Current Research Question Forum

Would you like more choice about what and how you learn? What are your ideas?

48 comments on “Would you like more choice about what and how you learn? What are your ideas?

  1. I would like to do more practical science experiments with electricity and make our own toy helicopters.
    More time for handwriting please. I like difficult maths and would like more time for maths.

  2. Alia Cheverton says:

    I would like to learn jumping – trampoline lessons!

    I also have an idea for how we could each get to learn about something that interests us: once a week, a person from each class gets chosen to say what they want to learn about (something they are interested in). Then the whole class learns about that thing during the week, and the following week, somebody else gets to choose a topic, and so on.

  3. I would like to do more learning outside and more time for PE as most of the time is spent getting changed.
    I would also like more experiments and science.

  4. My daughter says she would like to learn about engineering and sailing. She’d love to see how a car engine demonstrated by a mechanic….a bridge built out of string and blocks (suspension/tension)….what cement is made out of….how plants grow and leaves turn different colours…how caves are made…how roads are made and how maps/charts are created and kept accurate….

  5. I want to learn about how to make cartoons and films. I would like to do this in a practical way. I have ideas for films and stories and I would like to make them.

    I like actually doing things. I don’t like just listening so much of the time.

    I love making things and would like to invent an electric hairbrush. It would be good to have more time at school for inventing, making and creating things.

    I would like to learn about underwater sea creatures and dinosaurs and also how seaweed grows.

    I’d also like to know about how we came into being and who the first humans were and how they were born.

    I have good ideas and I would like to be on a little council of school children who help teachers to decide how and what we learn, but becsuse I’m shy, I’d like one of my friends – like Isla Norton or Minnie Hirst to be on the council with me.

  6. I would like to learn about how people draw really brilliantly and draw really great things.

    I love writing stories and would like more time to develop my story ideas.

    I love working on computers and would like to do more of that.

    I would also like to make more things – like aeroplanes and paper people.

    Maybe I would like to be part of the group of school children who talk to teachers about how and what they learn, if Leone is doing that too.

  7. Jodi Lea-Trowman says:

    I want to build more Lego and build more and find out how you build bridges and buildings. I want to do more counting and more reading with a grown up.
    I want to learn about the police and how they catch robbers and go to a police station. I want to do Spain (Spanish!)

  8. Ivy Hanson Smith says:

    In art It would be good to focus on a different skill or artist every month as it feels like we could be doing a bigger variety in a shorter time.
    I would love to use the computers more and learn about how they work.
    I also think that we could learn more about life lessons like spending , earning and saving .
    In literacy i would love to make up my own stories and have less of a set story made by the teacher .
    I think that the school should get more involved with the community such as picking up rubbish round the school area.
    Being part of the eco warriors has given me an opportunity help the whole school be more eco .

  9. Ivy Hanson Smith says:

    In art It would be good to focus on a different skill or artist every month as it feels like we could be doing a bigger variety in a shorter time.
    I would love to use the computers more and learn about how they work.
    I also think that we could learn more about life lessons like spending , earning and saving .
    In literacy i would love to make up my own stories and have less of a set story made by the teacher .
    I think that the school should get more involved with the community such as picking up rubbish round the school area.
    Being part of the eco warriors has given me an opportunity help the whole school to be more eco .
    I really love being at St . Lukes and i am looking forward to year 5.

  10. Jemma Sawyer-Todd says:

    I’d like to learn how sweets are made and visit a sweet factory.
    Also I would like to visit a film set and experience making a film.

  11. We (two reception kids) like learning by making things, playing, meeting visitors, and writing and hearing stories.

    Some things we’d like to learn about are The Future, sea creatures, how our bodies work, how materials are made/found (eg metal), and numbers. Thanks!

  12. Edie King (with Mark Claessen & Megan Forbes) says:

    Yes, I would like more choice about what and how I learn. I prefer lessons where I can learn at my own pace, rather than one where the teacher stands in front of the class and talks about something, because then you forget it again soon. I like experiments, like in science. I like history, like when we had to try and find out what certain objects were used for. We have a club in the playground about Horrible Histories, and our teacher knows about it.

    As a parent, I think the practical stuff (like experiments, or the sugar challenge, or the historical objects) should be tied in more with the theoretical stuff, because our daughter talk about these, but can’t really give an explanation about what occurred, or what were the reasons for the experiment/lesson. Maybe children can talk about these at the end of the lesson, but the knowledge is not consolidated enough.

  13. Xil Taylor-Matthews says:

    I would like to learn more about the middle ages and history.
    I like it when we do maths and trying to do it all on my own rather than with resources.
    I would also like to learn more about how things work – like vehicles.

  14. Bay Taylor-Matthews says:

    When I start in reception, I would like to learn about animals.
    I would like to learn how my body works.

  15. Leonie Taylor says:

    From observing my three children, they are most engaged in learning when they get to choose the subject matter. The topic work is great at school when it is a topic that excites the children but if it’s a topic they’re not particularly inspired by and everything that term is geared around it, they are less motivated. Of course this needs to be manageable for the teachers, but perhaps there could be more scope within each term for self-directed learning and subject matter? Maybe there could be more space for individual or group research projects leading to creative presentations?
    Where the teaching is practically inspired it is much more memorable – the theatre and art projects, for example, stay in the children’s minds.

  16. Tilly and Joe love the sport and really enjoy all the inter school competitions they would love more time for sport and P.E. George loves art and science and enjoys the hands on learning. Tilly and Joe both would like more learning through play as play times are limited and short.

  17. It would be nice to have more PE time outside to get fresh air. I would also like to learn some Spanish, as I really enjoyed learning a bit of French in year 1 last year and would like to try another language.

  18. I would love to learn about cartoons. I like the way the teachers have been teaching me, so far.

  19. Amity King says:

    I really like practical lessons and learning from making and doing things. The Great Fire in the playground was really good. I remember that day really well. I love science lessons and experiments. I would like to learn more about sports, drama, art and computers. We could get into groups and choose a topic to investigate and tell the class what we have found out.

  20. I would like to learn about World war 2, what I would like to do is go on a school trip and see buildings from ww2. I would like to do practical learning and building paper tanks and houses like we did in the fire of London. I would like to learn about England’s first football game. I would like to learn about star gazing

  21. Alan (going in to Year 2) says he likes the way he is taught and teachers know how to teach. Probably, this question is out of the comfort zone for infants and should be reserved for Juniors. He currently gravitates to drawing and diagrams when explaining things so I think that may be an unarticulated preference for his approach and he remembers best through narrative.

  22. Bella & Cara Miller says:

    Cara and Bella both agreed that it would be nice to be able to have more choice on the topics that they learn at school. However we are not sure how this could be practically implemented… Perhaps have a selection of topics that the pupils can choose from. Then work across the year in groups that have selected the same topics?? Perhaps a more practical option would be to select activities that interest them the most from a given range. Eg if there are a list of 20 possible objectives / activities to do with Egypt, the class can vote on the activities that appeal to them the most. Or perhaps this info could be used to guide group activities (expect it already is)
    They would also like to learn at school about things that really interest them like “dogs/ pugs” (Bella) and “emojis!!” Cara.

  23. Tracey (parent) says:

    My son said that he enjoys hands on and interactive learning. He would like to do projects with a project partner, and do research on a topic both at school and at home. He also said that he likes investigating information and quizzes that work step by step.

    As a parent I would like the idea of teaching that takes place outside the classroom (I am not sure if this already takes place)
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-36795912

    I also think this is an interesting idea as a way to improve learning

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/schools-encouraged-to-adopt-no-shoes-policy-to-improve-pupils-learning-and-behaviour-a7044576.html

  24. Ella Wright says:

    More P.E. time would be good. More choice in the type of music you learn about and play as a group. More science, experiments and making things. Mixing classes up occasionally so we get to learn with different people during the term. More rewards when reaching our goal! More swimming. I love making learning into games with others and having group competitions.

  25. Hannah Newman says:

    I think that in classes children should have a choice of what they would like to do. For example, in a P.E class the children could have a choice of football, basketball and other ball games (piggy in the middle etc.) Another example is, in a maths class children could have the option of learning about 2D shapes, 3D shapes or fractions. I think that if we start to use this idea in school,children will enjoy learning more by being able to choose what they would enjoy more in lessons. But there could be problem with this. For example, if someone never chose fractions then they would never learn how to do them. I think we can solve this problem by having some lessons where everyone does fractions but have different activities to choose from.

  26. I would like more time for art activities please. thanks.

  27. I would like different PE activities like basketball, parkour, baseball, and obstacle courses over all the climbing equipment including the ones in the Infants. I would enjoy more practical and challenging science experiments – I want to do chemistry and learn the Periodic Table!
    In Maths it would be great if you could go to different tables and help people when you have finished your own work.

  28. Konrad & Mum says:

    So I asked Konrad: Would you like more choice about what and how you learn?

    Yes I would like see how things are made, to use computers and iPads more.

    I would like to meet people like Dan TDM and people who are involved with the Games and Apps we use..

    What are your ideas?

    I would like to learn more about Computer Games and Apps.

    How do we get our ideas from ideas into a Game or an App that you can use and play?

    It would be good if we could come up with an idea that we could take to the people who make the games and ask them to help us create this.

  29. Laura & Morgan says:

    I asked Morgan about how he’d like to learn in different ways-

    Morgan would like to have more frequent small group learning, more outside learning and more creativity in lessons, making things, experiments etc.

    From my point of view, I’d like to see nurturing of individual interests more frequently, support with different choices of sport, technology and arts subjects. I feel children would respond to having more roles with the running of the school too.

  30. Sylvie Pinnock says:

    Yes, I would like to have more choice in how and what we learn.
    For example, when we come in, in the morning or at the beginning of the week, as a class we could decide on what order we do the lessons in for that day or week. The teacher would have all the lessons planned and we would be able to create a timetable for the day/week. Maybe, Maths first thing in the morning instead of after break or Art on Friday afternoons. It could be flexible from day to day or week to week. That way I would feel more motivated and in the right mood for learning. In order to make this practical, the teacher would have the final say but we could be involved in helping to decide.
    We could also focus our learning on what is in the news to help us understand the world and make things up to date and more exciting.

  31. Dexter Dewsbery says:

    I would like to learn more geography – about earthquakes and volcanoes and other dangerous things. I would also like to learn about engineering and practice building things and learn how a car engine and an aeroplane engine works. I would like to do more science experiments. I want to spend more time outside – I think we should be able to spend golden time outside, or playing more board games. I also want to learn about the Romans.

  32. Wilfie Dewsbery says:

    I want to learn about underwater sea animals. And also about farming. I would like to learn all about space and to build a rocket that the whole class could fit in!!!

  33. My son, at this age, would like to build at school, as he thinks he would like to be a builder. He would also like to drive an HGV, and although I feel this might be a little ambitious in such a small playground, I’m sure he’d be a lot better than many Brighton drivers.

  34. I would like to learn about how football was invented and the first football teams. I would also like to learn about the first English King and Queen. I would also like to do more science and experiments. I’d like to learn about the first people that were alive on Earth.

  35. Aldo Martinez says:

    Yes I would like to have more choice about what I learn.
    I would like to learn about the 20th century history (mainly about the cold war and events leading to world war II). A trip to the Imperial War Museum would be great.
    It would to visit a media company to learn how videos, animations, cartoons, etc are made. I would like to learn about Civil Engineering.
    I think it is important to learn about Economy and why it is important in the real world.

  36. I would like to learn more about modes of transport and what trains or buses go where. How to get to destinations, and travel in Europe. I’d like to go online for more info and am interested in maps. To learn more I’d like to go to stations or ask someone who works in the transport industry to come into school to talk more.

  37. I would like that every now and then there would be a lesson where there would be four different tables and on each one a different subject – ict, literacy, art and maths.
    Also more freedom in art and more art time.

  38. In science I would like to do lots more practical experiments. I would also like to learn more about space too,especially about black holes and worm holes.
    I would also like to learn more about how all of the planets were created 10000’s o

  39. Continued from last posting…..
    Of years ago in the big bang.

  40. I would like to do more art please. Thank you!

  41. Mae Dewsbery says:

    Personally I feel that the children should learn about growing food and getting their hands dirty doing some gardening.. it will be so important for their generation to learn how to live as self-sustainably as possibly. I am very excited at Dexter starting forest school afternoons this term in year 3 but I would like to see this extended to all year groups and running throughout the year… this would help them learn about the seasons.

  42. Gwilym Harris says:

    I would like to learn more about space – with oiled like to find out if aliens are real.
    I am interested in nature and would like to learn about animals which come out when I go to bed
    I would like any opportunity to play football

  43. Noah and Edie Q says:

    I would like to learn more about Spies and to take part in activities which are based around Spying. This could include Spies during the past eg WWII (History – Horrible Histories!!) and also things that have been invented to help Spies (Science and Technology) and MI5 and MI6 today and the problems tackled by the modern Spy (Politics, Geography etc). This could be a cross curricular project.

  44. Noah and Edie Q says:

    We would also like to learn a language in class in more depth (eg Spanish, French, Italian, German, Chinese) and more about the way of life and culture in different countries.

  45. Alfie is always enthusiastic about his learning (particularly in Richard’s class last year) and seems to engage with all the topics, so you must be doing something right. He’s still thinking about his ideas, but I personally would love more practical science on the curriculum, plus drama to boost confidence. I think that too much choice can sometimes be intimidating for children. Absolutely delighted about the forest school sessions in Year 3 – more of this, please! Will see what Kitty has to contribute once she has started next week.

  46. I think you should have all the lessons the government requires you to have from Monday to Wednesday and then have a lesson which a different pupil a week will choose .

  47. Martha Notman -Watt says:

    1. I think the teachers could give us more choise to do, for example we could either do Art or Computing.

    2. maybe we could have more choise at play equipment.

    3. have FOOD when ever we wish I mean it will work for me and my friends
    OOOOVIOSLY.

    4.have are one and only so our own real life………..TEACHER and teaching ASISTANT that let us do what we WANT.

    5. choose what we want for LUNCH.

    COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL YEAH

  48. I saw this article on teaching mental well-being to kids: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38148892

    It sounds interesting – I was just wondering how much the school does in this area already?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *