Battle Hill Primary School y Summer 2011 presentation
Battle Hill Primary School “Th “The percentage of pupils entitled to take free t f il titl d t t k f school meals is twice the national average. The percentage of pupils with special educational percentage of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those with a statement of special educational need, is also p , twice the national average” • FSU Unit • NQT year • New staff to Sightlines • New staff to Sightlines
Practice Developments: How we're learning about and developing systems and practice to sustain and deepen children's enquiries - in practice to sustain and deepen children s enquiries in the wild and in the classroom.
Before we set off Before we set off • Our day starts at 8.45am, we began this new time in order to allow more time to get ready allow more time to get ready. • We have use of the community room where the waterproofs are laid out and the parents help children to get ready laid out and the parents help children to get ready. • This is a key time for parents to ask any questions, it is a very social time and allows time for staff to see how relations work social time and allows time for staff to see how relations work between the parents and children. • In the beginning we had 3 parents attend the first Sightlines t e beg g e ad 3 pa e ts atte d t e st S g t es meeting, now on a weekly basis parents are asking questions and showing an interest in the woodland experience.
Back at School • We have a dedicated Sightlines area in The Beehive. •This area of the unit is where we have our reflective sessions back at school. It is also where we carry out our sightlines tasks. i htli t k •We moved our sensory/natural area into the Beehive and then the junk into the Beehive and then the junk modelling area outside, however this led to the children not making much use of either area, so we decided to merge the two areas together and this merge the two areas together and this has now been done successfully.
Progression of reflective sessions sessions • Back at school on a Wednesday afternoon, the children spend time discussing their morning in the woods, g g , reflecting on the photos and any special things they have found. • Now beginning to move on from the ‘that’s me” aspect of the photos and talk about why they have chosen to do something and how they can move something and how they can move forward with that task. They are really beginning to share the experience that their friends have had in the woods. • These sessions are allowing the children to ask more open ended questions, encouraging discovery and ti i di d engagement
Children as photographers • This reflection time also allows time to sort out practicalities such as modeling how to take photos without their finger on it! without their finger on it! • To ask themselves questions;To ask ourselves • What do children think cameras are? • How do they use them? • What subjects do they focus on? • What do the photographs reveal to us about the What do the photographs reveal to us about the child/children and their interests? • How do the children react to seeing their photos?
Constraints and questions • Is our Unit too busy? • Time – lunch time staff meeting on a Wednesday means staff have approximately 20 minutes on the bus to discuss the have approximately 20 minutes on the bus to discuss the morning. • Currently have Wednesday afternoons in school as dedicated Sightlines time Sightlines time • Fitting it in with the topic and other children who do not visit the woods • • Staff within the unit and their understanding of the project Staff within the unit and their understanding of the project
Next steps • Becoming more integrated into unit – difficult when other staff and children are not involved – how can we involve them? • Guest staff and guest children • Now our lower ability core group have become the educators Now our lower ability core group have become the educators. • Are we currently making best use of documentation in order to inform and educate other staff? f ff?
Imagination, questions, metaphor, emotional engagement: The childrens' developing experiences in nature The childrens developing experiences in nature In 1956 Rachel Carson wrote In 1956 Rachel Carson wrote “If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder...he needs the companionship of at least one adult who of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy,mystery and excitement of the world we live in” we live in Daniel suggests to Jessie he takes the found treasure ‘Back to school and make ‘loveliness’ out of all the hearts and flowers.’
Some children take time to become familiar and confident with the a a a d co de t t t e woodland setting and the routines associated with it. But as they do, they develop ownership of the wood, which encourages relaxation and comfortableness with it, a relationship with their woodland setting at their own pace. Routines Routines
Confidence to undertake risks and challenges comes g through learning how to do things safely and through pushing at boundaries
A sense of awe and wonder A sense of awe and wonder
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world and all there ever will be to know and understand” Albert Einstein and all there ever will be to know and understand Albert Einstein From building a spaceship to making a new world to catching a fox catching a fox Building a spaceship Building a spaceship Building houses on the new world Setting a trap to catch a fox
The spaceship Liam ‘Lets build a spaceship’ Nathan ‘Need long long wings’ Nathan stayed on task for most of the session f f telling anyone who would listen how they had built the spaceship and the adventures he would have on a new world. he would have on a new world. Nathan to Leighton and Ryan ‘We spent a lot of money on it. I’m only having good people on my spaceship.’ g g p p y p p Nathan ‘Now get in, that’s the best bit. I’m the driver.’ He presses onto a pine cone ‘Take off. PREPARE FOR TAKE OFF’ Bailey ‘10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 blast off’
The new world Jameson ‘We’re going to the moon’ Nathan ‘We’re going to a new world to live • O Once we arrived at the new world Nathan soon had everyone organised building houses Nathan ‘We’ve got this for our new world. It’s the top of the roof top of the roof’ Bailey held up leaves ‘We have to eat’ Nathan ‘The new world is cool. We have to have police to watch that people are not going to be police to watch that people are not going to be naughty in our world.’ • Holding his hand to his ear ‘999, police? Can we borrow you to watch everybody. If anyone destroys it come straight away!’
The Fox hunt The Fox hunt Leighton ‘Me and Mr Williams walked into Me and Mr Williams walked into another woods we had to come back cos it was scary. We heard it. I didn’t smell it but Mr Williams did! We had but Mr Williams did! We had to be very quiet. We saw some feathers so the bird must have been eaten by the y fox. The fox tried to scare us so we came back. I’m going to see if we can find it next week ’ week.
The children have ideas on how best to catch a fox Leighton “Get some junk make a pretend one put him in a cave and then the real fox will find him. Or dig a big beach cave and then the real fox will find him. Or dig a big beach hole like I did at the beach last week then he would fall in.” Nathan “Well I have an idea, if we hide he won’t see us, then when he comes we can jump out, trick him.” th h h j t t i k hi ” Leighton “Yeah lets make a big tent to hide in, we could leave fox food. Nathan “They eat birds and rabbits” Leighton “No get a worm then the birds would come Leighton No get a worm, then the birds would come on your finger” Nathan “If you get a bird on your finger then you lick it you’ll get sick! I know, when we’ll find him -when it’s time to get busy!” Leighton “Shall we be army boys and catch him?” Leighton Shall we be army boys and catch him? Nathan “No we’ll use our imaginations’”
Adam thinks maybe the best way to catch a fox is to dig a hole Adam ‘A really, really big hole’ Leo ‘Well the Fox is this big (held out his arms) Adam I need a bigger hole. Sandra look I’ve made a big hole. My hole will still be here next week. I am making a deep hole, when the fox comes in we’ll trap him. The ground is to hard to dig so the boys do some problem solving coming to the conclusion that if you quietly sit up high the fox will come to you. Nathan ‘I can see up high. Cant see anything but trees. I can see far away. I CAN SEE THE FOX OVER THERE!
Ryan asks “Will we ever catch the fox?” An intervention is made A fox stole is introduced to the children. Their response is one of curiosity and wonder d Is he real? Is he dead? Is he alive? Why is he like this? Why is he like this? I want to kiss him, Will he bite me?
Recommend
More recommend
