Theme: meeting the needs of parents and child through science activities.
The key objective of the programme is to engage parents including fathers to get more involved in supporting children's learning. This programme also provides an alternative context for learning in groups using young people's experience and interest in science. This is an innovative and smart way of getting parents, who would otherwise be reluctant to take an interest in their child’s learning.
The programme design is linked with research in this area that identified the following interventions as effective:
- Early and systematic attention to the needs of the students
- Parental and family involvement in the education of the student
- xperiential and ‘hands on’ learning approaches
- Activities that allow for student expression
- Mentors and models
- Building on strength and differential learning styles
A study carried out by Reis et al (1995) identified factors that influenced the achievement of students from areas like Croydon:
- Realistic plans for the future
- Network of high achieving peers
- Supportive adults: teachers, parents mentors, coaches
- Personal traits: strong self – efficacy, sensitivity independence and inner will
- Belief in self and resilience
- Parental expectations
- Academic guidance
The same study listed the following factors, as contributing to underachievement:
- Family: strained relations with family members, inconsistent role models and value systems and minimal parental academic guidance and monitoring
- School: inappropriate curricular experiences, lack of appropriate work habits, negative interactions with teachers, lack of rewards
- Community: a hostile urban environment which involves violence, ethnic prejudice and limited opportunities for constructive entertainment and inappropriate peer pressures
MAIN OBJECTIVES
Generating Genius comprises a one-week after school activity in St Peter’s Primary school, South Croydon and Addington High School. It was attended by 25 young people in each school. The St Peter’s activity used every afternoon for a week, starting off with a whole day session on a Saturday. This was mainly a father’s son bonding session. At Addington we used the After-school time to run our sessions.
The week’s specific objectives were:
1. To understand how to build, test, programme and design Robots.
2. To develop critical thinking skills, these include:
- Clarity of expression both in written and spoken form
- Logical reasoning
- Constructing persuasive arguments
- Asking relevant questions
- Judging credibility
- Recognising assumptions
3. To work in small groups, developing teambuilding skills and leadership training in a challenging context.
4. To develop presentation skills both orally and in terms of power point graphics.
5. To show the close links that exist between the Sciences and the Arts – e.g. Brunel was an artist as much as he was a technical engineer. The Caribbean Carnival is an engineering challenge alongside an artistic one
These objectives were all fulfilled, which is why I think the programme was successful. I would have liked to have seen more mathematical calculation and extended physics, we will add this to the next programme.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Knowledge and understanding
- Students learn how to build and programme high tech robots
- Students developing a range of social, emotional and thinking skills
Finished robots made by parents and children
Students overall views
All students reported positively on the programme. They particularly liked the way we blended the Science and Arts methodology. Many said that this was a tough challenge, which required a range of skills. They expressed a keen sense that their installations should not be judged as ‘perfect’ or ‘finished’. Given that this was the first time they’d embark on an exercise like this, there is a need to analyse the learning process not the finished product. Students were very positive about the show and tell presentation in front of their parents and family.
Parents views
Overall parents in both schools were very positive. They commented that boys in particular found the programme positive because it was the first time they had a chance to do ‘Hands-on’ learning.
Fathers also commented on how they enjoyed the bonding with their sons and daughters as they competed to build and programme the best robot. Fathers said that they enjoyed working with their children because it was something that they liked and they were learning alongside their children.
Both schools were positive about the programme and wanted to run it again in their schools.
