Oakgrove Humanities College Newsletter. Welcome

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1 Volume 1, Issue 1 Oakgrove Humanities College Newsletter October 2007 Welcome Inside this issue: National Energy Founda- 2 Local Links 2 Open University Milton Keynes - The Outdoor Classroom Professional Development Events 3 History 4 Geography 5 Meet the Staff 6 Welcome to the first edition of the Humanities Newsletter. The aim of this publication is to be become a keylink between Oakgrove Humanities College and the wider community. In July this year Oakgrove School was awarded Specialist status in Humanities. The school is now looking forward to enhancing the delivery of Humanities subjects both nationally and locally whilst forging important links with local businesses and organisations. We are one of the earliest schools in the country to gain specialist status so early in the school s evolution and development. This is great news for current and future students. It has only been two years since the school opened and yet Oakgrove already holds an enviable position within the local education system. Our designation as a Humanities Specialist College will serve to enhance further the resources and opportunities for students at the school and the wider community. This newsletter is intended to become a celebration of not only the school s achievements, but also to highlight local expertise, experiences, ideas and links to Humanities related topics. We are particularly keen to hear from people with memories of the development of Milton Keynes over the last 40 years and anyone who can contribute these memories to the living archive that we are developing. Our other passion as a school, is the environment and we welcome any tips that we can pass onto our students and, of course, any guest speakers who would like to come into the school and work with them. We hope that you enjoy reading our newsletter and we will publish further editions each halfterm. If you would like to contribute to any articles relating to Humanities that would help out students learning, achievement and awareness, then please feel free to contact me at the school. Best wishes, Mr Ian Tett Director of Specialism

2 Humanities Department in the Community National Energy Foundation Climate Change Exhibition 14 th - 16 th September 2007 As part of the school s increased participation in and awareness of environmental issues, Oakgrove School attended the first climate change exhibition at Middleton Hall in central Milton Keynes. The stand had a range of students work based on the film An Inconvenient Truth by American politician and environmental campaigner Al Gore. The aim of this display was to demonstrate how students are aware of the impacts of future climate change by showing their understanding of sea level rise, desertification, coral bleaching and the pressures this will have on human populations around the world. Members of the public visiting our stand, which was located opposite John Lewis, were really positive that students were so caring about the planet and we were the only school at the exhibition. Positive links were made at the exhibition and the Humanities Department would like to thank the National Energy Foundation, Oakgrove Humanities staff and students who attended the exhibition and the students for the hard work that they put into the display material. Citizenship Agenda with CSV (Community Service Volunteers). They are coming to Milton Keynes on 6th December 2007 to work with representatives from local secondary schools and the youth service to introduce students to a new tool kit. Milton Keynes the Outdoor Classroom We live in a unique place which can provide many hands-on opportunities for learning within the Humanities curriculum. December 4th, we are joining with another school and the City Discovery Centre to run an INSET day for primary teachers. We will look back to the beginnings of the new city and look forward to how we can shape the future. This links in to our work on Sustainable Communities. There will be ideas and resources, and the opportunity to develop curriculum ideas further during the spring term. Open University To show your commitment to tackling climate change please visit Local Links The Academy for Sustainable Communities will also be doing some work at Oakgrove on the Oakgrove School is forging an exciting link with the Open University whereby students will be engaging in a series of projects at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4, focusing on their immediate environment and their wider surroundings. Most of the project work will be through learning by enquiry and we aim to put technology, literally, in the hands of learners, so that they can contribute to Geography coursework data collection and Year 8 microclimate surveys.

3 Oakgrove Humanities The Open University will provide Oakgrove School with up to 30 PDA s that support mobile technology, digital cameras, software and data collection monitors. The overall aim is to pioneer this technology with the three GCSE Geography groups at Oakgrove School and allow them to produce outstanding coursework using cutting-edge technology. Some students will even take the PDA s out of school for homework and further data and information collection. We will be the only school in the country to by issued with this technology and to use this approach to GCSE coursework. The school will keep you updated with the results and outcomes. Events and Professional Development As part of Oakgrove School s Specialist Humanities Status, we are now offering Continued Professional Development to other schools in the area, especially within Geography and History. Some of the key dates and activities include: Humanities College Status Continued Professional Development - Autumn Term Rosemary Clark (GEMK), Dr Michael Synnott and Sabina Crouch (MKCDC). Programme 9:00 Coffee, tea and breakfast. Welcomes and introductions. Outlining the aims and visions of the day. 9:30 History and Evolution of Milton Keynes: Creating a sense of place and ownership for students. 11:30 What we can learn from the past? using mental maps and our local environment to shape our understanding of Geography. 13:00 Lunch 13:30 How can we shape the future? classroom activities that encourage students to think about their environment, locality and needs. 14:30 Using evidence around us to understand the past. 15:30 Review of the day and taking things forward to our schools Primary Humanities Conference: Urban Pasts and Futures and Building Sustainable Communities Tuesday 4 December 2007 Oakgrove School 9.00am 4.00pm 145 Focus: To enhance the delivery of urban and environmental Geography within Primary schools, focusing on Milton Keynes. Facilitated by: Ian Tett (Oakgrove School),

4 History The History Department at Oakgrove is entering an exciting new phase. The Humanities Specialism will provide us with the impetus to establish innovative new teaching methods, while building on current good practice and developing greater cross-curricular links. Jennie Turner and Abigail King have joined the department this year as new teachers. There are now six History teachers, four of whom are specialists. Jennie and Abigail s specialist knowledge of the First World War and the Black Civil Rights Movement will be invaluable when we link with the English and Drama departments to stage a Remembrance Day event and during the launch of our new Year 9 cross-curricular unit on the Black Peoples of America. Annie Handyside (the new Subject Leader for Drama) is teaching a year 8 History group this year. Her drama background will also greatly benefit the History Department enabling us to develop the work we have already begun through our Innovation Grant to bring History to life. Last academic year the department introduced new methods to engage students and enable them to identify with the topics they were studying, while also equipping them with invaluable life skills. World War Two Through Films was a particularly popular unit, with many students rating black and white productions such as Dunkirk as the most realistic and dismissing the Hollywood special effects of Pearl Harbour. Likewise, the use of Dragon s Den as an introduction to new inventions during the Industrial Revolution, brought a sometimes dry subject to life. Music was regularly used in lessons to create a particular mood or grab the students attention the current Year 10s still request to listen to Boney M s Rasputin. This is an area we will continue to build on this year. Already the GCSE History classes have been moved by the theme tune from Saving Private Ryan while watching a PowerPoint presentation illustrating the devastating effects of war the images became much more powerful when linked to the music. The History Department already makes great use of the library. This will continue this year with a particular focus on independent learning. Orders have already been placed for book and artefact boxes for each unit at Key Stage Three. As was proved last year, the topics really do come to life when the students can try on a Victorian top hat or see for themselves the discomfort which could be caused by a Second World War baby s gas mask. Now that the School website is being administered on-site the History Department hopes to provide links to some of the role plays which students have produced, performed and recorded this will include the popular The Murder of Thomas Becket: The Musical. Not only is it hoped that these links will inspire and motivate students at Oakgrove School, but also provide ideas for our link schools. The filming of student role plays, debates and presentations will form an important part of the GCSE course this year with the students creating their own revision dvd for Year 11. The Curriculum Enhancement Week which will take place in June 2008 will have a strong Humanities focus. The History department hopes to draw on the wealth of local history during this week with history walks, family history, what s in a name?, and time capsules forming the central activities. In addition to this members of the department will take responsibility for linking local history to each Key Stage Three unit. The popular History Club will return this year under a new

5 name the Humanities Club. It is hoped that this will further enhance the already close link between the Humanities Subjects. Students will be involved in producing activities which can be used by our primary links and creating a living archive of the school and the local area. In addition to these new additions there will be more model making, quizzes and games. Community links will be developed through Family learning day trips and an exhibition about local History. The aims of these activities will be to enhance links with parents, local people and businesses. It is hoped that the learning day trips will encourage students to discuss History topics with their parents/carers therefore building on and sharing what they are learning in the classroom. Closer links with the community will also enable us to develop living archive materials. Geography Throughout Key Stage 3, students learn about a wide range of Geographical topics and issues. Geographical knowledge and skills are taught through looking at the world around us, the relationship we have with our surroundings and what life is like in other parts of the world. In Year 7 we begin with the basics of Geography, studying maps, how to read them, draw them and learning about why they are useful. We then move on to look at Settlements, paying particular attention to the United Kingdom. Rivers and Flooding comes next with the Geography of Sport and Plate Tectonics being studied during the summer term. In Year 8 we look at the Geography of Crime, Weather and Climate, Brazil, Coasts and Peoples use of the world s resources. Year 9 students have the opportunity to study the Geography of Disease, Extreme Environments, The Impacts of Tourism, The USA, Development Issues and Global Fashion. It is our hope that through a wide, varied and interesting curriculum students will not only become enthused about the subject but will take their learning out of the classroom to become more informed, responsible Global Citizens. Geography has proved to be a popular subject at Oakgrove which is fantastic as National Statistics show there has been a decline in the number of students opting for Geography. We hope that our high number of GCSE candidates will continue as again we provide a varied and interesting course for our Key Stage 4 students. Following Edexcel Syllubus B, in Year 10 we will look at settlement and employment trends in the UK and further afield particularly looking at Brazil other poorer nations. This leads us to the study of Coasts, Floods and other Hazards such as earthquakes and volcanoes and their impact on humans. Our use and abuse of the world s precious water resources will then be investigated. Towards the end of Year 10 we will begin our coursework which will be based on the retail industry in Milton Keynes. In Year 11 we will look at Population, the impacts, conflicts and future of Tourism, and spend time practising Decision Making Activities and revising for 2009 s exam. Students obtain an overall grade by sitting 2 exam papers and completing a piece of coursework. As a department we are currently looking into introducing Fieldwork opportunities at both Key Stages. More information on this will follow.

6 Your Humanities Teachers Ian Tett: Assistant Headteacher (Director of Specialism) I left University in 1998 with a 2:1 BSc (Hons) in Geography, specialising in Economic Geography, Landscape History, GIS and Urban Development. After university, I went directly to work with the National Trust at Ascots Estate in Buckinghamshire for nearly three years, taking on a range of roles within landscape management and horticulture. After leaving the National Trust my wife and I decided to spend a whole summer touring the Far East, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and South China before taking up my PGCE Teaching placement with the University of Leicester. After qualifying as a Geography Teacher I took up my first post at Kingsthorpe Community College and spent four years at this school taking on responsibility for Geography, Leisure and Tourism and Humanities. After leaving Kingsthorpe I joined Oakgrove School in September 2005 as Subject Leader for Humanities and I am now an Assistant Headteacher with responsibility for the Humanities Specialism, Work Related Learning and mentoring new teachers. I love teaching and this still remains the best part of my job. Particular areas of interest within Geography include urban morphology, African development and industrial change. Outside of school life, my wife and I have three young children and I am a huge Formula One fan. Emma Pilgrim: Subject Leader for Humanities When I finished school in 1996 I wasn't really sure what profession I wanted to go into, but I loved History so I decided to study this at University. I graduated in 1999 with a 2:1 BA (Hons) in History and Politics. I then spent a year working in an office and completing a Post-Graduate Certificate in Social Science Reseach Methods before finally deciding that teaching was for me. I completed my PGCE at Nottingham University in 2001 and joined St. Crispin s School in Wokingham as an NQT. There I taught History up to A Level and Religious Education at GCSE. At the end of my first year at the school I became the school's Marketing Coordinator. This was a really exciting and unique role as I was involved writing press releases, building links with the local community and businesses and preparing for the school's fiftieth anniversary celebrations. In 2003 I moved to Buckinghamshire and joined Ousedale School. Here I continued to teach History and gained a real interest for Germany under the Nazis and developments post I also taught Politics at A level. In 2004 I was appointed as Personal Development Co-ordinator, a role which enabled me to raise the profile of PSHE and Citizenship within the school. I joined Oakgrove in 2006 as Subject Leader for History. I have since taken on a Teaching and Learning role and I am now also Subject Leader for Humanities. I am really enjoying working as part of an enthusiastic department, where innovative ideas are shared and students are always challenged academically.

7 Rachel Cooke: Systems Director/Personalised Learning Intervention Manager Although I always enjoyed Geography at school, as a subject it really came to life when I went on an A Level field trip to the Lake District. Being able to see the landscape and environment around you and being able to understand the formation of features and how people impact them was really interesting. I decided to read Geography at University. I chose this course because it covered both the human and physical aspects of the subject. My real passion was for quaternary studies (glaciation). I left University with a 2:1 BSc and went to live in Canada for 18 months. While in Canada I toured the Rockies and worked for the University of Toronto as a Lab Assistant and as a waitress! On my return to the UK I worked for Anglia TV but then decided to start my teaching career. I completed a PGCE at Goldsmiths College, London before moving to Milton Keynes to commence my first teaching at post St. Paul s Catholic School. I then taught at Kingsbrook School, Deanshanger for 8 years before getting the post here at Oakgrove School. Sarah Cowling Subject Leader for Geography I loved Geography at school; learning about the world around me and discovering the impact I had on my surroundings. I went on to study Geography at Aberdeen University and enjoyed the variety of the modules; one lecture could have been on the glacial features of the Highlands with the next being the study of Tropical Rainforest destruction. I particularly enjoyed the courses linked to the environment. As a result of this, in 2000, I began a Masters Degree in Environment and Development. It was during my 3-month research placement in Ghana that I began to really appreciate the importance of education and decided to become a teacher. I have been a teacher of Geography since 2003, after completing my PGCE at Lancaster s St Martin s College. Having gained experience of teaching at an Comprehensive school in Luton, I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to join the staff at Oakgrove as Subject Leader for Geography. I believe that I have joined the Oakgrove Team at a very exciting time and I am very much looking forward to working with the rest of the department to provide exceptional learning opportunities for our students. Abigail King Teacher of History and Humanities I always loved history at school and believe it is essential to our lives as it links the past, present and future. We learn through mistakes and looking back at events from the past is crucial in helping us to decide how to move forward. I studied History and Art History at the University of Leeds where my particular interest was the First World War. I then worked as a Teaching Assistant which provided me with valuable experience in working with students. I did my PGCE as part of the SCITT scheme and was then lucky enough to be offered a job here at Oakgrove School and it is a huge privilege to work in such an excellent school with excellent staff and facilities.

8 Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 8 Jennie Turner Teacher of History and Humanities I have been interested in history since my secondary schooling and wanted to pursue this subject into higher education. I spent 3 years at University, completing a degree in History and Early Childhood Studies. I chose this combination as I knew that I wanted to be a teacher and felt it was important to learn as much about children as I could. I enjoyed living in Oxford as the architecture and history is all around the city, and I felt privileged to be able to live there for 3 years. However when my degree came to an end I felt it was important to move on and do my teacher training in another city and found that Southampton offered a very competitive and renowned PGCE course, which I was lucky enough to be excepted on. After completing my course, I wanted to find a job that was interesting and that would challenge me, which is why I applied for the Oakgrove job. Working at Oakgrove School has given me an amazing opportunity to work in a new and exciting environment and I feel very privileged to have been chosen for the position. I love teaching, especially history and I feel it is important that schools have passionate teachers who can transfer their knowledge onto their students in new and exciting ways. Climate Change Champions 2007/2008 Competition Defra has launched a national competition across England to find nine outstanding young people, aged 11-18, to become the next Climate Change Champions for 2007/08. The winning Champions will attend a European Climate Change Expedition and will get to meet senior Government and international representatives to talk about the issue. They will also receive a digital camera to record their 'time in office' and 1,000 to organise a climate change themed event at their school or college, or within their community. Audio: Real Audio, MP3, Wav Presentation and Text: Word, PowerPoint, Acrobat PDF Images: jpeg, bmp, gif Hardcopy: (like a hand drawn poster) Entries can be in: Full details on the competition and how to enter are Webpage or website available by following the website below, and the Video: Quick Time, Windows Media, Real deadline for entries is 9 November Video, AVI and Mpeg Animation: Shockwave, Flash