September is when we teachers and educators return to school for another exciting year’s work. One of the questions that we are regularly asked is “at what point in the topic is it best for the workshop to take place? Beginning, Middle or End?”
It is a topic that I have mused over ever since I started delivering workshops eleven years ago and the truth of the matter is that it depends on what the teacher wants for their class.
The Big Bang Launch: Starting the Topic with a Bang
A workshop at the beginning of the topic is described as a big bang. An opportunity to launch a topic as excitingly as possible. This is especially true of topics such as Stone Age which requires the students to learn unfamiliar words, concepts and ideas. In a day a workshop leader can lay down a framework on which the teacher can build for the rest of the term introducing the learners to time periods such as the Paleolithic, seeing and touching artefacts such as stone tools and thinking about a completely different way of life to our own in the form of hunter gathering.
The Mid-Topic Boost: Enriching Existing Knowledge
A workshop delivered when the children are half way through the topic is a fantastic opportunity for the enrichment of their existing learning. The children will know some of the facts and it’s the job of the workshop leader to quickly get what the children know and then stretch that knowledge. A recent workshop in a very good school featured a little boy who had really engaged with the topic of the Vikings. We were able to have some excellent conversations about Sweyn Forkbeard, longships and he very solemnly informed me that the Vikings did not have horns on their helmets. By listening, confirming and engaging with the learners as they develop their understanding of the topic a workshop leader can help motivate as well as enrich the learners experience.
The Fantastic Finish: A Grand Conclusion
A fantastic finish is a powerful way to bring a successful history topic to a conclusion. A costumed workshop leader coming into school is a fun reward for all the learners hardwork. Teachers do a fantastic job and it rewarding for the teachers to see the children displaying their knowledge and understanding when they answer the questions posed by the leader as part of his delivery. I use this form of delivery to engage the learners and bring them into the narrative. In my Greek session some of the myths I tell are told sitting on the floor with the children in a circle. My favourite is the story of the riddle of the Sphinx. In this myth I explain what the Sphinx was like and ask the children to guess its name before asking them the riddle it would ask Athenians with the forfeit of being eaten if the unfortunate could not answer. The riddle goes as such, ‘What goes on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon and three legs in the evening?’ Obviously the children guess correctly and nobody gets eaten. (If you want to know the answer please have a look at our Facebook page.)
Portals to the Past run fantastic, engaging and curriculum enriching workshops appropriate for learners at any stage from the Stone Age to World War II. If you are interested in booking one of our workshops, or would like some more information, please contact us today to discuss how we can help – Contact Us.