Creative learning, whatever the weather
In Jan 2010 Aberdeenshire experienced a prolonged period of adverse weather.
A blanket closure of schools was announced. To minimise disruption the then Director of Education Learning and Leisure, Bruce Robertson asked the Aberdeenshire Glow team to develop a set of learning experiences within Glow for Aberdeenshire’s young people.
The M2C Snow Special Edition Glow Group was launched and Head Teachers shared the launch of the space on the Authority closure website. The group began simply by asking learners to add a weather report for their local area.
Web links were provided to the MET Office and BBC Weather site. The response was tremendous with both learners and educators contributing. The team went on to develop a number of literacy, numeracy, science, creative and outdoor learning opportunities including:
- Writing weather reports,
- Responding to a famous painting ‘Afterglow’
- Compiling a snow journal
- Undertaking the snow depth challenge
- Entering the longest icicle competition
- Composing a snowy poem or story
- Creating a comic
- Being a nature detective
- Going on a snow scavenger hunt
- Building and photographing a snowman
Learners were asked to write a script for their snowman if it were to magically come to life. Members of the team then used ‘Crazy Talk’ to morph the photograph and made it speak.
This was very successful.
Very recently severe weather conditions have returned to Scotland and caused havoc with many Scottish Authorities understandably closing all schools. This group has reopened and this time it has been made available for all learners, parents and educators in Scotland who have a Glow username and password. The group can be accessed via the National Glow site.
It really has created a ‘Glow’ across Scotland despite the weather as learners come together to share their experiences and learn from each other. This is the very nature and purpose of Glow and will continue to develop whatever the weather.
Joining the M2C News Snow Special Edition Glow Group requires a Glow log in. Find out more about Glow in the Snow here.
Anna Rossvoll, CfE Development Officer (Glow)
Aberdeenshire Council
1 comment
Laudable, notwithstanding the well-known and well-documentated problems with GLOW. Nonetheless, to really create a ” ‘Glow’ across Scotland” means Scotland needs a decent broadband infrastructure, particularly in the very areas most impacted upon by bad weather.
Speaking as one who cannot access SEEMIS or GLOW due to no broadband / wireless in the area I can sympathise with many other learners / educators who can gain no benefit, not even from the lumpy, irriritating, clumsy, non-user friendly GLOW, when bad weather makes even limited access difficult.
PS I’m accessing this at 14.4 kbps on a snow covered telephone line!!!!! and yes, it does keep crashing!!!