dare to be different: up to the knees in tadpoles part two... dare to be different: up to the knees...

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Dare to be Different: Up to the Knees in Tadpoles

Part Two Trinity Road School

Chelmsford 6th May 2014

Failure is never quite so frightening as regret.


A Dog Walking Dilemma

? In the Words of Doctor Richard Louv

Over the the last three decades there has been f a rapid disengagement between children and

direct experiences in nature. This has profound implications, not only for the health of future

generations but for the health of the Earth itself”. The effects from Nature Deficit Disorder could

lead to the first generation being at risk of having a shorter lifespan than their parents.


Police warn girls for anti-social behaviour for building woodland DEN during school holidays

A group of girls building a den during the Easter holidays were reported for antisocial behaviour and told to move on by police. One of their mothers said that dog walkers reported them "dragging wood into the wood" for their den in Warkworth Woods, Newcastle. She said: "I just couldn't believe they would send a police officer for that. It is incredible. When I heard the kids were going to the park to build a den I was delighted. They seem to spend most of their time on their phones and wandering the streets - at last a proper way to spend their Easter holidays. They had no drink, drugs or loud music - they had pop and crisps from Asda which they'd had the foresight to buy on their way as they knew it'd be a long day. They even texted me a picture showing me how the den was getting on mid-afternoon." She claimed that the officers told the girls to pull the den down and leave the woods. She added: "I support the police but I just think no one seems to want to stand up for good kids these days, we only hear the bad stories. The police officer involved was clearly as frustrated as I was, he kept telling me he didn’t want to be a killjoy and that he’d happily come out and talk to me but I just think there’s the bigger issue we need to address.” Daily Mirror April 21st 2014


In the Words of the Guardian Newspaper Your first thought maybe that you had entered a junk yard. Look again and you may

notice that pallets have been organised into a web of mini walkways with entrances and exits too small for adults. Its called the Shanty Town and like everything here its

temporary.


In the Words of Carl Theodore Sorenson (Inventor of Junk Playgorunds)

"They can dream and imagine and make dreams and imagination reality, any rate a reality, which the child's mind is completely satisfied with…It is so obvious that the children thrive here and feel well, they unfold and they live. Of all the things, I have contributed to realize, the junk playgrounds the ugliest, for me, however, it is the most beautiful and best of my works."

True or False or Inbetweeners


Agree Statement Disagree

Today a lot of playful behaviour is seen as anti-social behaviour.

We would like to see play valued more.

We mean child directed free play and not somebody saying line up we are going to

throw the ball

Children need to take chances but within the bounds of what they can do.

Children need to be versatile players to become versatile human beings.

Increasingly we see children narrowly bound and not given chances to become

children.


Teach these boys

and girls facts.

Facts alone are

wanted in life. Plant

nothing else and

root out everything

else, nothing else

will ever be of any

service to them.

Imagination is

more important

than knowledge

?

In the Words of Confucius Tell me and I will forget,

Show me and I may remember, Involve me and I will understand.

Time for a Test


In the Words of Robin Alexander

‘English primary education in 2000 is the nineteenth century elementary

education modified – much modified admittedly – rather than transformed.

Elementary education is at its centre of gravity. Elementary education provides it

central point of reference. Elementary education is the form to which it most

readily tends to regress.’

Meet the class of 35

The Bunny Boilers and the Daily Mail Factor


In the Words of Michael Korda The key to success is to pretend you are playing to someone

else’s rules whilst really playing to your own rules.

Traditionalist or Radical?


Children growing weaker as computers replace outdoor activity

Modern life is 'producing a generation of weaklings', claims research as physical strength declines in 10-

year-olds The Guardian 21/5/2011

Children are becoming weaker, less muscular and unable to do physical tasks that previous generations found simple. As a generation dedicated to online pursuits grows up, 10-year-olds can do fewer sit-ups and are less able to hang from wall bars in a gym. Arm strength has declined in that age group, as has their ability to grip an object firmly .The findings, have led to fresh concern about the impact on children's health caused by the shift away from outdoor activities. Academics led by Dr Gavin Sandercock, a children's fitness expert at Essex University, studied how strong a group of 315 Essex 10-year-olds in 2008 were compared with 309 children the same age in 1998. They found that: • The number of sit-ups 10-year-olds can do declined by 27.1% between 1998 and 2008 • Arm strength fell by 26% and grip strength by 7% • While one in 20 children in 1998 could not hold their own weight when hanging from wall bars, one in 10 could

Containerised Children

Research shows children are not only being raised indoors but also in constrained spaces such as car

seats, high chairs, and baby seats watching television.

The University of Glasgow reported on a project where they electronically tagged 3 year olds and found they were only physically active for 20 minutes per day.


When children are outdoors they are regularly contained in buggies and strollers whilst parents

stroll or jog


In 1995 31% of KS2 pupils had lunch breaks that exceeded 65 minutes

In 2006 this figure had fallen to 12%

In 1995 42% of KS2 children had an afternoon break.

In 2006 this had fallen to 26%.

Source Baines and Blatchford: University of London Institute of Education (TES

2/11/ 2012



In the late 1990s playtime was banned in Atlanta’s schools. The then superintendent of schools stated, “we are intent on improving academic performance. You don’t do that by having kids hanging upside down on monkey bars.

On March 20th 2010 Michael Gove announced that he was a traditionalist when it came to education. He thought children learned best sat in rows knowing the kings and queens of England and reciting poetry.




If children are spending less time outdoors, what are the top five reasons for this?

Can you recall a favourite outdoor place from your childhood? It may have been a natural environment? Where was it? How did you find it? How did you feel when you were there? What became of it? Would you like to go back there now?

Sensory Trails

Encourage the children to use all their senses at once. Take them on a walk or ask them to sit in a particular environment and consider what they can see, hear, smell, touch and possibly taste. In a natural environment this could include birdsong and the wind in the trees. However the approach works well in a the built up areas, congested areas or places which experience different types of pollution. Encourage the use of sketching and descriptive writing. Could the location be used later as a story setting? Could the children write produce descriptive writing where the first line begins with A, followed by B, followed by C etc.


Read Outdoors

Reading outdoors can be fun and relaxing at any stage. However it is a brilliant place to read nature books, outdoor adventure books or poetry about the outdoors. Consider building a story tellers chair>


Introduce Flora and Fauna to the Grounds.

Create bird baths and add a bird feeders Plant native flowers and plants and observe what happens through the seasons.


Adopt a Green Space or a Public Footpath

Many local councils run ‘Adopt a Footpath Scheme’ whereby an organisation agrees to look after a footpath. The children could walk it in different seasons of the year, recording the changes through digital photography or sketching. Sketches could be made of wild flowers or the different species of bird life could be recorded. The children would also ensure that the footpath is kept clear and in a good condition. Alternatively you could consider a similar activity using part of a local park.


Examine Hidden Environments

Place a flat piece of board face down on the ground and leave it for a few days. It doesn’t need to be large. Return a few days later and observe how many creatures have taken shelter there and see if you can identify them and find out more. Repeat the process in a months time.


Consider Feeding Animals and Mammals during the Winter Months

Consider feeding mammals during the winter months. Consider tempting hedgehogs with dog food or squirrels / badgers with salted nuts. You could consider having a camera focused on the spot during key times or whilst the children are not at school


How did Grandad manage without his iPod?

Use grandparents to talk about what they did when they were children and how they used the outdoors. Can the children re-live their escapades and have a day where they emulated their gradparents.


From Frog Spawn to Tadpoles

Collect frogspawn in the spring and watch it turn into tadpoles. Fill your tank with rainwater and add some plants so the tadpoles feed on algae. Add some stones so that the froglets can climb out of the water. Feed the growing tadpoles on boiled lettuce, fish food or chopped up meat. When the time is right release them back where you originally found the spawn.


Consider Survival Activities

Can the children build a shelter or den. How waterproof can they make it. Can they design so that it keeps an element of heat and strong enough to withstand wind or being pushed over. Could the children camp out on the school field or elsewhere overnight carefully planning the steps they would need to take.


Build a Weather Station.

Create a school weather station and start to build up your own data base on the weather experienced in the school grounds. Consider sharing the outcomes with schools elsewhere in the UK or the world. Also explore the micro climates that may exist around the school. Are there any area which seem warmer because they attract more sun or colder due to the amount of shade.


Visit Nature Reserves

Most people in Britain live within an easy travelling distance of one of the nation’s 1500 nature reserves. Particular links could be made with organisation such as the RSPB or the ‘Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust’.


Create Your Own Nature Trails and Games.

Can the children devise their own nature trail around the school grounds or local woodlands and devise the appropriate publicity materials or guide books. As part of this activity or as a stand alone activity challenge the children to develop their observational skills by playing games such a find ten creatures or find ten plants.


Night Time Too!

Consider creating opportunities to experience the outdoors by night time and moonlight. This could include the use of stories or a walk examining how the locality is different by night. The children could use torches to go on a mystery tour or a treasure trail. Use the experiences to contrast night and day. Alternatively you could work with a local astronomical society who may bring telescopes so that you can do a ‘star watch’.


Try Wildlife (or other) Photography)

Cameras could be regularly taken on outings. Alternatively they could be set up on a tripod facing a bird table and triggered automatically to capture images of the different species that visit. The activity can also be used in the built environment. Images could be incorporated into the children’s writing or presentations. The children could make their own documentary films. At the end of the school year the children could have their own ‘Oscars’ evening showing the best films and visual images.


Sketchbooks

Regularly take high quality sketch books out with you. Encourage the children to sit quietly and capture their observations. However make sure you teach techniques and allow enough time for children to produce work that reflects pride and perseverance and genuine quality. The sketch book could stay with the children as they pass through the school so they have a record of progression and prompts them to always make sure the sketch they are working on is better than previous ones.


Develop a School Pond

Many schools have developed ponds within their school grounds which attract a variety of pond and bird life. The children can pond dip in the appropriate seasons and can build up their own nature journals.


Have an Allotment

Many schools are developing or renting allotments where children use child sized tools to plant and harvest their own fruit and vegetables. These could be used by school meals (but checks must be made) or sold in the community. The children could develop their own ‘five a day’ schemes. Different year groups could take responsibility for different types of crops or different parts of the allotment.


Keep Chickens

Fully check this one out with your local authority first! Between 2 and 4 chickens will keep an average sized family with eggs for a week and children will love collecting the eggs. It is also possible to adopt battery hens and give them a better life style. You will need guidance on chicken houses, runs, feeders etc. Produce from the allotment coupled with this project could help a class run a restaurant for a day.


Explore Rivers

Instead of children studying the journey of a river indoors consider a rich and vivid project around the story of a local river. Let the children see it as bubbling spring, let the children paddle in the clear waters. Let them spot fish and wildlife. Let the children examine how man has used and sometimes abused the river from its source to the sea.


Collect Rock Samples or Go Under the Ground.

Introduce the children to the world of Geology. This could involve the children in a visit to a show cavern. But also get the children to collect different kinds of rock. These could be those which are hard or soft. Children could look for different colours or those which shine or contain minerals.


Visit the Coast

The coast can be a brilliant contrasting environment. It could be used for cliff-top walks, a visit to a seabird colony. The children can hunt for fossils or arrange to clean a section of beach. Rock pooling is forever popular. Children can examine the different forms of sea-weed. Children can contrast the human history and geography of seaside towns with their own locality. Life boat stations and lighthouses can be a tremendous source of information and very evocative.


Improve your Environment


Take part in conservation projects organised by such groups as the National Trust or Wildlife Trust. Alternatively you could consider a part of your school grounds or local environment that you would like to improve. You could run mini businesses and enterprise projects to raise funds to bring about the changes making sure that the children are involved in every part of the process.

Remove the Litter


Is there are part of the grounds or locality that is strewn with litter. After gaining health and safety advice and using the appropriate protective clothing and equipment you could seek to clear the area whilst analysing the type of waste. You could find out the weights of different types of waste (eg metals, woods, paper, plastics) or work out how much could have been recycled. You will be improving your environment whilst covering a number of areas of the curriculum in a cross curricular manner.

Use Natural History Guides Outside.


There are many child friendly natural history guides such as the Usborne Nature Trail Series. Use them to identify different types of species. Other guides now exist on the internet that can be taken outside using ipads etc. In a recent study BBC Wildlife magazine asked 700 children from 17 schools to identify a number of local species. Whilst 70% could identify blackberries and magpies only 12% could identify a primrose and 8% a goldfinch.

Explore Prehistoric Nature


Remember that fascination with dinosaurs? England is full of reminders of that prehistoric age. A walk along a beach will often uncover a range of fossils. However there are other coastlines in areas such as Dorset and North Yorkshire famed for their Jurassic remnants.

Get Wet or Go Wild


Consider canoeing or sailing or other outdoor activities that being an element of adventure into the lives of children. The National Strategies produced a superb video that demonstrated the impact of this work in a video called ‘Earthwatch’ which was in the pack entitled: Excellence and Enjoyment, Learning and Teaching in the Primary Years.

Cuddle up to Creepy-Crawlies


Challenge the children to catch as many insects or spiders as they can (taking care to avoid wasps, bees, hornets and red ants). Using insect catchers that are available from a most large suppliers children can use magnifiying glasses to identify the distinguishing features .

Sunrise and Sunset


Find a good location to watch the sun rise or to see the sunset. This may be easily possible in January or February by just extending the school day slightly. You could also couple this with the opportunity to hear the dawn chorus.

Consider Pedal Power


Have cycle to school days or alternatively set up a cycle tour that might stop off at places of natural or man made interest. The rangers at a local country park may be able to help … especially if they hire cycles out.

Challenge the Law!!


Maybe it should say ‘challenge those who make the laws’. Do you think there are unfair restrictions on where children can play or take part in certain activities. Can you suggest ways of making that activity safe and convince people changes would be a good thing.

Adopt the Sunny Day Rule


It’s a simple principle. When the weather is just right being inside feels so wrong. Therefore why not simply go outside for a story or to play some physical mathematics games! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all primary classrooms had patio type doors that opened onto an outdoor learning space … or if each school had an outdoor classroom.

The Cortical Humunclus Factor



In the words of Ofsted Curriculum Innovation in Schools (re 070097)

Based on visits to high achieving schools Ofsted concluded that the school’s work was strengthened by

• A rigorous and thematic approach to curriculum planning.

• A desire to meet local needs.

• Real experiences outside the curriculum

• The basics were taught in a traditional way but then applied in innovative ways.

• All schools knew and used their localities really well.


In the words of Ofsted Curriculum Innovation in Schools (re 070097)

Underpinning the best schools was:

• A clear philosophy for learning.

• Staff discussed issues critically.

• The curriculum if not the philosophy was constantly changing.

• The schools assessed precisely what they valued.

• A strong sense of locality.


In the words of Ofsted Learning Outside the Classroom (Re 0702192)

Hands on experiences in a range of locations contributes much to improvements in:

• Achievement

• Standards

• Motivation

• Personal development

• Behaviour.


Some thoughts from Ofsted Learning Outside the Classroom (Re 070291)

• Memorable experiences led to memorable learning

• The place where learning takes place adds to the value.

• Learning outside the curriculum contributed to children staying safe

• Learning outside the curriculum included all groups (especially the underachieving)


•Much of the teaching in all key stages and most subjects is outstanding and never less than consistently good. As a result, almost all pupils currently on roll in the school, including disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and those for whom the pupil premium provides support, are making rapid and sustained progress. •All teachers have consistently high expectations of all pupils. They plan and teach lessons that enable pupils to learn exceptionally well across the curriculum. •Teachers systematically and effectively check pupils’ understanding throughout lessons, anticipating where they may need to intervene and doing so with notable impact on the quality of learning. •The teaching of reading, writing, communication and mathematics is highly effective and cohesively planned and implemented across the curriculum. •Teachers and other adults generate high levels of engagement and commitment to learning across the whole school. •Consistently high quality marking and constructive feedback from teachers ensure that pupils make rapid gains. •Teachers use well-judged and often inspirational teaching strategies, including setting appropriate homework that, together with sharply focused and timely support and intervention, match individual needs accurately. •Consequently, pupils learn exceptionally well across the curriculum.

Seven Tips for Success (and Inspections)


Make your lessons stand out by bringing the art of pedagogy and the science of pedagogy together.

Make sure the children’s work has genuine quality (and is completed).

Make sure there is evidence of marking and feedback and pupils responding to it

Make sure the high expectations of the teacher is evident in all you do.

Make sure the children can articulate their learning (experiences) with enthusiasm.

Be aware of the extent to which you are fulfilling performance management objectives.

Be flexible and adaptable within lessons.


The only thing we have is a story to be told!

Does your school pass the three generations

test ?

In the Words of George Bernard Shaw What we need to see is the child in pursuit of knowledge and not

knowledge in pursuit of the child.


In the Words of Jonathan Smith As a teacher you are not only a writer, but an actor, a parent, a director and an

improviser – its not so much a Hollywood epic as a low budget movie with a hand held camera.


In the Words of Colin Powell

Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier. The ripple effect of enthusiasm

is awesome. So is the impact of cynicism and pessimism. Spare me the

grim litany of the realist and give me the unrealistic aspirations of the

optimist any day.


Mr Gee and the Learning

Force Field

What did

I learn

well and

why?

What

didn’t I

learn well

and why?

In the Words of Ken Robinson

Many succeeded only after they had recovered from their education.

Of course many people loved their education and have done well by it.

What of those who didn’t?


In the Words of James Hemming Educating people entirely through the left brained activities of the

academic curriculum is like training someone for a race by only exercising one leg whilst leaving the muscles in the other leg to

atrophy

Right Brain. The romantic impulses of beauty, intuition and spirituality.

Left Brain. Logic and deductive analysis and scientific method

By 2020 it may be possible to add a further 60 megabytes of memory to the human brain.


Children growing weaker as computers replace outdoor activity

Modern life is 'producing a generation of weaklings', claims research as physical strength declines in 10-

year-olds The Guardian 21/5/2011

Children are becoming weaker, less muscular and unable to do physical tasks that previous generations found simple. As a generation dedicated to online pursuits grows up, 10-year-olds can do fewer sit-ups and are less able to hang from wall bars in a gym. Arm strength has declined in that age group, as has their ability to grip an object firmly .The findings, have led to fresh concern about the impact on children's health caused by the shift away from outdoor activities. Academics led by Dr Gavin Sandercock, a children's fitness expert at Essex University, studied how strong a group of 315 Essex 10-year-olds in 2008 were compared with 309 children the same age in 1998. They found that: • The number of sit-ups 10-year-olds can do declined by 27.1% between 1998 and 2008 • Arm strength fell by 26% and grip strength by 7% • While one in 20 children in 1998 could not hold their own weight when hanging from wall bars, one in 10 could


In the words of Lord David Putnam: Creativity without rigour is crap.

What constitutes high quality work?

What constitutes white gold?

Success Criteria.

Your work must reflect:

Pride and perseverance.

Originality and uniqueness of thought.

Independence and Collaboration.

Building from prior learning.

Steps towards achieving your targets


Completing a Sensory Trail

What can I see? What can I hear? What can I touch

and feel? What can I taste? What can I smell?

Technique Definition

Alliteration Sequence of words that begin with the same letter

Simile Comparing one thing to another using like or as

Metaphor Comparing one thing to another by saying it is something else

Personification Giving an inanimate object human actions or feelings

Onomatopoeia A word that imitates the sound it represent

Sensory Writing Writing that describes what you can taste, touch, see, hear and smell.

Nouns and adjectives Verbs and adverbs

A noun is the name of an object, person or a place. An adjective adds information to the noun. A verb is a word that expresses action. An adverb adds information to the verb. The adverb normally ends ‘-ly’.

Painting Pictures with Words



Painting Pictures with Words

In the Words of Bernard Shaw There is a busybody on the staff who devotes a lot of time to correcting split

infinitives. Every good writer splits infinitives when the sense demands it. I call for the immediate dismissal of this pedant. It is of no consequence whether he decides to go quickly, or quickly to go, or to quickly go. The important thing is that he should

go at once.


The White Gold Factor

Consider: The six word story as a title The school’s agreed handwriting policy The school’s agreed pen / pencil policy Illustration should be a minimum of a third of the paper


In which year was this advert made?

In the Words of Eric Hoffer In times of change learners inherit the earth whilst the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer

exists.


Defining the Curriculum to Achieve the Defining Curriculum

Definition Ranking

Curriculum is such “permanent” subjects as grammar, reading, logic, rhetoric, mathematics, and the greatest books of the western world that best embody essential knowledge.

Curriculum is those subjects that are most useful for living in contemporary society.

Curriculum is all planned learnings for which the school is responsible.

Curriculum is all the experiences learners have under the guidance of the school.


The curriculum is

the list of

knowledge and

skills children will

cover.

The purpose of the

curriculum is not to

cover but to

uncover

Official

Curriculum Actual

Curriculum

Hidden

Curriculum

+

Hidden

Curriculum

-

In the words of Robin Alexander: ‘English primary education in 2000 is the nineteenth

century elementary education modified – much modified admittedly – rather than

transformed. Elementary education is at its centre of gravity. Elementary education

provides it central point of reference. Elementary education is the form to which it most

readily tends to regress.’


The Official v The Actual Curriculum And the Element Factor

Meet Mr J.Case.

Meet Miss J. Tyme

In the Words of Anon The Purpose of the Curriculum in not to cover but to uncover

The Teach Primary / Teach Secondary Factor (What will you become outstanding at)


In the Words of the Cambridge Primary Review The capacity to innovate is not restricted to national

government. Schools, local authorities and the communities they serve have massive potential in this

regard. Some of the most interesting and powerful educational ideas and practices of recent years have come from the educational grass roots, but their later adoption

by national agencies have been marred by an unwillingness to acknowledge their source.

In the Words of Albert Einstein

One had to cram all this stuff into one's mind for the examinations, whether one

liked it or not. This coercion had such a deterring effect on me.


The Hidden Curriculum (and how to find the tipping point)

Pupils’ achievement in art and design is outstanding. The skills they display in a

range of media are exceptional. In art lessons they work with great concentration

and perseverance and produce work of high quality.

The relentless drive to take literacy to the

highest level is matched in all subjects and is

embedded throughout the school.

The stimulating curriculum provides pupils

with rich and memorable experiences.

These often centre around enterprise

opportunities that enable pupils to develop

a wide range of basic skills useful for

future success and link seamlessly to the

excellent promotion of pupils’ spiritual,

moral, social and cultural awareness.

Pupils relish daily

opportunities to develop

expertise in using many

different types of information

and communication

technology (ICT) to enhance

their learning and

presentation

The well-established curriculum is highly innovative

and exceptionally creative. A vast range of memorable

experiences for pupils assure pupils' highly effective

academic and personal development. The availability

of first-class ICT resources ensures pupils are

particularly confident in the use of new technologies

by the time they leave.

The outstanding curriculum provides an

extensive range of educational visits which

provide a practical and first-hand context for

pupils’ learning. These experiences inspire pupils

of all abilities, promote strong relationships and

are highly effective in promoting pupils’ spiritual,

moral, social and cultural development

Outstanding Schools



The Fourth Generation

Curriculum

Wilder themes that bring engagement and imagination

because teachers are not afraid to take unusual ideas

and run with them.

Deeper and longer lasting learning.

Focus on what the learner will be doing for themselves.

Greater focus on the language of learning

Imagining how learning can create a better world

Real interesting hard stuff

Children constantly learning in collaboration

In the Words of

Walter Anderson

Nothing diminishes

anxiety faster than

action.


Grandpa Joe

and Charlie

The strange tale of a

friendship lost and

found that cross

referenced to the

National Curriculum

In the words of a

Woodthorpe Parent

Are you Grandpa

Joe…because I am

sick and tired of

hearing about you!


Fire and Ice: Going for Goals The Almost True Story of the Jamaican Bobsleigh

Team

In the Words of George Bernard Shaw What we want to see is the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in

pursuit of the child.

The Strange Thing about Mystery Tours

“And I’ll tell you another thing!”



This bus terminates here!

Have a Brilliant Onwards and Upwards Journey

dare to be different: up to the knees in tadpoles part two... dare to be different: up to the knees...

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