Term 2, 2008
Working with business and community case study three: Maori storybook for Ashburton primary schools
Subject: English
Year Level: year 9
Enterprising attributes: Working with a real audience. Develop a ‘can do’ attitude. Work independently and be self motivated. Develop confidence in being creative and imaginative.
Outline of the unit of work: Year 9 students are developing their own Maori myths storybook using local Ashburton geography and oral history. The students are driving the project by writing and illustrating the books and organising printing and circulation. Students will also entertain students at their ‘old’ primary schools by reading and presenting their stories to the school classes.
Student and teacher outcomes: While working on this project, the teachers are choosing to focus on encouraging their students to develop a ‘can do’ attitude.
Case study: Authentic learning - Japanese Presentations
Subject: Japanese
Date: Term 2, 2008
Topic: Give a prepared speech in Japanese using complex language
Year: year 13 - NCEA Level 3 achievement standard
Enterprising Attributes: Communication skills, managing self, creative thinking, sharing ideas, time management, connecting with the community and local business.
Outline of the unit of work: A group of year 13 Japanese language students from Ashburton College, as part of an Achievement Standard, had to ‘give a prepared speech in Japanese using complex language.’ The students and teacher decided to add an E4E element to this and using an authentic audience, by presenting their speeches to a group of Japanese visitors. The class had been studying a Travel and Tourism topic, and the first topic of the year was comparing the geography and culture of New Zealand and Japan. The audience was a group of Japanese students that had recently arrived from Japan to Christchurch. Through their agency, Last Resort Japan Ltd, they forego an orientation programme to help them settle into life in New Zealand. As such, the Ashburton students gave a speech in Japanese at the agents’ premises welcoming the foreign students to New Zealand and giving them information about how to make the most of their time here.
Student outcomes and teachers comments: ‘This year the students did an NCEA Level 3 achievement standard which is more complex, but the standard of their speeches was higher and all students achieved. I asked the students whether they thought they had done better because knowing they would be performing their speeches to Japanese people made it more real. They said it really came down to not wanting to look silly in front of native speakers! Whatever the reason, I was really happy with the outcome because I know that the field trip increased their motivation and ultimately their achievement,’ says Libbi Wood, Japanese teacher. After the speeches a group of about 25, both Kiwi and Japanese students went out for a meal to a Japanese restaurant. The Ashburton students interacted with the Japanese people and some of them have since been in contact with the people they met that evening.
Case study: Authentic learning
Subject: Social Studies
Topic: Our Place – NZ history, culture and identity
Year: 10
Enterprising Attributes: Managing self, creative thinking, sharing ideas, working as a group, time management and organisation of resources, connecting with the community and local businesses.
Outline of the unit of work: The students incorporated the topic ‘Our Place – NZ history, culture and identity’ in a joint project with the Ashburton Museum. The Museum is focusing on celebrating Ashburton 150th Anniversary. The students showcased their views as teenagers on growing up in Ashburton in 2008. Students visited the museum and learnt from the Museum Director how exhibitions were researched and set up. Students then researched the community, finding out viewpoints on issues that effected Ashburton people. They contacted local citizens, sportspeople and the council. Students then constructed a variety of visual projects including: a comparison of growing up in NZ & Fiji; a 21st Century Domain- 3D display of what teenagers would like the domain to look like and a paper Mache model of Ashburton.Students had to use enterprising skills of planning, creativity, collaboration and critical thinking to ensure the display worked and told a story.
Student outcomes and teachers comments: Most students spoke about the time management skills, team work skills adn learning about working with others to achieve an outcome. The studetns also commented that they like the hands on tasks and the fact it is different to normal schoolwork.
Case Study three: water pollution
Subjects: Science/Social studies
Year Level: 10
Enterprising Attributes:student directed, team work, communication of ideas and information, being flexible and persistent, using initiative and drive
Outline of unit of work: Ashburton Class 10X investigated the local Ashburton River for pollution levels in Social Studies/ Science they worked with Kelvine Nicolle of Lincoln University Water Watch Programme (link instigated by CDC). Kelvine helped the students down at the river test for nitrates, phosphates and invertebrate life. The tests showed that the water was good but the students were not satisfied and suggested further investigation testing for bacteria levels. In September Kelvine was invited back and students re-tested the water quality for its micro-biological faecal pollution. Results proved that the water had high levels of bacteria and the water is not drinkable. Students decided the results required further attention and alerted the local newspaper to their findings. Students pooled ideas to compose a letter to the Guardian and sent it as an email. Within an hour they were contacted by the newspaper to say that the paper is approaching ECAN for further investigation. Reporters from the Guardian also came out to speak with the students concerning their results. The students enjoyed this ECN project as it was authentic, they came up with the ideas, showed persistence and felt what they investigated mattered. Issues around water were followed up in social studies under “Our place and getting a share”, with another teacher bringing in a cross curricula aspect to the project.
Business and the Community case study two: Road safety
Subject: Social studies/English
Year level: 10
Enterprising attributes: Team work, delegation, generating and using creative ideas and processes, using initiative and taking a risk, communicating with organisations outside the school, negotiating and influencing
Outline of unit of work: A year 10 class worked with the Ashburton District Safety Coordinator to look at road safety. The focus was on restricted drivers, safety around school buses, speeding, boy racers and road safety near schools. In English the students looked at language of advertising and images. In social studies they concentrated on actual road safety and drink driving. In small groups students came up with their own ideas of promoting road safety. Students showed a wide range of initiatives when making the radio advertisements by approaching, making appointments and talking to police and radio station personnel. Through out the project the students had to be in control of their own learning and work in teams.
Examples of the students' work: One group created new lyrics about restricted driving to the tune 'Eye of the Tiger'. They approached a karakoe business to make their recording free and 93 Port Fm to make it professional.The students also made a cartoon encouraging 'kids to buckle up.' Another group interviewed a local policeman and contacted Canterbury Road Safety for statistics. They also approached a local radio station to record their road safety advert. Other groups did a full news report and dressed up in suits to interview the police, while others came up with the idea of restricted driver cards ( the cards had a dual purpose of also being ice scrapers for car windows)with information about being a restricted driver.
Students presented back their ideas to the Road Safety Coordinator and two students went to the bi-monthly Ashburton District Council road safety meeting to present their project.
Student outcomes and teacher comments: Students learnt far more about road safety and making adverts than they would have in a normal class activity. They showed pride in themselves and their work. The standard of work was high and absenteeism low. One student who had done minimal class work spent the final weekend before the due date ensuring his assignment was up to the standard of his peers.
Authentic learning case study three: Problem solving in the real world
Subject: Transition
Year level: 12
Enterprising attributes: looking for opportunities, creative ideas and processes, identifying solving and preventing problems, teamwork, higher level thinking and observation skills
Outline of unit of work: The teacher used E4E teaching techniques and thinking outside the square to change the prescribed transition course to a more relevant and authentic problem solving unit. The teacher took a risk and adapted the course by giving the students a problem to solve that she identified (e.g. litter)and also asking the students to identify their own local school issues. The lessons evolved into two stages - with one class identifying problems and one class identifying possible solutions. Transistion lessons were traditionally life skill based and taught in a 'how to' method. The teacher centred the focus of learning back to the students providing them with an authentic context and solving real problems relevant to the them.
Challenge, Creativity and Cooperation in the Ashburton Community!
Graffiti and tagging has been seen as an on-going problem in Asburton. Year 10 students have recognised this problem and through an enterprising project at Ashburton College have become part of the solution. Thanks to a partnership with Enterprise Ashburton, Mitre 10 and the College, students now have a giant canvas on which to paint their vision of Mid Canterbury and remove the potential for unsightly graffiti. Students have worked on the proposal designing the mural, calculating measurements, the cost of paint, and presenting the proposal - now the students will paint the mural as a class. Watch this space
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