An exciting outside learning environment to stimulate language and curriculum development
"It has been the most exciting year for me as a teacher. Our children really value the changed environment and have felt that their voice has been valued in the creation of the new space. It is now possible to let the children decide where they want to work, enabling them to choose the aspects of the environment that inspires them them the most."
-Debra Cleeland, School Coordinator
Edgewick Primary School in Foleshill, Coventry, is an inner city school with a diverse pupil population, speaking 17 different languages at the time of the Creative Partnerships programme. Approximately 90% of the children at Edgewick cannot speak English when they start school. For many of the pupils their experiences of the world beyond their school and local urban community is very limited. Through the 'Willow Bagh' project, Edgewick planned to give children relevant, stimulating and challenging first-hand experiences that they may not normally have had access to.
Working with local practitioner Tom Hare, the project sought to explore sensory and environmental stimuli as a means to enhance children's language development; exploring and developing a wider repertoire of creative learning strategies by bringing together the indoor and outdoor environments. Teaching and learning needed to expand beyond the confines of the classroom into the immediate outdoor environment, developing curious and creative learners, giving children the opportunity to investigate and interpret the outdoor environment from a variety of different curriculum perspectives.
An outdoor classroom was created using living willow structures and sculptures based on the children's own ideas. Younger children worked on rubbings, whilst older pupils made their own drawings of sculpture designs, exploring ideas about nature and the outdoor environment. The children interviewed each other about their involvement and read poems they had written themselves, inspired by their newly discovered outdoor spaces.
'Willow Bagh' helped clarify the direction the school wants to go in, and focused it's thinking. It contributed to a momentum which encouraged staff to be open to different ways of doing things. Three years on, Edgewick has not only sustained it's creative approach to teaching and learning, but used it's increased understanding of pedagogy to design and embed a theme-based, integrated curriculum led by pupils themselves; engaging them in a style of learning designed to increase enjoyment, achievement, autonomy and understanding of their wider world.
Impact
- The outdoor environment of the school was changed radically, creating a new space in a key, visible position in the school grounds.
- The changes had a significant impact within school, inspiring all staff and pupils to think about ways of using resources.
- Teachers were stretched in their practice, encouraging them to change approaches to teaching and learning, and helping them recognise the value of creativity.
- The school's profile has been raised significantly within the local community; parents value the creative, personalised approach to learning and the school's commitment to relationships and the influence of the environment on their children's learning.
Feedback
"Our project has started to widely impact upon our delivery of the curriculum, how we utilise the outside space, and our vision of where we want to go."
"Teachers in my school are now more reflective about what they teach, why they teach it and how they teach it, and how relevant, enjoyable and engaging it is for the pupils involved."
"It shouldn't only be our school that thinks teachers need to teach more creatively, it should be every school..."
If you are interested in this project and would like to find out more about this and other projects, please visit www.cre8us.org.uk
