About our project: Game Makers and Becoming the Game Changers
Coming to you from a planet far, far away: 26 Year 5/6 Belmont Primary students are venturing into land unknown. In that land we need a system to help us navigate how we grow, understand, harvest and expand this new planet. Using the lens of HASS, the learnings of Magna Carta and democracy, we created a narrative of starting from the beginning on a different planet Within this learning sphere we also worked on English, Health and being our best selves.
What happened:
Establishing a home on an entirely new planet was the creative incentive to explore HASS themes of how decisions and democracies are made, power is distributed, who wins, and how to be fair. With 26 young explorers, teacher Paul Young and glass artist Kirsty Grieve embarked on a creative learning journey that involved everything from planting a Magna Carta carrot garden and making a Magna Carta Bin Monster, to investigating the differences between board games, solo and group sports, and games based on luck and probability. Plus, how to be ‘a good sport,’ based on the Health curriculum.
We started by looking at the Magna Carta and considering how notions of ‘fairness’ entered legislation. We looked at the Westminster systems and through play and exploration the children looked at their favourite games’ rules and explored concepts of how current governing systems work. How would our new planet’s rules and governance affect the individual as well as the group? What could you do to help yourself, survive, thrive and be happy within the parameters of our imaginary exploration? How could you help keep yourself safe, heard and happy? How could you help others feel safe, heard and happy?
We learned lots about things in a fun way, so like we played games and learned a lot about Magna Carta and democracy. Student
How did the curriculum come alive?
We used word art, impromptu theatre, wax resist paintings, music, games, persistence, discipline, imagination, collaboration, healthy inquisitions, a yoga ball, pictures of fruit and many other methods of thought provocation and availability of individual thought to help harness good outcomes.
What did we discover?
The impact was substantial and beautiful. Each class led to better thoughts and understandings, not just from the students, but from Paul and Kirsty as we harnessed the best creative learning ideas for this individual group of students.
Our classroom transformed into this amazing world of art everywhere. Student
Students that would not normally participate were active in talking about their passions and interests. Most students enjoyed collaborative learning, those that didn’t still found substance in the content being learned and would contribute more readily. In one scenario, a student, while not wanting to be in a collaborative group, also talked about liking the Creative Schools approach because he could learn things without it being on a whiteboard. Many students thrived collaborating in groups that they normally didn’t work with.
It helped us get to know each other better, but also, we all had really different thoughts so it was good to be with people we normally don’t work with. Student
The impact on the Creative/Teacher team
It has been an absolute pleasure working with Kirsty: her enthusiasm, sense of fun, artistic nature, knowledge, wide experience of life, and seemingly infinite capacity for hard work, has not only presented my students with a wonderfully inspiring role model, but has also sparked new life and love for teaching in this ‘old dog.’ Teacher
I’ve been so incredibly lucky working alongside Paul and the students at Belmont Primary School. Learning, working and appreciating each individual student and helping them develop and understand their worth has been an extremely rewarding and beautiful process. I was able to carefully construct and maintain a brilliant connection to each child, and I truly believe in them all. Within my practice I have seen that permission to learn and be seen within each students’ individual interests has helped generate a better understanding of how to learn and find interest in subjects within individuals. This is very much farther in reaching than the subjects we have been assisting with. I feel that the students have learned better functions within their own self learning. Creative Practitioner
Main Curriculum Focus: Humanities and Social Sciences
Key skills involve Questioning & Researching, Analysing, Evaluating, Communicating & Reflecting.
HASS: what is democracy? The Westminster system. Rights and responsibilities of electors and elected representatives. Voting, laws, human rights, differences between rules, regulation and laws.
Cross-curricular Links:
• English: imaginative text and examination, developing character, exposition, persuasive text, purpose and audience, elements, how do they work together.
• Health: protective behaviours
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