Student+Poll+Colleen+05

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.

= Student Poll (Jacquee Clark) = The findings from my 'student poll' were interesting. I spoke with a small number of grade 3/4's (9-10 years old) about their favourite subjects and why they liked these subjects. In summary the boys preferred ICT for a variety of reasons including; creating stuff, accessing and using the internet and free time whereas the girls preferred subjects including reading, science and art.

The fact that the boys chose ICT as a preference may lend itself to highlight preferred learning styles for the sexes. Another interesting point to note was that the preferences fell into two curriculum categories; traditional (reading, writing, science, art) and future orientated (ICT). The arts is a separate category however we have seen an acknowledgement of its importance and a favourable shift towards its inclusion in recent times.

In conclusion the results of this student poll highlight the importance of the proposed national curriculum incorporating the Arts (all forms), traditional areas (literacy, science) and planning for the future (ICT). It also sheds light on the importance of student consultation in curriculum development as they are the primary focus of the curriculum and in essence are the driving force behind the future of this country.

__What should we teach? By Shanelle Oakley __ I found this task to be very interesting. My group of students ranged from 9-13 year olds. I don't have access to a school, so I asked my 2 neices and a group of their friends (unfortunately being only girls). When I asked them what needs to be taught, they answered with "teachers helping us to read and write, helping us to be good at maths, sport and art." When I asked them what they would like to be taught two agreed that "if they didn't wish to take part in sport, perhaps they could do dancing instead" and another said "they need to do more singing classes for those that like to sing" and my neice said "we need to learn more about bullying and how to deal with it because I get bullied all the time." One girl said she would like to learn French and more about how other children live in other countries. I was very interested in hearing their views because these are subjects that can be taught in their little country school. Two of the little girls said they wanted more "fun" teachers because they learn more. They all agreed that they enjoyed their excursions and their camps. I had to laugh when I asked the students "What about the history of Australia?" and they responded with, "that's all old stuff and it's boring because it was way before we were born." I think the curriculum needs to offer more choices for children in primary schools and a wider variety of subjects.

~ What should we teach? ~ Student Poll ~ Carolyn Connop This was a very insightful activity. From my student poll I found that all students were excited about learning in their classrooms. Most of the students said ‘no’ to other ways they would prefer to learn. However, two answered ‘yes’, of which a grade one student answered with ‘I would prefer to learn about animals and stuff’. Students responses to what should be taught in schools included Maths, Science, History, Dinosaurs and Prehistoric animals. When students were asked what they should be learning about in schools more than half answered Maths. Other responses included English, Spelling, Sport, Values, History, Geography, Science and Refugees. All students said they were ‘very interested’ in the subjects/topics/issues that they were exploring in their classrooms. There was a range of answers to what skills should students learn in schools and the top responses included Maths, English and Spelling. There were differences in the students responses however, this was due to the various age range of the students that participated which included between the ages of six and ten. There were certainly similarities as the school curriculum base is the same. What should be taught and learnt the students answers were reflective and representational of the curriculum in Victoria – Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS), domains and dimensions, according to their particular levels and different learning stages. I found it interesting that subject areas such as Maths and English were highlighted by the students most often than not and this can be reflective of the strong views expressed in the media in regards to the strong focus/push on these two particularly important subject areas.

​What should we teach? Student Poll Emily Glade-Wright

This was a great activity. I worked with a group of 8 students aged between 5 and 12 years of age. I began by asking them who enjoyed school and who didn't. I was happy to hear that all of the children liked school because it was fun and they got to see their friends. I then went on to ask the students what subjects they thought were needed in the curriculum (although I did not call it a curriculum to the students as I was sure they would have no idea what this was). All of the students said they needed to learn about Maths, Spelling, how to write, do some play or sport (including dance), art, science and Australian studies. The students said it was important for them to know about the Aboriginal people and the history of Australia so they thought they needed a subject specifically for Australian studies. I believe these students ideas are quite similar to what is being discussed in the media. Although, where the differences do lay, I think this is because the various industry groups are all fighting for a place in the education curriculum, however what they do not all understand is that we do not have the time or resources to meet the needs of ALL of the Australian society. Nor do we know what we should be teaching our children for the future, as we do not know what our future will look like. Who would have thought 20 years ago that we need to teach our children how to use and write on a WIKI?

Student Poll: What should we teach?

I spoke with 6 students from age 9 - 13. Initially some joked about not doing maths and science but really all students agreed on what they should be learning. Maths, spelling, literacy, more science, drama, sport and health, history, geography, cooking, visual arts. One student was very keen on learning about society, world issues, cultural studies etc, she could understand the bigger picture as she would one day more out into society and the world. She also felt music wasnt needed as much and felt that it was focussed on too much in her school. Different students suggested different subjects but all generally agreed. The media does express some different views, these views come from specific groups and organisations trying to push their own agenda! Government and business groups all have their own beliefs and reasonings for pushing their views on what shouldand shouldn't be in the curriculum.Children just want to learn, they want to have fun while they learn, they dont care about the politics behind it. Unfortunately what is taught in school is impacted by business and politics and sometimes people in certain places forget whothe most important people are when it comes to planning the curriculum. It is therefore fundamental that a cross section of organisations and members of the community have an input to minimise biases. Jennifer Hallyburton.

What should we teach? Student Poll, Carmela Iuliano

This was a very fun activity. I worked with 8 children with ages from 6-16. The different ages of these students gave me a very insightful outlook on what our children enjoy or don't enjoy about going to school.

I began asking the children,"What do you like learning in class'?. The 6-8 year olds response was reading,spelling,art,journal writing, italian, and maths. The 10 year old girl replied timestables, and art lessons. I asked the 13 year old boy what he liked learning at school and he said he enjoys P.E., maths and tech. He really enjoys tech because he likes building with his hands. The 16 year old replied design, mechanics and P.E. Most children do enjoy attending school and they look forward to learning new and exciting things. Sometimes they found it hard and frustrating. The 6-8 year old children thought that more maths should be taught, and learn about animals, the world, and literacy.   One 7 year old girl's comment was "I feel we are not learning enough about the topics that we are taught". 10-16 year old students responses to what should be taugh in schools was about homeloans. They all agreed that the subjects we have available are enough, and there was not anything else that needed to be taught.

There were many different opinions and answers about the curriculum. I found it amusing that subjects like maths and english were 2 of the most popular. Children are influenced by the media and by society and push these ideas about what should be taught..

What SHOULD we teach? Student poll. Brendan Smith

I found this task both interesting and useful; Interesting for me, and useful for the school at which I am employed. I interviewed 10 students aged between 10 and 12, and first asked them to think of their futures and those of other students and to tell me what they thought they should be learning in primary school. The answers were similar initially, but then there were many differences which showed up. The reasons for these could be maturity, teachers influences, or perhaps home influences- I'm not sure. However, to get an idea of the family influence, I had the luxury of asking twins their thoughts. All of the students replied with Maths and English, or Literacy, firstly and the younger children all replied that computers were important also. They also saw the importance of sport as a means of both enjoyment and health and fitness. Only one of the younger students saw the value of history, while most of the older students rated it quite high. One student suggested that in Literacy we should focus more on spelling, and a few of the older students suggested we do more social studies, to learn about "manners when you're out in the street" and respect. Surprisingly only one child saw the value of Art, with some of the others mentioning that it was only important if you wanted to do something with it. One reason for more History teachign was given by a boy in grade 6 who said he thought that we should know where we come from. I comment I found to be mature beyond his years.

What should we teach? Student Poll - Sue Roach

This was an enjoyable exercise as it allowed me an insight into the children & young adults idea's. I found that this outcome was aligned basically with their age and their personal needs. I questioned 5 children and young adults in the following age range of 6, 8, 10, 14 & 16. The younger ages both 6 & 8 really had no concept of what they thought they should be learning at school but both enjoyed art related lessons and those classes where they played games. These 2 younger children showed no importance fn what they should be learning so long as it was 'fun'. The outcome then changed from 10 on and obviously their views were much more deliberate. All three quoted the need for Maths, English, PE, History, Geography,Language and Science. The 10 year old girl understood the importance of Maths and other subjects but commented on not liking the subjects as they were "too difficult", although she was aware that she needed them to succeed in life. Her interests were her best subjects and those that she showed most interest in, being Japanese, arts and public speaking. The 14 year old boy and 16 year old girl were very vocal as to their views and ideas of what should be in the curriculum. Apart from the subjects previously mentioned they also included business subjects, values and morals, home economics and IT. Their current interests were high as both have chosen subjects specific to meet their future needs and those to gain acceptance into University as well as specific subjects to balance the need to 'enjoy' their school time. The older 3 children questioned in regards to how they enjoyed their class time all agreed that it depended on who the teacher was, as to how they delivered the subject, whether it was made to be fun and memorable or if it was boring and they showed no interest. One said that currently his subjects interested him enough to focus and engage in the class. For me this exercise showed that as the children get older that they take on an ownership and accountability for their education. They understood the importance of receiving the correct subjects that they would need to help them on their future life path and equip them with the necessary skills to be confident learners and successful in life.

**What should we teach? Student Poll: by Lisa Marshall.** I spoke with a group of six students from Years 3 - 6 at primary level. These were all quite intrigued when l asked them what they thought they should be learning about. I don't think it had ever occurred to them to think about this before. These students were from two different schools in the area. Three of the students requested more numeracy challenges as they thought the maths they are currently learning was too simple. Interestingly these three students are in the higher grade of a composite class (so Grade 4 student in a 3/4 class). Music was requested by four students who currently did not have any access to an instrument, including the recorder at school. One student was learning recorder in Grade 4 of a 4/5 composite, whilst the other Grade 4 student in the 3/4 class was not learning it. The Grade 4 student thought this was grossly unfair. A specific art room was requested by 4 of the children as their school currently does not have one and the request for a specialist art teacher was also made. I found it interesting that one student in Grade 6 wanted a focus on finances, banks and buying houses and cars. He felt he was ready for this information yet could not study it at primary level. In the same context, two students from Grade 3 and Grade 4 requested study on career choices, rather than having to wait for 'high school' to find it all out. When this topic was raised, the other 4 students all agreed that this would be a great idea. Finally, the request was made for a vegetable garden and a cooking program similar to that of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program that is in a neighbouring school. Overall, the students were pleased with the subjects they currently study, and did not wish to remove any of them, but the consesus was to allow more time in class for activities and subjects, rather than to be rushed through topics or projects.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">What we should teach in school? <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">I interviewed a group of 6 children with ages ranging between 10 - 17 years of age.I was quite surprised that many were quite happy with the curriculums they were learning. I was even more surprised that many of them said they liked maths as this was the worst subject for me at school. The subjects that some said they would like to learn at school were dance and drama. These are often subjects that aren't coverd in a primary school or if they are they are only offerd for a term or two and there usually is a cost for parents. The older children wanted more lessons on basic life skills such as banking, budgets and cooking. I did notice cooking was quite popular with the younger children as well, I don't know if this has a connection with Master Chef but it's certainly capturing peoples interest at the moment. Modern technology such as IT& Design and Technology were also popular as this was an area that a couple of the children had a particular interest in. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Ann Twigger

I took a poll in my grade 1 class on the 29.7.10 ages 6-7 years old, four girls and two boys. I used the pink group which is the top group in the class and asked them to write down three things they want to learn at school and why and I got a variety of answers and very interesting responses. Here they are **Student 1: Girl** Handwriting- to learn to write good Ride horses- to learn to ride good Dolphins- because they are cool and cute **Student 2: Girl** Roller coaters- learn not to be scared Cats – Because I like them Ride a horse- I like them **Student 3: Boy** Math’s- Because I like numbers Lifecycles- I like animals Writing- I like letters Instruments- I like music **Student 4: Girl** Reading Writing Egypt (mummies especially) To get better at it and to learn **Student 5:Girl** Egypt- to learn about it Lifecycle of a dolphin- Because I love them Lifecycle of the rabbit- it will be interesting **Student 6: Boy** Dinosaurs- the prehistoric time Lifecycle of insects- grasshopper Roller coaters- not to be scared

I was very surprised by these answered as I was not sure what a grade one children would think of or if they would be constructive, but as you can see there are some great answers. Lifecycles, writing and history seem to be very important to them, most of these are taught but allowing the child to choose what lifecycle to learn would be helpful. Also learning more about history and animals would benefit them as well. I don’t think there is much different to what the media says but this it useful to ask the students what they want when teaching because as you can see they know what they want and they are very relevant and not unreasonable. Charmaine Perris 30.7.10

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//__Student Poll - Emily Coull__// //Due to a lack of access to school age children (summer holidays here), I conducted a phone interview with my niece and nephew, ages 10 and 8.// //The older child decided that students should learn maths, spelling and reading because they will be helpful for future careers. She also thought that science, cooking and art should be taught because they are fun, and you are learning at the same time. She thought that children in kindergarten should learn the alphabet, children in grades 2 & 3 should learn times tables, and children in grades 7 & 8 should learn fractions and percentages.// //The younger child thought that football skills and rules should be taught in school. He also decided that learning the time, the seasons, about mammals and marsupials, and dinosaurs were important. He thought that older students should learn about maths and hard work.// //These children used their experiences in the classroom as a basis for their ideas. They mentioned things that they enjoyed, had done recently, or could picture doing at some point. While their ideas are quite specific, they could be incorporated into wider values. The mention of football could be interpreted as physical education, learning physical skills, body awareness, rules and teamwork. Mammals and marsupials would be a part of science, the environment, or even Australian studies, while the dinosaurs could be incorporated into history and science.// //I guess the main thing that this activity highlighted for me is that the subjects are emphasised rather than the skills. While our training pushes the need for integrated subjects, and skills that can be adapted for all disciplines, it seems that it this is only just starting to trickle into schools.//

What should we teach? Student Poll

I found the student poll to be rather interesting, i spoke to three children the age of 7, one child aged 8, one child aged 10 and a student aged 16. I found the younger students to not really grasp the concept of what i was asking them, they all wanted more play time, but then they started listing off the subjects that they are currently doing and that they enjoy, most said maths, science, art, writing, reading, computers.

Then when i spoke to the sixteen year old she had some interesting ideas, she thought maths, english, general life skills were the most important things that we should be teaching children. She also thought that the curriculum should be more student orientated and that students should be able to choose from options of subjects that will help them to get to where they want to be in life and with their career. She felt that as she wants to be a writer that the victorian public school curriculum currently offers nothing to help her get there. She also felt that all parts of maths are not so important only the parts of it that you are likely to use throughout your life unless you were wanting to be an accountant or similar and then you could go onto choose higher maths subjects to assist with that.

I thought it was great to have a student poll to open our eyes to how the students actually feel about what they are learning and the teaching methods with which they are being taught. I found all children were quite happy to be learning in the classroom, the younger children felt that they had good teachers that make it fun for them and the 16 year old felt that the teacher's she has are passionate about what they are teaching which makes the students want to listen and learn.

Hayley McQueen