Making school lessons feel relevant to young people has a big impact on their appetite for learning. Studying a subject that feels unconnected to you can be boring because you start to ask, ‘why am I learning this?’
Northbury Infant and Junior School, London © Charlotte Wood
Three key routes to achieving an increased relevance and appeal are:
- Bring it home
Often the stories we read in English or the events we learn about in History do not take place in the village, town or city where we live. However, there are always opportunities to connect these events back to our own places. By doing this students can learn about the ways that different places are interconnected and also get a sense of how their own lives link to these events and stories.
For example, when teaching KS2 students about the Victorians you might talk about the Crystal Palace. But if you’re not based in London how about comparing this building to one closer to home? If you’re based in Liverpool how about discussing the Walker Art Gallery, which was built in the same era and for the same purpose of holding exhibitions? - Make the link to real life
Trawling through textbooks, learning maths formulae or investigating historical sources can feel pointless. ‘When am I ever going to need to use this information in real life?’ To engage young people in learning you could start any new topic with at least one real-life illustration.
For example, when teaching KS3 students Pythagoras’ Theorem get them to do a practical activity. Use the school building to illustrate how a construction worker could use the formula to work out how high a ladder would need to be to reach a second floor window, bearing in mind that he will need to put the ladder two metres away from the wall to avoid the flower bed. - Use local expertise
To help you redesign your curriculum – with the previous two routes in mind – the support of local experts can be invaluable. A local architect will have specialist knowledge about the history of your place. The local water board will have access to the treatment centre for a school trip that can bring science alive. A local writer or artist will be able to give a fresh perspective on using the school site and the surrounding area. Local community groups will have social history knowledge specific to your place that would be difficult to source.
All these creative professionals are often available to work with teachers and students. Use the Engaging Places website to find organisations that carry out education work close to you. Or think more broadly about individuals (including parents) or private companies that may have capacity to help you redesign your curriculum.
British Country Post Box © Brett Charlton, iStockphoto.com.
For help and inspiration to redesign your curriculum explore the following web pages:
- Architects in Residence have designed a toolkit which takes you step-by-step through working with an architect to teach the curriculum. The guides are all available to download.
- The Royal Society of Arts is helping pockets of the country to develop an ‘area-based curriculum’. A description of their work in Manchester is available to read, as is information on their new Peterborough Curriculum project, at www.theresa.org.
- The Engaging Places best practice projects illustrate how working with a local creative professional can enhance the teaching of any subject with any age group. To find out more read last year’s case studies or this year’s articles.
