This document provides background information and planning details for a space explorers project at Priory School Specialist Sports College. The project goals were to engage learners in exploring and interpreting space around the school buildings, develop a core of learners to use their knowledge of the built environment to engage with the school renovation process, and co-construct a Year 7 geography scheme of work. The project used technology like computers, cameras and voice recorders to investigate concepts of space and place. It was supported by grants and involved teachers, visitors, and groups of 30 students over multiple workshops.

1. Background & Planning Space Explorers : Space Creators
Project goals
Teacher Biography
To engage learners in exploring and interpreting space, especially around school buildings.
My name is Jo Debens and I am a Geography Teacher at
Priory School Specialist Sports College, Portsmouth. I To develop a core of learners that can actively, confidently and skillfully use their knowledge
graduated with a BA (hons) Geography from Cambridge of the built environment to engage with the BSF process as part of a student voice/student
action project.
University in 2004, an MA (cantab) in 2007 and I
completed my PGCE at the University of Brighton in To co-construct a Year 7 scheme of work, created by and shared with students.
2008. I am currently in my third year of teaching and
really love being part of an innovative department where
we are challenged to constantly reflect upon our practice The planning and origin of the project
and improve the learning opportunities we offer our
students. This project was supported by the Royal Geographical Society through an Innovative Geography
Teaching Grant and a 21st Century Learning Alliance Fellowship. This included funding to enable a
I also teach other Humanities subjects and Priory is quite visit by members of the Geography Collective to lead a space explorer workshop, digital equipment
a challenging inner city school. I have led the cross- and workshop off-timetable time with students in the project. The project was originally inspired by
curricular BBC News School Report for the last three the interest that students displayed for the BSF process in school, they requested more information
years and I also enjoy leading out-of-classroom learning
and as a result we created an opportunity for them to take part in the process themselves and have
through fieldwork of any scale.
an influence.
I am particularly interested in using innovative teaching
tools and enjoy taking risks and employing alternative The curriculum context of the project
techniques. I believe one of the most important facets I
can encourage through my teaching are a desire for life- The project has strong links with the key geographical concepts of Place and Space. The National
long learning, and the development of transferable skills Curriculum for England and Wales demands that pupils’ understand how the characteristics of places
that will benefit our students in the future. affect people and how changes to space can affect the people that use that space The Curriculum also
demands that pupils are involved with informed participation in geographical issues that affect them
Although I am a confident user of technology, no special and the state of their school spaces is such an issue. In addition, the Building Schools for the Future
experience was needed for this project and we chose project provided a rich learning context. Despite the demise of BSF, the project has still enabled pupils
applications which are common-place in school so that
to contribute their view, to develop key transferable skills and to improve the quality of student voice/
the project could have longevity and could be shared
student action in school. Senior Leaders in the school are more aware of their views and have been
throughout the school community to other subjects. An
impressed by their work ethic, creativity + collaboration.
understanding of the concepts of space and place are
important but the skills of investigation, student voice +
the technology used are transferable.n,
The technology context
The geography department is well provisioned in terms of technology although surveys show that the
d
generic skills of young people are poor in school. The project utilized free Microsoft software and the
basic Windows 2003 Operating System. The technology was organized through a set of 16 networked
PC’s and 10 netbooks (funded by a Teaching Grant) that had wireless access to the school’s internet. In
addition, pupils had use of 2 digital cameras, 2 Flip HD camcorders and voice recorders. We only used
applications that were available freely to educators, mostly via the Microsoft PiL website, and also
technology that could be transferred to other subjects and shared with other members of staff
throughout the school.
The project management
Initially I worked with a small group of students to pilot this program and then scaled up the project so
that it impacted on the whole school. The main group of students formed a Geography enrichment club
and met after school. Subsequent workshops involved having 30 students off timetable for 3 days in
which they worked with teachers and outside visitors from The Geography Collective and Solent Institute
for Architecture, including academics from universities. All 3 Geography teachers in the department
were involved, including trainee PGCE students. The pupils communicated with designers of the new
school, governors, architects & the council via a range of different media over a long timescale. They
also co-constructed a Year7 scheme of work which they shared with peers which is having a lasting
impact.