Creative Learning Experience
Derby Moor Community Sports College, Moorway Lane, Littleover, Derby
The Project: Creative Learning Experience
How can involvement in a creative project and learning in an outdoor rural environment benefit students in developing written and spoken communication skills?
Alongside the project question, the school wanted to explore if the project would motivate both boys and girls through similar activities.
A bright group of 32 students took part in the project and fulfilled various roles including camera work, sound and editing, script development, copy writing and planning outdoor activities.
Some of the students had to work in teams to work out a plan of action for all of the activities. This required a lot of cooperation and listening from all those involved. The students and the practitioner decided to produce a number of films. Three of the films will be used on the screens that are in the school to tell the story of the experiences without the use of sound.
Project objectives
- Improve English attainment;
- Develop creative skills using sports;
- Use individual and collective learning.
Results
The students said they enjoyed learning and working in an outdoor environment and also thought that this was an exciting project and they were pleased they had had the opportunity to try a different experience.
They stated the project was a challenge, but enjoyable. Comments included, "it was amazing" and "we just had fun and learnt as we were doing it".
The staff and the practitioner thought students has applied themselves more as the project progressed and were impressed by a number of individuals and the pride they took in their work. Students were able to make the link between film making and literacy and are now better at working together and there has been an improvement in the class dynamic.
Students learnt a number of skills in relation to film making:
- Editing: They’re are now confident using editing software independently;
- Camera operation and sound tracking;
- Project management - film making process;
- Problem solving - finding solutions to issues as they arise;
- Script development – script writing, producing content for specific audiences and developing key messages.
The practitioner said that by the end of the project students became a film crew, fulfilling roles without prompts and generating their own ideas and questions.
The staff now have a better understanding of the film making process. All agreed that teachers had benefited from observing students working in a different environment and were more aware of how this related to their application and commitment to tasks.
This project endorsed the benefits of working in both smaller groups and outdoor spaces. The coordinator felt students had learnt a lot in a short space of time and staff had enjoyed letting the practitioner and students lead on the project direction.
