Primary research
Primary Research Timeline
In order to confirm that my initial hypothesis were right, I had to observe students engaged in everyday schoolwork. To create certain parameters for this phase of the research, an observation sheet was developed, based on the principles of cooperative learning (Johnson, Johnson and Holubec, 1994). This was a very helpful tool to assess groups and their level of difficulty of becoming involved in teamwork, as well to detect patterns in their behaviour and what kind of activities seemed to engage them more or less.
Using the Creative Studio’s grounds as my scenery, I went into five different Digital Media classrooms, being one Year 10, two Year 11’s, one Year 12 and one Year 13. Two teachers run this subject. Students’ ages range from thirteen to nineteen years old.
Each group’s level of engagement was measured throughout lessons for a month. This often relied on the activity that was proposed by the teacher, the equipment used to convey content and the type of dynamic adopted, if it was either a lecture or group learning. Furthermore, student’s behaviours were observed as well, if they stimulated each other during the lesson and demonstrated any kind of leadership or teamwork abilities, following the principles of promotive interaction and interpersonal skills, if they were accountable for their own classwork, and finally if there was any kind of reflection about the lesson. (Johnson, Johnson and Holubec, 1994)
This phase consisted of the practical discovery phase in the Double Diamond framework. In it, I was very perceptive to students’ and teachers’ behaviours, which in turn denounced their needs and desires in relation to their relationship with one another and to schoolwork itself. Furthermore, I often engaged in spontaneous conversations with teachers, members of staff and students, which enabled me to understand the context, environment and their needs better.
After a few weeks of close observation, it was possible to elaborate a summary about each age group, with their characteristics and taylor-made recommendations for the reinforcement of interpersonal skills inside the classroom. It was essential that each class had its own set of tools to be tested, as according to Ariès (1960) “The extreme close connection between the age of the pupils and the organic structure which gathers them together gives each year a personality of its own: the child has the same age as his class, and each class acquires from its curriculum, its classroom and its master a distinctive complexion. The result is a striking differentiation between age groups which are really quite close together.” This process culminated in the define phase of the Double Diamond, which was represented by the pitch that was presented to the school in order to ask permission to commence the develop phase.
Learning and assessment structure
Students undertake research for the majority of the school year. During lessons, they come across with visual elements that will be references to their final project. These come in various formats, such as movie clips, photographs by famous artists or magazine covers. In order to reinforce these concepts, part of the marking criteria encompasses how well students convey what they have learned into digital Powerpoint presentations, tracing parallels between coursework to later plan and develop their projects.
Teacher assessment
Teachers periodically read through students’ Powerpoint presentations to examine how they are progressing over time, if the amount of work is enough and points to develop and give further attention to.
MAD (Make a Difference) Time
Based on the evaluation carried out by their teacher, students will take feedback into consideration and engage in developing their written work even further. This is usually done for a period of lessons, called MAD (Make a Difference) Time, where pupils ask teachers for clarifications and fill any gaps in their presentations.
Moderator
Teachers grade the final presentations and projects for each student based on OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA), an United Kingdom awarding and qualifications body, criteria and bands. Grades are then submitted to the exam board and a moderator.
