What is the purpose of this webinar?
This webinar is part of a series around curriculum enrichment in primary schools as part of the extensive Rethinking the Curriculum project. This series aims to support and equip both teachers and school leaders with the knowledge and skills to identify, plan and implement curriculum development work in a sustainable, creative and impactful way.
Who is this webinar aimed at?
This webinar will be particularly valuable to primary teachers, those involved in curriculum design more broadly, and all educators who want to learn about implementing creative pedagogies in practice.
What does the webinar explore?
This webinar shares five years of research and creative practice across nine Doncaster and eight Bradford Primary Schools, embedding story, drama and inquiry-based learning within the humanities curriculum to improve Year 3 and 4 pupils’ social-emotional wellbeing, oracy and conflict resolution. This webinar intends to share the impact of these imaginative, co-designed curricula on both teachers and learners.
How could I use this webinar to support my team?
This webinar could be re-watched with your school leadership or teaching teams to develop a shared understanding of this approach. We have prepared some reflective questions that could be used to inform discussions and begin to consider what this might look like in your context.
The webinar has been edited split into the following sections:
- 3.39 – 27.24 – Dr. Lisa Stephenson, Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at Leeds Beckett University, introduces research and creative practice that aims to improve pupils’ social-emotional wellbeing, oracy skills and approach to conflict resolution. She explains the rationale for using creative pedagogies, explores some of the tensions that might arise and outlines the methodology and outcomes for the longitudinal research project that took place across Bradford and Doncaster.
- 27.25 – 40.08 – Namrata Patel (Bowling Park Primary School, Bradford) outlines the impact of the project on both teachers and pupils in her setting.
- 42.09 – 55.15 – Beryce Nixon (Exceed Learning Partnership, Doncaster) outlines the why, what and impact of the project in nine schools across Doncaster.
- 55.50 to 01.01 – A short Q&A session to further explore the challenges, opportunities and practicalities of introducing and implementing creative pedagogies in the primary classroom.
As you watch the webinar, you may wish to note down insights that build on your understanding of this work.
You may wish to consider:
- Do you/your team currently use any creative pedagogies to deliver the curriculum? How has the webinar resonated or shifted your thinking around the use of these in the classroom?
- Does your team have a shared understanding of the term ‘creative pedagogies’? Is there any learning from the webinar that could help shape or refine you/your team’s current understanding?
- Dr. Lisa Stephenson highlights the importance of developing a shared language as part of this approach. Could any of the terms she shares in her presentation be a useful addition to your glossary or perhaps help to refine it?
- Dr. Lisa Stephenson draws attention to some of the tensions around adopting creative practices. Do any of these tensions resonate with you/your team? Are there any others that come to mind?
- The speakers suggest that there is sometimes a low level of teacher confidence when adopting creative pedagogies in the classroom. Does this resonate with your experience or that of your team? Are there any approaches that you may want to take forward to support your team in doing this effectively?
- The speakers highlight the importance of the co-design process, incorporating teachers, leaders, creative experts and researchers. Are there any people or organisations in your network and/or local community that you could call upon to help you implement or refine your approach?
- Why is/might this approach be particularly impactful for the students in your context?
- What are three key takeaways from the webinar that you may want to share with your teams/wider staff body?
- Are there any further questions you have about introducing, implementing or refining a similar approach?
