Key Skills in PE and Geography using
the BBC Raise Your Game website.
Case Study
The project leader Stephen Williams (SW), is based at the Graig Campus of Coleg Sir Gâr in Llanelli.
Richard Davies, key skills coordinator for Ysgol Gyfun Glan-Y-Môr is based in the school at Burry Port.
Paul Mort Assistant Head at Coedcae Comprehensive School is based in Llanelli.
This development project began in the summer of 2006 when the bids for were out to tender.
The Raise Your Game project has a number of products, the most significant being the website (www.bbc.co.uk/raiseyourgame). Here there are nearly 300 interviews with famous sportspeople, journalists and other celebrities; these are all linked by an interest in recreational or professional sport, and use of Key Skills. SW has been on the steering committee of the Raise Your Game project since its inception in 2004
Students who have used this site have commented positively in the use of real-life celebrities to display the application of Key Skills in the world of work and leisure.
The promotion of the site, raising awareness in students and school staff was a primary aim of the project.
Interviews from the site were used as mediated tools to introduce, stimulate and engage the school pupils; many of these were completely new to Key Skills.
The idea for the development project came from a number of identified needs. The college wanted to develop a key skills continuum from local feeder schools into further education. Raise Your Game could gain valuable exposure and marketing from sessions delivered to school pupils. The pupils at the school would begin to develop Key Skills in a contextualized setting; and the school staff could access support from the college with experience of KS over a number of years.
Coleg Sir Gâr is the major further education college in West Wales with 3000 students involved in Key Skills. It delivers and attains all six key skills at levels 1-3.
Ysgol Gyfun Glan-Y-Môr is new to Key Skills with the current academic year being the first for the school to teach, develop and assess Key Skills. The school has looked at Level 1 KS during the inaugural year.
Coedcae Comprehensive School is also relatively new to Key Skills. The school has employed a Learning Coach with responsibility for Key Skills, working with a specific group outside the boundaries of this project. Within the project we have looked to teach and develop Problem Solving and Improving Own Learning and Performance at level 1.
The staff involved have been highlighted. The groups that have developed their Key Skills through the project are different in the two schools.
Ysgol Gyfun Glan-Y-Môr has developed Application of Number, Communcation and Information and Communication Technology at Level 1. The group are Year 10 GCSE Geography students; there are 26 in the group.
The students followed the Geography syllabus with contextualised Key Skills sessions to develop the first three Key Skills underpinning knowledge, before tackling portfolio building.
Communication centred around Flooding, with tasks involving discussion work, reading and obtaining information and written work.
Application of Number and one activity for ICT were assessed through an assignment on climate and weather. The students gathered data on temperature and scale for a destination of their choice before performing calculations and interpreting results. They then chose how to present their findings. This involved ICT-based sources (from the internet), entry and development in suitable packages and a final visual output.
The second activity based on earthquakes used a non-ICT source, entry, development, output and use of e-mail.
Coedcae Comprehensive School developed Problem Solving and IOLP at Level 1. The group are year 11 GCSE Physical Education students; there are 35 - 40 students between two groups.
Following the introduction to Key Skills and Raise Your Game; the students worked on identifying components of fitness that they could improve using IOLP and Problem Skills. The students developed a systematic approach to IOLP involving SMARTER goal setting, periodisation, action planning and review.
When faced with a problem, the students were able to name the problem, state possible strategies, choose one strategy and finally evaluate the success and implications of the strategy.
A major difficulty throughout the life of the project has been the three venue split between the college and the two schools. This has made it difficult for a project leader to have contact time with students from other institutions; and to liaise with school staff.
There have been a number of successful activities :
Materials have been produced and sent to the schools for use.
School staff have received support in teaching, practicing and assessing Key Skills, with all schools professing more competence and ease with Key Skills for future involvement.
The Key Skills Professional Development Qualification (KSPD) at the college has benefited from staff involved in the project enrolling on the course to improve their knowledge of Key Skills.
The link with feeder comprehensives between the sports departments is already well established. This project has created a solid foundation for a Key Skills partnership. This has a positive link to the 14-19 Learning Pathway and the Carmarthenshire Learning Network.
An unexpected but positive by-product, was that other schools in the area have heard about the project; and have shown interest in a future collaboration with Coleg Sir Gâr.