An Invitation to Hawick High School’s “Scotland in a Global Society” Presentation Day
10:46 pm on the 13th of May, 2009A 6th year at Hawick High School has been working on many projects this year, including Global Ambition which I have been involved in. One of the big ones though has been with LTS and their Student Advisory Group.
He has had some great ideas about how school should work, and stunningly he has taken them right through from idea stage to analysis. I could try to write about what he has done myself, but I think he puts it better than I ever could. Below is a contracted version of the email he wrote to all Rectors in the Scottish Borders (good on him for having the guts and the nous to do that!).
I’m adding it here to extend his invitation to anyone else who may be interested. We will be recording it and also making it available online somehow – possibly as a live flashmeeting.
The National Student Advisory Group is made up of eight pupils from around Scotland (Who come from different schools), Stewart Hay and Javier Vasquez from Anderson High School, Shetland, and Professor Kay Livingston from Learning & Teaching Scotland. Each pupil was given the task to return to their school and create a curriculum which they thought was better than the current curriculum that is in place at the moment.
The presentation day is one part of my idea. The pupils who have worked extremely hard on Scotland in a Global Society will come together with teachers, other pupils and parents as well as other key figures to present what they have learned and found most interesting. Not only will this give others the chance to discuss the work that has been done, but it will give the pupils themselves the chance to evaluate their work the new curriculum is primarily about pupils having more of a decision on how they learn.
What is the new curriculum that is being tested at the moment?
Each member of the National Student Advisory Group has a different idea that means there are currently eight curriculums being trialled. One of the many differences to projects that have gone before is that everything is by the pupils. All the ideas etc. have come from the pupils without being told beforehand what to say.
My idea concentrates mainly on freedom, creativity, and above all, responsibility. I am trying to see what happens if we give the junior school more freedom in their lesson. This means that the kids organise their own time, aware of the fact they have a presentation at the end of it all, and do their work in whatever style they want.
The curriculum starts with brainstorming sessions that have been run by Sixth Years not teachers. The lesson starts with a brief explanation of the reversal of roles in the classroom, and the pupils are quickly told that they have one task:-
What are all the things that make up Scotland, and how do these things link Scotland to the Global Society and the world?
The pupils are then set free, discussing amongst themselves and with the Sixth Year pupils present about the things they can put into their mind map. Meanwhile, the teacher remains nothing more than an aid as the pupils work together in a relaxed, calm, and very productive environment.
After all the ideas have been gathered, the pupils share their ideas in an aid to give those pupils who have struggled more ideas about what could make up Scotland. It should be kept in mind that everything that is written down has come from these younger pupils nothing has come from a textbook or a teacher.
Soon ideas are flowing and pupils must choose which things they would like to research and form a report about. There are no limits other than their idea must allow them to make links between Scotland and the Global Society. The pupils think for a while, and eventually all have a few ideas which they would like to research.
The next stage is learning and teaching. The pupils learn about their topics which they chose earlier and begin to research them, keeping in mind about the link they must create and the presentation they must give to their group, their class, and finally the audience at the presentation you are invited to.
What is the Presentation Day?
The presentation will take place on the 19th June 2009 at Hawick High School. It will be a day that mainly concentrates on the pupils (Both Sixth and Junior School) work and a time for both themselves and others to comment on the effectiveness of the new curriculum. Not only will there be presentations, but there will be a chance for anyone and everyone to discuss the work that has been completed. This will bring the parents closer to the work in the school because they will also be evaluating the work.
