Tallis Lab is a new creative curriculum project for Years 7 to 9 initiated and developed by Soren Hawes, Assistant Headteacher. Tallis Lab has replaced discrete ICT lessons and aims to provide students with a range of transferable personal learning and thinking skills fit for the 21st century. It has been delivered in Thomas Tallis school from September 2009 and I feel privileged to be one of the teachers involved in this project from the very beginning.
What is the aim of Tallis Lab? I believe that our main focus will be to develop creative thinking in students, to let them use their ICT skills and imagination in a way that is very much relevant to the times we live in and the challenges of the 21st century.
I have no doubts that during the course of the year this project will be changing shape as we are open for a full, positive and creative cooperation with students who hopefully will be taking an active part in directing and modifying these learning activities.
Tallis Lab in action!
It has been extremely challenging a couple of months. Technology and network was constantly failing us and there were times where it felt like it was so much easier to give up...
But we're in January now and it seems like the hard times were needed to appreciate the achievements now.
8MW has started working on their Personal Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) with the emphasis on Team Work and Effecting Participating.
Some examples of our struggles and successes...
January 2010
But we're in January now and it seems like the hard times were needed to appreciate the achievements now.
8MW has started working on their Personal Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) with the emphasis on Team Work and Effecting Participating.
Some examples of our struggles and successes...
January 2010
Spaghetti Challenge from Danuta W.-Piwko on Vimeo.
Make It Better project
Students are presented with an idea of 'Make It Better'. They were not told what the 'IT' is - they must identify it themselves. The challenge is to present the problem and possible solutions.
How to 'make IT better'?
They will be working in groups for the next 10 weeks putting into practice some of the Personal Learning and Thinking Skills like creative thinking, team working, effective participating in learning and reflecting on it.
We try to think outside of the box and engage fully in learning. Sometimes it looks like a lot of noise but it's a creative noise...
February 2010
How to 'make IT better'?
They will be working in groups for the next 10 weeks putting into practice some of the Personal Learning and Thinking Skills like creative thinking, team working, effective participating in learning and reflecting on it.
We try to think outside of the box and engage fully in learning. Sometimes it looks like a lot of noise but it's a creative noise...
February 2010
Past, Present, Future
Another project carried out by my students in Tallis Lab lessons. We were thinking of our past, the past of certain objects, the present we experience now and the unimaginable or very much imaginable future...
Summer 2010
Summer 2010
From September 2010 until July 2011 I had the pleasure to teach a fantastic group of year 8 students in my Tallis Lab lessons. What they achieved as individuals and as a group is truly amazing. There was so much to show that I decided to create a whole new website to showcase their work.
