three separate learning activities that I would provide during the visit to the Science Museum and provides the learning objectives.
Activity 1
Calendar study: Compare the Islamic calendars on display with the current calendar. Determine the date that you would have been born using either the calendar from Iran in 1667, Iraq in 1765, or Syria in 1766. Parents and teacher will help with this activity.
Learning objective: real-life problem solving, Maths problem solving
Subject/areas of learning: Maths, history, Islamic unit.
Activity 2
Red Arrows 3D movie in the IMAX followed by Fly 360° flight simulator. Watch the Red Arrows and practice flying in the simulator.
Learning objective: to experience first hand the way that flying feels and to place this in the context of the development of flight from the time of the Ottoman empire's first rockets.
Subject/areas of learning: History, design and technology.
Activity 3
Worksheet.: develop a timeline of the events you experienced today. Students can work in teams if they desire. Teacher will provide a list of the events. Students should try to put in them timeline order from the earliest activities or discoveries until the most recent.
Learning objective: to internalise the lessons learned during the school trip; to place historical events in their position in time; to problem solve alone and with others. .
Subject/areas of learning: History, geography. Working with others.
Discussion
In activity one, the difference in culture between the ancient Islamic cultures and today's culture will be emphasized by attempting to figure out birthdates based on these moon-based calendars. The teacher will impress upon the students that the Islamic or moon based calendar is still in use in some Middle Eastern countries. If the children are interested in a discussion (or the discussion may be saved for a return to the classroom) the class may discuss how difficult it would be to use this calendar while the majority of the world utilises our current calendar. A number of discussion questions will naturally evolve from this discussion, including discussion of religious rights. This topic could broaden into other cultures if the class is interested and the teacher desires.
In activity two, activity with the Red Arrows, the students will experience what flying feels like. The discussion should concentrate on the historical participation of the Islamic nations in the development of rockets. The teacher can stimulate learning by asking what it would feel like to pilot a plan 'for real'. How many students are interested in being pilots? Are any students interested in being astronauts? What type of education would a student need in order to become an astronaut some day? Is it possible that the ancient Ottomans thought about flying to the moon? The moon was very important to them; would they have fantasized about visiting it?
Activity three encourages students to work together to accomplish the timeline activity. Student groups that have arranged the time lines inaccurately can be encouraged to discuss why they made the choices they did. Problem solving techniques can be used to teach students very basic logic skills by asking 'could this have happened before that?' "Why or why not?' The point of this exercise is to make the effort and to work together, more than getting the correct answer the first time.
Classroom Display 250
This section describes an interactive classroom display to be produced at school after the school visit and related cross-cultural activities. It demonstrates a variety of interactive elements and engages children with different learning styles.
Interactive Display: Belly Dancing
The interactive belly-dancing display will have a variety of stations. The first will provide harem pants in both male and female styles, along with belts and necklaces. Scarves will be provided for children to imitate turbans; the scarves will be laundered daily at the end of the day.
- A variety of drums and tambourines will be provided.
- Music will be available through a laptop set up at the station.
- Students will be able to watch videos of both male and female belly dancers.
- The laptop will have a built in webcam for recording the children as they practice with the belly dancing video. Parental permission for the action will be acquired.
This first section of the interactive display will address Art, Music, PE, History, Design and Technology (Quigley).
Interactive Display: Discussion
Students will participate in discussion afterwards:
- Is belly dancing a good form of exercise?
- Why might a male (boy) have practiced belly dancing during the Ottoman empire? Possible answers are that it would be good exercise, or that it would make them physically fit. There may be more innovative answers. Students may also say (based on watching of the videos) that it helped men or boys learn to fight with swords.
This section of the interactive display will address PE, problem solving, communication, and history.
Interactive Display: Feedback
Students will write a brief evaluation of the activity telling what they liked, what they disliked, and what they learned. Presentations will be made to the whole class. Some students may need accommodation for this portion of the activity.
Reflection
Times have changed since I was a child. Wilson pointed out that in the last twenty years there has been a global revolution in education and that revolution has placed focus on creativity. However, while increasing the level of creativity has undoubtedly raised the interest level of the child, it brings certain tensions to teaching. Creative thinking has been named a key skill in the National Curriculum.With the memorialisation of creative thinking as a required skill comes a new responsibility for teachers. No longer is creativity something "extra" that teachers do for their classroom and discourage in their students! Instead, creativity is a vital part of the curriculum. It is my profound personal belief that the cure for cancer and AIDS will be found by a student who has been taught to think both critically and creatively, and who has been encouraged to 'reach for the stars'. I would like to be that teacher.
Cross-Curricular Learning
Jones and Wyse express that film can be a way of stimulating children to talk. It is this concept that suggested the interactive display to me. Children naturally respond to film; they love to watch it, they love to make films. The combination of allowing the students to dress up, make music, and film themselves incorporates the best of creative thinking and design and technology. It also incorporates a wide variety of cross-curricular learning facets. Cross curricular learning is an excellent way to engage students. How much more fun would it be to figure out the financial worth of the coins on a belly-dancing costume than to do Maths worksheets!
My favorite character on the old A-Team TV show from America repeatedly commented "I love it when a plan comes together!" I suspect he would have understood the concept of cross-curricular learning very well indeed.
Learning Outside the Classroom
Key stage 2 attempts to broaden a child's understanding of history and his or her place in it (Hoodless et al.). It takes us from how it used to be, to how we got where we are today. We are fortunate in Great Britain that there are so many learning places available. Museums, churches, cathedrals, historic buildings, castles - each of these marvelous settings offers a way to broaden a child's perspective of history and the humanities. Similar facilities are available for the sciences, Maths, design and technology: the list is endless. Learning outside the classroom is a gift, to be nurtured I children.
Learning outside the classroom does not stop with a round of museums and historic buildings. It represents so much more. By developing a partnership with teachers, parents, and community leaders, we further the child's opportunity to learn outside the classrooms (DIES):
Implication for Future Practice
Beetlestone stated that "physical, emotional, and cognitive development are closely linked" in children. It is my sincere belief that children who enjoy learning, who have an active learning experience, are better able to learn. Their emotional well-being has a great deal to do with their cognitive development, and healthy minds make healthy bodies. Utilising a cross-curricular modality with a wide variety of elements so that children with different learning styles are still engaged offers the best opportunity for future learning for the children that we will be teaching. This exercise has had a tremendous impact on my level of understanding of education of the primary child. I regret that my teachers did not have this curriculum guidance! It has impacted my future practice greatly.
Reference List
Barnes J. Cross-Curricular Learning 3-14: Developing Primary School Practice. London: Sage
Beetlestone F. Children, Imaginative Teaching (Enriching the Primary Curriculum - Child, Teacher, Context.) UK: Open University Press
Bonello, P. School Trips. Health and Safety March, Volume 3.
Cropley A. Creativity in Education and Learning: A Guide for Teachers and Educators. UK: Routledge Falmer.
Dean, J. Cross-Curriculum Learning. Nuffield Primary History.
DfES. Excellence and Enjoyment, A Strategy for Primary Schools Nottingham: DfES
Hoodless P.et al Teaching Humanities in Primary Schools: (Achieving QTS). Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd.
Jones R. and Wyse, D. Creativity in the Primary Curriculum. K: David Fulton Publishers Ltd.
Lancashire Risk Assessment.
Quigley C. Key Skills for an Excellent and Enjoyable Curriculum Book. UK: Focus in Education Publications.
Appendix - Risk Assessment
School: Newbury Park Primary School
Section 1: Make Up of the Group
- Number of Pupils: 30
- Student exceptionalities: None
- Evidence of consideration:
- Of the 30 students, 18 are female and 12 are male. The average age is 11 with two students aged 10 and one aged 12.
Students will be divided into groups of four. An adult will be assigned to each group. Students in each group will be given a card with the emergency cellular phone number of the group leader on the card. Students will also be given a copy of a behavioral contract that they have signed; they will keep the contract with them at all times.
Section 2: Staffing of the Group
- Number of Staff: 2 (One teacher, one aide)
- Number of parents: 8
- Evidence of Consideration:
- Staff are trained in first aid; four of the parents are very experienced in the area near the Museum.
Section 3: Equipment to be used and environment to be Considered
- Equipment will be sufficient outer clothing for the chill air; rain hats and coats as necessary.
- Environment - The trip will consist of outside walk, inside Underground, inside museum
- Evidence of Consideration:
- Children will be advised to check the weather report before leaving home; a discussion of suitable clothing will be held in the days before the trip.
Staff will carry a first aid kit and emergency cards for all of the students. Students will be requested to bring water bottles in their packs. Students are to limit valuables and carry their school ID. Small maps of the area were made and laminated as a class project; they will be distributed to students. Staff will carry a detail map.
Section 4: Travel
Travel will be limited with a two block walk to the Underground, a ride on the Underground, and a one block walk to the Museum.
- Evidence of Consideration.
- Students will obey staff directions and will walk together in a double file group.
- Students will not leave the group without permission. If students must utilise the facilities, they will go in assigned pairs.
- Students have been reminded of proper crosswalk etiquette.
- Students have been given directions of what to do if they are lost or injured: they are to use their emergency card to call an adult in the group.
Section 5: Emergency Procedures.
- If there is a medical emergency students are to notify their accompanying adult, who will contact emergency and contact parents.
- For public emergency follow directions of police and rescue units watching children until parents can be contacted.
- Evidence of Consideration:
- There is a high level of supervision
- All adults will carry cell phones and at least one child in each group will have a personal cell phone
- Students carry staff emergency numbers; staff carry emergency numbers for all parents.
- Buddy system has been assigned.
- An emergency meeting point at the west exit has been designated.