Participating and Contributing at School Camp

School: Ridgway School

Year Level: 4-8

Teachers: Kerry Mathieson

Focus area: Participating and Contributing

Research Questions:

Question 1. Implementation: How can students identify key knowledge, attitudes, values and skills that could be addressed through a programme of work.

Question 2. Engagement: How engaged are students when they are involved in identifying knowledge, attitudes, values and skills that enable them to operate successfully at camp.

Question 3. Knowledge: What is the growth in personal responsibility that can be expected of students when they are involved in preparing planning and participating in school camp.

Question 4. Competency: What competencies can be expected of students to identify and overcome challenges in preparing, planning for and participating in their school camp.

LEVELS OF KNOWLEDGE	GENERIC SWELL KNOWLEDGE SCALE	SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE SUCCESS CRITERIA FOR THIS PROJECT (1)
An EXPERT is self aware	8. Proficient Be aware of own strengths and weakness in utilising knowledge and be able to plan how to improve knowledge 7. Beginning	Be aware of own strengths and weaknesses and plan to improve
A PRACTITIONER can retrieve	6. Proficient Be able to analyse how best to apply knowledge then utilise the knowledge to help you learn 5. Beginning	Able to analyse situations and identify the choices/responsibilities and make independent decisions
An APPRENTICE can retrieve	4. Proficient Be able to describe the characteristics of information and represent this to someone else 3. Beginning	Explain the link between independence, choice and responsibility
A NOVICE can retrieve	2. Proficient Be able to retrieve information without significant error 1. Beginning	Recognise the link between independence, choice and responsibility

LEVELS OF KNOWLEDGE	KNOWLEDGE SCALE	SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE SUCCESS CRITERIA FOR THIS PROJECT (2)
An EXPERT is self aware	8. Proficient Be aware of own strengths and weakness in utilising knowledge and be able to plan how to improve knowledge 7. Beginning	Be aware of own strengths and weakness in decision making and plan to improve
A PRACTITIONER can retrieve	6. Proficient Be able to analyse how best to apply knowledge then utilise the knowledge to help you learn 5. Beginning	Can analyse consequences and make appropriate decisions
An APPRENTICE can retrieve	4. Proficient Be able to describe the characteristics of information and represent this to someone else 3. Beginning	Can describe to another the consequences of their actions on themselves and others
A NOVICE can retrieve	2. Proficient Be able to retrieve information without significant error 1. Beginning	Can recognise positive and negative actions have consequences for self

Method:
We began our foray into Inquiry Learning by enlisting the help of Jane Hossack (from Island Bay School) for two professional development sessions on Inquiry Learning. During these the staff came up with a Big Idea and Deep Understanding. We then broke this down into significant questions and provocative statements. We began creating a rubric, this was challenging and bought about much rich discussion and debate in our team.
We used the new curriculum and key competency of Participating and Contributing throughout the planning of our Inquiry unit.



One class shared the rubric with the students first ( giving examples) and found that it needed further development by the teachers before it could be understood by the students. As a team we went back to our original and made changes to make it more user friendly and easier to understand for the students. Students were guided through using it to assess themselves in their ability to demonstrate personal responsibility. Our Rubric was designed to assess knowledge only as we felt it fitted better with the focus of our inquiry; personal responsibility - at camp.



Students took part in a variety of tuning in activities and began the finding out phase of the inquiry unit. This involved preparations for camp which the students were an integral part of. We felt that in many ways we forced the inquiry in a certain direction rather than allowing it to develop more naturally.

Students worked within and across classes to prepare for camp and this included developing; kitchen duty rosters, timetables, activity groups, negotiating a suitable bedtime, planning and preparing for wet day activities and organising and running the parent helper meeting prior to going to camp. This work involved students setting criteria for groups to work within, using co-operative learning skills to ensure group roles where defined and participation levels were high. Selected students were then able to use the co-operative learning skills that they had developed to lead the parents (at the parent helpers meeting for camp) to create a code of conduct for adults at camp.





Some students created a visual record of the presentation they made to parents at the camp meeting. The camp meeting was a huge success and enable the students involved to demonstrate the many skills they had been developing and the work they had done in preparing for camp. This was really rewarding for the students and teachers and we were really proud of them!

Here is an example;



Outcomes:
When we returned from camp students again looked at their Rubric and used this to assess the progress they had made in developing personal responsibility. Students where also asked to write about something that happened at camp demonstrating that they had achieved a particular stage. Although most students had a go at this, some found it quite difficult and this will be something we will develop further in our next inquiry unit.




Outcome 1. Engagement:

SCALE:
1 = never
2 = not very often
3 = about half the time
4 = often
5 = always

STUDENTS ...	MEAN LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT BEFORE PROJECT	MEAN LEVELOF ENGAGEMENT AT END OF PROJECT
Offered ideas	3	3
Asked questions	3	3
Listened to and thought about other's ideas and responded respectfully	4	4
Used positive body language related to task	4	4
Perservered in order to enact related task	4	4
Showed evidence of being active learners outside school time	2	3
Showed interest in directing their own learning	4	4
Had behavioural issues that impacted on their learning	2	1
Show evidence of using what they have learnt	4	4

We found that the shifts in students engagement where not significant. Is this because our inquiry unit did not involve the students sufficiently in deciding the direction of their learning or was engagement already fairly high? Maybe it will take more time for a shift in behaviour and attitudes to take place? This seems to be the case for the teachers, who are taking time to become confident and competent in using an inquiry approach!

Outcome 2. Knowledge:

SWELL KNOWLEDGE SCALE (1)	# OF STUDENTS ACHIEVING AT LEVEL BEFORE PROJECT	# OF STUDENTS ACHIEVING AT LEVEL AT END OF PROJECT
8. Proficient expert	0	2
7. Beginning expert	2	12
6. Proficient practitioner	9	1
5. Beginning practitioner	1	8
4. Proficient apprentice	8	0
3. Beginning apprentice	6	2
2. Proficient novice	0	0
1. Beginning novice	6	0

SWELL KNOWLEDGE SCALE (2)	# OF STUDENTS ACHIEVING AT LEVEL BEFORE PROJECT	# OF STUDENTS ACHIEVING AT LEVEL AT END OF PROJECT
8. Proficient expert	0	3
7. Beginning expert	1	15
6. Proficient practitioner	15	4
5. Beginning practitioner	3	0
4. Proficient apprentice	0	1
3. Beginning apprentice	0	1
2. Proficient novice	0	0
1. Beginning novice	6	0

Conclusions:
I was pleased to find that there had been a significant shift in knowledge for the majority of students in both of the criteria that were assessed using the rubric. For a first attempt we were happy with the learning that occurred in the classroom and with our own learning as teachers. We know that we still have a long way to go, but have really enjoyed our first attempt and this has helped to give us a stronger direction for our second inquiry unit. Our experiences and reflections on our first unit have enabled us to plan more effectively for our second inquiry unit. So watch this space......

Kerry Mathieson
Deputy Principal
Ridgway School