Sustainable development

Climate change ~ local and global ~ a major project involving five working groups in different locations. They have all contributed to new materials for KS 2/3 launched at the conference in October 2005. New initiative needed on climate change to enable creative work on the learning implications. Tide Talk ~ An enquiry approach, Ruth Henshaw Climate change ~ local & global

Thinking through climate change
~ in the summer term we established plans for a major new e-learning project on climate change in 2005-6, in partnership with West Midlands Broadband Network.

Water issues ~ local and global ~ project in partnership with Severn Trent. Working group developed new photopack to support KS2 activity. Water pack

Global lunchbox
~ working groups in three different locations have been involved in creative pilot work exploring potential of this theme. This will provide focus for new creative project.
Tide Talk ~ Growing ideas: some food for thought

Sustainable schools
~ group of headteachers and senior managers doing some new thinking about schools, leadership and sustainability. Outcomes shaped plans for a day course.
Tide Talk ~ A role for schools? John Rhymer

Connecting centres
~ group from Environmental Education Centres in different parts of the West Midlands in a creative process supporting each other in global dimensions of their programmes. Outcomes have helped to shape plans for a new day course. See Tide~ Opportunities

Sustainability and the arts
~ has involved a ‘think group’ of teachers and arts educators. A discussion paper from this creative process to be written up.
Tide Talk ~ Exploring cultural identities, Sue Wilkie

Gambia study visit course 2005
~ a teacher group successfully completed this intensive course. Plans for future course currently under review; a new course format is being proposed for 2006-7.
Tide Talk ~ Learning from experiences in the Gambia, Fran Martin

Gambia partnership research project
~ supported University of Worcester, plans for a research project on teacher learning and global partnerships. A link will be offered from our website when the research project is launched.

ESD “ABC”
~ developed new online CPD materials for the QCA education for sustainable development website.
QCA ESD website

Regional networking
~ continued to play a lead role in supporting the West Midlands ESD Forum schools’ group, including a day event in February. Working on new regional plans and structures that will respond to new DfES initiatives.

Policy
~ made a second submission on behalf of the network to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee’s follow-up to learning the sustainability lesson. Meetings with key DfES officials about proposals for sustainable schools and how we can support.
DfES sustainable schools site

Key issues >>
The Liaison Group identified the importance of a focus on ‘enquiry-learning’ as being a key achievement. They also reflected that work around core themes such as climate change had provided a platform for new opportunities and partnerships.

The potential for further work around key themes of climate change and school leadership in this framework is significant. Need to explore potential for courses and school based CPD activity as a follow up to this, with links to emerging agendas in schools such as healthy living/education outside the classroom.

Diversity, identity and citizenship

Speaking and listening about identity
~ involved groups of Primary teachers in Warwickshire and Birmingham in using Tide~ publications such as Fat felts and sugar paper and Start with a story as a stimulus to creative work with a Speaking and Listening focus.
Tide Talk ~ What might a global approach look like for our classroom methodologies?
Fat felts and sugar paper
Start with a story

Thinking globally about local diversity
~ working group developing a publication to support teachers and schools in enabling a global dimension to work on diversity.
Tide Talk ~ Exploring Muslim perspectives, Muhammad Imran
Tide Talk ~ Education for Equality in Wolverhampton, Anne Harding & Ruth Wilson

Making Connections [local history]
~ a day course for KS 2/3 teachers exploring Birmingham’s local history in a global context. Designed and facilitated in partnership with Birmingham Museums. Feedback very positive. Plan to repeat course.
Writing our past
Water for a city

Seminar ~ Thinking globally about local diversity
Robin Richardson was the key speaker at an experimental seminar linked to the AGM and held in the Young People’s Parliament.

Event made a positive contribution to framework 3 thinking and was followed up by a workshop two months later focusing on new handbook Here there and everywhere
Here there and everywhere
Robin Richardson reflects upon the implications of a global context

Key issues >> The key project in this framework has been Thinking globally about local diversity. The group has developed quality draft material for a new publication entitled Talking diversity. Staff capacity issues have proved the main hindrance to further progress in this framework … but strong potential for development in 2006.

Global dimensions at key stage 1

Young children and global citizenship ~ main focus of activity this year has been the involvement of teacher groups in trialling and developing draft materials Young children and global citizenship. The process has used the stimulus of draft material to support teachers in trying out and adapting key ideas and sharing their experiences. Publication, launched at a conference in March 2006. Young children and global citizenship Tide Talk ~ Making sense of the world around us, Mary Ffield

Start with a story
~ this publication has provided a focus for school-based sessions to engage KS1 teachers in using story and drama to support global dimensions.
Start with a story

Thinking spaces
~ a group have been bringing together ideas about the idea that young children need ‘thinking spaces’ to share and develop their ideas about the world. These ideas will be written up. They will also influence future thinking about potential projects.
Tide Talk ~ Thinking spaces

Key issues >>
This work has demonstrated the potential, viability and distinctive value of work on global dimensions at Key Stage 1. Following this, we will need to look again at how thinking and practice from this framework can most effectively contribute to the work of the coalition as a whole, in a more integrated way.

Back