Education Beyond the Classroom: Stretch & Challenge Learning
At Noel-Baker we believe that it is not only important for students to actively participate in their education during their lessons and in after school clubs or classes, but it is also critical that students begin to develop their interests and wider reading at an early age. Regardless of a child’s future plans, the ability to extend themselves and research independently into their interests is an invaluable skill – this will support their college/6th form applications, university applications and/or future job applications and interviews. Higher institutions expect more than just classroom knowledge, which is where stretch and challenge-curricular activities come in; these are academic enrichment tasks activities that show you are interested in your studies beyond what is on the school syllabus.
General Stretch & Challenge activities might include:
With this is mind, we have created this Stretch & Challenge-curricular area of our school website where students and parents can get ideas in regards to the types of activities that can be completed by pupils to compliment what is being taught in school. Under each department heading is a list of possibly ways (though it is not exhaustive!) to extend your interests outside of the classroom.
At Noel-Baker we believe that it is not only important for students to actively participate in their education during their lessons and in after school clubs or classes, but it is also critical that students begin to develop their interests and wider reading at an early age. Regardless of a child’s future plans, the ability to extend themselves and research independently into their interests is an invaluable skill – this will support their college/6th form applications, university applications and/or future job applications and interviews. Higher institutions expect more than just classroom knowledge, which is where stretch and challenge-curricular activities come in; these are academic enrichment tasks activities that show you are interested in your studies beyond what is on the school syllabus.
General Stretch & Challenge activities might include:
- Subscription to and reading of journals/magazines e.g. New Scientist, Scientific America, The New Statesmen, Economist, etc. Many are available free in the School Library, the 6th form, or cheap subscriptions are available to students via websites such as http://magazines.philipallan.co.uk/, www.bbc.co.uk/,www.aljazeera.com/, www.economist.com/, http://edition.cnn.com/ ,www.newstatesman.com/
- Following blogs of subject specialists or even creating your own blog.
- Membership of student academic/special interest societies (often available at student rates) and attendance at their events/lectures etc.
- Reading around the subject – relevant for EVERY subject. You should be reading at least one challenging book a month, and more in the longer holidays (especially the Summer). You should also be making a regular visits to the school library and taking out (and reading!) books on a regular basis.
- Work experience – experience of laboratory work, an engineering project, summer schools, taster days etc. Visit local employers, write letters, emails, check websites; you would be surprised at what is available to young people in Derby
- Working through extra papers – STEP etc. – for Maths and related-disciplines.
- Entering essay / project competitions and getting academic work published. Again, use the internet to search for these kinds of opportunities.
- Using the internet to search out ways to extend yourself and your skills in general. For example: newspaperforschools.co.uk, Edmodo, the digital-lab at the Smithsonian, archive.org
- Taking a major role in a club or organising your own after school/out of school activity.
- At KS5 complete an Extended Skills Project.
With this is mind, we have created this Stretch & Challenge-curricular area of our school website where students and parents can get ideas in regards to the types of activities that can be completed by pupils to compliment what is being taught in school. Under each department heading is a list of possibly ways (though it is not exhaustive!) to extend your interests outside of the classroom.
Subject Links:
Art
Drama
English
Geography
History
ICT
MFL
Maths
Music
Psychology
Science
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