SET US A CHALLENGE? VIDEO CONFERENCING PROJECT BRIEF

(idea provided by James Stanford, Woodlands Community Primary, Torfaen)

Initial Informal VC

1.        Teacher will VC along with a few pupils to discuss available resources or more importantly which resources will not be available e.g. a school without wireless laptops, a school that does not have access to cooking facilities etc

2.       Prior to the full VC children will need to gain a working knowledge of the terms success criteria, constructive criticism and positive evaluation

3.       The initial VC is not to set the challenge as the essence of this VC is to put the children in the driving seat and give them a chance to develop life skills such as “Just getting on with the job in hand!”

4.       There is no reason why there could not be effective crossover between different age groupings, primary-secondary transition, different ability levels or even mainstream and special schools the differentiation would come from differentiated outcome and differentiated support.

Resources

1. VC Unit
2. Normal classroom resources ready for use - child led resourcing

FullVideo Conference Agenda – Suggested Activities

1. Initial introductions between the classes/schools.
2. Tell the children that they will have to think of an educational activity (Challenge) for the other class to complete bearing in mind the feedback they will receive from the pupils present at the initial VC between teachers.
3. Tell the children that there are open ended criteria in terms of what they want set as a challenge for the other class to create but set time criteria that the activity must be completed within 1 hour
4. 15 mins discussion time within classes with the volume muted on the VC units about what challenge they are going to set the other class and the success criteria they would like the other class to achieve.
5. Un-mute the units. 20 mins time for classes to set and explain their challenges for the other class.
6. 1 hour for each class to complete their challenge set by the other class volume on the VC unit turned down low
7. Within this time it is suggested that the children take the lead on how the challenge gets completed and who does what.
8. At all times at least three people (observers) must be watching the other class and making notes on the positive aspects of the process being undertaken (These can be swapped) The observers can converse during the VC
9. After the hour is up the children must stop the activity and present their work to the other class
10. Children will comment on the product of the work but also make comment on the process from the process notes made by the observers at all times the children must make constructive criticism and give a positive evaluation referring to the success criteria
11. Closing comments and thank you.

Outcomes

1. Pupils will have had the opportunity to observe the working practices of another class
2. Pupils will have thought critically about what is attainable within a restrictive time frame
3. Pupils will have used the key skills of ICT, Communication and Thinking
4. Pupils will have thought critically about the process and product of another classes work
5. Pupils will hopefully have made some friends during the process
6. Teachers will have watched and supported their class in their own endeavour fully planned by other children
7. Pupils will have had the opportunity to work together in collaboration as a cohort and as two separate cohorts
8. Pupils will have had to have made critical decisions about time, space and resourcing limitation

Schedule