Everyone likes to choose something different to do. Just ask your class what kind of ice-cream they would like and you will get a multitude of answers. Most will stick to their favourites but some will be adventurous and try a different kind now and then. We thought we would apply that kind of logic to our topic studies and were pleased with the results.
It’s not new, but at Waipu Primary both teachers and students are choosing what they teach in topic areas such as science, technology, social science and environmental science. These areas are being delivered for most of the day once a week instead of the traditional daily spot. The daily spot was being eroded by many factors and “topic” areas were being skimmed over with little in-depth study in Science, Technology, Social Sciences and Environmental Science.
Teachers chose their area of “expertise” at a team level in conjunction with their colleagues, and developed units for in-depth study. The idea was to offer choice and have teachers presenting in different areas where they would be enthusiastic and motivated.
Students have been allowed to choose the area they want to study in as much as possible. They are given a brief synopsis of each area without the teacher’s name attached. Again we wanted them to be keen and motivated to learn.
Our most recent professional development has been around using the SOLO taxonomy for children to choose their level of knowledge at the start of something and then at the end. Usually at the start they had limited knowledge so chose either the pre-structural or uni-structural levels. Obviously at the end they rated themselves much higher but they needed to be able to prove their level to teachers.
There was a clear expectation that maths and reading would be done prior to morning break and that the topic would involve some writing when it started after morning break. This was a management choice! The sessions were timetabled from Week 2 to Week 9, and the Year 4-6 classes did their interchange on one day while Year 1-3 classes did it on another. Our 2 new entrant classes did their own mini-swap as we felt they needed to get used to school and shifting them around classes was more likely to confuse them. In week 10 our 2 groups decided to share what they had done and this will become part of the process in future.
Choice and more focussed topic areas had many benefits for staff and students. All staff agreed doing a topic study for one day a week had improved their curriculum delivery. They found there was more chance to gauge children’s knowledge, more time for research, discussion and brainstorming. There was a chance to complete an activity in a day and reflect.
Staff found they had to be well planned week by week, resources collected and parents informed. Organising visitors or helpers was important. Each day’s programme needed evaluating afterwards and the next week’s lesson set up based on that evaluation. Time and resources were important issues. It was good splitting classes so we had older children as role models for leading groups and other activities.
Children’s knowledge at the end of the programme was improved. On-going interest was noted after completion. Levelling using the SOLO taxonomy at the start and end showed growth. Students were excited and keen to come to topic day. Final discussions and reflections showed children linking ideas and understanding why we did background learning before the main study. Parents have reported children talking about science at home and how they are noticing evaporation and other topics covered. Parents love their children’s reaction and enthusiasm.
Choice had lots of benefits for all. I surveyed all staff and students to reveal the successes and the results were surprising. For instance, for the staff 90% said their curriculum knowledge had increased a lot, 30% had hugely improved their knowledge of the topic and 40% were hugely motivated. 40% of staff believed student engagement to be hugely better due to 75% of students having lots more opportunity to follow their interests.
All students in the school completed a student questionnaire. There will be some slight errors in accuracy as Junior classes were asked as a group and some possibly copied off their peers. However, 94% of students enjoyed choosing what to study, 91% liked spending more time on their chosen area of study and 90% enjoyed the different way of having a topic presented to them. 89% of students felt that they had a better understanding of their topic, 96% were keen to learn more and 95% enjoyed the opportunity to follow their own interests. Overall less than 1% of students used the rating not at all in any of the areas surveyed.
Although this method of curriculum delivery required more work and thorough planning, many benefits were noted by staff. The ability to complete in-depth work around a particular area and get students involved and well engaged was noted. Teachers felt they delivered a better quality lesson.
Students were highly motivated and enjoyed the activities. Their knowledge improved, they were keen to learn, were made to think and were able to follow their interests.
Overall, giving teachers choice about what they taught and giving students choice about what they learnt was positive and we will continue to develop our curriculum teaching along this line.
Be a bit adventurous and try a different flavour or way of delivering the topic areas!
PAUL RAMSAY