48HR SLAMs and Inspiring Creative Writing
In June 2014, the Ministry of Education piloted an innovative learning programme for boys identified as having problems engaging with traditional education methods.
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About the pilot programme
The pilot used the proprietary programme created by Kiwa Digital Ltd, The 48HR SLAMTM to develop innovative resources and a parallel enquiry process.
The goal was to find new ways to lift boys’ achievement and success.
Five intensive two-day workshops for boys aged between 10 and 15 years were run at five New Zealand schools: Hora Hora School, Howick College, Wainui School, St. Paul's College and Windy Ridge School.
The boys worked in groups of four to five students and with the help of facilitators created their own interactive digital books that were published to the world through the global iTunes store.
At the same time, a comprehensive enquiry process was undertaken to ensure the learning was captured for sharing with other teachers and schools.
Key findings
- Independent observations revealed students were fully engaged in the learning task, embodying the five key competencies in the New Zealand Curriculum.
- The programme provided them with behavioural, emotional and cognitive success in communicating orally, visually and in writing.
- Their achievement was evident in making meaning and creating meaning, core strands of the New Zealand Curriculum.
- Of the students interviewed, 91% finished the workshop with high self-efficacy and belief that their skills had improved.
The workshops
The workshops were captured in these inspirational videos.
Designed to give teachers ideas and strategies they can implement with boys in their classes, the videos focus on the learning related to one of five key competencies.
Thinking
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Using language, symbols, and text
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Relating to others
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Managing self
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Participating and contributing
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The research
Kiwi Digital ran five two-day workshops and engaged in research to determine how successful the workshops were against the key competencies of the NZ curriculum. The Digital SLAMs review was published in July 2014.
Independent Research Report (July 2014) produced by Dr Jenny Poskitt, Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Education at Massey University.
She describes what she observed, summarizes related research literature, and analyses the programme using observations, interviews, and relevant literature.