Bringing the World into your Classroom 14th June 2007

Course Focus:
The conference will look at
Linking with Africa and the Caribbean, Learning good practise from other countries, Achieving ISA, Developing curriculum projects with a partner school, Leading learning in the International Context and MFL
Reasons for Attending:
To gather information, resources and ideas in order to continue the momentum in the development of Global Citizenship in a more creative curriculum at Woodford Junior School.


Immediate Professional Learning:
Keynote Speaker—Mick Water, Director the Curriculum Authority.
“Putting the World in your Class”

“Develop a modern world class curriculum that will inspire and challenge ALL learners and prepare them for the future”

HelenHardie

We live in a changing society where children are growing into a future which is a global economy. Technology can put us in touch with countries all over the world. Our curriculum should challenge the children to learn a Modern Foreign Language as this will be key to their futures.
We must remember that the national curriculum is really only a small part of the curriculum. We should consider the bigger picture of the curriculum.

Curriculum is the entire planned learning experience;
Lessons, events, routines, extended hours
Outside school—clubs, local bands etc
The curriculum is not the timetable. Timetabling is just putting subjects into rooms! Our challenge is to consider “What can subjects do to support the curriculum in our schools” (we should make the most of opportunities to use things which happen everyday in the outside world e.g. the recent eclipse of the moon)

The international curriculum is shrinking distances and includes:
· Reading and studying
· Travel
· Experience
· Understanding
· Relationships
· Empathy

One school puts on a webcam in the canteen at lunch time to watch what is going on around the world!

We must avoid the adjectival curriculum in terms of international work, e.g. shaking / filling a tin for charity without knowing why and for what purpose.

A new curriculum is all about rethinking subjects to ensure that we “Develop a modern world class curriculum that will inspire and challenge ALL learners and prepare them for the future”


The Global Dimension includes:

Culture - values, faith, customs
Economy - products, migration, travel
Governance - freedom, rights
Constraint - resources, climate
Conflict - territory, invasion, refuge
Companionship - sport, arts, pastimes


We are challenged to develop an active curriculum not adjectival.

To study is to appreciate
literature, art, folklore, food
television
www
video conferencing
visits
human contacts

Think!
How can all subjects take on the Global dimension?

Earth from the Air (Yann Arthus Bertrand) is a great resource—the photos can be used to stimulate lessons in across the range of subjects—maths / art / literacy / sustainability etc


Bringing the World into your Classroom PowerPoint presentation by Mick Water, Director of the Curriclum Authority

Workshop 1: Radio Waves—Communicating with Schools across the World
Demonstrated the ways in which a partnership of 4/5 schools in UK, France, Germany and Crete collaboratively use an online radio station to share children’s work. Each school uploads images / text and sound files to their joint web-site along with an English translation. OCEAN on Radio Waves. As part of Comenius, joint projects have included logo competitions; language lab (common phrases) radio plays; school information; Head teacher messages; D&T projects; Science water work; traditional tales; performance poetry; sharing assembly material etc
Project meetings involved planning and evaluation.

Comenius is about;
Sharing curriculum work
A chance to visit foreign schools (teachers and pupils)
Enriching children’s work by comparing ‘themed’ work.

Workshop 2: Fair Trade French
This session showed how French can be taught through other subjects. Simple ideas and all about immersing the children in language: - games, practise.
CADE have produced a pack on bananas which is based of the fair Trade banana pack and has been produced by and AST in Cornwall. The pack will be available later this year though we may get access before as I spoke to the AST (he teaches Rhiannon French).

Workshop 3: Linking with European countries by setting up a Comenius Project
Not as inspiring as the other sessions. However did go through the eTwinning process.
Comenius is about a multi-lateral project. When looking for partner schools aim for 5 /6.
Comenius allows opportunities for staff travel / pupil exchange.
Adhere to deadlines for applications and funding


Follow up actions:
· Challenges for us at Woodford—can we “Develop a modern world class curriculum that will inspire and challenge ALL learners and prepare them for the future”
· Can we embrace the international dimension?
· Sign up to eTwinning
· Continue to develop our links with NZ / pod casting and Blogs etc
· Complete intermediate ISA
· Apply for Full ISA for 2008
· Maintain links with Joe Monks re: MFL ideas / courses etc
· Think about how we might develop / apply for a Comenius project

Primary Geography: the adapted Mountain Environment Unit 15

Course Focus:
Looking at issues of continuity, progression and assessment of Geography KS1 and 2. The day focuses on The adapted Mountain Environment Unit 15: which uses geographical enquiry and skills to develop knowledge and understanding of places, patters and processes and environmental change and sustainable development
Reasons for Attending:
In considering how to improve and develop a more creative curriculum in Geography these courses always offer great ideas and resources.


Immediate Professional Learning:
DCS Geography and Sustainability Adviser: David Weatherly
Yet again another great course which provided us with knowledge of The Mountain Environment and a fully resourced scheme of work (on CD) which we can edit and adapt as we wish.

The objectives for the day were:-
Appropriate progression and expectation
Enquiry based learning and teaching activities to improve performance
A resourced curriculum on the Mountain environment

It is important to consider where we are taking the children and how we are going to get there? We are teaching children to be ‘good geographers’ not ‘good at geography’.

In developing our own curriculum we should refer to the intellectual expectations for geographical skills. This progression is true of any subject—just substitute geography for DT etc.
Enquiry based learning should provide opportunities for children to undertake a learning activity where they are not aware of the answer:-
Key question
Investigation / enquiry
Meaningful learning

With many schools reviewing their curriculum and with an impending national KS2 curriculum review we should be ‘creative’ in how we design the curriculum but also be ‘robust’ that is ensure that expectations are appropriate. They should reflect local communities / area and be intellectually demanding.

In geography there is only a requirement to cover 6 topics in 6 years i.e. two topics in Key Stage 2 and four on Key Stage 2. The PoS for Geography does not specify the topics which need to be covered.

As always the resourced unit places emphasis on ‘Thinking Skills’ and uses a variety of activities which encompass different learning styles. Many of the activities sit at level 4 / 5 in terms of progression expectations. It also uses cross curricular links to History / Maths / Literacy and Science placing the emphasis firmly on the fact that we are teaching children to be ‘good geographers’ not ‘good at geography’.

Links included:-
· Victorian Britain and Cholera epidemics and how reservoirs were built in Wales to supply water for Birmingham!
· Maths links in presenting and interpreting climate data.
· How is electricity made using water and turbines?
· Environmental issues such as Wind farms, creating new reservoirs as demand for power / water rises—sustainability issues. These activities can be transferred to nuclear power stations too!
· Instructional writing / poster of rules / regulations for a Welsh mountain trail.
· Debate for and against Wind Farms—use of transitional connectives to present the two sides of the argument.
· Discursive writing

It is interesting that map work is not a key focus of geography. It is suggested that rules for map work is that they are linked to relevant work in the unit and used to introduce / locate places. They do not need to come at the beginning of a unit and should not just focus on OS maps. Make comparison between maps such as satellite images, political and geographical features. Use maps which are relevant to subject covered / discussed. This might include tourist maps / guides / trail maps etc.

A useful day yet again with lots of ideas and resources!

Follow up actions:
· Consider the Units which we currently cover in geography across the Key Stage. We currently cover 6 units and only need to do 4!
· Which units work well? Which units could be adapted / removed?
· How can we ensure that geography is exciting and enhances opportunities to develop a more creative curriculum?
· Many of the activities resourced for the QCA units I have attended could easily be adapted to other units?
· Put together a bank of ideas for activities in Units we wish to keep.
· Attend Geography Conference in July (The Gambia)- cancelled
· Attend Focus days in October 2007, Jan 2008 and June 2008. These will focus on a KS1/foundationn unit (useful for amalgamation preparation )/ A contrasting locality in the UK and possibly the Gambia or renewed Coasts work.

Taking the plunge—Beginning a scheme of work in MFL

Course Focus:
To give non specialist MFL co-ordinators the tools to write a Sow for MFL. To look at suitable topics / themes for each year group. To ensure planning for progression. To begin to write your own SoW with AST support. To explore the latest on-line CPD resources available
Reasons for Attending:
In considering how to develop MFL across the Key Stage / s this will be an invaluable course and enable us to consider language teaching in Year 3 and 4 to support and develop that already covered in year 5 and 6


Immediate Professional Learning:
Course Leaders: Finola Gill, Lynsey Behan and Kaye Lyon
Contacts: finolagill@hotmail.com katelyon@blueyoner.co.uk
Allowed me to familiarise myself with the Framework for Languages. The emphasis of the framework is very much linked to Excellence and Enjoyment and the key message is about motivating and exciting the children in learning a language / skills for life. The framework is a support and not a cage.
The three key strands of Languages are:
Oracy (O)
Literacy (L)
Intercultural understanding (IU)
With two cross cutting strands of
Language Learning (LL)
Knowledge about Language (KAL)
It is easy to use the framework to track the progression in each strand and to see how objectives in KAL and LL relate to IU.

An hour was taken up with representatives for published schemes of work including:
Rigolo—Nelson Thorne
Tout le Monde—Heinemann (have asked for an evaluation pack)
La Jolie Ronde
There were also other resources such as:-
Francais, Francais, Catherine Cheater and a selection of story books, CDs and DVDs for us to peruse.
A scheme which was much talked about was one by Alison Machin available form Penrice Community College , Cornwall.
Obvious pros and cons for all schemes and each think they are better than others. However as a starting point we may wish to evaluate some of these, particularly those which use IWB technology.

I certainly think that buying some French books, and song CDs would start to build a good resource for us. This would provide the resources and the opportunity to immerse children in language just like we do with babes.

The Catherine Cheater scheme was suggested as a good one which came with book, CD and DVD resources and the books are now provided as PowerPoint presentations too, which would be great for IWB. However it was stressed that while children enjoy the activities that it is not easy for non-specialists to use.

I have downloaded the European Language Portfolio and Can do statements from NACELL and Asset Languages.

I admit to not attempting to begin a SoW for FL as my mind was buzzing and difficult to think clearly—best to get out and drive!

Making links between curriculum subjects and areas of learning can deepen children’s understanding by providing opportunities to reinforce and enhance learning (DfES, 2004)

There was a lot of talk about the amount of time for FL and how this doesn’t add up to much in a year. Most people agreed that it had to be integrated creatively across the curriculum.
We watched a short video clip where a teacher , teaching a maths lesson on arrays got the children to use French numbers and operations to say their arrays. This was during the main part of the session. In this instance we felt that the use of the French actually impeded the achievement of the numeracy objectives. However there is a place for using FL in the mental oral / starter / plenary games etc.

The framework does not prescribe themes for year groups so teachers are free to be creative and innovative and create programmes of work which will excite and engage the children and feel very much part of their school’s curriculum.

There are QCA units for French which I have downloaded. These might be useful in identifying key vocabulary and activities once opportunities are highlighted in the curricular map (long term planning)


Follow up actions:
Having looked at a variety of models I think the way forward at Woodford might be:
Short term tasks
Look at curricular maps for each year group
Identify FL which might be included in each term’s “topic”
Medium / long term tasks
Identify Objectives for each term
Identify activities and resources
Write SoW for FL
Purchase support schemes for staff confidence
Purchase resources including CD, DVDS, books for children
Ensure all staff have opportunity to FL training and support