Craig Charteris Corby, England

School: Maplefields School

Subjects: Primary (Special) — social emotional and behavioural difficulties; music, ICT, literacy, art, photography and film making

learners: Years 4, 5 and 6; ages 8–11 years old

This learning project was created for children of severe social emotional and behavioural difficulties as a way to develop creative thinking skills while leading the learners through the process of discovery. The format was of a competition in the style of X Factor, a UK television talent show, between two classes.
Learners researched their favourite music; composed an original piece of music with lyrics; recorded the song; planed and filmed a music video; and created merchandise and promotion plans for their class band. All of this was done with the help of technology that was easy for the learners to use, including Microsoft Movie Maker, Photo Editor, Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, Internet Explorer.
At the final presentation, the bands competed to win the votes of the rest of the school and the ”celebrity” judges. “The idea was to engage disaffected pupils using a creative learning project,” Charteris says. ”It was fun for the learners, for me as a teacher, and for the rest of the school as well.”