Main Curriculum Area:
Geography
· The location of the major countries of the Asia region in relation to Australia and the geographical diversity within the region
· Australia's connections with countries (e.g. trade, migration, tourism, aid, education, defence, sport) and how these connections change people and places
· Differences in the economic characteristics (e.g. per capita income, energy consumption), demographic characteristics (e.g. population size, density) and social characteristics (e.g. life expectancy, education) of a selection of countries across the world
Cross-curricular Links:
HASS, Economics
· Choices about the use of resources result from the imbalance of limited resources and unlimited wants (i.e. the concept of scarcity)
· Decisions about the alternative use of resources result in the need to consider trade- offs (e.g. using the land to grow crops or to graze cattle)
· Draw and justify conclusions, and give explanations, based on the information and/or data in texts, tables, graphs and maps (e.g. identify patterns, infer relationships)
· Translate collected information and/or data into a variety of different formats (e.g. create a timeline, draw maps, convert a table of statistics into a graph)
· Develop a variety of texts, including narratives, descriptions, biographies and persuasive texts, based on information collected from source materials
Project Overview:
This year I was paired with teacher, Virginia Everall, and her small and wonderfully inquisitive cohort of year 6 students at North Morley Primary School just north of Perth. During our initial meeting Virginia explained that although the kids were willing to learn they really struggled with creativity and finding the confidence to pursue their own ideas. She also told me that she was not a fan of worksheets and favoured a more organic and self-directed approach to learning. With those things in mind, we decided to develop a Geography project that would not only stimulate the imagination and develop creative problem-solving skills in the individual but could also be embedded into the curriculum to drive meaningful, research-based enquiry into the East Asia Pacific region.
The objective was for each student to imagine and design their own fictitious “improbable” island that would later become part of the real world. With an emphasis on Imaginative and Persistence, the class had to factor in the island’s topography, natural resources, climate, agriculture, threats or danger zones, and natural wonders. Through drawing, mapping and 3D modelling, each island became a detailed home base from which to launch comparative research into neighbouring countries, creating space to contemplate how these complex relationships might influence trade, biodiversity, and cultural practices. At the heart of the project though, was a fundamental need to understand how cultures evolve and identify the catalysts for these changes, whether positive or not.
Initially, the islands started out as simple contours using the coordinates on a compass rose to help break down the design systematically, wedge by wedge. In hindsight, the training wheels we put in place helped the class slow down and find their creative feet without overwhelming them. We also let the students select from random creative prompts to assist with the development of geographical features. For instance, some islands featured jungles in the north and waterfalls in the south, or monkeys in the east and cliffs by the ocean in the west.
To further commit to the project and their individual ideas, the class had to create a second and final draft of their islands by applying critical feedback from their peers. This forced the group to take ownership of their decisions and reflect on the clarity and effectiveness of their mapping techniques.
As student confidence grew so did engagement. After the 2D maps were developed into 3D models we began to introduce scale and measuring units to prepare the class for comparative research into neighbouring countries. By incorporating resources into the island structure, the kids were able to understand how other countries benefitted from theirs. This led to interesting discussions about resource exchanges, hybrid product design and the environmental and socio-economic impact of resources once they’ve been depleted.
In Term 4, the students explored different cultures through herbs and spices with a focus on natural history style drawing and scientific enquiry in the form of a Herbal Compendium. The students were asked to select native and non-native herbs and spices to research and create a fact sheet supported by botanical watercolour illustrations. For this, the class had to learn the difference between looking and seeing, as well as drawing from observations versus the imagination. As their understanding of herbs and spices increased so did their drawing skills. Slowing down and paying close attention to the subtle variations in form, colour and texture allowed for more accurate visual records to be made.
Alongside the drawing and research were also opportunities to taste different herbs and spices, with an emphasis on native flavour profiles compared to non-native. For our final session, the class worked in small groups to create new and exotic flavour profiles for chocolate, which were then mixed and hand poured into moulds.
Over the course of the program, we continued to walk a fine line between the real world and imagined by encouraging the students to use credible facts and research to inform their creative work. It wasn’t until the last couple of weeks that student agency really became apparent. The kids were able to share facts and figures about the countries they had researched and were generally more vocal and confident in expressing ideas and opinions. Overall, there was an increased resilience to navigating uncertainty and greater determination to probe and question.
“It’s been really good the kids are engaged. They think they aren’t creative but pushing through with the 5 habits has helped. The cooperative structure of the activities helps to fire them up. Steph is amazing and really engaging the kids. I’m not a worksheets person I like guided enquiry. I’ve had these kids for two years. I’m taking a different approach with them. I get bored with worksheets - I teach how I’d like to learn.” (Teacher)
“I’m learning to be disciplined. I’m usually always in trouble. Creative Schools is more fun so I’m more engaged in the lesson.” (Student)
“People working together. People are having a lot more fun to be honest. It’s more fun and everyone gets excited in CS.” (Student)
“They’ve become more open minded and collaborative. They have become better in all the 5 Habits but we need to keep going to get even better.” (Student)
“I’m learning to be better at creativity. I’ve not made models before. I’m being more imaginative. We got to see a map and then imagine where our island could go.” (Student)
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