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Musical Enrichment – Developing Musical Skills and Identity at Wimbledon High School

Brofenbrenner's Ecological Model (1979)

Gemma Norford, Head of Junior Music, looks at the impact instrumental music teaching can have on developing skills and a positive musical identity across WHS.

Introduction

As a PGCE student, you are taught that peer-to-peer teaching is an effective way of deepening the understanding of the learner taking the role of teacher, whilst also helping the pupil who is still grappling with the concept. This year, Junior and Senior pupils have come together in a musical programme called the ‘Rare Instrument Scheme’ where Senior pupils have been spending time teaching instrumental skills to Year 5 girls.

Why Music?

Music, on top of being a highly academic subject in its own right, is creative, practical and has the ability to shape lives inside and outside school. Amateur music, whether singing, playing or composing can also open up many opportunities for those of a post-school age. At primary level, music is integral to how the girls learn; how much quicker can you memorise a song than a piece of prose? The process of ‘trial and error’ seen as important skills in numeracy and literacy are echoed in the music room as girls persevere to rehearse and perfect their part for a concert performance.

Working in such ensembles promotes teamwork, a skill also paramount on the sports field.  Reading and understanding musical notation is like deciphering complex equations in maths or algorithms in ICT. Norlund (2006), in a paper entitled Finding a systemized approach to Music Inclusion, states that when it comes to ‘standard’ classroom inclusion methods, ‘music classes are inherently different in that few general education classrooms demand as much group cooperation and interaction, and they require rapid acquisition of many academic skills…[while] performing complex psychomotor tasks.[1]

Why a Rare Instrument Scheme?

The Rare Instrument Scheme was designed with the aim of introducing ‘rarer’ orchestral instruments to Junior pupils through a year of small group tuition.  As these instruments are often harder to come by both in schools and within the wider musical community, ensemble opportunities earlier on in their musical career would increase. This would, by default, promote a more positive musical identity within a larger amount of girls and encourage them to continue their instrumental studies.

Musical Identity

 

Brofenbrenner's Ecological Model (1979)
Fig 1: Brofenbrenner’s Ecological Model (1979)

Music psychologists such as Meill (2002) suggest that a child’s development of musical identity is a mixture of ‘biological predispositions towards musicality’, and significant social influences encountered in daily life. These influences form an ‘integral part of those identities rather than merely providing the framework or context within which they develop’[2].

The idea of musical identity, though still a comparatively modern concept and one too big to unravel in this article, is a thoroughly fascinating arm of psychology. The term identity, in the psychological sense, is tightly caught up within the idea of the ‘self’ as well as within a wider ‘cultural’ sphere, which can be commonly linked to inclusion. Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological model (figure 1) supports Meill’s idea that teachers have a strong part to play in the development of a child’s musical identity. What is even more important is that Bronfenbrenner (1979) and theorists such as McLaren & Hawe, 2005; Richard et al., 2011, ‘describe these levels as interactional rather than hierarchical’.[3]  Thus the impact the senior girls as ‘teachers’, have within the Rare Instrument Scheme is playing a pivotal part on the development of the junior girls’ musical identity.

[1] Gfeller, 1989 in M. Norland, ‘Finding a systemized approach to Music Inclusion’, General Music Today, 19(3), p14
[2] D. Meill in (ed.), R. A. R. MacDonald, D. J. Hargreaves, and D. Meil Musical Identities, 2nd edn. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002 p7.
[3] Crooke, A H D, (2015) https://voices.no/index.php/voices/article/view/829/685 (accessed January 2017).

Musical identity at a crucial age

Lamont (2002) argues that, when discussing identity, ‘two important topics need to be considered…first, self-understanding, or how we understand and define ourselves as individuals; and secondly, self-other understanding, or how we understand, define and relate to others.’[1] Lamont highlights this ability to differentiate between the two occurs around the age of 7; it is only once this idea of ‘differentiated identity’[2] is reached, that a child can truly begin to develop their own musical identity. The idea of children progressing through different psychological ‘levels’ is also one referred to in the work of Piaget.[3]

More worryingly, a study undertaken by O’Neill, which included 172 children (ages 6-11 years), concluded that children were much more likely “…to endorse an incremental (flexible) view about athletic ability than about musical and intellectual abilities.  Also, children who had never played an instrument before were far more likely to endorse an entity (fixed) view of musical ability than children who were already involved in, or about to begin, instrumental training.  These self–theories have important implications for the ways in which individuals make self-evaluations about their own and others’ ability.”[4]

Although O’Neill’s research fails to differentiate specific opinions of the participants based on their exact age, this is a salient point as children are applying their self-other understanding quickly which puts some at risk of identifying as a ‘non-musician’ as they are not a ‘trained musician’[5]. This can also link to concerns around the question of inclusion and social mobility.

WHS’s Rare Instrument Scheme, however, is happening towards the beginning of this crucial time. By ensuring each girl gets the opportunity to play an instrument, any pre-constructed ‘fixed’ views linking musical identity to instrumental playing can begin to be broken down as this is something entirely inclusive. Indeed, if the child walks away from this scheme identifying as either a ‘playing musician’ or ‘trained musician’ over a ‘non-musician’, the scheme has been a success.

Some of the most accomplished musicians have had successful careers as ‘playing musicians’ who are not necessarily classically trained. The positive outcomes of the Rare Instrument Scheme are already evident from both Juniors and Seniors. The Senior pupils have built incredible relationships with the Junior girls who show great respect to them. The comment from a number of Junior pupils that they would have much rather had another viola lesson than go to the House Christmas party really said it all: this scheme is promoting great enjoyment as well as musical skills and positive musical identities.

Learning for all

The involvement of the five Senior pupils has been a joy to see this year. They have been spending their two hours of enrichment a week with the Year 5 pupils and have put in an inordinate amount of effort to be the best they can be. The progress that I have seen in both groups over the course of just over a term has been truly enriching. One Senior pupil commented that it is great being able to learn to teach as she is thinking of going into it professionally following her degree. The skills the Senior pupils are developing are numerous. They are learning how to plan for a lesson; how to adapt their plan as they go depending on their audience; how to break down musical concepts in a way younger children can access thus deepening their own knowledge; how to both extend and support those who need it and how to deal with groups of young children. In a sense, they have also rediscovered their own passion for music through the excitement and enthusiasm of the Juniors as the younger girls explore their instruments for the first time. The Seniors are learning all this in a completely safe environment that allows them to take risks as they experiment with different approaches and tasks in order to develop these skills – something not always available to PGCE students at 21 or above.

The Seniors take a practical approach to leading viola lessons. They allow the younger girls lots of time to practise small chunks of music thus promoting the idea of being a ‘playing musician’ and allow the girls ownership of their learning. Junior pupils have relished this ‘freedom’ and are always keen to try the next bit! Having up to five Seniors and myself in the room may be a squeeze at times, but it ensures each Junior girl receives a large amount of one-to-one support. In about five weeks the Juniors were all able to play Twinkle Twinkle on their viola, including harmony lines for some as an extension, and the finger pattern for three major scales. Having been introduced to teaching through large group instrumental teaching (then call the ‘Wider Opportunities’ scheme) myself, I have been very impressed with the progress the Junior pupils have made. Yes, our classes are, purposefully, 12 and under rather than 30, but Twinkle Twinkle was not attempted for at least two terms in the scheme I was ‘brought up’ in – this is credit to both Junior and Senior girls at WHS. Response from the Senior girls’ parents has also been very supportive. One parent mentioned that her daughter came back into school one day following an appointment especially to do the Rare Instrument Scheme as she didn’t want to miss it.

Final thoughts

The positive effects of this enrichment scheme are numerous. For Seniors, it is the opportunity to teach, deepen their own knowledge, build skills sought after by universities and refine and affirm their own musical identity. For Juniors it is helping them construct a more positive musical identity, having contact with older girls who hold a positive musical identity and being given access to an instrument, which may open the door to musical opportunities sooner than they think as a ‘playing musician’ or ‘trained musician’. Although the academic research behind such concepts as musical identity and teaching as a way of deepening one’s own learning is necessary to support a scheme like this, I would argue they are not, in themselves, sufficient to justify the benefits of this project. It is the comments, enthusiasm and the music from the girls, both Senior and Junior, which really yield the true power of this enrichment scheme.

[1] Lamont, A., ‘Musical Identities and the School Environment’, in (ed.) D. Meill et al, Musical Identities, 2nd edn. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002, p41.
[2] ibid
[3] Gray, C. and S. MacBlain, Learning Theories in Childhood. London, Sage Publications, 2015
[4] O’Neill, S. ‘The self-identity of Young Musicians, in (ed.) Meill et al.  Musical Identities, 2nd edn. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002, p83
[5] D. Meill in (ed.), R. A. R. MacDonald, D. J. Hargreaves, and D. Meil Musical Identities, 2nd edn. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002

Reference List:  

Crooke, A H D, (2015) https://voices.no/index.php/voices/article/view/829/685 (accessed January 2017).
Gray, C. and S. MacBlain, Learning Theories in Childhood. London, Sage Publications, 2015
Lamont, A., Musical Identities and the School Environment, in R. A. R. MacDonald, D. J. Hargreaves, and D. Meill (ed.), Musical Identities, 2nd edn. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002
Meill, D., Musical Identities. in R. A. R. MacDonald, D. J. Hargreaves, and D. Meill (ed.), Musical Identities, 2nd edn. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002
Norlund, M., ‘Finding a systemized approach to Music Inclusion’, General Music Today, 19(3), pp13-16. (2006)
O’Neill, S. The self-identity of Young Musicians, in R. A. R. MacDonald, D. J. Hargreaves, and D. Meill (ed.), Musical Identities, 2nd edn. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002
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How can we enable the quieter learners in the classroom?

Wayne Eaves, teacher of Geography and advocate of coaching, looks at the importance of recognising the significant value of the quieter learner and the opportunities they offer to the wider classroom. In a world of constant stimulation and talk, where verbal contribution is too often used as a means of assessing pupil progress, it is vital that teachers reflect on their own classroom practice and ensure that ‘quiet’ is a positive and valued attribute.

The Power of Introversion

Much debate among educationalists followed the publication of Susan Cain’s book ‘Quiet-The Power of Introversion in a World That Can’t Stop Talking’ and her call to move away from the cultural bias towards extroverts in schools by creating introvert-friendly learning environments and recognising the ‘invisible’ student. Counter arguments, championed by Jessica Lahey in Atlantic magazine, maintained that to achieve success in today’s world, it is imperative that students are coerced through grades, based on verbal participation and teacher expectations, to take an active and vocal part in class.

Western culture certainly appears to present and value extroversion as an asset while disparaging introversion as an affliction or flaw. However, in other cultures silence is a sign of deep respect and is more highly valued than talk/discussion. The stereotypical description of the extrovert as Act-Think-Act, and the introvert as Think-Act-Think is rarely helpful since in reality (especially the classroom) a whole spectrum of introversion and extroversion exists. The aim must surely be to incorporate and celebrate the approaches of all learners.

To me, Lahey’s advocacy for grading classroom participation ignores the ‘value of quiet’ and the myriad of other ways that students take part in lessons. These might include the silent assent they give to ideas in their body language and eye contact or the way they make thoughtful and insightful notes for a future essay. The absence of talk must not be assumed to indicate an absence of engagement with learning nor undervalue the student’s role in the classroom.

 

 “The absence of talk must not be assumed to indicate an absence of engagement with learning”

The modern classroom with its focus on active and collaborative learning, exciting technology, group work and discussion can all too often ignore the needs of the quiet learner and indeed actively hinder their learning. As Cain points out, the extrovert draws energy from social interaction while the introvert draws energy from internal reflection and quiet time and may easily become drained by non-stop interaction with others.

The Inclusive Classroom

How can the classroom teacher adapt their teaching to meet the needs of all their learners? A variety of strategies can help the confidence of all students:

  • Offer the discussion questions in advance by pre-circulating the issues that you plan to talk about in the next lesson.
  • Ensure that sufficient waiting or thinking time is always given before an answer is expected, giving both the reflective student and the ‘instant responder’ time to think their answers through.
  • Think-Pair-Share – gives the quiet learner the chance to reflect on their answer, discuss it with one peer which may well then encourage them to share with the rest of the class.
  • Ensure that every lesson contains some time for deep thinking and quiet study. It has been noted that in US schools where verbal confidence is valued at least as highly as quiet work that achievement in many schools is falling behind their international peers. A short session of silent, meaningful work, also allows the extroverts in a class to develop and hone new and valuable skills.
  • Social media, used well by the teacher can give the quieter learner a boost. A discussion blog allows them to become involved in the conversation and get their ideas validated by others, thus building confidence.
  • Be creative with the classroom, if space allows have both group work zones and individual desks. At break time designate a semi-quiet space for the quiet learners where they can recharge after time spent with lots of other people.

Introverts Dilemma
Introverts Dilemma

Figure 1: ‘How to care for Introverts/Extroverts’– The Introvert’s Dilemma (blog)

Although quieter students may need some adjustments to be made in the learning environment, the benefits that they contribute to the classroom are considerable. They naturally bring an element of mindfulness to a lesson and, given the opportunity, present new ideas and perspectives which enrich the learning and experience of others. It is their fellow students and their teachers’ duty to listen to them. When she was asked what inspired her to write her book Cain likened introverts today to women at the dawn of the feminist movement—second-class citizens with gigantic amounts of untapped talent. As her book concludes, ‘our culture rightly admires risk-takers but in today’s world we need the heed-takers more than ever’.

Further reading

Cain, S. Quiet : The Power of Introversion in a World That Can’t Stop Talking’. Crown Publishing Group, 2012

Cain, S. The Power of Introverts, podcast, TED talks Feb 2012

https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts?language=en

Lahey J.  ‘Introverted Kids need to Learn to Speak up at School‘, The Atlantic, Feb 2013

https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/02/introverted-kids-need-to-learn-to-speak-up-at-school/272960/

Schultz, K. Rethinking Classroom Participation: Listening to Silent Voices. Teachers College Press. 2009

Author- unattributed ‘Introverts – Extroverts: ‘It’s not about shyness, It’s about honouring and making ways to participate’ TILT, (web blog) 2012-13

https://uminntilt.com/2013/07/08/introverts-extroverts-change-takes-courage-2/

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What price quality?

Photo: David Levenson
Rachel Brewster, Director of Marketing & Communications at WHS, looks at the challenges of how we engage with the news in the digital age.

“Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate to prefer the latter.”
Thomas Jefferson

“Gradually I came to realise that people will more readily swallow lies than truth, as if the taste of lies was honey, appetizing, a habit.”
Martha Gellhorn

The great American journalist and war reporter Martha Gellhorn reported on virtually every major conflict of a 60-year career. But she did not live to report on the age of the internet. What would she make of “alternative truths”, the polarisation and poisoning of debate and the resurgence of propaganda that those of us who eagerly embraced the possibility and promise of the world wide web now bewilderingly ponder? Would she understand news as a commodity, freely available in bite-sized digital chunks over a 24/7 news cycle with “consumers” self-selecting what to read and hear within ever narrower echo chambers, largely unregulated and poorly challenged?

With the digital revolution, the ‘what’ of the news is only ever seconds away, via live streaming, through a myriad of news and social feeds, or indeed in the tweets of a certain president. There is little time for the ‘why’ and the ‘how’, and the absence of context – and, too often the propagation of downright lies – have fragmented public discourse. As our Rosewell Lecturer Tim Marshall reminded us in school recently, the direct and indirect consequences of this fragmentation can be seen from divided America to the gilets jaunes, from Brexit to authoritarian Hungary.

This is not to say that digital-first news has to be inferior to a nostalgic idea of ‘Fleet Street’. Indeed, the traditional ‘old’ press has seen rapidly declining circulation figures, advertisers taking their business to online providers and the slashing of editorial budgets. Fewer journalists cover ever more stories and quality has often suffered as a result. Highlighting the shortcomings of ‘digital-first’ news is not about ‘the scourge of the internet’ or wanting to turn back the clock. But pushed to the brink and with Jefferson’s words ringing out, the stakes have finally become too high:  governments are looking to readdress the balance, regulate and hold Facebook, Google and others to account.

Market forces can and are acting more quickly than governments. Investors who had poured money into some of the newer kids on the block, such as BuzzFeed and Vice, amidst the hype for what they would represent, are now backing off, with the realisation that selling the news is not an easy money-maker. Multinationals that moved so much of their advertising spend to digital platforms have started to baulk at their brands being compromised by the positioning of an ad against inappropriate content online. Digital-first news organisations are being forced to restructure or consolidate in order to cut costs.

“A chill has gripped the once hot digital media sector, with companies formerly lauded as the future of news laying off staff and cutting costs to stay afloat.”
Anna Nicolaou and Patricia Nisson, FT

Meanwhile, newspapers that themselves underwent seismic changes to embrace digital (in a dual print and online offering) have started to resurrect themselves. They are winning back some of the advertisers they lost. They have campaigned hard to grow their online readership. The New York Times (4 million) and Washington Post (1 million plus) have dramatically increased their subscriptions; here in the UK, The Times announced in July that it had half a million digital subscribers. Even the Guardian, which has eschewed a subscription model and opted for a ‘supporter’ model instead, announced in its year end accounts last year that it was on track to break even this year, after years of staring into the financial abyss.

Reuters Digital Report Graph 2018
Source: Reuters Digital Report 2018

How else are quality newspapers trying to shift the tide?

Economies of scale

  • News UK (which publishes The Telegraph, amongst other titles) and longstanding rivals the Guardian News and Media group have joined forces to allow advertisers to spend across their digital titles in one go, making significant savings and winning back custom.
  • The most extensive example of investigative journalism in recent years – the Panama Papers (revealing the financial dealings of nefarious international figures and companies) – came about as a result of a collaboration of over 100 media partners, sharing resources and expertise, as well as costs. This sort of investigative journalism, involving months of research, would otherwise barely be possible.

Marketing

  • Live events are big business and they have helped fuel international growth. The FT in particular has a strong global brand that sees it fill conferences across the world; the Guardian runs courses and lectures from King’s Place; alongside talks, merchandise and other spin-offs are ever more common in the drive for subscriber acquisition and retention.
  • In-house press officers have long helped publicise stories from the newsroom, aiming for take-up across broadcast media and wider online channels. Marketing teams are now bigger, with news organisations making strategic appointments to spearhead engagement.

Focusing on comment

  • Comment pages have grown in both their print and online offerings. Misinformation and erosion of trust have led many readers back to traditional brands for commentary on what to make of unprecedented political events.

“[Trump’s] presidency has created an urgency around news that has made old-fashioned journalism more in vogue then it has been probably since Watergate.”
The Economist

What price quality - Reuters Digital Report 2018 graph
Source: Reuters Digital Report 2018

Normalising the paywall

  • The way that ‘mainstream media’ has been dismissed for propagating ‘fake news’, all the while that mis-practice and international interference in elections is being investigated has of course galvanised readers, perhaps more than any campaign. (Though this powerful NYT campaign is worth a look and for an in-depth understanding of journalism in action, watch Reporting Trump’s First Year.) There has been a growing realisation that something we previously took for granted is not free. That news reporting with integrity and depth, which challenges our understanding of the world and holds politicians, business people and society to account is a craft of great value.

“Journalism is all about telling people about other people. It’s a craft dedicated to explaining how the world goes round, what is shaping our lives…”
Gillian Tett, FT

Reuters Digital Report 2018 graph
Source: Reuters Digital Report 2018

“News is an industry in transition, not in decline… The quality press has staged a remarkable resurrection.” 
John Micklethwait, Bloomberg Businessweek

Yet it remains a precarious time for journalists and the media organisations that employ them. As educators, we have an important role to play. We will continue to foster news literacy through our  Futureproof programme (run by our Director of Innovation and Digital Learning) and in lessons and co-curricular activities that interrogate the news. We give as many opportunities as possible to our girls to practise student journalism – whether it’s writing or editing the brilliant Unconquered Peaks, last year’s GDST student magazine Wave (spearheaded by WHS girls) or the monthly stories coming out of the Young Reporters Scheme and published in the local press online, championed by our English department. The Head’s challenge is for us to set reading a newspaper as homework – the logical next step.

And as global citizens, we now must all answer the question: What price are we willing to pay to protect quality news-gathering? So next time you’re looking for a birthday present, buy a (digital or non) subscription for a quality newspaper and spread the word.

 “If we don’t hold them accountable, who will?
We can’t hold them accountable if we don’t have a newspaper.”
(From the film The Post)

Rachel Brewster
Director of Marketing & Communications

Sources and further reading / watching:

http://www.digitalnewsreport.org
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jul/31/national-newspapers-in-uk-enjoy-first-print-advertising-rise-since-2010-research-finds
https://www.economist.com/business/2017/10/26/how-leading-american-newspapers-got-people-to-pay-for-news
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-03/john-micklethwait-the-future-of-news
https://www.politico.com/media/story/2015/05/the-60-second-interview-gillian-tett-us-managing-editor-financial-times-003775
https://techonomy.com/2017/03/whatever-happened-to-the-internets-promise/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b8lfhc – Reporting Trump’s First Year: The Fourth Estate
https://www.engadget.com/2019/01/15/facebook-invest-local-newsrooms/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/07/technology/two-months-news-newspapers.html
https://www.icij.org/investigations/panama-papers/pages/panama-papers-about-the-investigation/ 
Columns by Simon Kuper at FT.com

 

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Can the Harkness approach to delivering Maths lead to a deeper understanding?

Mrs Clare Duncan, Director of Studies at WHS @MATHS_WHS, describes the Harkness approach she observed at Wellington College and the impact that this collaborative approach has in the understanding of A Level Maths.

Named after its founder, Edward Harkness, Harkness it is a pedagogical approach that promotes collaborative thinking. Edward Harkness’ view was that learning should not be a solitary activity instead it would benefit from groups of minds joining forces to take on a challenging question or issue. What Harkness wanted was a method of schooling that would train young people not only to confer with one another to solve problems but that would give them the necessary skills for effective discussion. Harkness teaching is a philosophy that began at Philips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire in the 1930s.

Edward Harkness stated:

“What I have in mind is [a classroom] where [students] could sit around a table with a teacher who would talk with them and instruct them by a sort of tutorial or conference method, where [each student] would feel encouraged to speak up. This would be a real revolution in methods.”

This was very much what the classroom looked like when I was lucky enough to observe Maths teaching at Wellington College last term. Their newly refurbished Maths rooms had floor to ceiling whiteboards on all the walls. On entering the classroom, the students were already writing their solutions to problems that were set at preparatory work for the lesson. Whether the solution was correct or not was irrelevant, it was a focal point which allowed students to engage in discussion and offer their own views, problems and suggestions. The discussion was student led with the teacher only interjecting to reinforce a significant Maths principle or concept.  The key learning point is giving the students their own time before the lesson to get to grips with something before listening to the views of others.

The Maths teachers at Wellington College have developed their own sets of worksheets which the students complete prior to the lesson. Unlike conventional schemes of work, the worksheets follow an ‘interleaving’ approach whereby multiple topics are studied at once. Time is set aside at the start of the lesson for students to put their solutions on whiteboards, they then walk around the room comparing their solutions to those of others. Discussion follows in which students would discuss how they got to their answers and why they selected the approach they are trying to use. In convincing others that their method was correct, there was a need for them to justify mathematical concepts in a clear and articulate manner. The students sit at tables in an oval formation, they can see one another and no-one is left out of the discussion. The teacher would develop the idea further by asking questions such as ‘why did this work?’ or ‘where else could this come up?’.

The aim of Harkness teaching is to cultivate independence and allows student individual time to consume a new idea before being expected to understand it in a high-pressured classroom environment. This approach can help students of all abilities. Students who find topics hard have more time than they would have in class to think about and engage with new material and students who can move on and progress are allowed to do so too. In class, the teacher can direct questioning in such a way that all students feel valued and all are progressing towards the end objectives.  It involves interaction throughout the whole class instead of the teacher simply delivering a lecture with students listening. It was clear that the quality of the teachers questioning and ability to lead the discussion was key to the success of the lesson.

Figure 1: WHS pupils in a Maths lesson solving problems using the Harkness approach

This was certainly confirmed by my observations. The level of Maths discussed was impressive, students could not only articulate why a concept worked but suggested how it could be developed further. I was also struck by how students were openly discussing where they went wrong and what they couldn’t understand; a clear case of learning from your mistakes. Whenever possible the teaching was student led. Even when teachers were writing up the ‘exemplar’ solutions, one teacher was saying ‘Talk me through what you want me to do next’. Technology was used to support the learning with it all captured on OneNote for students to refer to later. In one lesson, a student was selected as a scribe for notes. He typed them up directly to OneNote; a great way of the majority focusing on learning yet still having notes as an aide memoir.

Although new to me, at Wimbledon we have been teaching using the Harkness approach to the Sixth Form Further Maths students for the past couple of years. Having used this approach since September it has been a delight to see how much the Year 12 Further Maths pupils have progressed. Being able to their articulate mathematical thinking in a clear and concise way is an invaluable skill and, although hesitant at first, is now demonstrated ably by all the students. The questions posed and the discussions that ensue take the students beyond the confinements of the specifications.

–

References
https://learning.wellingtoncollege.org.uk/harkness-teaching-and-uk-education/

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Does taking part in co-curricular activities really improve academic outcomes?

Jenny Cox, Director of Co-curricular and Partnerships at Wimbledon High, looks at the links between co-curricular activities and the impact these can have on academic outcomes in the classroom.

There has been much research over the years investigating the link between Sport and its benefits – not only to a healthy lifestyle – but to the academic progress of students in schools and universities.  Research has shown that regular physical activity leads to improvements in a range of cognitive functions, including information processing, attention and executive function (Chaddock et al. 2011). However, does involvement in any co-curricular club facilitate academic outcomes?

‘Flow’

Can you think of a time when you have ever been so absorbed in an activity that you have completely lost track of time? That whatever you were doing was challenging, totally captivating, was extending your skills and you were virtually operating in the subconscious? If you can, it’s likely that you were experiencing a phenomenon known as ‘flow’. Psychologist Csikszentmihalyi writing in the 1960s researched this initially with it really coming to the forefront of sports psychology in the 1990s.

He described it as:

“A deeply rewarding and optimal experience characterised

by intense focus on a specific activity

to the point of becoming totally absorbed in it”

Csikszentmihalyi suggested that experiencing ‘flow’ makes us happier and more successful, which in turn leads to increased performance. To get to this point, he pointed out that tasks have to be constantly challenging which in turn results in personal growth and development. This doesn’t mean that we always have to be in a state of optimal performance, but more that we are fully immersed in the process of the task in hand, as shown in the diagram below:

Activities & Flow diagram by Csikszentmihalyi

‘Flow’ experiences can happen as part of everyday life, and Csikszentmihalyi suggested overlearning a concept or a skill can help people experience flow. Within a sporting context, it is sometimes referred to a “being in the zone”, experiencing a loss of self-consciousness and feeling a sense of complete mastery.

Motivation

In addition to overlearning, another key component of finding ‘flow’ is doing activities that we are intrinsically motivated to take part in. This means work and activities that we feel real meaning behind and enjoy doing for the sake of doing. Financial gain, awards and praise can be by-products of the ‘flow’ activities you do, but they cannot be the core motivation behind what you’re doing. Csikszentmihalyi even goes further, saying the feeling should be “such that often the end goal is just an excuse for the process.”

Academic success

So why is this relevant to our school co-curricular programme and can it be linked to academic success?  The links here are two-fold.

Firstly, the co-curricular programme is designed to inspire and enhance the general learning of new skills and concepts. It gives us more time to focus on over-learning a skill or concept because there is no pressure of being examined, therefore no exact specification or course content to get through. We have the luxury of taking our time, over-rehearsing, over practising to a point of taking part in an activity with a loss of sub-consciousness. We may repeat skills so frequently because we revisit them two, three, four, seven, eight times a week, (think of rowing, drama, and music to name just three activities that have repeat weekly sessions), that the feeling of knowing a skill, a sequence, a technique really well and performing is sub-consciously really does happen.

Secondly, with this feeling of ‘flow’ comes those ‘magic moments’ we can all benefit from at any point during the day. The mere fact we are immersed in activity we enjoy could result in us being ‘in the zone’. We are busy immersed in something which is likely to mean we are automatically not thinking about an essay, a grade, a piece of coursework, a friendship or relationship issue at that time and so as a consequence that time contributes enormously to our state of well-being and happiness. This, in turn, is highly likely to lead to a more productive ‘head space’ for work when we return to it, less procrastinating, greater focus and possibly better outcomes.

So can we draw a link between participation in co-curricular activities and academic outcomes? There is research to indicate we can….. happy reading!

–

References

  • Chaddock, L., C. H. Hillman, S. M. Buck, and N. J. Cohen. 2011. “Aerobic Fitness and Executive Control of Relational Memory in Preadolescent Children.” Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 43 (2): 344–349.
  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper & Row
  • Bailey R. (2016): Sport, physical activity and educational achievement – towards an explanatory model, Sport in Society

 

 

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Trying not to PEE on your paragraphs…

Holly Beckwith, Teacher of History and Politics at WHS, explains how the History and English departments are using a small-scale action research project to try and rethink the way in which analytical writing is taught at Key Stage 3.

The age-old question for history teachers: how do we get our pupils to produce effective written analysis? It is a question we regularly grapple with as a department. Constructing and sustaining arguments is at the centre of what we do as Historians and analytical writing is thus at the core of our teaching of the discipline. But it has not always been an easy task for history practitioners to get pupils to achieve this, even over a whole key stage.

Through published discourse, history teachers have explored the ways in which we can teach pupils to produce argued causal explanations in writing (Laffin, 2000; Hammond, 2002; Chapman, 2003; Counsell, 2004; Pate and Evans, 2007; Fordham, 2007).  Extended writing has been seen as an important pedagogical tool in developing pupils’ causal reasoning as it necessitates thinking about the organisation, arrangement and relative importance of causes.

In 2003, History teacher Mary Bakalis theorised pupils’ difficulty with writing as a difficulty with history. She posited that writing is both a form of thinking and a tool for thinking and, therefore, that historical understanding is shaped and expressed by writing. Rather than viewing writing as a skill that one acquires through history, Bakalis saw writing as part of the process of historical reasoning and thinking. Through an analysis of her own Year 7 pupils’ essays, she noticed that pupils had often failed to see the relevance of a fact in relation to a question. She realised that pupils thought that history was merely an activity of stating facts rather than using facts to construct an argument.

As a solution to similar observations in pupils’ writing, history teachers have used various forms of scaffolding to help pupils construct arguments. This includes the well-known PEE tool, which was advocated by genre theorists and cross-curricular literary initiatives as put forward by, for example, Wray and Lewis (1994), and has since been used widely in History and English departments nationwide, including ours at Wimbledon High.  The concept of PEE (point, evidence, explanation) is simple and therefore a helpful tool for teaching paragraph structure. It gives pupils security in knowing how to organise their knowledge on a page.

Figure 1: PEE – Point, Evidence, Explanation

But while PEE in theory offers a sound approach to structuring extended writing in history, it has been criticised for unintentionally removing important steps in historical thinking. Fordham, for example, noticed that the use of such devices in his practice meant that there was too much ‘emphasis on structured exposition [which] had rendered the deeper historical thinking inaccessible’ (Fordham, 2007.) Pate and Evans similarly argued that ‘historical writing is about more than structure and style; the construction of history is about the individual’s reaction to the past’ (Pate and Evans, 2007).  Therefore, too much emphasis on the construction of the essay rather than the nuances of an argument or an engagement with other arguments, as Fordham argues, can create superficial success. Further problems were identified by Foster and Gadd (2013), who theorised that generic writing frame approaches such as the PEE tool was having a detrimental effect on pupils’ understanding and deployment of historical evidence in their history writing.

After reflecting on this research conducted by History teachers as a department, we started to consider that encouraging our pupils to use structural devices to help pupils’ historical writing may not be very purposeful if divorced from getting pupils to see the function and role of arguments in the discipline of history itself. Through discussions with the English department, who have also used the PEE tool in their teaching, we realised we shared similar concerns.

Not satisfied with simply holding these, we decided to do something about it and have since embarked on a piece of action research with the English department.  Action research is interested in finding solutions to problems to produce better outcomes in education and involves a continual cycle of planning, action, observation and reflection such as Figure 2 below illustrates.

We started our first cycle of our piece of small-scale research last term teaching analytical writing to classes using two different lesson sequences: one which teaches pupils PEE and one which omits this.

We then compared the writing produced by these classes to identify any noticeable differences and structured our reflections around four questions:

1.      How has the experience of teaching and learning been different to previous experience, and why?

2.      How have students responded to the new method?

3.      How far has the intervention resulted in a different approach to analytical writing so far?
4.      What are our next steps – what went well, and what needs adjusting?

Figure 2: The action research spiral (Wilson, 2017, p. 113)

Thus far, the comparisons have allowed us to make some tentative observations. Whilst these do not seem to show an established pattern yet, there does seem to be a greater sense of originality and creativity in some of the non-PEE responses. Pupils seemed to produce more free-flowing ideas and were making more spontaneous links between those ideas, showing a higher quality of thinking. In addition, a few of the participating teachers noticed that their questioning became more tailored to developing the ideas and thinking of the pupils they taught rather than getting them to write something particular. However, others noticed that pupils were already well versed in PEE and so the change in approach may have had less of an effect. Other pupils seemed to feel less secure with a freeform structure. In order to encourage the more positive effects, our next cycle of teaching will experiment with different ways of planning essays that provide pupils with a way of organising ideas more visually and focus on the development of our questioning to further develop the higher quality thinking we noticed with some classes.

The first research cycle has thus been a worthwhile collaborative reflection on our teaching practice in the pursuit of improving our pupils’ historical and literary analysis. It has given us some insights which we’re looking to develop further as we head into the second term of the academic year.

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References

Bakalis, M. (2003). ‘Direct teaching of paragraph cohesion’ Teaching History 110.
Chapman, A. (2003). ‘Camels, diamonds and counterfactuals: a model for teaching causal reasoning’ Teaching History 112.
Counsell, C. (2004). History and Literacy in Year 7: Building the lesson around the text. Abingdon: Hodder Education.
Fordham, M. (2007). ‘Slaying dragons and sorcerers in Year 12: in search of historical argument’ Teaching History 129.
Foster, R. and Gadd, S. (2013). ‘“Let’s play Supermarket ‘Evidential’ Sweep”: developing students’ awareness of the need to select evidence’ Teaching History 152.
Hammond, K. (2002). ‘Getting year 10 to understand the value of precise factual knowledge’ Teaching History 109.
Laffin, D. (2000). ‘My essays could go on for ever: using Key Stage 3 to improve performance at GCSE’ Teaching History 99.
Pate, J. and Evans, G. (2007). ‘Does scaffolding make them fall? Reflecting on strategies for causal argument in Years 8 and 11’ Teaching History 128.
Wray, D. and Lewis, M. (1994). Working with Writing Frames: Developing Children’s Non-Fiction Writing Scholastic.
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As teachers, do we need to know about big data?

Clare Roper, the Director of Science, Technology and Engineering at WHS explores the world of big data.  As teachers should we be aware of big data? Why, and what data is being collected on our students every day… but equally relevant questions about how we could increase awareness of the almost unimaginable possibilities that big data might expose our students to in the future.

The term ‘big data’ was first included in the Oxford English Dictionary in 2013 where it was defined as “extremely large data sets that may be analysed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations.”[1] In the same year it was listed by the UK government as one of the eight great technologies that now receives significant investment with the aim of ensuring the country is a world leader in innovation and development.[2]

‘Large data sets’ with approximately 10000 data points in a spreadsheet have recently introduced into the A Level Mathematics curriculum, but ‘big data’ is on a different scale entirely with the amount of data expanding at such speed, that it cannot be stored or analysed using traditional methods. In fact, it is predicted that between 2012 and 2020 the global volume of data will increase exponentially from 4.4 zettabytes to 44 zettabytes (ie. 44 x1021 bytes)[3] and data scientists now talk of ‘data lakes’ and ‘dark data’ (data that you do not know about).

But should we be collecting every piece of data imaginable in the hope it might be useful one day, and is that even sustainable or might we be sinking in these so-called lakes of data? Many data scientists argue that data on its own actually has no value at all and that it is only when it is analysed in context that it becomes valuable. With the introduction of GDPR in the EU, there has been a lot of focus on data protection, data ethics and the ownership and security of personal data.

At a recent talk at the Royal Institute, my attention was drawn to the bias that exists in some big data sets. Even our astute Key Stage 3 scientists will be aware that if the data you collect is biased, then inevitably any conclusions drawn from it will at best be misleading, but more likely, be meaningless. The same premise applies to big data. The example given by Maja Pantic from the Samsung AI Lab in Cambridge, referred to facial recognition, and the cultural and gender bias that currently exist within some of the big data behind the related software – but this is only one of countless examples of bias within the big data on humans. With more than half the world’s population online, digital data on humans makes up the majority of a phenomenal volume of big data that is generated every second. Needless to say, those people who are not online are not included in this big data, and therein lies the bias.

There are many examples in science where the approach to big data collection has been different to that collected on humans (unlike us, chemical molecules do not generate an online footprint by themselves) and new fields in many sciences are advancing because of big data. Weather forecasting and satellite navigation rely on big data and new technologies have emerged including astroinformatics, bioinformatics (boosted even further recently thanks to an ambitious goal to sequence the DNA of all life – Earth Biogenome project ), geoinformatics and pharmogenomics to name just a few. Despite the fact that the term ‘big data’ is too new to be found in any school syllabi as yet, here at WHS we are already dabbling in big data (eg. MELT project, IRIS with Ark Putney Academy, Twinkle Orbyts, UCL with Tolcross Girls’ and Tiffin Girls’ and the Missing Maps project).

To grapple with the idea of the value of big data collections and what we should or should not be storing and analysing, I turned to CERN (European Organisation of Nuclear Research). They generate millions of collisions every second from the Large Hadron Collider and therefore will have carefully considered big data collection. It was thanks to the forward thinking of the British scientist, Tim Berners-Lee at CERN that the world wide web exists as a public entity today and it seems scientists at CERN are also pioneering in their outlook on big data. Rather than store all the information from every one of the 600 million collisions per second (and create a data lake), they discard 99.99% of this data as it is produced and only store data for approximately 100 collisions per second. Their approach is born from the idea that although they might not know what they are looking for, they do know what they have already seen [4]. Although CERN is not using DNA molecules for the long-term storage of their data yet, it seems not so far-fetched that one of a number of new start-up companies may well make this a possibility soon. [5]

None of us know what challenges lie ahead for ourselves as teachers, nor our students as we prepare them for careers we have not even heard of, but it does seem that big data will influence more of what we do and invariably how we do it. Smart data, i.e. filtered big data that is actionable, seems a more attractive prospect as we work out how balance intuition and experience over newer technologies reliant on big data where there is a potential for us to unwittingly drown in the “data lakes” we are now capable of generating. Big data is an exciting, rapidly evolving entity and it is our responsibility to decide how we engage with it.

[1] Oxford Dictionaries: www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition//big-data, 2015.

[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/eight-great-technologies

[3] The Digital Universe of Opportunities: Rich Data and the Increasing Value of the Internet of Things, 2014, https://www.emc.com/leadership/digital-universe/

[4] https://home.cern/about/computing

[5] https://synbiobeta.com/entering-the-next-frontier-with-dna-data-storage/

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Global partnerships

Claire Baty, Head of French, considers the importance of global links in education, with particular reference to a developing partnership with a school in India.

“Let us together create pathways for our children connecting local to global”
Rima C Ailawadi, Principal of GD Goenka Public School, Model Town, Delhi

One of the key aims of WHS is for ‘every girl to leave [the school] prepared to shape the society in which she lives and works’. However, we have another responsibility that I think goes hand in hand with this particular aim; helping our students to realise that society is not limited to the local community and that they can and should spread their wings much further afield.

An outstanding education must provide opportunities for students to experience the world beyond their doorstep. Arguably, cultural interaction has never been more important than it is today. Technology enables young people to explore the world from their bedroom but only a few actually experience it. Despite, or perhaps because of, the political uncertainty in Europe young people must go out into the world with the knowledge, skills and attitude needed to thrive in an ever-changing international environment. This means experiencing different cultures, faiths, religions and languages through meaningful and enjoyable collaboration with their peers in other countries.

As a French teacher, I am obviously aware of the fundamental role played by trips abroad in the development of language proficiency. Immersion in the target language and culture is the best way to develop communication skills. Yet, we must not forget that students also gain invaluable life skills from these visits; networking and communication skills, compassion, independence, open-mindedness, to name but a few. These skills empower young people and lead to a more tolerant and empathetic world.

Here at WHS we have embraced the idea of a truly international education, offering our students countless opportunities to experience the world in which they live. Curriculum teaching that immerses Y3 students in the culture of Africa, exchange and study visits to France, Germany, Spain and Japan, community projects in Sri Lanka and Ghana all inspire our girls to make social change on a global scale.

Following on from the success of our other partnerships, WHS is now reaping the benefits of an exciting new connection with GD Goenka Public school in New Delhi, India. This is exciting, not least because the students are able to make friends with someone from a completely different country and culture, but also because we are able to work together on areas of common interest. The students are sharing their ideas, asking questions, carrying out research on behalf of their partners in India and vice versa. The aim is to create some academically enriching presentations on topics such as cultural diversity, freedom of expression in art, the importance of festivals in both cultures, the role of women in Indian society, air pollution and environmental issues affecting Delhi and London, the impact of social media on teenagers in India and the UK, sustainable development. These are just some of the myriad of possible areas of research. That is why a partnership project like this is so exciting, the opportunity to challenge perspectives on global issues, to step outside the ‘Wimbledon Bubble’ and share ideas with young people growing up in a culturally and socially different country.

Global partnerships projects are all about building connections with others, communicating effectively, and learning about other people and from other people. Ultimately encouraging collaboration and understanding between nations. Exchanging intellectual ideas is important, but so too is getting to know those other people. We talk about connecting schools, but it is really about connecting people.[1]

Global partnerships allow students to examine the differences and similarities between different countries and communities; this in turn broadens their perspectives in the classroom. Being able to compare effectively also opens their mind to the world of metacognition. “Once you experience something that challenges your beliefs or defies what you are familiar with, you have the beautiful opportunity to re-evaluate the way you think about your own life as well as the world at large” [2] and that is why global connections should be an intrinsic part of school life.

[1] The British Council
[2] 8 life skills travelling teaches by Kay Rodriguez www.wanderingeducators.com

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Learning another language: is it important?

Suzanne Stone, teacher of French at Wimbledon High School, considers the importance of learning a foreign language in the lead up to Brexit.

“Now more than ever, languages education matters. In a climate of political uncertainty and with the prospect of social fragmentation and economic instability, our ability and willingness to speak multiple languages and develop intercultural understanding increase in significance and value. Language skills and cultural agility connect us to our past, define our present and have the potential to transform our future.”

Bernardette Holmes MBE, Director of Speak to the Future, the National Campaign for Languages

***

Autumn term is a traditionally busy one for our Sixth Form linguists, with Year 13 considering their post-A level choices and Year 12 embarking on their post-GCSE courses. Elsewhere, negotiations are still underway as to the shape of this country’s post-Brexit future, with much discussion amongst language teachers, policy makers and industry figures as to its impact on language learning in our schools. As a language teacher at WHS, I strongly believe that language teaching is more important than ever for intercultural understanding and for employment prospects for our students after Brexit.

The removal of learning a foreign language from the compulsory curriculum in state schools in 2004 resulted in a national decline in the number of linguists schools produce, together with a reduction in the range of languages offered. Here at WHS, we continue to promote the joy and relevance of learning the languages we teach and consequently enjoy a growing MFL curriculum and buoyant numbers throughout the school. For our students, attitudes to learning foreign languages are positive and levels of motivation high, as the girls understand that operating in a language other than English is not just enjoyable in itself but a useful, and indeed, necessary skill in their preparation for life beyond WHS.

The British Council’s annual report, Language Trends 2018, details the negative impact that leaving the European Union is having on language learning in some schools, as seen through low student motivation levels and parental attitudes questioning the relevance of language learning in the current climate. Ironically, recent articles have discussed how the UK’s lack of language skills could in fact jeopardise our post-Brexit future. Indeed, the House of Lords debated earlier this year the need for MFL skills to be embedded in the Government’s white paper, Industrial Strategy – Building a Britain fit for the future. Within this context, the educational system needs to catch up with the idea that language skills are not only important but in fact crucial in this global marketplace and thus be offered and encouraged at every key stage.

The national decline in pupils taking languages at GCSE and A level is a worrying trend. Language Trends 2018 also reports that the proportion taking a GCSE language dropped from 76% in 2002, to 49% in 2014 and most recently to 47% in 2017. For A level, entries for some modern languages have seen a decline in numbers, but popularity for post-16 language study for our WHS students remains steady. The separation of AS from A level has enabled some students to continue with a foreign language to complement their existing A level choices. Interestingly, current AS students include those wishing to apply for dentistry, PPE, psychology and economics next year. The versatility of A level language subjects is such that, post A level, our students can continue pure language study to degree level or jointly with other disciplines such as Law, Science, Maths and Engineering, as well as more traditional combinations of Geography, History and English.

Reducing foreign language learning to a minority, optional subject particularly at KS4 will have a worrying impact on the quantity and calibre of linguists entering not only our profession but others too, at a time when, as a nation, we are going to need a greater number of English speakers with competence in foreign languages. Luckily, here at WHS our access to and participation in learning languages are bucking these national trends. Prospective parents are impressed by our language offer throughout the school, student involvement in our many and varied trips is high, and our numbers at both AS and A level are healthy. Perhaps the language teachers of tomorrow can be found enjoying French, German, Spanish, Mandarin or Italian here in our modern language classrooms today.

Further reading:

https://www.britishcouncil.org/research/language-trends-2018

https://stories.swns.com/news/uks-lack-language-skills-jeopardise-post-brexit-future-94504/

https://www.globalvoices.co.uk/languages/how-will-brexit-affect-the-need-for-languages-in-the-uk/

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/03/the-guardian-view-on-languages-and-the-british-brexit-and-an-anglosphere-prison

https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/7399d414-80f4-49cc-80a3-e114064735e0?in=17:45:48&out=17:55:20

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/industrial-strategy-building-a-britain-fit-for-the-future

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/21/european-language-brexit-britain

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The importance of collaborative learning

How can we encourage collaborative learning? Alex Farrer, STEAM Co-ordinator at Wimbledon High, looks at strategies to encourage creative collaboration in the classroom.

Pupils’ ability to work collaboratively in the classroom cannot just be assumed. Pupils develop high levels of teamwork skills in many areas of school life such as being part of a rowing squad or playing in an ensemble. These strengths are also being harnessed in a variety of subject areas but need to be taught and developed within a coherent framework.  Last week we were very pleased to learn that Wimbledon High was shortlisted for the TES Independent Schools Creativity Award 2019. This recognises the development of STEAM skills such as teamwork, problem solving, creativity and curiosity across the curriculum. Wimbledon High pupils are enjoying tackling intriguing STEAM activities in a variety of subject areas. One important question to ask is what sort of progression should we expect as pupils develop these skills?

The Science National Curriculum for England (D of E gov.uk 2015) outlines the “working scientifically” skills expected of pupils from year 1 upwards. Pupils are expected to answer scientific questions in a range of different ways such as in an investigation where variables can be identified and controlled and a fair test type of enquiry is possible.

However, this is not the only way of “working scientifically”. Pupils also need to use different approaches such as identifying and classifying, pattern seeking, researching and observing over time to answer scientific questions. In the excellent resource “It’s not Fair -or is it?” (Turner, Keogh, Naylor and Lawrence) useful progression grids are provided to help teachers identify the progression that might be expected as pupils develop these skills. For example, when using research skills younger pupils use books and electronic media to find things out and talk about whether an information source is useful. Older pupils can use relevant information from a range of secondary sources and evaluate how well their research has answered their questions.

The skills that are used in our STEAM lessons at Wimbledon High in both the Senior and Junior Schools utilise many of these “working scientifically” skills and skill progression grids can be very useful when planning and pitching lessons. However, our STEAM lessons happen in all subject areas and develop a range of other skills including:

  • problem solving
  • teamwork
  • creativity
  • curiosity

Carefully planned cross-curricular links allow subjects that might at first glance be considered to be very different from each other to complement each other. An example of this is a recent year 10 art lesson where STEAM was injected into the lesson in the form of chemistry knowledge and skills. Pupils greatly benefited from the opportunity to put some chemistry into art and some art into chemistry as they studied the colour blue. Curiosity was piqued and many links were made. Many questions were asked and answered as pupils worked together to learn about Egyptian Blue through the ages and recent developments in the use of the pigment for biomedical imaging.

There are many other examples of how subjects are being combined to enhance both. The physiological responses to listening to different types of music made for an interesting investigation with groups of year 7. In this STEAM Music lesson pupils with emerging teamwork skills simply shared tasks between members of the group. Pupils with more developed teamwork skills organised and negotiated different roles in the group depending on identified skills. They also checked progress and adjusted how the group was working in a supportive manner. A skill that often takes considerable practise for many of us!

Professor Roger Kneebone from Imperial College promotes the benefits of collaborating outside of your own discipline. He recently made the headlines when he discussed the dexterity skills of medical students. He talks about the ways students taking part in an artistic pursuit, playing a musical instrument or a sport develop these skills. He believes that surgeons are better at their job if they have learned those skills that being in an orchestra or a team demand.  High levels of teamwork and communication are essential to success in all of those fields, including surgery!

Ensuring that we give pupils many opportunities to develop these collaborative skills both inside and outside of lessons is key. We must have high expectations of progression in the way that pupils are developing these skills. Regular opportunities to extend and consolidate these important skills is also important. It is essential to make it clear to pupils at the start of the activity what the skill objective is and what the skill success criteria is. It is hard to develop a skill if it is not taught explicitly, so modelling key steps is helpful as is highlighting the following to pupils:

  • Why are we doing this activity?
  • Why is it important?
  • How does it link to the subject area?
  • How does it link to the real life applications?
  • What skills are we building?
  • Why are these skills important?
  • What sort of problems might be encountered?
  • How might we deal with these problems?

Teacher support during the lesson is formative and needs to turn a spotlight on successes, hitches, failures, resilience, problems and solutions. For example, the teacher might interrupt learning briefly to point out that some groups have had a problem but after some frustrations, one pupil’s bright idea changed their fortunes. The other groups are then encouraged to refocus and to try to also find a good way to solve a specific problem. There might be a reason why problems are happening. Some groups may need some scaffolding or targeted questioning to help them think their way through hitches.

STEAM lessons at Wimbledon High are providing extra opportunities for pupils to build their confidence, and to be flexible, creative and collaborative when faced with novel contexts. These skills need to be modelled and developed and progression needs to be planned carefully. STEAM is great fun, but serious fun, as the concentration seen on faces in the STEAM space show!

Twitter: @STEAM_WHS
Blog: http://www.whs-blogs.co.uk/steam-blog/