Out of Africa and into the curriculum jungle
Teachers in Warwickshire will be journeying into the jungle next month as they hunt for new ways to bring lessons to life.
They will be visiting Africa to see how different subjects can be blended together to stimulate children’s learning.
A Learning Fair is being held by Warwickshire County Council’s Education Development Service, to give teachers new ideas.
The idea was developed following a successful project at Oakfield Primary School in Rugby, where children aged between 7 and 11 learned about India.
Headteacher Heather Fielding said: "the youngsters had relished the chance to get to grips with a number of large practical themes that stretched beyond traditional subjects such as science, geography and design.
She said: “The children carried out a lot of investigations and then produced something themselves. For example they designed and produced their own electronic carriages after studying modes of transport in India, and had creative art and music sessions.
“The activities were spread throughout a term and the children said they really enjoyed the practical elements and favoured working in pairs and groups. They certainly progressed in their learning - both skills and knowledge. At first we were anxious about meeting the requirements of the national curriculum but we actually exceeded them.”
The experience of Oakfield has been used to develop the Curriculum Jungle exhibition, and teachers from all over Warwickshire will be invited to see how they can use it in their schools.
Teachers of children aged up to seven can also explore Toyland at the conference, which will show how toys can be used in the classroom. Toys can be introduced into a class to help pupils learn about technology, science, humanities and mathematics in a fun and stimulating way.
The Learning Fair will show teachers numerous other ideas that they can introduce to lessons. It is being held on 4 January at Manor Hall in Sandy Lane, Leamington.