The project started with a desire to produce some engaging tasks for our geography students that included more productive use of IT – specifically geographic information systems (GIS) – and that focused students’ attention on the area outside school.
We felt students at St Pius X were reluctant to investigate the place where they lived. There is a real need for more interaction with the local environment, so the chance to develop a project involving imaginative use of IT, the necessity of going outside the classroom to collect information, and the opportunity to involve local organisations proved irresistible.
Tony Dodsworth with one of his students on a site visit © CABE / Tom Wipperman
Our aims
The first question posed by the QCA in its model of curriculum change is, ‘What do you hope to achieve?’
We hope to provide students with learning experiences that are rich and varied, relevant, and that engage and raise their understanding of the area they live in and the part they can play in its development. By becoming more confident and engaged, students can enhance other aspects of their personal development.
Key subjects and learning
As the idea of the project grew, it became clear that its potential would be restricted by tying it too closely to one particular curriculum area. The project would have to involve other subjects: history, English, art & design, citizenship and design & technology as well as the geography topics of sustainability, environmental concerns and enterprise.
The project would also involve the development of enquiry skills, teamwork and personal learning.
Forming partnerships with local organisations
The QCA is keen to encourage curriculum development that will get students out of the classroom, and that includes schools working with local organisations.
The initial contact was with the Geographical Association (GA). St Pius X had been involved in two film projects in the Dearne Valley in 2007/08, first with the BBC and then with . The focus of these films was change in the Dearne Valley and looking at the sustainability of changes in the past, compared with now.
As we progressed in our use of GIS to enhance students’ learning, we realised that the Rotherham Investment and Development Office (RIDO) could be a crucial partner by providing us with up-to-date information about developments in the Manvers area of Dearne Valley and sharing expertise in the use of GIS. RIDO has helped us establish a really important link with Google Earth that promises to engage students.
Links have also been established with the Environment Agency (specifically the Dearne Valley Green Heart project) and the Beam Architecture Centre.
With these links, we are creating a more ambitious cross-curricular project, which will also affect our forthcoming Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme in 2010/11, through which we are keen to initiate considerations for future plans and designs.
The new flexibility that has been built into the curriculum for year 7 students has meant that this project was most suitable for a target group of 28 students. The small group size enables us to keep the project manageable and facilitates our evaluation of the impact on learners with differing abilities.
Waterfront (Manvers) development brochure © Rotherham Investment & Development Office
Project description
Activity 1
The project will start with an introduction to GIS using Google Earth. The students will be tasked with locating the best site for a new Rotherham United football ground, choosing between four sites locally. Each student will justify their choice in a report.
Activity 2
Again using Google Earth, students will examine historical elements of change by focusing on the Dearne Valley in the past, and in particular the waterfront area of Manvers.
This large site is being developed, and students will be asked to take part in a GIS exercise to plan how they would like the area to be used. Using drag-and-drop software, students will locate, orientate and resize symbols that represent different land uses and buildings.
Activity 3
Students will compare their own plan with the plan produced by the Rotherham Local Authority. Students will visit Manvers and other local sites and, using handheld computers, record their impressions and collect images of the area.
Activity 4
Students will visit Sheffield to look at the exciting examples of modern building and landscaping there, such as the Winter Garden and the new approach from the railway station. With this stimulus, students will produce models or drawings of some of the buildings for their waterfront plans.
Students at the waterfront area of Manvers © CABE / Tom Wipperman
Experts’ forum
We plan to hold an experts’ forum with representatives from the GA, RIDO, the Environment Agency, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Beam Architecture Centre to answer students’ questions about the local area and the implications of redeveloping it. The final plans, drawings and models will be presented to a meeting of parents and local organisations to celebrate the project.
Further information
GIS Files provides a basic introduction to GIS.
