Available online
Description
This film documentary examines some of the teaching methods used by Harlborough Comprehensive School, Woodstock, to develop creativity. The narration is by Victor Lee, lecturer in educational studi...es at the Open University. Yarlborough School, Woodstock, is a rural school which has gained a reputation for innovative teaching in the area of creativity. The film explores work going on in the school in rural studies, and also in the first year humanities curriculum. The duckpond area and aviary are focal points of interest in rural studies at the school; projects seen in the film include studies of aggression in geese and duck hatching. The story is told by both pupils and staff. The headmaster of the school points out some of the ways in which the architecture of the building has been improved on a do it yourself basis. The humanities curriculum is interdisciplinary and based around small group work, individualised learning and projects. Audio visual media of learning are seen in use, as well as creative drama. The essential feature of the school is the way it has adapted its environment to meet the needs of creative teaching - and the adaptation has been done without large outside funds. Marlborough School is a secondary school which has begun to pioneer methods normally associated in Britain and America only with the primary school. One of the functions of this television programme and the related correspondence text is to broaden the concept of creativity to include original work done in scientific areas of the curriculum.
This film documentary examines some of the teaching methods used by Harlborough Comprehensive School, Woodstock, to develop creativity. The narration is by Victor Lee, lecturer in educational studi...es at the Open University. Yarlborough School, Woodstock, is a rural school which has gained a reputation for innovative teaching in the area of creativity. The film explores work going on in the school in rural studies, and also in the first year humanities curriculum. The duckpond area and aviary are focal points of interest in rural studies at the school; projects seen in the film include studies of aggression in geese and duck hatching. The story is told by both pupils and staff. The headmaster of the school points out some of the ways in which the architecture of the building has been improved on a do it yourself basis. The humanities curriculum is interdisciplinary and based around small group work, individualised learning and projects. Audio visual media of learning are seen in use, as well as creative drama. The essential feature of the school is the way it has adapted its environment to meet the needs of creative teaching - and the adaptation has been done without large outside funds. Marlborough School is a secondary school which has begun to pioneer methods normally associated in Britain and America only with the primary school. One of the functions of this television programme and the related correspondence text is to broaden the concept of creativity to include original work done in scientific areas of the curriculum.
| Module code and title: | E281, Personality growth and learning |
|---|---|
| Item code: | E281; 02 |
| First transmission date: | 12-02-1972 |
| Published: | 1972 |
| Rights Statement: | |
| Restrictions on use: | |
| Duration: | 00:24:23 |
| + Show more... | |
| Producer: | Edward Milner |
| Contributors: | Victor Lee; Ted Adnams; Chris Stewart; Gerry O'Hagen |
| Publisher: | BBC Open University |
| Keyword(s): | Aviary; Duckpond; Humanities curriculum; Marlborough Comprehensive School, Woodstock; Rural school; Rural studies; School environment; Teaching methods |
| Footage description: | Opening sequence shows boys involved in duck hatching project; close-ups of duck's nest, ducks, recording instruments. Titles over. Victor Lee introduces the programme, which illustrates unconventional methods of teaching for creativity. Boy explains how the duck pond was created and how it is used. Shots of duck pond area. Ted Adnams, Rural Studies teacher, explains the grass sampling project to teach ecological techniques. Shots of girls carrying this out, using quadrats. A boy explains the 'aggression of geese' project: Shots of decoy goose being set up near pair of geese. Geese sounds being recorded and played back from portable tape recorder placed behind goose decoy. Boys discuss project with Ted Adnams. Shots of duck pond. Lee stresses importance attached to regular collection of data. Close up of goose nest. Lee introduces film of the aviary: a project which even an urban school might have. Various shots of birds and girls feeding them. Adnams explains the arrangement of desks in the Rural Studies lab. Shots of lab. and cages of gerbils and hamsters. Lee talks to the headmaster, Gerry O'Hagen, about the school buildings which are dominated by a long corridor. O'Hagen explains improvements that have been made, including an area panelled in cedar wood by some of the pupils. Shots of the area, and of newspaper headlines reporting this 'do it yourself' project. A sequence showing first year humanities work. Chris Stewart explains the project based teaching methods. Shots of boys working with a tape recorder and girls mummifying a doll. Chris Stewart explains that the object is to teach an approach to learning, rather than specific knowledge. Scenes of children doing tribal dancing, in connection with work on primitive societies. Shots of girls using tape recorders and pictures; filmstrips in hand viewer. Girl reading essay on volcanoes; Shots of volcanoes (BBC Library stock material). Boys painting model of volcano. Girls discussing their mummified doll with Chris Stewart. Headmaster discusses building improvements: the roofing over of two outdoor courtyards, one as a classroom overflow, the other as a sculpture yard. Shots of boys working on large plaster sculpture. Shots of new fifth year block; boy comments on it. The duck hatching project. Boys and Ted Adnams explain the project, which investigates the factors influencing success under normal conditions and in incubators. Shots of ducks swimming on pond; boys visiting local residents collecting data. Graphs showing results. Boys explains how testing a thermistor in a mouse nest was unsuccessful as the mice chewed it up. Shots of remains. Shots of equipment being set up in greenhouse; mock up mallards nest showing thermistor and gregory element in airflow balls. Lee, Ted Adnams and Chris Stewart sum up. Shots of duck nests, incubators, duck pond, school buildings and boys explaining their reactions to Rural Studies work. |
| Master spool number: | 6HT/70306 |
| Production number: | 00521_2604 |
| Videofinder number: | 629 |
| Available to public: | no |
