Junior School hosts trio of Sharing the Learning events this term

At The High School of Glasgow, we strive to make learning memorable every day. We believe that by doing so children and young people discover the joy of learning and this ignites a spark which stays with them for life.

At the Junior School, we have established Sharing the Learning events which, for the duration of the event, puts teaching in the hands of pupils. After weeks of learning and preparation, they are empowered to educate their families on what they’ve learnt this term. This also provides a special opportunity for parents to get an in-depth insight into their child’s education.

Sharing the Learning events provide a focal point for the children to work towards and a platform to nurture skills including communication, teamwork and confidence. They work hard to ensure that the Sharing the Learning event is an interactive and memorable experience for their families, and the children come away feeling a real sense of pride and achievement.

With this context in mind, across the Autumn Term we hosted three Sharing the Learning events at the Junior School for Junior 6, Junior 4 and Junior 2.
 

Junior 6 Sharing the Learning: The ‘Apprentice’ final

Up first was Junior 6 whose Sharing the Learning event took the form of an ‘Apprentice’ style pitching final as part of their Enterprise topic.

They were set the objective of transforming the playground experience for all pupils at the Junior School and were given a budget to work with. In teams, they brainstormed, researched and drew up designs. Children led on their learning and took ownership of their entrepreneurial ideas, drawing on many skills including literacy, numeracy, communication, collaboration, problem-solving, decision-making and creative thinking.

When the pitch day came, children set out their business cases in presentations delivered to their families, peers and a judging panel, comprising Rector John O'Neill, Junior School Head Teacher Heather Fuller, HSOG’s Director of Innovation Philip Ford, Classroom Assistant Anne Woolard and IT’s Matt Bain.

The judges were impressed by the well-researched pitches delivered by the teams and commented on the level of work that had gone into making them a success. They had the unenviable task of picking a winner but ultimately decided that ‘Stay Safe Squad’ made up of Cameron M (J6W), Skye A (J6W), Joel B (J6H) and Ellie H (J6H) came out top. Their pitch focused on pupil safety and wellbeing and included ideas such as ‘Mindfulness Mondays’ which really stood out to the panel.

Junior 6 is the final year at the Junior School and working towards the pitch final, children are engaging in inter-disciplinary learning which gives them the opportunity to work collaboratively, taking learning beyond the classroom. This real-life experience of being a part of an enterprise project is memorable and children are given opportunities to make connections in their learning, transfer skills and learn from one another. This is an excellent foundation for them as they prepare to make the step up from Junior School to Senior School next year for Transitus (Primary 7) based at our Senior School.
 

Junior 4 Sharing the Learning: The Human Body

Junior 4 hosted a pop-up Science Fair for their Sharing the Learning event focused on their topic this term, the Human Body. The children guided family members through various workshops which showcased their knowledge in relation to the skeletal system, the digestive system, germs and diseases and the circulatory system.

They talked their families through the digestive system, following the journey that food goes on through the body by carrying out a practical (and messy!) task, explaining the function of the mouth, oesophagus, the stomach and the intestines and discussing how these organs work to provide our body with energy and nutrients.

They used ‘Glo Germ’ solution and UV torches to show how many germs are on our hands and the items we touch and how important it is to thoroughly wash hands to prevent the spread of germs and diseases. They even challenged their families to make a structure that would support a tennis ball as part of teaching them about the skeletal system. Finally, children educated their families about CPR, what to do in an emergency, how to do chest compressions and use a defibrillator.

This event may even have inspired some of them to become medics when they grow up!

We’ve had some lovely feedback, with one parent writing:

I just wanted to write to say how impressed we were with the sharing the learning event yesterday. The event itself was great and it was really lovely to see all their happy faces and what all the children have been up to in class. It looked like the children got a lot out of it themselves too. They all seemed really proud of themselves and it was a brilliant learning experience for them to interact with adults in this way.

However, I think the thing that struck my husband and I the most was just how confident all the children were both in speaking out publicly in a room full of adults and peers but also in the way they interacted with the adults in the smaller groups. It really was amazing to see. I think this is a reflection on all the hard work, from the whole school, that has gone into shaping these skills over the past four years. I know it is skills like these that will help them all fulfil their full potential in life.”
 

Junior 2 Sharing the Learning: The High Scoop of Glasgow

As part of their topic on the Local Community, and to help them prepare for their Enterprise project – ‘The High Scoop of Glasgow’, Junior 2 children have undertaken a series of walks throughout Bearsden and Milngavie, visiting local businesses and exploring the local area. As well as this, they have managed to fit in a traffic survey and a litter pick at Lennox Park!

Towards the end of their topic, Junior 2 visited Marks & Spencer at Bearsden Cross to talk with them about pricing and food storage and were very excited to be allowed into parts of the store normally reserved for staff only!

All of this helped to prepare them for their Sharing the Learning event which took place in early December – an ice-cream café for parents, aptly named ‘The High Scoop of Glasgow’! Here, children shared all that they had learned about our community and what they had learned about starting a small business. They were able to show the logo they’d designed for their business, talk about profit and demonstrated excellent customer care while serving their parents locally sourced ice-cream.

During the event they presented to their parents about their recent learnings, sang catchy songs and even got their family members involved in a quiz to make sure they had been listening, sparking some friendly competition!

Who knows, maybe this will have ignited an entrepreneurial spark and we will see some of these youngsters on our entrepreneurship and design thinking course, START, when they are in Senior 6?

Commenting, Miss Heather Fuller, Head Teacher of the Junior School, said:

Sharing the Learning events start in Junior 1 and continue across children’s Junior School careers, giving them the chance to display their knowledge and share this with their families. They are a key component in how we ensure learning at the High School is memorable and in keeping parents informed about their child’s learning. When you think back to your childhood, it’s the trips, the performances and the competitions that you remember. It’s the moments that you grappled with something difficult and stepped out of your comfort zone. It’s when you were stretched and you had that moment of realisation that you’re capable of more than you first believed. It’s the unifying power of experiencing things together with classmates and supporting one another. All of these make up the moments you remember from your school days. We help to create these moments via our Sharing the Learning events, not only reinforcing children’s learning, but helping them to make memories they’ll have forever.”

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A gallery of images is below.