Student+Poll+Eve+01

Week 3 - Part 2: Student Poll - What Should We Teach: After to speaking to a number of students between grade prep to grade 1 I received a number of different opinions. Some of which were very well thought others which were very cute and based around simply just being a “kid”. The prep children loved what they are learning at school, love coming to school to play with their friends, they all commented that they liked subjects including Library, LOTE, PE and Art (Extra curricular out of the classroom). The Grade 1 boys most of them commented that they love sport classes and want to do more because “we like play on the oval”, the girls on the other hand liked writing, art and maths. So overall the students liked the variety they were provided and stated they enjoyed school and enjoyed exploring topics they were discussing at school. What I learnt was that children as young as prep and grade 1 were able to express their thoughts about school and what they enjoyed studying. They understood that they need to read and write to get a job and only commented that they like being taught fun things and love excursions. The difference between what girls and boys enjoyed and thought about school were somewhat different with ideas for teaching however agreed reading & writing were important. I personally believe the differences were simply based around individual choice and hands on participation. I feel that we need to provide as much education in a wide variety of area's to assist our children in their future's. Michelle Warren

Week 3 - What Should We Teach?
Student Poll I've interviewed two high school students and four primary students. The primary school students agree with having maths and english but they also wanted more ICT education. This will help them get used to using a computer more frequently. One grade six student believed that movie- making and cartooning. Another student in grade five said more drama would be good in order to get used to performing infront of an audience. She also suggested more detailed science units. A more detailed and focused study of Astronomy in primary school was also mentioned. The two high school students both said they should be asked to do more public speaking using power point presentations, to once again ease the transition from High school to university or the workforce. They also suggested more LOTE options through out high schools. The reason being, most high schools only have two to three choices (eg. Italian, French, Indonesian). Liliana

**Student Poll** Nova Christoffersen

After asking some of the students in the class what they thought should be taught in school, I was not surprised to learn that they chose classes that they enjoyed the most, or classes they have seen other students participate in which they think might look like fun. Cooking, bike riding, horse riding, music and drama were the classes at the top of the list. It is also important to mention that I work in a special school and all of the classes listed, except horse riding, are activities we participate in on a weekly basis. The classes for the students are planned to create opportunities for them access different skills and social interactions which hopefully will equip them with skills to interact wit their peers both outside and inside school. This idea does slightly differ to that of the media. While literacy and numeracy are an important part education, they are not always the focus of the classes.

Of the eight students I interviewed, almost all mentioned two particular subject areas; science and history. They were clearly excited about these two subjects, as rather than just name the subjects, all went on to elaborate, naming specific areas of these subjects they would like to learn. The next most popular subject areas were computers and geography. All of the boys mentioned computers, along with three of the girls. In the geography realm, the children all seemed very interested in the personal element of this subject, for example, how different cultures live. Some mentioned “world culture” while others used more general terms like “countries”. Art was also mentioned often and I can assume that this was because I did my interviewing during the children’s art classes. I think children enjoy the Arts because they can express themselves individually and they will not be told that their personal expression is “wrong”. Maths and “reading and writing” were mentioned by almost all of the children, but not with much enthusiasm. I think these were mentioned more out of obligation than interest. The media, being dependent on its public for its own existence, most often report on the basic skills of literacy and numeracy. These skills are usually seen as the fundamentals required to effectively function in society. Another reason I believe the media (and people in general) focus on literacy and numeracy, is that these skill areas are easy to define. They consist of right and wrong answers. Unlike an area such as art, there is no room for interpretation. This makes it easy to understand and criticise. The differences in the opinions of the two groups illustrate the varying priorities of different stakeholders. Each group has their own reasons for the opinions they express. The media’s views represent the priorities of the community at large, while the student’s views are more personal. They are the recipients of the curriculum and the ones who are engaged in the learning on a daily basis. Both views are prejudiced, as are the views of all stakeholders, which is why the curriculum is always debated and never perfect for everyone. (TRACIE PIRRO)

STUDENT POLL I conducted a poll with students I work with in small groups at a primary school. I asked 3 preps what they would like to learn more about at school or what they would like to know about. Two of the students said they would like to know more about the animals we leant about in out last terms inquiry. The other prep said he didn’t know how to read like the other kids and wanted the teacher to help him more. I then asked a group of grade 5/6 students what they wanted to learn about and what they wanted to be taught. Surprisingly a few of them wanted more time to read and to learn to be better readers. Another couple boys said there was no time for art or sport activities. If I reflect on the media report that I read and the opinions of these students there is a common thread of not enough time, which in fact I believe is more about a crowded curriculum. The old saying more is not ways best. These students are looking for quality not quantity. The preps spent a few weeks on animals and took a visit t the zoo which they all loved, but the reality some of them will never have that experience again and a lot of them couldn’t identify very familiar animals like the kangaroo. There is so much pressure being placed on teachers to teach huge amounts of content. I have observed that students made more time to learn, explore and develop their understanding of new ideas. Mr Blainey had a very valid point in his article about history not being enjoyed by students and I think we need to slow the pace down and give students the opportunity to engage on a deeper level with the subjects we expect them to learn. Sarah Baulch

Student Poll
Curriculum is primarily planned //for// students.

What do //**they**// think they should be learning about in schools?

Post the responses you received to the student poll you conducted.

Please use a subheading (including your name) as part of your contribution.

The students I spoke to all agreed that art, PE and computer technology were the subjects they felt should be taught in schools. Students were excited by these subjects and felt that computers should be used more frequently in the classroom. The differences between the students’ views and the views expressed by the media differ as the emphasis placed on numeracy and literacy is a focal point for the media. The students focused on PE, art and computers. These differences may exist due to the different perspectives and investments the two groups have. The teachers approach this topic from a position as professional educators and the students as active learners. The teachers have a professional opinion of the subjects that must be covered in a curriculum. The students have personal opinions that seem to be based on their own interests rather than meeting the needs of our culture to function sucsessfully in society. (Megan North)
 * Student poll - response**

Student Poll After interviewing seven primary students of mixed gender and age, the dominating theme throughout their answers focused on the creative subjects. These creative areas were either ones already available or that the students thought should be. The subjects they had an enthusiasm to learn from were those where there was no right or wrong answer, little room to get in 'trouble', opportunities to inject their own personality into the task and subject matter that was quite simply fun. If a subject was to have all or some of these attributes the students seemed more pro active in learning them, said they didn't get bored with them and looked forward to the time at school that was dedicated to that area. This curriculum was predominately art class, sport, cooking and in some cases learning a language such as Italian (as that might mean they get to cook pizza). The only positive towards the more mainstream subjects such as maths was a grade four child who stated, 'maths is hard but I like it sometimes if the teacher gets us to do activities'. This simple comment can be interpreted as students are willing to take on the core subjects but it is up to teachers to involve the whole class in a process that lets them be creative at the same time as learning say, the times tables. These views differ from the media and rightly so due to a massive age and generation gap. The media and curriculum stakeholders are contributing their say based on their hopes and needs for a successful Australian future, economy and requisite knowledge whereas the students, and I suspect to some degree, the parents want teachings to engage, excite, motivate and inspire them at that stage of their life. (Kate Shaw)

Student Poll - Ceri Rhian Fisher I spoke with 6 children. The boys (who were year 2) could clearly explain what excited them in the classroom and their answers were all related to their own interests, particularly science with one boy bursting with enthusiasm about his recent lesson on rocks and soils.

When I asked what they thought they ‘should’ be learning at school the boys all mentioned Maths and English but again made suggestions of things they had an interest in with one boy mentioning cooking!

The girls I spoke to were both in prep and were keen to tell me how much they loved class and were really interested in their recent lessons as they have been learning ‘how rain is made’, so another winner for science. One of the girls is ahead academically and she said she enjoyed her Maths and English lessons more if they were ‘hard’.

The girls could not really answer what they thought they ‘should’ be learning at school, with one of them suggesting cats and dogs, so again perhaps own interests came to mind.

The main difference I can see is that children I spoke with were accepting that English and Maths were part of school, although none of them expressed a huge interest in this area. However, Science clearly is of interest to these children so assuming this is the general trend, it was fascinating to observe how much young children are keen to ‘discover’ new things and enjoy practical work.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%;">At the moment, my view is that primary school children are still discovering their own strengths and weaknesses and are quite willing to follow the ‘rules’ at school. They are not really focused on the future during the early years and can be heavily influenced.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%;">As mentioned before I think the media article was about a difficult issue and I am not sure the RAA are very well informed about ‘how’ to educate and think it is just a quick solution to give primary children information, that I really don’t think they would understand or actually care to much about at this stage in their life. I think it would be a waste of the schools time.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">I polled 6 students aged 6, 7 (x2), 8 (x2) & 9. It was interesting to chat with each of the students and discuss what they thought was important, and what they should be learning at school – I received a lot of varied responses.
 * Part 2 – Student Poll - Michelle Steenbuck**

· Integrated studies – so I can learn about different stuff · PE – to be healthy || Yes, interested in current “world” theme || Yes, excited about integrated studies and up-coming project. || · Planets || Yes, interested in the current “space” theme || Yes || · Maths · Writing · Reading groups || Yes || Yes || · Snakes & Volcanoes || Yes, interested in the current “science” theme || Yes || · Spelling || Yes, interested in current “space” theme || Yes, I love school || · Maths || Sort of interested in current “History of Victoria” theme. It can be fun, but mostly boring || Not really, depends on the subject. I don’t really like school. || Only one student expressed a view about learning to be healthy which directly related to the article I chose for Part 1. Maths, English (writing/reading/spelling) and Science are considered the most important subjects in the media; and these subjects rated highly among the students in my poll. I expected students to choose these particular disciplines as numeracy and literacy make up a large portion of their weekly timetable, however I was surprised that none of the students mentioned art or music, as most children love the creativity explored within these subjects. Primary schools often only provide 1 hour per week of specialty classes, therefore if the classroom teacher does not incorporate art or music into their everyday pedagogy, it could possibly send the message that these particular subjects are not as important as numeracy and literacy. All students were happy and excited about the current themes and topics covered in their classrooms, and all but one loved the learning experience.
 * STUDENT || What do you think you should be learning about at school || Are you interested in the current subjects/themes? || Are you excited about learning in the classroom? ||
 * Student 1 (8) || · English, because it is most important
 * Student 2 (7) || · How to build things
 * Student 3 (8) || · Inquiry
 * Student 4 (6) || · Science
 * Student 5 (7) || · Science
 * Student 6 (9) || · History of Victoria

PartTwo: Student Poll: Jodie Hector
I was able to have contact with a student from each year level at the localprimary school. They seemedhappy with what they were being taught, they were all excited about the upcoming school production of "Alice In Wonderland" in which every student in every class will have a part to play in the production. When asked what they should be taught the older classes were interested in learning about History of the World in general major incidents that shaped our world, they younger children expressed an interest in finding out about Australian History. They all shared the common idea that more science would be good more experiments and hands on activities and experiences.

After conducting the survey with the grade 5/6 year level the overall outcome was that they were enjoying the classes and the content of the classes as they stand now. At this school they are provided with opportunities to have art, music, PE and ICT session. Generally the class would have liked more opportunities to topics of interest during class time. For example one student wanted to gain a better understand of how to fly a plane where as another wanted to write more stories. These students also reported their interest in the classroom content had increased due to the teachers approach in how topics were presented. All agreed that it was important to learn numeracy and literacy skills but felt that other topics were also important. I also spoke to a student with learning difficulties this student said that they liked this teachers approach as she had made everything easier to understand. Due to the committed teacher these students are engaged and at times even excited about what they are learning.
 * Student Poll responses: Jodie Coffey **

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">STUDENT POLL RESPONSES
==<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">I conducted my interview at an after school care group for primary students. Speaking to both males and females of a diverse age range, all were quite enthusiastic about giving their opinion. The subjects most discussed were of either a practical or creative nature, these included but were not limited to science experiments, story telling/writing, art, PE and computer tech. When asked of traditional subjects such as Maths and English, the students could see that they were relevant for the future, however lost interest as soon as they didn't understand what was being taught. The students felt that if the day began with something of direct interest to them and ended in the same way that the day would likely be more engaging for them. There tended to be quite obvious differences between what students and media reports suggested should be taught in schools. The Media tends to focus on Maths and English as the standard, whereas the students felt that the practical or creative subjects held more weight at this point in the lives. These differences between students and media exist for a myriad of reasons including age and objectives. Students tend be self aware and now orientated, while the media is thought to be reflective, socially aware and focused on future outcomes. Overall the students reported that school tended to be a positive experience and that some of the subjects mentioned above were already a part of their learning experience. ==

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">(Meaghan Wall-Corrie)
** STUDENT POLL ** ** (TRACIE PIRRO) **

** Of the eight students I interviewed, almost all mentioned two particular subject areas; science and history. They were clearly excited about these two subjects, as rather than just name the subjects, all went on to elaborate, naming specific areas of these subjects they would like to learn. **
 * The next most popular subject areas were computers and geography. All of the boys mentioned computers, along with three of the girls. In the geography realm, the children all seemed very interested in the personal element of this subject, for example, how different cultures live. Some mentioned “world culture” while others used more general terms like “countries”. **
 * Art was also mentioned often and I can assume that this was because I did my interviewing during the children’s art classes. I think children enjoy the Arts because they can express themselves individually and they will not be told that their personal expression is “wrong”. **
 * Maths and “reading and writing” were mentioned by almost all of the children, but not with much enthusiasm. I think these were mentioned more out of obligation than interest. **
 * The media, being dependent on its public for its own existence, most often report on the basic skills of literacy and numeracy. These skills are usually seen as the fundamentals required to effectively function in society. Another reason I believe the media (and people in general) focus on literacy and numeracy, is that these skill areas are easy to define. They consist of right and wrong answers. Unlike an area such as art, there is no room for interpretation. This makes it easy to understand and criticise. **
 * The differences in the opinions of the two groups illustrate the varying priorities of different stakeholders. Each group has their own reasons for the opinions they express. The media’s views represent the priorities of the community at large, while the student’s views are more personal. They are the recipients of the curriculum and the ones who are engaged in the learning on a daily basis. Both views are prejudiced, as are the views of all stakeholders, which is why the curriculum is always debated and never perfect for everyone. **

**//STUDENT POLL RESPONSE - Bianca-Jade Sly//**

I only had the opportunity to interview 5 students on this subject, as time constraints did not allow for further interviews.

When analysing the various responses I found it interesting that there was a trend between the younger students and wanting to do things that they associated with being “fun” or “not boring”. In my opinion I do not feel that it is the subject that is “boring” but maybe the way in which the subject matter is being delivered. Its also interesting that maths was mentioned as being beneficial and that two of the 5 students (being senior students) related what they thought should be taught to their desired careers or futures. I also found it interesting that none of the students suggested that religion or intelligent design (or related subjects) should be delivered; this though may have something to do with the fact that I was not at a religious school.
 * || **  Student Year Level  **  ||  **  Opinion on what should be taught in schools  **  ||
 * ** Student A  ** || Prep || I think we should do more science, and art. They’re not boring like Maths. ||
 * ** Student B  ** || 3/4 || I like history, because we get to go on excursions. ||
 * ** Student C  ** || 5/6 || I think that would should do lots of Maths, because our teachers says that if you know maths you have an advantage! ||
 * ** Student D  ** || 8 || I really would enjoy more home food tech subjects, because I want to be a chef. ||
 * ** Student E  ** || 11 || I really enjoy maths; I want to be a Vet so I think that Maths should defiantly be compulsory. ||