LIFE – LONG LEARNERS Birmingham Primary School

SIS RESEARCH PROJECT 2001 –2003  WHOLE – SCHOOL FOCUS ON TEACHING & LEARNING

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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