Here's a new take on working walls!

Our school green is first of its kind

The Opening of the living wall at Slatergate Junior School Doncaster ,

Published on Monday 9 April 2012 09:50

IT WOULD take some lawn mower to look after the latest feature to be fitted at one of Doncaster’s primary schools!

But staff at Saltersgate Junior School, in Scawsby, have been promised they will be shown how to care for ground-breaking green wall, believed to be the first of its type at any school in the UK.

The ‘living wall’ was unveiled as part of an official ceremony to mark the completion of a £2.3 million redesign and refurbishment of the Barnsley Road school.

It uses harvested rain-water from the roof which is mixed with fertiliser and is drip-fed electronically to the plants.

A Doncaster Council spokesman said: “The roof installer is training up staff on how to look after the wall.”

As well as being a striking architectural feature, the 98 square metre living wall helps to insulate the building, makes the best use of surplus rain-water from the roof to water the plants, and is said to have a positive effect on the natural environment.

The school’s pupils have been involved in its creation, will help look after the plants, and will use the wall as educational area studying the different plant types and insects.

via thestar.co.uk

Great idea I think! I love the idea of the wall becoming a vertical green study area. It's sparked off some ideas about vertical indoor gardening and their possible application in the classroom. Thinking.....

How do you promote whole school behaviour policies in displays? 'Rose Hill Primary " The Independent

there were some measures that could be taken more quickly to improve standards at the school – particularly in terms of behaviour. Each classroom displays a five-star poster indicating the rules for good behaviour. Their prominent display ensures that the message gets through to pupils.

They include: making the school a healthy and safe place where you can learn; always walk through the school (rather than run); be polite and show respect to other people and their property; listen to others; come to school on time and ready to learn.

via independent.co.uk

Rosehill is the 'most improved school' according to this Independent article. I wonder how effective these generic 5 star posters were . I assume they must have formed part of much deeper work that went on in every class. Prominent display alone is rarely effective. There needs to be engagement and, I would suggest, some sense of ownership. How do you promote whole school behaviour policies in displays?

Calm Down the Classroom Walls via The Core Knowledge Blog

There is basis for the “print-rich” argument, especially in the elementary grades. Exposure to print, combined with explicit instruction, can boost students’ reading considerably. But even in kindergarten classrooms, the “print-rich” factor can be overdone. It is difficult to take in anything when there’s so much staring at you. One becomes immune to posters on strategies and processes (which often aren’t “rich” to begin with). Also, there is a hint of condescension in such overdecoration, as though students could not learn without prompts coming from every angle. Why so much stuff? There is something strong about a room that doesn’t protest too much, and it sets a good example for the students.

Even displays of student work may not always help students. If student work is posted just because it must be posted, it loses meaning. Few students, teachers, or administrators actually take time to read it. If it is on a hallway bulletin board, students may deface it (intentionally or not) when rushing by

via blog.coreknowledge.org

Are our classrooms print rich or overwhelming? Where is the balance - what do you think?

Making 3d Shapes display - High school

Making 3D shapes!

This is a display made by year 10 students learning about the surface area and volume of prisms, cones and spheres! This quickly moves from cuboids that are quite approachable to shapes with curved surface areas likes cones and spheres. We had particularly good fun making cones (follow link for more details). The challenge was to make a cone with a base radius of 10cm and a perpendicular height of 24 cm. Students were given an A2 piece of card and those measurements. Firstly they had to figure out what the net of a cone looks like then figure out what the measurements needed to be to make sure the cone met its requirements! There is no substitute for having to build shapes from nets to help understand how the net relates to the shape.

via pinkmathematics.blogspot.com

This great high school display shows how interesting and inspiring display work can be even in older classes.

Do you display draft work?

Display drafts and polished pieces. Showcasing drafts and finished work side by side tells children that we value the process of learning as much as we value the products. It's a great way to teach children that mistakes are an important part of learning, not something to be ashamed of or to hide. Teach children that a polished piece of writing next to a marked-up, crossed-out draft says, "Look how much I've grown!"

via ascd.org

Do you display drafts to help learners see how much they've improved as suggested in this useful article?

Year 6 Great Fire of London Reenactment - Parkfield Primary School

As part of the history topic on the Stuarts, Year 5 have built their own Pudding Lane and then set it alight to recreate the Great Fire of London in 1666.

via parkfield.typepad.com

I love this! Make a totally wonderful display and then burn it! They'll never forget the Great Fire now. (via Simon Haughton

Classroom Walls: We Don't Need No Thought Control

The most engaging bulletin board I've ever crafted was pretty much effortless, however. Teachers in my building rotated responsibility for the front hall showcase, and when it was my turn, I asked teachers to share photos of themselves when they were young. Teachers contributed baby pictures, graduation pictures, snapshots of themselves shooting baskets, cheerleading and diving off the high board. One chunky gray-haired special ed teacher provided a formal wedding portrait, in which she was blond and sylph-like.

I printed up the words to Crosby, Stills & Nash's Teach Your Children Well, then arranged the unlabeled photos around the lyrics. That bulletin board was a kid magnet, every day-- a visual meditation on becoming yourself, because the past is just a goodbye.

So it goes.

via blogs.edweek.org

Lovely idea for a shared areas display and a fascinating & thought provoking article.