‘Teaching Sheffield’ - Dissemination

The University of Sheffield

PGCE English Creative Project

December 2011 – June 2012

Background and Context

• We offer a secondary PGCE English course for 20-25 students at The School of Education.

• We offer approximately two days of college-based work on digital and moving image literacy within the core English programme.

• Our access to up to date, digital and ICT resources and expertise within college is limited.

‘Teaching Sheffield’ - Objectives

To give our students an opportunity to collaborate on an original, creative enterprise

To explore the use of a range of digital and media resources within an English subject focus

To develop capacity and confidence with a digital technology/resources

To devise, compose, produce and present a digital, still or moving image product that has value in its own right and potential for the classroom

To exploit the resources available in and around Sheffield To link with and feed into the DeFT Project and to maximise

the gains made from the partnership work with Rawmarsh City Learning Centre (CLC), Rotherham.

Teaching Sheffield - Programme

Friday 16 December 2011– Digital and Moving Image workshop at Rawmarsh City Learning Centre (CLC), Rotherham

Tuesday 8 May 2012 – Introduction – Continuation of workshop themes – CLC input and project orientation

Wednesday 9 May – 9.30 -12.30 - First group work session – ideas, planning and programming

Friday 8 June and Thursday 14 June – filming/making days – 3.00pm 14/6 – back here to submit tapes

Friday 15 June – editing and production day – Rawmarsh CLC

Wednesday 20 June – 9.30-12.30pm – dissemination and presentation

Day 1 – Orientation and Skills Development

Poems and Film in Rawmarsh Cemetery In small groups the students had to make a

short still or moving image presentation and reading of their chosen poem

Before filming and recording the students were briefed on the camera and the editing software (i-movies)

The afternoon was spent editing to presentation standard

Poems

Late Fragment

And did you get what

You wanted from this life, even so?

I did.

And what did you want?

To call myself beloved, to feel myself

Beloved on the earth.

Raymond Carver - A New Path to the Waterfall

Findings/Questions from Day One

Capability and confidence with digital technologies were widespread but variable. Almost all students could operate the software, a few were confident and knowledgeable users.

Some students were much more ‘hands-on’ than others. Was there a causal link between capability and confidence?

Confidence and daring were more influential than technical capability. The more daring knew what they wanted and were quick to seek technical support. By contrast the more technical capable/confident students were able to test alternative/options.

Were some students apparently inactive because others were more capable? Were some students daunted by the creative nature of the task rather than the technical demands?

Outcomes from Day 1

• Students had gained insights into the challenges, frustrations and satisfactions of working collaboratively

• They had, in part, overcome their nervousness about being ‘creative’

• All had made some gains in their capability and confidence with the digital cameras and editing software

• They had been given an understanding of how creative tasks can be used to support close, personal and analytical readings of literary texts.

Teaching Sheffield – The Main Project – Summer 2012

Students worked in self-chosen groups of four/five. One member of the group – the role rotated – served

as recorder; capturing, reporting and evaluating the process

It was important that all group members shared responsibility, opportunity and roles

Dissemination and presentation had to be a group responsibility

Dissemination should focus on process as well as product

Teaching Sheffield – Topics/Themes

Here are just a few of the potential topics and themes that you might explore:

Sheffield - History Sheffield – Night and Day Sheffield – Study/Student experience/PGCE/ Sheffield – Global city/Communities Sheffield – City of Sport/Arts Sheffield – Transport and Communication Sheffield – Town and Country Sheffield – Backdrop for literary resource eg

GCSE poems

Teaching Sheffield – Student Outcomes

Assignment should: be a short digital still or moving image film/presentation that

incorporates image and sound and which lasts between two and three minutes

focus on Sheffield or use Sheffield – or surrounding region – as setting/backdrop

be documentary, artistic, personal viewpoint, literary, curricular demonstrate exploration and engagement with a range of

digital media applications and technologies be a joint, collaborative enterprise have a focus on process and project management

Teaching Sheffield – Project Outcomes

We identified five key positive outcomes from the project:

(i) All had made gains in both their digital capability and their ‘digital imaginations’ or ‘digital daring’

Teaching Sheffield – Project Outcomes

(ii)The partnership with the CLC had not only equipped and informed the project but had demonstrated the value of this external resource and expertise to the students

Teaching Sheffield – Project Outcomes

(iii) Students had experienced ‘learning within the task’ as well as ‘learning from the task’. The task and the product were important.

Teaching Sheffield – Project Outcomes

(iv) Project was evaluated very positively by the students. They enjoyed the practical and collaborative aspects and valued the development and extension of their digital knowledge and skills – being taught ‘at the point of need’.

Teaching Sheffield – Project Outcomes

(v) The project had demonstrated that effective teaching and learning in English are, and should be, active and creative and not wholly sedentary and cerebral. It had also highlighted the key place of talk in learning.

Final Thoughts and Good Intentions

Three of the five groups chose to focus on contrasts: north and south, rich and poor, old and new. Why was this?

Less time for filming, more time for editing More emphasis on initial, collaborative

research and planning Greater opportunity for students to identify

and reflect on their achievements and learning