PBL Week 5 – May 2022
PBL Week 5 – May 2022
Just before the May half term holiday, Logic students took part in their 5th PBL week of the year. In PBL Week, we give students the opportunity to be off timetable and participate in a range of projects, activities and trips.
The main aim is to develop their ‘Professional Competencies’, the key skills we believe they will need for their future but we also want students to have fun and develop their knowledge of the world in which we live.
With exams and coursework deadlines approaching, this PBL week was slightly different, with a much bigger emphasis on exams, revision and coursework, particularly for Y11 and Y13.
Year 10
Sky TV Studios Trip
Year 10 students visited Sky TV studios and took part in filming a Sky News report on the subject of The Future of Tech! Students worked in groups to research and plan their segments before entering the filming studios to create their reports. Students took on the roles of reporters, directors, special guests, camera operators, producers and special effects co-ordinators during the day, allowing everyone to have a key role in the production of the news report. The result – a 10 minute news article looking at the advantages and disadvantages of technology for young people.
Computer Science Fun Carousel
The world of Computing is dynamic, practical and fun! This was the ethos used to develop this term’s PBL activities for our wonderful Y10 students. A heady mix of problem solving escape rooms, practical computing hardware workshops and 3D games modelling were available for students to select from. All students selected 2 activities from the list and were tasked to solve cryptic challenges which involved working as part of a team to find valid solutions to these problems or taking on the role of a technician where they had to identify what part of the computer needed to be removed or installed correctly. All students worked well and contributed enthusiasm, creativity and innovative thought in whatever activity they were assigned to; in addition, the tutors were extremely positive on the maturity levels demonstrated by all within the activities.
Speaking and Listening
As part of their speaking and listening endorsement for English language GCSE, year 10 spent two days writing, rehearsing and delivering speeches. The focus of their speeches was life and the community in Feltham. Pupils were able to express their views on the local area and the ways in which it can be improved. Some ideas were more bins, better leisure facilities and a wider range of shops. The presentations also allowed students to develop their confidence in public speaking, an area that can be quite difficult for many teenagers.
Chemistry Practicals
As part of their GCSE Chemistry students need to complete required practicals. Year 10 students completed three of these on Tuesday that complemented the topics we have recently covered. Students compared the pH and mass of dissolved solids in rainwater, seawater and distilled water. They then distilled seawater to produce pure water. Students carried out chemical tests to identify ions present in an unknown compound. Students also investigated neutralisation as an exothermic reaction, monitoring the temperature change as they increased the volume of alkali added. Handling the equipment safely, making observations and recording data are all very important skills that will be assessed in their written papers in summer of 2023.
Year 12
PWC Masterclass
Two reps from PWC delivered a masterclass on Financial Literacy to students on the Accounting and Finance EE pathway. They began with an insight into PWC and what they offer as a company. This was very beneficial to our students as many of them plan to study Accounting and/or Finance at university. PWC is one of the ‘big 4’ Accounting firms worldwide and it was an ideal opportunity for our students to ask questions about the company and understand the different pathways to gain employment at PWC.
Students were engaged in activities that focused on information that is found on a payslip. Students learned about income tax and had to calculate the amount of income tax that would have to be paid for various salaries earned. They also learned about pension, its importance and how pension is calculated.
The masterclass ended with an interactive Q&A session and an opportunity to network with the speakers.
Visit to DHL
We visited DHL’s Heathrow Service Centre, one of the biggest and busiest logistics hubs in the country. We were given a tour of the facility, an introduction to life at DHL and met with a panel of very encouraging senior managers. Their message to us was simple – working for DHL would mean a career full of progression and career flexibility, not only in the UK but with potential for working across the globe as well. With lots of roles within different sectors including IT, Finance, Marketing, Operations and Sales, this is a great option for our students.
Year 12 Projects
Over the course of the year, Year 12 students get to work on one of 5 different projects that develop skills in different areas. These are:
Debate
As part of our school focus on developing oracy skills, Year 12 took part in a debate for the day. Students were introduced to the structure of Mace debating, as well as key terms and ways of writing speeches. Then, we introduced the motion of ‘This house believes that the education system in the UK prepares young people for the workplace’. After careful planning and research, students were assigned teams for the final debates. We had some heated and thoughtful arguments around the education system and its role in society!
Rebranding
The Year 12s spent the day integrating their Games Design, Digital Publishing, IT and Business (Marketing) knowledge together. They were given a project (ULEZ), and they needed to rebrand the current marketing campaign whilst developing their inter-departmental collaboration. Each student had a specific task to complete, and the project manager needed to ensure that all departments were positively collaborating and working together successfully. The Y12s developed their cultural capital, by learning about beyond Feltham, and had the opportunity to pitch their ideas to their peers to grow their public speaking.
International Trading Game
The Yr12 students spent the day in teams, each of which acted as a separate ‘country’ without any information about what to do. They had to discover for themselves what was going on with the only information that was given was the objective: To make the most amount of money possible. Countries compete against each other to ‘manufacture’ paper shapes (circles, triangles, rectangles, etc.) and sell them to an international commodity market trader at posted prices, which vary with supply and demand. Students learnt a range of intra and interconnected links to a variety of subjects and cultural capital reference points. At Logic, we believe that shaping our students to have a broader understanding of the world is paramount to making a well rounded individual, readying them to make a swift transition into the next stage of their life.
Feltham Futures
The Y12s split into groups and spent the morning as “urban planners” coming up with ways to regenerate Feltham and make it an even better place for future generations. They had to problem solve and consider things such as budgets, environmental factors, land use and government policies in order to come up with new facilities in the area. Students did a fantastic and thorough job of planning and came up with brilliant new ideas such as a mental health centre for new people, turning the duck pond into a family friendly park with new facilities and new entertainment venues for young people and families.
They worked collaboratively to achieve their goal and developed confidence and oracy by presenting to staff at the end of the project.
Logic Computing
A new selection of students were invited to create and design a showcase event which would promote Logics specialisms across the local community and across other schools. Ideas had to be well planned and all team members were expected to exemplify the logic professional competencies throughout the day. Students produced detailed plans that would enthuse others to take part and learn new skills, compete against other schools within innovative competitions and provided the structure in a carefully orchestrated way for the Logic specialisms to create intrigue in their planned activities. Again, the level of focus and professionalism exhibited by the students was outstanding and the time taken to create and document an excellent presentation based on their ideas was tremendous effort. Special mention to a group who knew from the outset what concept they wanted to present; and were even able to create a video advertisement for their activity!
