PROJECT TITLE: THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

(Term 2 and Term 3, 2024)

School Name: Piara Waters Senior HighSchool

Teacher’s Name: Akanksha Shukla

Year Group: Year 7

Number of students: 25-28

Creative’s Name: Melanie Maclou

Creative Practice: Sculptor, Public Artist

Main Curriculum Focus: Maths

Cross-curricular Links: Digital Technology, Art, Technology ie iMovie and CapCut, real life application.

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Context

Piara Waters Senior High School is a new and growing school, currently with year 7 and 8’s, each year the school will grow with a new cohort. Akanksha is dedicated to her students and inspires her students to love maths. They are a lovely class.

“Creative Schools is different because we study in a different way. In maths the question is different and in Creative Schools how you solve the problem is more creative.” (Student)

Project overview

The curriculum came alive through hands-on, interactive tasks. The core of the project combined mathematics (specifically algebra, fractions, decimals, and percentages) with creative and fun tasks like collaborative game design, a school excursion and video presentations.

Students designed and built their own maths-based games, applying concepts like algebra in formats ranging from board games to outdoor activities. For example, students developed and then played games like The Bucket Game, The Make Up Game, Minecraft-based games and Algebra Zombie. These required solving algebra questions before advancing to the next stage in the game.

We also went on an excursion to the local IGA where students calculated the cost of ingredients for recipes, comparing present-day prices with historical data, linking maths with financial literacy and practical life skills.

We then created video presentations to compare historical pricing of our recipes. At the end, we celebrated with some yummy food and watched our presentations. The class will host a parent showcase evening later in the year and show off their creative efforts.

“It’s taught me to be more flexible. I'm very much a micro planner. I usually plan in every part of my lesson, and everything is sequenced. But Creative Schools has allowed me to have a break from that way of teaching and having Melanie come in and take over and lead in a more creative way and to see the kids actually taking ownership and giving opinions and feedback on things that I used to think they didn't care about is very, very, very impressive. It’s been amazing.” (Teacher)

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How did we make the 5 Habits of Learning come alive?

Each student was provided with a small box from Remida. During the first session we decorated the boxes and used them during our reflection time. Students applied a coloured sticker on their box to represent the habit used the most during each session. At the end of our creative journey the boxes were filled with coloured dots.

“It’s different in other classes I’m usually head down doing my work and I’m not talking to anyone. Most normal lessons are quite antisocial. But in Creative Schools we get to work with other people and get to know them in a fun way while still learning.” (Student)

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How did we activate student voice and learner agency?  

Students took ownership of their learning by brainstorming ideas, creating interactive games and in individual video presentations. Collaborative projects empowered students to make decisions, choose game formats, and even modify their learning paths when they encountered challenges. Students grew in confidence as the weeks progressed.

“Creative Schools allows the students to take ownership. When they're taking ownership of things, then they're more involved. They are definitely more engaged. They're thinking about how maths applies to their lives and they are adapting it to suit their needs, and then they're excited to play each other's games as well and learn that way. And they're excited to share what they have created with the other students. It has been great that everybody got a chance to play the majority of games and practice their maths.” (Creative Practitioner)

“No matter who you are you are allowed to do Creative Schools. It’s a class activity you are doing it while you are learning your maths. Even if you are great at that subject you can learn more because you are interacting in a fun way. Doing Creative Schools in Maths is good. I love being creative. I love collaborating so doing Creative Schools while doing maths is really good.” (Student)

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WHAT WAS THE IMPACT?

Student: Students became more collaborative, imaginative, and engaged with maths through the creative process. Creative Schools allowed them to express their ideas freely, build confidence, and relate maths to real-life situations. Many students showed increased collaboration and perseverance, particularly when solving problems and working in teams. They also enjoyed the creative freedom and the less structured learning environment. Students consistently reflected on how Creative Schools made learning enjoyable and engaging.

Teacher:  These projects allowed Akanksha to see her students in a new light and build stronger relationships beyond traditional classroom interactions. She observed students being more engaged, particularly when they took ownership of their learning. Akanksha also appreciated how the projects shifted her teaching style, helping her move from micro-planning every lesson to being more flexible and collaborative. Playing the games a little later in the term also helped her realise that some students had forgotten some algebra concepts which turned the games into valuable revision tools. It's interesting to see how learning outcomes can be met. You just have to be a bit more flexible with how you meet them and that's what I guess the journey has shown me.

“Creative Schools has allowed me to have a break from that way of (explicit) teaching and...see the kids actually taking ownership and giving opinions and feedback.”

Creative Practitioner: As a sculptor, Melanie found the project refreshing, as it challenged her to apply creativity to a new context in Maths. She was excited by the way students used their imagination in game creation and enjoyed seeing their confidence grow. She was also impressed with how the students embraced positive thinking about maths, a subject that is often daunting for many.

Melanie expressed her enjoyment in watching students grow and learn while maintaining a positive outlook on maths. She said, “It’s been great to watch the children grow and learn and be enthusiastic...It’s nice to see a positive perspective on maths for so many of the children.

“People get more collaborative. Everyone talks a lot more to each other.” (Student)

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