‘I Dream of Learning’ CHALLENGE
Introduction:
One of the essential priorities for Hounslow’s two City Learning Centres’ and a role approved by Becta and P4S, is to engage with and support our LA and school colleagues during the process of educational transformation that BSF & PCP will afford.
Hounslow CLC’s in partnership with E-Learning have (with BSF & PCP as a focus) spent much of the last 18 months working with school colleagues to develop and use innovative teaching and learning methods which could transform learning. We have supported teachers and schools in the creative use of ICT to enhance learning. We have gathered a wealth of relevant information from expert sources at conferences and seminars as well as through focused discussion with informed practitioners (much of this in relation to BSF&PCP), but as yet, we have not shared fully our expertise and ideas or involved our partner schools and learners across the authority.
The June 16th conference will seek to address this as it has been designed to actively engage a wide range of expert colleagues in the early stages of the BSF/PCP ‘visioning’ process i.e. what do we want learning to look like in Hounslow and how we might approach the design of learning environments which allow this to occur. It will provide an excellent opportunity for sharing on a broad scale, as well as creating an opportunity whereby our learners can be engaged in this transformational process.
To further assist this activity and compliment the aims of the conference, we have created a two stage competition (open to all Hounslow schools) which supports the LA’s planning / consultation process and also provides learners and schools with a forum by which ideas and designs can be shared. It is in part, a process that will use ‘Student Voice’ to influence our work and benefit the BSF & PCP process.
Competition Aims
This will be a two-stage event designed to compliment the DCSF & LAs timescale for the implementation of PCP and then BSF. The first stage will be a primary focused event, with a separate competition for secondary schools beginning in September 2008, the details of which will be very similar to those outlined here for the primary competition.
We want to provide all students in Hounslow schools with an opportunity to participate in an activity that will allow groups of learners to design and then showcase the product of their thinking on how they would like to learn in the future and in what kind of learning environment this may happen. Let us see what creative and innovative ideas our young people possess and give them the opportunity to share these.
All designs submitted via participating schools will be uploaded to a bespoke PCP/BSF area of the FCLC website where they can be viewed. A competition winner and two runners –up will be chosen. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place team members will each receive prizes.
Our intended role will then, with the support of commercial and other partners, provide resources which allow the winning teams design (where practical and affordable) to become a reality in their school (1).
How will this happen? We hope firstly that schools and their students will see this as a valuable activity which has a real sense of purpose and allows for a greater number and variety of stakeholders to become involved in effecting a real change in how we approach learning.
So, an initial discussion needs to occur within schools to decide whether they wish to participate. If yes, then how will the idea be ‘sold’ to students (2), how will each school manage ‘in house’ team selections and ultimately the selection of a final design (3)? Each participating schools chosen design entry will then be considered by an independent LA group with a winning design and team selected.
If the design is seen as being practical and affordable, then we will endeavour to have their
‘I Dream of Learning’ environment created for them.
Process Outline
- Interested schools present an expression of interest to their local CLC.
- Schools are sent an information / entry pack containing the schedule of events, the selection criteria (same for schools and the final LA selection) and other relevant details
- Schools (with CLC support if required) launch the competition in whatever format suits their situation.
- Schools decide on how teams of 3 are created and using the schedule provided, when the selection of a winning design will occur
- Each representative team of 3 from each school will be invited to a launch event at either Brentford or Feltham CLC
- Launch events will include expert speakers, guidance on process of design, practical tips on how to produce end result, how mentoring process will work to support teams through the design process etc.
- Designs submitted to their partner CLC by the closing date will be judged by an independent team selected from the LA and invited experts
- All schools designs will be showcased on our websites as well as finalists and runners-up
- There will be a public presentation of prizes to 1st, 2nd & 3rd place winners
- The process of creating the winning environment begins.
Timescale - Primary Schools:
May 14th ’08 – approval requested at joint CLC Management Board meeting
May 20th – details finalised at EITSG meeting
June 16th – competition launched at conference
June 30th – deadline for submission of intent by interested primary schools
W/b July 14th – launch event for primary school teams to be held at each CLC
September ’08 – series of mentoring sessions for primary school teams to aid with provision of information, guidance on design questions, trial of available technologies etc
Oct 24th – all internal school teams entries submitted for internal school judging & winner selected
Nov 7th – final date for submission of each primary school’s winning team entry – all entries will appear on each CLC website through negotiation with school
Nov 10th to Dec 5th – judging period
W/b Dec 8th – announcements – details of where and how TBC following further LA consultation
Jan ’09 – Process to create the primary ‘I Dream of Learning’ environment begins
Sept. ’09 – Environment in use (this is clearly going to be determined by the nature of the design selected and the availability of a suitable workforce to create it within a reasonable timescale).
NB. All valuable feedback to be channelled into Hounslow’s PCP & BSF project planning process.
Timescale - Secondary Schools:
June 16th – competition launched at conference
w/b September 29th – competition invitations sent to all secondary school Head Teachers
October 17th – deadline for submission of intent by interested secondary schools
November dates TBC – launch events for secondary school teams hosted at each CLC, or where more appropriate (e.g. where large numbers of teams are participating), these may be delivered in schools
Nov/Dec/Jan dates TBC – series of mentoring sessions for secondary school teams to aid with provision of information, guidance on design questions, trial of available technologies etc
Feb 27th – all internal school teams’ entries submitted for internal school judging & schools winner selected
March 13th – final date for submission of each secondary school’s winning team entry – all entries will appear on each CLC website through negotiation with school
March 16th – March 27th – judging period
W/b March 30th – announcement of results – details of where and how TBC following further LA consultation
April ’09 – Process to create the secondary ‘I Dream of Learning’ environment begins
Target - Jan 2010 – Environment in use (this is clearly going to be determined by the nature of the design selected and the availability of a suitable workforce to create it within a reasonable timescale).
NB. All valuable feedback to be channelled into Hounslow’s PCP & BSF project planning process.
Mentoring and support:
We know that this is such a different style of activity with a significant degree of difficulty, it is crucial that we have in place the appropriate amount and level of support the student’s teams will need. Many of the people we hope to recruit for this work will be at the CLC based launch events and will also feature in the subsequent support workshops. We also envisage having the use of a secure online forum which our school teams and mentors can use to feedback responses to questions
posted.
We will provide specific names of mentors, supporters and events nearer the time.
