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18th November 202218th November 2022

Is it enough to simply have your voice heard, or does someone have to act on it for you to feel satisfied?

In this week’s WimLearn Lucy D. in Y12 explores whether it is enough to just be listened to, to have someone hear your opinions and concerns? Or does someone have to act on them in order for us to feel satisfied?

In April 2019, David Kestenbaum reported on a study that he’d conducted called ‘The Tattle-Phone’. The premise of the study was that children in a pre-school class at Woodland Hills Private School, California, were given a fake phone that they could use to tell their problems to. For example, if they’d been pinched by one of their friends, the child could go to ‘The Tattle-Phone’ and be able to tell the phone what had happened.

After a month of the study, Kestenbaum then interviewed the children and asked them what they thought of ‘The Tattle-Phone’. “One girl told me talking to “The Tattle-Phone” felt like eating ice cream.”[1] The general consensus from the study was that the children felt better after voicing their frustrations, because they felt that they were being listened to. However, there is another side to this. Towards the end of the month, Kestenbaum noticed that the number of times the phone was used decreased. Part of this was the novelty of it wearing off, but there was also the fact that talking to ‘The Tattle-Phone’ didn’t prompt any action. The children had noticed that nothing was being done to allay their concerns, and so had stopped using the phone as often, because they’d lost trust in it.

The relevance of this study is that it highlights a very interesting question surrounding the idea of having a voice, of being able to complain to somebody about your problems, no matter how big or small. Is it enough to just be listened to, to have someone hear your opinions and concerns? Or does someone have to act on them in order for us to feel satisfied?

Within a democracy, everybody’s voice is heard and everybody gets a chance to make their views and concerns known, but not everyone will get their views acted on all of the time. On the whole, people can be satisfied with the knowledge that their voice has been listened to, even if the person who they supported has not gained power or if the views of another group of people are the ones that have been acted on. Within companies this is also often true, as case studies collated by the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel Development) in 2021 showed: when employers wanted to increase inclusivity and job satisfaction, their policies focussed on improving the systems which employees used to suggest ideas and to voice their worries, showing how these employers felt that making employees’ voices a priority was key to improving the satisfaction of people who worked for them.[2]

However, like the children becoming disillusioned with the telephone, sometimes people or populations cannot accept that just having a voice is enough. They need to see some action. Examples of this range from coups in Ancient Rome, to the Chinese Civil War in the 1940s, when people have been expecting action from those in power and have not got it, so they have changed their leader for one who will take action. In these cases, and in the cases of many other uprisings throughout history, it becomes clear that often it is not enough to simply tell someone your opinions and concerns, these views have to be acted on in order for you to be satisfied with the outcome.

It’s paradoxical, because sometimes the knowledge that your voice has been heard is enough, with no action required, and sometimes what you want is for someone not just to hear your concerns but to take action because of them. But this produces the problem that not everybody’s voices can be acted on all the time, particularly if their views contradict each other. The choice of whose voice to act on in any given scenario is difficult at all levels, from Student Councils, to employers, to Presidents and Prime Ministers. Perhaps simply having our voice heard and listened to has to be enough, and this is what Barack Obama offered in November 2008 after being elected to serve his first term as President of the USA: “I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.”

11th November 202211th November 2022

The Convivencia

In WimLearn this week, Year 11 student Laura K researched the Convivencia, a lesser-known part of the Spanish history.

During a visit to Toledo in Spain I noticed part of the Toledo Cathedral was a mosque and thought that this was unusual. Only later did I realise that this was a remanent of the Muslim presence in the city during what I now have learnt is a period known as the “Convivencia”. It was interesting to learn that there was a significant Arabic presence in Toledo and that their history and cultural contributions to Spanish culture are not widely discussed or recognised. This is also the case for Jewish culture. This topic was a fascinating topic to research, and I was lucky enough to attend a lecture by Dr Vidal on the Convivencia.

The Convivencia refers to a period of Spanish history in which all three Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) cohabited together. Spreading mostly over a region referred to as “Al-Andalus”, (including modern day cities such as Seville, Cordoba, and Toledo in Spain) this 400-year period marked a distinct change in interfaith relationships and culture. Although the beginnings and ends of this history are filled with persecution and forced conversion, there existed a time in between, of centuries of peaceful coexistence and cooperation, with mutual cultural exchanges that benefited Muslims, Jews, and Christians.

Beginnings and interactions: The Convivencia began with Arab armies entering the Iberian Peninsula in 711 AD. The peninsula was previously held by Catholic Visigoths and was a region which, at the time, was very politically unstable. The region also contained many scattered Jewish communities who had arrived in the region roughly in the fourth century. Following the Muslim conquest of the peninsula, the majority of the Visigoths fled the region to Europe. However, the Christians who did not leave slowly adopted Muslim culture, including elements of the Arabic language. These Christians were referred to as Mozarabs and essentially adopted the customs and styles of Muslims, without converting. Over time relationships began to form between all three religious groups creating a unique and complex culture and society where all three functioned togther.

The migration of Christians and Jews into the thriving heart of Al-Andalus lead to exchanges in faith, language, and philosophy. As the communites lived in such proximity, interaction became unavoidable, leading to both inter-religious violence as well as peaceful cohabitation. There are records of Muslims allowing Christians to pray in their mosques, along with records of forced conversion and violence between the groups. These interfaith relationships did not exclude marriage or friendships, with several records of marriages and relationships between all faiths, even though it was forbidden. There are even records of shared business interactions where Jews and Muslims had partnerships in a store and divided the profits equally in accordance with their respective sabbath days (the profits of sales on Friday went only to the Jew and those of Saturday only to the Muslim).

Religious tolerance was probably at its highest in 912 AD when Abd Al-Rah Man III ruled over the Cordoba region. During his reign he was referred to as the “prince of all believers” and he encouraged reconcilition between all religious groups and brought about a period of relatively peaceful cohabitation.

Religious tolerance: Naturally, certain cities were more tolerant. Although these communities cohabited, they did not necessarily always exist in harmony. Many historians argue that the narrative of the Convivencia has shifted towards a utopian fallacy. Many records of this period give contradicting images of this period. Where there was harmony there was also mistrust between the other religions and converts. For example, a riot broke out against the Jews of Cordoba in March of 1135. ″because of a dead Muslim found among them.” Jewish houses were attacked and robbed, and a number of Jews were killed. Religious tolerance began to drastically decline towards the end of this period when Christian strongholds in the north began to slowly advance south. Christian – Muslim relationships specifically, were already strained due to religious differences, and laws were developed to segregate the communites further. In Valladolid, Muslims were required to wear long beards “as their law commands” to identify themselves as Muslim and no Christian woman was allowed to nurse a Jewish or Muslim child, and vice versa.

Downfall of the Convivencia: As the Christian kingdoms progressively expanded south taking over Muslim territory (in what is known as the “Reconquista”) the Muslim armies faced losses and retreated. When the Christians ultimately took power over the region, the Muslim and Jewish populations were faced with either forced conversion, exile, or death. While the Reconquista was ongoing, Muslims and Jews who came under Christian control were allowed to practise their religion to some degree, but this all ended in the late 15th century with the fall of Granada in 1492. In 1492, with the Alhambra decree, those Jews who had not converted to Catholicism were expelled and forced to abandon their homes, communites and businesses. With the expulsion of the Jews the Convivencia was over.

Prayer room in the Alhambra in Granada. Date: 1851 – c 1890. – Rijksmuseum

Impact and legacy: The Convivencia led to a great cumulation of knowledge from these respective communities, both linguistically and philosophically. The impact that it had on Spanish culture, language and architecture is often not very recognised. The Mozarab Christian population began to either speak Arabic or interchange it with Spanish during the Convivencia. The impact this had linguistically on Spanish can still be observed today with almost any words beginning with al- coming from Arabic roots e.g., Algodón (cotton) coming from the Arabic word Al-qutn. As a Spanish student it was very interesting to learn the linguistic roots in the language that can be traced back to this specific period. I also noticed that several common Spanish words come from Arabic, for example barrio (neighbourhood) comes from the Arabic word barrī , and the Spanish ojalá (I hope/maybe) comes from the Arabic inshallah. There are many other examples of this. Interestingly Spanish also influenced Hebrew which was the language spoken by the Jewish population in Spain at that time; the language Ladino was a Judeo-Spanish language which was entirely developed by Sephardic Jews who lived in the peninsula during this period and is still spoken today by diaspora communities. In addition to the blending of languages the merging of cultures was reflected in other ways. For example, Spanish Christians began to mirror Islamic geometric patterns, ornamental metals, and brick work. Some of these features are still present in the current Spanish architecture. The Muslim population also brought with them crops such as silk, cotton and satin leading to a very successful textiles industry within the region. Along with this the Arabs introduced the Arabic number system which compared to its roman counterpart included the number zero.

Conclusion: Sadly, due to the largely violent end of this period and the general resistance to Islam and Judaism from the newly Catholic country the existence and impact of their cultural, architectural and linguistic contributions from these groups were slowly and deliberately forgotten. The expulsion of the Jewish people meant that a Jewish presence in the region did not return for hundreds of years and the communities who converted to Christianity were constantly under the gaze of the Spanish inquisition. While elements of Muslim and Jewish culture remained, it largely evolved and assimilated into Spanish culture leaving only remnants behind. Overall, this topic has given me a greater understanding of Spanish culture and its history as well as giving me a deeper understanding of the Spanish language.

I gathered most of my information from articles such as Convivencia: Christians, Jews, and Muslims in Medieval Spain by By Lindsey Marie Vaughanm and Convivencia in Islamic Spain by Sarah-Mae Thomas as well as the talk I attended by Dr Vidal from Queen Mary University of London in April 2022.

13th October 202231st October 2022

The Kirtle: The Original Dress

*[Early 17^th century kirtle, ‘the lute player’, Orazio Gentileschi]*

Pheoebe C in Year 12 explores the evolution of the kirtle, from its origins to its more modern form, the dress.

A kirtle is a one-piece garment that was popular in Western Europe from the early Middle Ages up into the 17^th century. Mentions of the kirtle date back to as early as the 10^th century[1], and painted depictions survive from throughout the 17^th century[2]. Initially worn by both men and women (although men’s kirtles are often referred to as ‘cotehardies’ in modern scholarship, they are fundamentally the same[3]), men’s fashion gradually shifted away, towards the shirts and trousers we see in menswear today. However, the basic concept of the kirtle still survives in modern-day dresses, making it perhaps the most influential garment in the entire history of Western fashion.

The kirtle was the first western ‘dress’, so to speak. Although clothing had also previously consisted of one long garment draped over the whole body, the kirtle was made to fit around the human body, rather than be wrapped and manipulated with folds and belts until it fit. Additionally, it needed no extra closures such as pins or brooches, as previous garments had done. Examples of the kirtle’s predecessor include Roman togas (and other robes), as well the Anglo-Saxon peplos[4]. These garments were loose-fitting and tended to be made of just a large rectangle (or two) of fabric, pinned or tied around the body, and often sleeveless. The kirtle was also one of the first Western garments which required no extra undergarments (although they were often worn in combination with other garments for warmth or practicality anyway). They had sleeves and were long enough to also cover the legs, circumventing the need for several additional items of clothing, and instead combining them all into one.

Kirtles started off as both under and outerwear, and it wasn’t uncommon to wear both an under-kirtle and an over-kirtle. The under-kirtle would have been made from a cheaper fabric that could survive frequent washing, whereas the outer-kirtle would be finer or decorated in some way. Kirtles were usually woollen, however, linen was sometimes used depending on environment and availability[5]. As time went on, the upper classes progressed to only wearing kirtles as undergarments, whereas the lower classes used them as main outer-garments for much longer[6].

Of course, since the popularity of the kirtle lasted over half a millennium, some evolution and change in style was inevitable. Early kirtles were loose-fitting and didn’t have waist-seams. However, by the 15th century they were skin-tight and then evolved to consist of separate skirts that were pleated or gathered before being attached to the bodice[7]. Kirtles were closed using lacing along the front, sides or back of the garment, although earlier examples of kirtles have no lacing at all. Since early kirtles were loose-fitting and had relatively wide necklines, lacing was unnecessary as they could just be put on over the head. Later, tighter kirtles also acted as a kind of prototype for the corset; they provided the kind of support we now receive from a modern bra.

For example, here is a reconstruction of a 14th-century kirtle that I made a few years ago, versus the 17th-century one I made this summer.

*[self-made 14^th century kirtle & self-made 17^th century kirtle]*

Notice the stark difference in styles. Although, visually, they appear more different than similar, the fundamental and defining feature of the kirtle remains: a one-piece skirted garment.

Eventually, the kirtle fell out of fashion in favour of separate skirts and bodices among all classes. By the 18th century, there are barely any depictions of kirtles in art, even among lower-class and rural communities. While this development was inevitable since aristocratic fashion had long abandoned the kirtle in favour separate skirts, and working-class fashion has always followed upper class fashion- just at a delay of several decades- practicality was likely a major factor in this evolution. Combining a skirt with a separate jacket or bodice (still over the top of a shift) allowed the wearer to have more freedom in what they wore and saved unnecessary washing. It reduced the total number of garments someone needed to have a varied and adaptable wardrobe. It was also cheaper and quicker to make smaller individual pieces as required, rather than entire dresses. Additionally, as structural undergarments became more commonplace (providing bra-like support and shaping the torso, either in the form of early stays, as a pair of jumps, or as boning sewn directly into the bodice), the need for tight-fitting kirtles as supportive garments declined.

*[example of separate skirt/jacket outfits worn by women of different classes. Woman reading a letter, Gabriel Metsu, c.1665-67]*

The dress did come back into mainstream fashion eventually (after over a century- and even later in upper-class fashion). Although it looks unrecognisable from its medieval ancestor, the concept of the dress as a one-piece flowing garment originated with the kirtle in European fashion. Modern dresses also share this heritage, although construction techniques and style conventions have progressed significantly. In fact, the closest modern-day equivalents to the kirtle are various forms of European folk dress. The legacy of the kirtle lives on through garments such as the German Dirndl, a type of folk dress based off rural Alpine clothing in the 16th-18th centuries[8]. The modern Dirndl bares striking resemblance to the 17th century kirtle, and it is fair to presume that this is because one was based off the other, seeing as the kirtle was a very common working-class garment throughout Western Europe (including the Alpine region) at the time. Although it seems modern society has largely forgotten about the kirtle, its lasting impact is undeniably still evident in fashion today.

[1] Anglo-Saxon Female Clothing: Old English Cyrtel and Tunece, Donata Bulotta (https://www.jstor.org/stable/23966300#metadata_info_tab_contents )

[2] ’A Peasant Family at Meal-time’, c1665, Jan Steen

[3] https://rosaliegilbert.com/kirtles.html

[4] Dress In Anglo-Saxon England, Gale R. Owen-Crocker (https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=45RJYhTGZiUC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false )

[5] https://ateliernostalgia.wordpress.com/2017/03/24/medieval-kirtle/

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirtle

[7] https://medievalbritain.com/type/medieval-life/clothing/medieval-dress/

[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirndl

7th October 202231st October 2022

Introduction of a new specification

Mrs Nicola Cooper, Teacher of Biology, looks at how the introduction of a new specification can provide an invaluable opportunity to reassess outcomes

I am a self-confessed Biology geek and my love for the subject knows no bounds. Its breadth, its relevance and the sheer beauty of the complexity that can arise from a few simple components is endlessly fascinating to me. Moreover, I love teaching Biology. Sharing my passion for the living world is energising and is a wonderful way of connecting in new ways with the key ideas and concepts that underpin the living world.

It has therefore been a source of frustration that over the years I have encountered many people whose experience of learning Biology at school is a negative one. A not-uncommon view seems to be that whilst many people have an innate interest in learning about the living world and our place within it, there is a perception that the study of Biology is characterised by mindless rote learning of a seemingly endless body of ‘facts’. If this perception is then reinforced by teaching that is built around imparting knowledge, then no wonder much of the joy, excitement and inspiration is lost.

This is something we are very aware of at Wimbledon High School and as a department we work hard to encourage our students away from rote learning towards a deep understanding of key concepts that they can then apply in a wide range of contexts.

So, what does this look like in practice? Well, this year we have been given the opportunity to think much more deliberately about this question, with the introduction of the new GCSE specification. In devising new schemes of work, we began by challenging ourselves to think expansively (during a wonderfully lively brainstorming session) with the question ‘What outcomes do we want for our year 9 students?’ What emerged from that discussion was not a long list of ‘facts’ that we want our students to be able to recall but rather three key themes;

A sense of wonder about the living world
A questioning approach
An ability to solve their own problems.

These have been our guiding principles when planning lessons for Year 9 (the first cohort following the new course). We have deliberately chosen not to cover topics in a linear way but have (quite literally) cut up the specification and rearranged topics so that central concepts can be explicitly linked with related contexts. The aim being, right from the start of the course, to model how knowing and understanding a few key ideas can allow students to pose and then answer their own questions.

Drawing onion cells from a photo taken down a microscope

In our opening topic of health and disease we start each lesson with a question such as ‘What happens when you get ill?’ and ‘Is being healthy the same as being ill?’. We have looked at medieval views on health and disease and linked our discussions to very recent experiences of the Covid 19 pandemic. We are also using the context of communicable diseases to explore the key concept of cell structure and function. Encouragingly, our students have responded very positively and there has been a definite buzz and the fizz of excitement in my Year 9 lessons.

Zoe in year 9 said, “I found today’s lesson really helpful. I think we all gained an important biological skill that we will use throughout Biology”, while Penelope (year 9) said “I found it very interesting and rewarding, especially because we got to set up the experiment ourselves”.

From a teaching perspective it has been stimulating and refreshing to be reminded of our purpose and as a department we are excited to see how the students continue to develop and flourish as they move through the rest of the year and on to their further studies In Biology.

23rd September 202231st October 2022

Project Flip – Embracing difference

Isabelle Alexander, Head of Neurodiversity and Hidden Differences, introduces Project Flip, an initiative created to improve the inclusion of students who are neurodiverse or have hidden differences, and to spread understanding of their experiences

Why Project Flip?
Improved awareness and knowledge of neurodivergent conditions have resulted in an increasing number of students at WHS being identified as being neurodivergent or having hidden differences. This is not surprising as around 18% of the working population consider themselves disabled and the student body at WHS is representative of this.
One of the aims of our school is to build an inclusive community. We promote inclusion and collaboration within our community so that every student can access the teaching approaches and resources they need to achieve their potential. Where all are seen and treated as equals, all have equal opportunities to thrive.
Project Flip set out to increase understanding and acceptance of neurodiversity and hidden differences in the wider community and adapt how we approach teaching, learning and socialisation. By addressing these areas in the school setting, adopting teaching approaches that can reach all students and by making the environment more flexible and adaptable, we would be initiating change in our society as a whole.

How?
The students’ voices had to be at the heart of the project and listening to how our neurodivergent and hidden difference students felt about their educational experience was essential. They are the people with the understanding and knowledge of the difficulties faced daily and equally importantly, they are the people who will be shaping and leading the future. We did not set out with any fixed goals or outcomes in mind, as we hoped that they would develop and emerge organically – and indeed they did.
The project was not, however, without its hurdles. But after a poor start, over a series of weeks, a representative group of hidden difference and neurodivergent students met, agreed some key areas of discussion, and discussed!

What?
The first thing the students concluded was that for change to happen, people needed to care. A video of them speaking, with some of them appearing in it, was created and presented in an assembly to the senior school. This was extremely powerful and made fellow students and teachers more aware about how they experience school and life.
The next step was for them to present the findings of the project to the Senior Leadership Team. They wanted to discuss their shared thoughts, how they felt and what actions they would like to see as a result. This included practical advice for teachers such as the pacing of lessons, ensuring that instructions were written as well as spoken, not drawing attention to their difference, and explicitly letting them know when we (the teachers) were going off on a tangent! Suggestions were made about signage in the school and furnishings in the classrooms. They also asked for a dedicated space where they could find some peace in the day or go to meet. In addition, there was total consensus that when a PHSE session is planned to deal with neurodiversity and hidden differences that there should be self-advocacy and they wanted to be involved.

Outcomes
The impact of this project has already been seen in several ways; during one of our parent forums, parents started spontaneously talking about the assembly video, even though they had not seen it. It had prompted conversations in homes – change was starting to happen.
Our PHSE sessions have changed; we invited a mother and daughter both with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) to speak about their experiences. They were with us for the entire day, delivering a session to students, a training talk to teachers and finally an ‘in conversation’ information talk to parents that evening. During Autism Awareness Month, two young professional working women visited us and described what their life was like living with autism. Perhaps most effective of all, our Year 9 dyslexic students delivered a talk on dyslexia to the Year 7 students.
We have also held a “Question Time” where a panel of students with hidden differences candidly answered questions that had been sent in advance. The audience of teachers packed the Rutherford theatre. Panellists tackled questions such as: How can teachers make your school experience better? What is the one thing that teachers do that annoys you the most? How can we make the help subtle? How do you feel about going to university or the workplace with a hidden difference?
One of the outcomes that we had not anticipated was the camaraderie that developed within the group. For some, it was the first time, they had not felt alone in their difference. With this in mind, the Neurodiversity and Hidden Differences team will be starting a weekly lunchtime club where students can go informally to chat amongst themselves or for advice. We have also witnessed an increase in confidence our neurodivergent and hidden differences students, as their voices are being heard, awareness is increasing, and perceptions are changing.
This project was only possible because of trust and relationships. It would not have worked had we employed someone externally to run it or if the students had felt that nothing would be done as a result of it.

The future
The findings of the project have already been shared in a number of ways, including presentations at the Global Forum for Girls’ Education in Boston and the GDST Deputy Heads Conference. The Girls’ School Conference have also invited us to present. The momentum behind the idea is growing.
We are only on the start of our journey of increasing awareness, understanding and acceptance and are excited about continuing it from this point.

15th September 202231st October 2022

How can we make expeditions transformational for students?

Ian Richardson, Head of Computer Science, explores the value of leading student expeditions, and identifies how the adults leaders involved can catalyse the often life-changing benefits for students

For many years of my career, Marrakech has held a special place in my heart. I have loved accompanying students as they lead on through the chaotic noise and bustle of the Jemaa el-Fnaa, overcoming initial hesitancy to ‘master’ the art of bartering, and somehow managing to navigate their way around the maze-like multitude of ancient streets and passages. With the prospect of another expedition this October, I have been reflecting on how the adult leadership team maximises the impact of these personal development experiences.

What are the benefits of expeditions?

In order to understand the personal qualities of good expedition leadership, it is important first to consider why we take our students on expedition. In a review of current research into the impact of outdoor education on individuals, Heather Prince lists seven different themes for personal development of individuals on outdoor residential experiences[1]:

Confidence
Teamwork
Life skills
Intra-personal skills
Independence
Aspirations
New opportunities/activities

Having accompanied various expeditions in my career, I have seen pupils’ personal development first-hand. Whether I have been on a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expedition over four days, or an overseas expedition for a week, or a month, as teachers we are granted the privilege of watching our pupils “grow up” in a short space of time.

What personal skills do teachers need?

Flexible thinking and embracing experiences: As teachers, we may have experience of educational visits, whichrun to fairly strict itineraries. However, successful expeditions are conducted more flexibly, with students taking control of parts of the itinerary. Accompanying adults should be comfortable in adapting plans and assessing risk dynamically to ensure safety. Often the most memorable experiences on expedition are those which the students discover by themselves unexpectedly. Accompanying staff are often asked to step outside their comfort zone and to embrace new experiences (memories of discomfort in taking part in traditional dancing in Borneo spring to mind): it is important that staff lead the way and participate in the experiences on offer, making it easier in turn for the students to follow.

Control and decision-making: Over the course of an expedition, the role of the accompanying adult changes. At the start, leader input is frequent and directive; by the end, the student team should be functioning with little or no input from leaders. To return to the example of the busy markets of Marrakech, it can feel strange at first to turn to a group of pupils and ask them where they are taking you. Leaders should establish appropriate boundaries to ensure safety and allow the team freedom within those constraints. Empowering participants to make decisions is what makes the expedition such a powerful personal development experience and helps to develop teamwork skills.

Cultural understanding: Whilst acknowledging the benefits of expedition for the participants, leaders need to be aware of and sensitive to the culture of the destination. This is true in both the more practical sense of keeping the team safe, acknowledging local customs and allowing team members to communicate, and in the sense of carefully selecting the lens through which our students view the country they are visiting. For example, for expedition in October, I have invited our pupils to learn from a muezzin what it means to give the adhan (call to prayer) and how it is performed. In this way, we can allow young people the chance to understand others with empathy and avoid imposing their own values on another’s culture.

Empathy, understanding and authenticity: First and foremost, an expedition environment is one of challenge. Both the participants and leaders are challenged in different ways at different times in the journey. Young people may find the isolation of working in a team in a remote location difficult, whilst others are challenged by busy urban areas. At times, the teacher may be challenged. A good leader will acknowledge discomfort as an opportunity for growth and support all participants by creating safe space for reflection. Valuable opportunities arise to lead through vulnerability and to model resilience.

Conclusion

Following the restrictions imposed on all of us through 2020 and 2021, we once again have the chance to enrich the lives of our students through travel. Although only for a relatively short period, an expedition can have a huge impact on everyone involved and it is a real delight to be able to share a love for travel with students once again. By developing the skills above, an effective leadership team can take the expedition experience to a new level and maximise the opportunities for development.

[1] Prince, H.E., 2020. The lasting impacts of outdoor adventure residential experiences on young people. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 21 (3). pp. 261-276.

7th July 20227th July 2022

Does time really fly when you’re having fun?

Taking a cue from Henri Bergson’s theory of time, Hafsa in Year 10 examines the science behind our sense that time speeds up when we are enjoying ourselves

Time is the most used noun in the English language and yet humans are still struggling to define it, with its complicated breadth and many interdimensional theories. We have all lived through the physical fractions of time like the incessant ticking of the second hand or the gradual change in season, however, do we experience it in this form? This is a question that requires the tools of both philosophy and science in order to reach a conclusion.

In scientific terms, time can be defined as ‘The progression of events from the past to the present into the future’. In other words, it can be seen as made up of the seconds, minutes, and hours that we observe in our day-to-day life. Think of time as a one directional arrow, it cannot be travelled across or reversed but only and forever moves forward.

One philosophical theory would challenge such a definition of time. In the earliest part of the 20^th century, the renowned philosopher Henri Bergson published his doctoral thesis, ‘Time and Free Will: An Essay on the Immediate Data of Consciousness’, in which he explored his theory that humans experience time differently from this outwardly measurable sense. He suggested that as humans we divide time into separate spatial constructs such as seconds and minutes but do not really experience it in this form. If Bergson’s theory is right, our sense of time is really much more fluid than the scientific definition above suggests.

If we work from the inside out, we can explore the different areas of our lives which influence our perception of time. The first area is the biological make-up of our bodies. We all have circadian rhythms which are physical, mental, and behavioural changes that follow a twenty-four-hour cycle. This rhythm is present in most living things and is most commonly responsible for determining when we sleep and when we are awake.

These internal body clocks vary from person to person, some running slightly longer than twenty-four hours and some slightly less. Consequently, everyone’s internal sense of time differs, from when people fall asleep or wake up to how people feel at different points during the day.

But knowing that humans have slight differences in their circadian rhythms doesn’t fully explain how our sense of time differs from the scientific definition. After all, these circadian rhythms still follow a twenty-four-hour cycle just like a clock. If we look at the wider picture, what is going on around us greatly affects our sense of time. In other words, our circadian rhythms are subject to external stimuli.

Imagine you are doing something you love, completely engrossed in the activity, whether it be an art, a science, or just a leisurely pastime. You look at the clock after what feels like two minutes and realise that twenty have actually passed. The activity acts as the external stimulus and greatly affects your perception of time.

When engrossed in an activity you enjoy, your mind is fully focussed on it, meaning there is no time for it to wander and look at the clock. Research suggests that the pleasurable event boosts dopamine release which causes your circadian rhythm to run faster. Let’s take an interval of five minutes as a basis for this. In this interval, due to your internal body clock running faster you feel as though only two minutes have gone by; time feels like it has been contracted.

By contrast, when you are bored, less dopamine is released, slowing your circadian rhythm, meaning your subjective sense of time runs slower. If we use the same example, in an interval of five minutes, you feel as though ten minutes have gone by and time feels elongated. This biological process has the power to shape and fluidify our perception of time.

So, the next time someone says ‘Wow, time really does fly by when you’re having fun,’ remember that there is much more science and philosophy behind the phrase than they might realise!

Sources

https://www.livescience.com/64901-time-fly-having-fun.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6042233/

7th July 20227th July 2022

How can abstract art develop students’ visceral feeling and creative thinking across the curriculum?

Art teacher Elin Mbeyela considers the power of abstract art, and discusses how debate and inquiry are central to the Art curriculum at WHS, allowing students to develop an open-minded and experimental approach in their own work

I remember how I felt, as I stood in front of Ai Weiwei’s piece at his unforgettable and ground-breaking exhibition at the Royal Academy in 2015. His commemorative installation piece, titled ‘Straight’, consisted of 90 tonnes of steel-reinforced rods straightened by hand after being mangled in the Sichuan earthquake. The rods were laid out meticulously and created a dense carpet that overwhelmed the space, and on the wall overlooking the rods were the names of over 5,000 children killed due to the poorly constructed buildings.

Adrian Locke, co-curator at the RA commented, “it is a very sombre and sobering work when you see it, it has this kind of power and silence about it…it bears a real sense of loss of life”[1]. I was reduced to tears by this provocative yet poignant piece. I was also reminded of how art can be used as an expression of our thoughts, emotions and intuitions, and that it is even more personal than that: it’s about sharing the way we experience the world. This means it provides a platform for much discussion and debate.

How do we encourage this discussion and debate?

We embed discussion and debate in our curriculum at WHS, right from Year 7. During the students’ first autumn term in Senior School, we explore colour theory and abstract art. We look at a range of artists such as Frank Bowling, Jade Fadojutimi and Gillian Ayres, encouraging students to see with their mind what they don’t see physically – in essence, prompting them to explore how abstract art enables the artist and the viewer to perceive beyond the tangible. Fadojutimi’s large scale gestural paintings explore identity and emotion; she uses colour flamboyantly and applies the oil paint in thin layers, creating depth with expressive mark-making.

Through group discussions we ask students the following –

How do you feel when you look at this piece?
How is the work abstract?
Does the artist explore any particular subjects / themes / moods / issues / messages?
Comment on the visual elements in the piece – line, shape, tone, texture and space. How do they help communicate ideas and reinforce a message?
How could this artist inspire your own work?
What media, techniques, styles and processes have been used? How do they affect the mood of the artwork and the communication of ideas?

Jennifer Higgie, writer and critic, comments on Fadojumiti’s paintings, “Art is not an explanation: it’s a shot of energy, a flash of colour; a shimmer, a reaction, a line thrown out to see who might pick it up… Jadé tells me that her aim is for “deep emotion, not deep description”.”[2]

To many, the intangible nature of abstract art is uncomfortable, and they desperately want to seek some understanding and meaning in what they see. This can lead some to mock such art, and to think it is not worth their attention. In essence, they want to be able to decipher and understand it.

Meanwhile, our students engage in thoughtful, creative discussions about Fadojutimi’s work. They are curious and fascinated by the possible hidden meanings and messages in her paintings. But ultimately what they are struck by is that there is no universally accepted theme or subject, and that the work allows them to make individual visual connections, thoughts and interpretations.

Following our discussion, students enjoy experimenting with paint techniques such as impasto and sgraffito and explore mixing their own colours by applying their colour theory knowledge. This marks the initial stage of planning for their own abstract painting.

To conclude

We value highly students’ ability to be curious; through encouraging debate and discussion in the classroom, we instil in our learners that engaging with art contributes to the refinement of emotional meaning and improves communication and interaction with others. It allows them to think creatively and expressively, without limits or boundaries. These skills are not just fundamental to studying Art but, with the school’s innovative approach to STEAM, they are crucial to our interdisciplinary curriculum.

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/jun/15/ai-weiwei-ra-show-sichuan-earthquake-chinese-artist-steel-rods

https://jadefadojutimi.com/

[1]https://amp.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/jun/15/ai-weiwei-ra-show-sichuan-earthquake-chinese-artist-steel-rods

[2]https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jad%C3%A9-Fadojutimi-Jesture/dp/1910221295

1st July 20221st July 2022

Pre-Raphaelite Art: the depiction of Arthurian Legend

Verity in Year 12 looks at how the pre-Raphaelites interpreted the tales of King Arthur and his court for a nineteenth century audience, emphasising their splendour as well as the challenge they could express to Victorian materialism and industrialisation

The tales of King Arthur and his knights have been popular for hundreds of years and have been reworked and re-interpreted by different groups and cultures. Thought to have originated in Celtic, Welsh, and Irish legends, the figure of Arthur appears as either a great warrior defending Britain from both human and supernatural enemies, or as a magical figure of folklore.

Though the tales were drawn from different sources – many of the most famous coming from French writers such as Chretien de Troyes – the story’s international popularity largely came from Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the King of Britain), Thomas Malory’s Morte d’Arthur and most importantly Lord Alfred Tennyson’s poems. These works inspired the second phase in Pre-Raphaelitism. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of men (and a few important women) in the 1850s who challenged the artistic conventions of genre painting to instead ‘go to nature’ and work with the idea of realism.

Their principal themes were initially religious, but they also used subjects from literature and poetry, particularly those dealing with love and death. King Arthur’s knights of the Round Table presented the idea of an all-male community collectively devoted to a reforming project, and the brotherhood’s collaborative working patterns also reflected that.

The Arthurian Tales do not focus on one particular person, genre or event but they encompass numerous people and places – from the Guinevere and Lancelot scandal to Sir Gawain and his encounter with the mystical Green Knight; the sorceress Morgan Le Fay and Nimue; Arthur’s wizard advisor, Merlin, to Arthur’s son, Mordred, who brought about the legendary king’s ultimate downfall. Some of the most well-known paintings of the movement were the paintings depicting the The Lady of Shalott by William Waterhouse.

I am Half Sick of Shadows, The Lady of Shalott looking at Lancelot and The Lady of Shalott – William Waterhouse

These paintings tell the story of a woman who is forbidden to leave her tower and who can only see the outside world through a mirror, otherwise she will suffer a curse. The first part of the poem was depicted in the 1915 painting I am Half-Sick of Shadows Said the Lady of Shalott. The lady, trapped in her tower, spends her days weaving the images she sees in the mirror and at the moment captured in the painting, there are two lovers.

When the moon was overhead,

Came two young lovers lately wed,

‘I am half sick of Shadows’,

Said the Lady of Shalott.

In the painting there is a poppy in the reflection of the mirror but not in the foreground which foreshadows the lady’s death since poppies symbolise eternal sleep. Also, the weaving shuttles are shaped like boats which predict the final part of the poem. The next part was shown in the 1894 painting The Lady of Shalott Looking at Lancelot. The Lady sees Sir Lancelot in her mirror and falls instantly in love. She turns to properly look at him and the mirror shatters fulfilling the curse.

Out flew the web and floated wide;

The mirror crack’ d from side to side;

‘The curse come upon me,’

Cried the Lady of Shalott.

The lady is painted looking directly at the viewer with a defiant stare. She is tangled in the threads of her tapestries holding a small wooden shuttle, preparing to flee in order to find Lancelot. Within the context of 19^th century Britain, Waterhouse may have implied that she is a woman of agency, defying her confinement and going after what she desires most. One could also say that Tennyson’s poem captured many artists’ ideas, especially the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, about whether they should capture nature truthfully or give their own interpretation. The Lady’s actions could reflect an artist breaking away from imagination and seeing the world in real life.

The final instalment of the poem is captured in The Lady of Shalott painted first in 1888. The lady moves downstream in a boat inscribed with her name on the prow holding the chains that tether her. On the boat is a crucifix symbolizing sacrifice and three candles, two of which have been blown out suggesting that her death will come soon. The woman’s lips are parted showing how she is singing her final song before her death.

For ere she reach’d upon the tide,

The first house by the water-side,

Singing in her song she died,

The Lady of Shalott.

The Beguiling of Merlin – Edward Burne-Jones

Another favourite is The Beguiling of Merlin painted in 1872 by Edward Burne-Jones. It shows a snake-crowned Nimue enchanting Merlin with his own sorcery by binding him into a tree in the forest. Merlin’s helplessness and entrapment is conveyed by the serpentine lines of the drapery and tree branches that imprison the wizard and deprive him of his power. This fluidity of line also captures the ebb and flow of magic. Furthermore, his droopy hands and glass-eyed demeanour reinforce the sense of paralysis. Like a lot of his work, Burne-Jones explores power relationships in which a man falls victim to a hidden threatening female power.

Guenevere – William Morris

The character of Guinevere and the scandal with Lancelot is also repeatedly depicted. Guinevere is the legendary Queen and wife of King Arthur and in French romantic interpretations she has a love affair with her husband’s chief knight and friend, Lancelot. William Morris’s painting Guenevere or La Belle Iseult is a portrait of the model and wife of Morris, Jane Burden in medieval dress. She was discovered by Morris and Rossetti when they were working together on the Oxford murals and she later became a model for several different artworks like Rossetti’s Proserpine, Sir Launcelot in the Queen’s Chamber and more of Morris’s work.

In both Morris’ and Rossetti’s paintings Burden is cast not only as a queen but as an adulteress. The way life later imitated art has an uncanny force, particularly considering Burden later became the lover of Rossetti in the 1860s. The rich colours, the emphasis on pattern and details such as the missal reveal where Morris’s true talents lay. He was less at home with figure painting than with illumination, embroidery, and woodcarving, and he struggled for months on this picture. Most people will know him as a key figure in the Arts & Crafts Movement having probably seen his wallpapers and designs.

The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon – Edward Burne-Jones

Six and a half metres wide The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon marked the culmination of Burne-Jones’ fascination with Arthurian legend. The painting, which took 17 years and remained unfinished, depicts a moment of rest and inaction. Mortally wounded, King Arthur rests his head on the lap of his sister, the fairy queen Morgana, who took her brother to Avalon after his defeat in battle. At the centre of the Arthurian tales is the idea that he did not actually die, but sleeps in Avalon, waiting for the moment when the nation will most need his return.

From its earliest roots the story of King Arthur has been changing hands and remoulded to fit the cultures and society of the time. For the Pre-Raphaelites and the Victorian era, the legend resonated with them. In part they found splendour in it – sparkling armour and swords, flying banners and beautiful maidens in flowing robes. On the other hand, Arthur became a symbol of their crusade against the mundane and the crude materialistic era that was Victorian industrialisation. They reshaped Arthur to become a means to convey the morals and the monarchical society of the time.

Edward Burne-Jones – Alison Smith

The Art of the Pre-Raphaelites – Elizabeth Prettejohn

https://owlcation.com/humanities/The-Pre-Raphaelite-paintings-of-King-Arthur-and-the-Arthurian-Legends

https://owlcation.com/humanities/arthurianlegendthroughouttheages

https://owlcation.com/humanities/The-Evolution-of-King-Arthur

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Arthur

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/pre-raphaelite

1st July 20221st July 2022

Keeping the flame alive: stoking scientific curiosity from Primary to GCSE

Chemistry teacher Marcus Patterson unpacks why initiatives at Wimbledon High School to carry through students’ sense of wonder about the world, from Primary science right through to Key Stage 4, are so important

Curiosity may have killed the proverbial cat, but for us humans, it has been, and I’m sure will continue to be, our raison d’être. From the gastronomic delights we enjoy in restaurants to the latest technological gadgets we now take for granted, curiosity and investigation have been behind them all.

In Key Stage 4, students deepen and develop their scientific knowledge and skills in preparation for their GCSE exams. Some further their education by studying science subjects at A Level. However, for others, the science they study at KS4 will be the only science education they get. So it is important that they are not only exposed to high quality teaching but that they remain enthusiastic and curious about the world around them. Because we want – no, need – our students to leave Wimbledon High School equipped to face future challenges and to come up with creative solutions to current and future problems with knowledge, reason, and zeal.

Fading fervour?

My experience, as well as the consensus more widely, suggests that students’ fervour for science start to dwindle at Key Stage 4. All children come to primary school with their own ideas and questions about science; how nature works, what energy is, what things are made of, as well as a litany of whys about everything else. During Key Stage 2 at WHS, students investigate the phenomena of living organisms, materials, Earth, space and forces. Their curiosity and eagerness is evident in their exercise books, which contain some outstanding work.

However, at Key Stage 4, that same sense of enthusiasm and wonder for science is much more difficult to see in students’ work. To be fair, students spend more time taking notes and sitting assessments than they probably did in primary school. However, the point remains: many students’ eagerness for science starts to wane, and learning science becomes a chore, based on learning content and skills simply to receive some hoped-for grade in the GCSEs.

To turn the tide in this seeming trend, Key Stage 3 has a vital role to play, as a bridge between the zestful, open, and wondrous world of primary school science and the more sophisticated, yet more sedate, world of Key Stage 4 Science. At Wimbledon High School, teachers have come up with some interesting and effective ways to help primary school students transition to science education at Key Stage 3, enabling KS3 Science to become a more effective bridge between Key Stages 2 and 4.

Extending enthusiasm

One opportunity is the taster lesson. In May, Alex Farrer brought her Year 6 Science students to work alongside Year 7 Science students in the Key Stage 3 Science Lab located in the STEAM tower of the Senior School. In the past year, Year 6 students have studied electricity and have collaborated with Year 7 students to investigate electricity and cells, and to build coin-cell batteries.

In addition, Year 5 students visited the Senior School Key Stage 3 Science Lab for a taster lesson during which they explored the world of chemical and physical changes. Both Years 5 and 6 taster sessions allowed students from the Junior School not only to see and experience how science education is done at KS3 in the Senior School, but also to reinforce and buoy the learning experiences they have had so far in science, giving students a sense of continuity. What they have learned so far continues to be explored, albeit a bit more deeply, at KS3. Such continuity allows students to maintain and further develop their curiosity and enthusiasm for science.

In Key Stage 3, students’ scientific knowledge and skills grow, and their ability to communicate scientifically is starting to develop. To give students an opportunity to apply what they have learned in interesting and creative ways, Year 8 Science students put on a Science Fair. They spent the last five weeks asking questions, coming up with hypotheses, and investigating the nature of light and sound. They presented their findings in a poster session and discussed their projects with judges, parents, teachers, and each other. Students were inquisitive and worked enthusiastically on their projects, and the results were consistently creative and superb.

Cultivating curiosity

As Key Stage 3 Science teachers, we can keep students wondering eagerly about the nature of the world around them as we encourage them to reflect upon and evaluate the answers to the questions they had before: are they satisfied, and what more do they want to know? Encouraging this type of self-reflection among students, whether through class discussions or a science journal, can do much to help them maintain that zealous and inquisitive momentum for science into and throughout their Key Stage 4 Science experience.

Just as Junior School students are given an opportunity to experience science at the Senior School, Key Stage 3 students could be given an opportunity to have taster lessons in Key Stage 4 science areas. They will come to see that the topics and themes they explored in KS3 continue to be explored at KS4, but their knowledge, understanding, and communication of science will become more sophisticated. Some of their previous questions will be answered, and then they will then have new questions. Our aim is to get them to seek the answers to those questions with the same zest and wonder as they had when they were in primary school. Exciting times are ahead!