LIFE – LONG LEARNERS Birmingham Primary School

1. LIFE – LONG LEARNERS Birmingham Primary School

2. SIS RESEARCH PROJECT 2001 –2003 • WHOLE – SCHOOL FOCUS ON TEACHING & LEARNING

3. ACTION PLAN – GOALS • Increase student engagement, interest and learning of science • Increase profile of science within the school and the wider community • Improve teacher confidence, knowledge and skills • Develop wider range of teaching strategies

4. FACILITATE LIFE-LONG LEARNING How?? • Develop a supportive learning environment • Students engaged in active learning • Stimulate higher order thinking skills • Accommodate different learning styles • Integrate curriculum – deeper level of learning • Support for both students and teachers

5. SOLAR BOATS – GR. SIX • Actively engaged – meaningful learning • Parental/community involvement • Integrated – English, Maths, Science, Technology • Assessment embedded (authentic) • Teamwork – cooperation, negotiation and lots of collaboration!! Parental involvement

6. Students actively engaged – meaningful learning. Gr. 6 • Parental involvement important - making links Gr. 6

7. Student focussed learning • Student directed investigations and presentations Gr. 2 • Hands on • Open- ended tasks • Different learning styles • Negotiated curriculum Gr. 5

8. KITE MAKING & FLYING DAY. To conclude a unit on weather, grade 2 invited adult helpers to design, make and fly kites.

9. Meaningful Learning – Grade 1 – Unit: The Beach • Hands – on experiences • Integrated – literacy, numeracy, science • Students actively engaged

10. Gr. 3 • FAMILY SCIENCE NIGHTS Gr. 3 • VISITING GROUPS (C.S.I.R.O)

11. Links with other KLA’s – English • Reading – Bubbles – procedural text • Writing –Solar Boats - create a poster to specific dimensions and criteria

12. Environmental Awareness • Chook Pen – developed by and the responsibility of students. • Increased awareness and involvement with school and local environment – tree planting • Development of Frog Bog – involving students in design & construction and maintenance.

13. Wider Learning Environment Tournament of Minds (National)– teams work together during school hours with higher level problem solving scenarios Young Researchers Club – enhance experiences for interested students through Healesville Sanctuary Web Authoring – local high school – opportunity to develop skills in a few students who then share with others Science Challenge – C.S.I.R.O – opportunity to pursue interest in science through participation in experiments Workshops – Mentors – using the experience of experts to support programs

14. Science today at Birmingham • High profile • Hands-on and engaging • Open-ended – investigative • Higher order thinking • Well developed integrated units • Links to the broader community • ICT utilisation increased • Assessment –embedded - prior/ongoing - AUTHENTIC • Approached with enthusiasm by staff, students and parents

15. WHAT OF THE FUTURE??? • What you learn today, leads to the learning of tomorrow • Develop skills that enable students to become independent learners • Students will only be innovative and creative in environments where they feel valued • Skills of responsibility, teamwork, cooperation, leadership, resilience, respect and tolerance need to be both modelled and taught • Teachers and students together, in learning partnerships • Environments catering for the different learning styles and needs of individual students, need to be both flexible and adaptive