The students of Kambora Public School in the suburb of Davidson NSW learned some valuable skills through their S.E.A.T Project participation.
THE BUILD
We split our students into groups of 4 and led them into a classroom where we had laid out the SEAT kits without the instructions or packaging.
It was interesting to see the way different groups approached the build. The most successful, sat back and looked at everything carefully and then worked as a really cohesive group. Others charged in and started hammering dowel pegs into any hole that fit and found they had to pull a lot apart when they had many pieces left over. Only 2 of our 13 groups asked for the instructions and they ended up taking longer than the others.
The post build reflection was valuable in discussing the benefits of cooperation and effective teamwork skills.
All students (and teachers) are looking forward to continuing the literacy and values lessons this term!”
Jacob Leslie & Richard Goodwin – Year 4 & 5 teachers, Kambora Public School NSW
THE EDUCATION PROGRAM
When exploring the literacy and values sessions our students really grasped the idea behind the project. They loved the story of the little SEAT and drew a comparison to the children’s picture book ‘The Little Engine That Could’. They loved the underlying theme that you can achieve anything and to dream big. This had a lovely correlation with our school’s focus on Positive Mind Frames and the Elastic Brain. They used these themes when thinking of designs for their SEATs. The concept of helping others and ‘paying it forward’ really resonated with our students.
When it came time to think of a group or charity that could benefit, the students led the way. Our school already engages in overseas humanitarian work through our relationship with a Philippine orphanage and school. During 2016 & 2017 we worked hard to build a positive connection with our students and Australia’s Aboriginal history and culture. Therefore, when we started to brainstorm who we could help with the SEATs, the students thought that we should look closer to home and find an Aboriginal community or school that would benefit from the work we have done. We are currently working toward bringing this to fruition.
Through their work on this project our students built and maintained new relationships across year groups and learnt the valuable skills of cooperation and team building.”
Jacob Leslie & Richard Goodwin – Year 4 & 5 teachers, Kambora Public School NSW
