Learner Voice
Teacher Voice
We looked at the exterior of the nursery to help us think about how it could be improved. We started by asking the children to
articulate why the nursery entrance was not as inviting as it could have been.
Little kids like bright colours but the outside of the nursery was just plain and boring.
You couldn’t guess it was a place where little children learn because the wall was lifeless and there was no colour on it.
Design Brief: We have been asked to make the nursery entrance more welcoming. Our design must be colourful,
cheerful and it should show that the nursery is a friendly place where young chi ldren enjoy coming to learn.
Experiences and Outcomes:
As I extend and enhance my knowledge of features of various types of software, including those which help find, organise, manage
and access information, I can apply what I learn in different situations. TCH 1-03a
I can access, retrieve and use information from electronic sources to support, enrich or extend learning in different contexts.
TCH 1-03b
I explore and experiment with the features and functions of computer technology and I can use what I learn to support and enhance
my learning in different contexts. TCH 1-04a
Learning Statements:
Understand the uses of, and utilise, various types of search facilities and apply this to find, organise, and use information in different
situations.
Explore and use technologies, considering and discussing with others ways in which they help us.
Our Woodland Walk:
Our school is close to an area where there are lots of trees. Children enjoy playing there because there are lots of colours and interesting
things to see. When we had our class discussion we decided that we would like to make the nursery entrance less boring by making it feel
more like this interesting place. We decided to find out more about the woodland by going on a walk as a class.
The learners were in charge when it came to deciding upon the theme for the nursery wall. During our class discussion they decided that
certain environments made them more cheerful. Many of the pupils identified the woodland area as a place where they felt happy and free.
When we had a discussion about why they enjoyed this particular place, they were able to identify aspects of nature such as plants and
animals. Allowing the class to determine the theme of the design provided them with a sense of ownership and enhanced their desire to
take the project forward.
The outdoor research gave the learner
inspiration, motivation and the basis for
being creative. The learner used the
woodland walk as a stimulus to engage in
purposeful research in the classroom.
I liked the different textures. The leaves which had
fallen off the trees were crunchy, the petals from the
flowers were smooth and the bark on the tree trunk
was rough.
The flowers were pretty colours
and I saw a frog. I want to go
back to the classroom and find
out about frogs.
The roots of the oak tree were curling
into the ground. The trunk of the tree
was straight and the leaves were
ovals. I hadn’t really looked before.
The learners were told that they would be using laptops in their next step of the project so that they could research a plant or animal
which they would like to use as part of their special design for the nursery wall. This meant that they were looking very closely at
everything around them so that they could choose what they wanted to research.
When you go onto
Google and look up
“mouse” you get
information about
animals but also about
the computer mouse. I
realised that my results
made more sense when I
searched for “mouse
animal”.
ICT time helped me learn
about frogs. Frogs live in
swamps and ponds and if
they dry up they will die. I
had to decide which
websites gave me
information about frogs
that I could trust.
I am enjoying learning about squirrel
facts and I want to learn more about
squirrels’ enemies. I like using the
electronic notebook because it was
quicker than finding it in a book.
I liked using the laptop because when
you go to the school library to find
information in a book it takes longer and
sometimes it doesn’t have the book you
are looking for. But you have to check
who wrote the stuff on the internet
because anyone can put things on
there and they might not be true.
When I search the internet I use Google but my friend
uses Yahoo so we used both of them and the results
we got were different. There are other search
engines you can use too like KidRex which is for
children, so the results you get aren’t so hard to
understand.
Through active learning, the learner developed the skills to make effective use of search engines to
find information. Through discussion, the learner showed awareness that results are not always
reliable and may not always be helpful. By engaging in research, the learner considered the
following questions: Who wrote it? Who did they write it for? Can I trust it? As a result, the learner
could give reasons for trusting a particular website or piece of information.
Some of the websites were too hard so
I went onto the National Geographic
Kids site and found the facts I needed
because they wrote that one for
people my age.
Working in pairs, the learner could articulate the advantages and limitations of on-line search facilities to a thinking partner. The learner enjoyed
using the internet to find information in a new and unfamiliar context and applied their learning to create a bright, vibrant and welcoming nursery
entrance.