Learning beyond the classroom!
Element 14 of the Institutional Quality Standards for Gifted and Talented Education (IQS) directs attention to learning beyond the classroom for gifted and talented pupils. Similarly, feature 7 of the Classroom Quality Standards (CQS) asks teachers to consider 'how well learning and opportunities for learning beyond the classroom are encouraged, known about, built upon and celebrated?'
Collaboration with colleagues in museum education services is one way of making provision for gifted and talented learners beyond the school /college day and site. There are many different models for working with the specialist expertise of museum staff from one day workshops through to longer term projects. Jenny Brookes from Bristol LA describes how Bristol primary schools are engaging in a project with a purpose with Bristol City Museum and Arts Gallery:
Bristol City Museum and Arts Gallery
Basically the children are being asked to design a new children's gallery for the museum. Three representatives from each school will be able to attend the museum on 3 different occasions: firstly for an initial talk and tour by museum staff; secondly an optional follow up visit for further research; and thirdly for their final presentation. The 3 project leaders can delegate roles and work to others. It could be done with the G&T cohort or the whole class - perhaps a nice Y6 post SATs project? The rest of the time the children will be working back at school (perhaps half a day a week) on their gallery. There will also be the facility for the children to email an expert at the museum for a specified period of time.
Meanwhile, collaboration between South West GaTE and the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter continues apace. Initially, Caroline Wightman at the museum organised a number of highly successful art and ceramics workshops at the museum for both KS2 and KS3 pupils (reported in previous newsletters). This term has seen the development of workshops for creative literacy (KS2) and design and technology (KS3) in collaboration with Kate Osborne at the museum. Once again, the idea of 'real world' or purposeful activity was at the heart of the planning for these activities.
The creative literacy workshop focused on the pupils developing items for the museum's 'Talkback Boxes'. Poet, Anthony Wilson supported the pupils in asking questions, and thinking and writing creatively about the exhibits in the World Cultures Gallery. Museum Curator Tony Eccles also called by during the day to share some of his historical knowledge and understanding of the exhibits chosen by the pupils as their focus for the day.
A Samurai's Tale
Samurai tell us your tale of war and fighting
Armour as thick as a wall
And as strong as an ox
Metal made from the finest foundrymen
Untold stories of bravery and courage
Right to the end
Armour standing still
In a museum, in a glass box.
Tamina A.
Nigel Fitzhugh engaged KS3 students in designing a card model of the museum which will be given out to museum visitors reminding them of the plans for a major redevelopment of the museum from December 1st 2007. The group coped admirably with taking the measurements of the museum amidst busy Saturday shoppers in order to begin the process of designing a scale card model.
There are of course many other venues for gifted and talented education beyond the school gates including the Bristol Rock Climbing Centre. As Joe MacCready describes:
Our intention at UCR Learning & Development is to develop the whole person. This entails looking at the limitations of the students and not simply working to their strengths. Many G&T courses are aimed at specific subject areas to stretch the students further in those areas where they demonstrate excellence. Our remit takes a wider perspective, as we are involved in a long-term, strategic development programme that aims to engender the type of inter-personal skills that are crucial for an effective life.
The types of behaviour we are looking at run throughout all of our courses, as these are behaviours that are essential for life skills; it is about preparing young people for a lifetime of learning.
A range of development courses have been run for the G&T students in Bristol primary and secondary schools. Initially, they were commissioned by Debbie Sainsbury, under the auspices of the Bristol Education Centre, to cover teamwork and leadership skills for Year 8. This relationship has flourished to the extent that Jenny Brookes, the Primary G&T Consultant, has commissioned Year 6 development programmes and individual schools are now working with us on 2 and 4 year G & T programmes.
If you are interested in learning more about us and what we do - then click on this link more, or contact Joe McCready at jo@undercover-rock.com
Residential Centres can also offer a range of provision for gifted and talented students
"We believe that every young person should experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of learning and personal development" Powerful words from the DfES (2006). Easy to say, difficult to deliver? Can you do it for the gifted and talented?!
Kilve Court's (www.kilvecourt.org) fantastic setting encourages staff to make the most of the local landscape on G&T courses. For some this is relatively obvious and easy. What art activity could fail to make use of the superb natural landscape and how can geography explore issues of human/environment interactions without young people experiencing and exploring some of these environments first hand?
For some G&T courses at Kilve Court, the personal and social development of young people using outdoor learning activities, has been more explicitly integrated into course structure. For residential summer schools, two afternoons have been set aside. The first uses a series of team building events to emphasise to participants that sometimes, no matter how able you are, you need to work (and get on!) with others. The second afternoon involves a series of more personally challenging events. Imagine standing on a tea tray, fixed to the top of a pole, ten metres off the ground. Somehow you have just managed to climb up to this point before finding out the only way down is to jump to a trapeze three metres away! It's all very safe and nobody will get hurt, but try telling yourself that when you're up there. These activities are more about personal achievement; a young person doing something they didn't think they could and the elation of succeeding. Our challenge is to help them see how they might succeed in other areas of their learning, if they are only prepared to be committed and give it a go.
Out of classroom activities have always been recognised as a really powerful and enjoyable approach to learning. Our experience suggests this is definitely true for the gifted and talented.
Andy Simms - Kilve Court
asimms1@educ.somerset.gov.uk
South West Excellence Hub activities and events
Activities and events for KS3 and KS4 will feature amongst the nine Activity Lines offered as part of the South West's newly formed HEI G&T Excellence Hub.
The regional Excellence Hubs are part of the new national programme for G&T managed by CfBT and known as Young Gifted & Talented (YGT). The SW Excellence Hub is a consortium of Bath, Exeter and Plymouth Universities working closely with the LAs represented in South West GaTE. Further information about the work of the Hub can be found in the attached newsletter HERE and via the SWGaTE website from September 1st 2007 (www.swgate.org.uk).
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