Boldon School Take New Approach PLTS
29 Jan 2010
Area Delivery Organisation: The Customs House - North & South Tyneside
In response to the New National Curriculum and ECM agenda, Boldon School have taken a brand new approach to Personalised Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS), through dedicating an entire lesson each week to PLTS in Year 7 and 8.
The course aims to enable students to identify their own learning styles and thinking approaches and therefore personalise their approach to learning. Furthermore, six members of staff have trained in PENN, two in America. Penn Resilience is a school-based intervention which targets Year 7 pupils, based on cognitive behavior therapy and social problem solving. It makes links between thoughts, feelings and actions whilst challenging negative beliefs. This enables the school to work with students on emotional resilience and self esteem as well as thinking skills during Year 7.
Boldon began teaching PLTS in September 2009 and at the same time undertook an Enquiry programme to enhance this new area. Working with Creative Practitioners has enabled the school to embed creative practice into this emerging part of the curriculum right from the outset. The enquiry - 'How can working with Creative Practitioners enable us to develop the Year 7 PLTS programme?' revealed that drama practice had a key role to play in developing confidence and consolidating cross-curricular learning. Following drama workshops, pupils said they had learned:
- "To be confident"
- "Not to be shy"
- "That I can work with anyone if I try"
- "How to communicate better and not be embarrassed"
- "You’ve got to be yourself"
- "If you listen to other people you will understand how people feel and what they think"
The evaluation showed that this kind of intervention was enabling students to develop important transferable life skills.
This year Boldon has extended its PLTS work to year 8 and is looking to further embed drama practice into the curriculum. Twenty staff members who work across departments and teach PLTS have taken part in CPD, exploring ways of incorporating drama approaches to their teaching. Staff will go on to observe further drama practice in school as well as spending time planning and co-delivering with practitioners. Cross-curricular themes will continue to be developed for year 7 and 8’s. This year’s 'What Price Fame?' will include an opportunity to work with a make-up artist exploring the issue of pressure from the media.
In year 2 Boldon have achieved Change status and the reach of the enquiry has gone beyond PLTS - 'How can the Boldon School Community develop confidence, creative thinking and transferable life skills through inspiration from working with Creative Practitioners?' The Change programme includes opportunities for year 10 students to work with Improvisation Theatre practitioners and for students from across year groups to contribute to a local day care centre.
In November 2009, Deputy Head Alison Moore & Creative Agent Liz Bamber gave a presentation about their programme to two Czech Republic National Officials from the Education Ministry on a fact finding mission in relation to Creative Partnerships - Marianna Srsnova & Jozef Miskolci.
