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~ cross-curricular approaches at KS3

Contents

Introduction, Lisa Davies
Globalisation ~ an integrated approach, Jimmy Bullock
Global Learning ~ linking geography, maths and technology, Chris Green
Chris's piece includes two downloadable sheets for students and one for teachers describing A Silent Debate

Introduction

This article captures the journey taken by leading teachers in Wolverhampton to develop approaches to global learning through work in their own schools and with others.

Wolverhampton LA held their second annual Leading Teachers conference in May 2009. The city has identified thirty six ‘Leading Teachers’ from our 18 secondary schools and 8 special schools, who have been working in a variety of ways through their role. This has included direct support for schools and departments, delivery of INSET sessions, creation of teaching and learning materials, and the development and leadership of network and cluster groups.

The conference sought to explore the potential of using the Global Dimensions aspect of the revised secondary curriculum. It was anticipated that the participating teachers would develop ideas and resources for use back in school, and then disseminate them through the variety of networks held across the city’s schools. The conference was split between two Birmingham venues: Tide~ global learning and Thinktank, Birmingham’s science museum.

The plan for the day was as follows.

Conference theme:  How do you as a leading teacher support others, to develop the global dimension, throughout their teaching?

Activities included:

What is Global learning?

Exploring learner entitlements to global learning and the potential pitfalls (see page 5 of Enabling Global Learning through the KS3 Curriculum)

How can subjects contribute to global learning? 

A silent debate activity using the new subject National Curriculum orders (2008) to highlight opportunities, question and generate debate about developing the global dimension across the curriculum.

This was followed by two workshops:

  1. Developing a toolkit for global learning in the classroom;
  2. Using Thinktank as a stimulus, to develop a cross curricular learning activity to explore the global dimension.

In the plenary activity colleagues were asked to share ideas and thoughts on the following:

 1. What do we want to say to our colleagues about the contribution of our subjects to global learning? 
 2. How are we going to share this? What might the key features look like? 

 
Evaluations from the day were all positive. Colleagues welcomed the opportunity to share ideas, reflect upon their own practice and begin to consider changes to their classrooms as well as whole school.

Comments included:  ‘Engaging and relevant’; ‘practical ideas to use straight away’; ‘lots of fantastic ideas to use straight away and to contemplate’; ‘risk taking is fun!’; ‘Lovely to have the chance to think’; ’excellent discussion and bringing together thoughts and concerns’.

Follow up from this included three opportunities to share practice at the Leading Teacher network meetings during 2009/10. Becky Link from Tide~ joined us at the spring term meeting and supported colleagues to reflect upon outcomes from the day and begin to shape this article. From this, two of the leading teachers were subsequently asked to present their work to a wider audience at the Tide~ Cities Conference, Making it work in June 2010.

This posed the question:

Chris Green, Head of Geography at The King’s School and Jimmy Bullock, Head of RE from Colton Hills Community School, led a workshop sharing their work, which had been stimulated by the Leading Teachers conference in 2009 and had developed across the next academic year.

The accounts of the work that Jimmy and Chris completed, contained in the case studies, speak for themselves and demonstrate how colleagues working in different schools through different approaches have each embraced the global dimension and developed it with their students.

Parts of their conference presentations, schemes of work and activities are included in the case studies to support others who might be looking to develop the global dimension further, or those who are searching for a starting point.

Globalisation: an integrated approach ~ Jimmy Bullock, Colton Hills Community School

Global learning: linking geography, maths and technology ~ Chris Green, The King’s School