Adding rigour to project-based learning

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Giving constructive critiques is a significant way to ensure PBL projects are academically rigorous - but what is a critique, and how can you teach students to give one? Find out here.

Of the 8 essential elements of project-based learning, it’s 'reflection and review' that really adds rigour to the process. Students need plenty of structured opportunities throughout the project to give and receive feedback about the quality of their work-in-progress in order to make their final product the best it can be.

'Reflection and review' is really made up of two parts – multiple drafting and constructive critiques. Both components are inextricably interlinked. The student creates a draft, the teacher and peers provide a critique; the student then uses that constructive criticism to redraft, and the process continues over and over...

How many drafts your students complete depends on your time-frame. It’s important you schedule enough time when designing your project. At Matthew Moss High School, teachers timetable eight weeks for the cycle of drafting, critique and redrafting of their family tree project, and the result is some pretty spectacular work, as you can see…

Top, middle, bottom © Matthew Moss High School

Personalising assessment through multiple drafts

The Innovation Unit points out how valuable multiple drafting is for personalising assessment, "because they provide you with the means to assess, not only a student’s final product, but also the extent to which they have improved their work since the first draft."

Part of the assessment of the students’ final product should be how well they've used the feedback you and their peers have given to improve and refine it. This is especially beneficial for students with special educational needs and for students whose first language is not English. It’s also a valuable experience for the most able students, who might be less likely to accept criticism and may view it as a failure on their part. They need to see that accepting critiques is part of the process of improving themselves, and part of having a growth mindset.

Teaching students to give critiques

According to Monash University, a critique is not about being negative or derogatory, instead it's "a way of approaching other peoples' ideas - to question, to evaluate, to consider the accuracy and validity of ideas and information."

Image: primas.mathshell.org.uk

It’s a useful learning experience for students to critique each other’s work, rather than just handing it in to the teacher. It’s a good idea to schedule regular ‘critiquing sessions’, which will give pupils the chance to share their work and give feedback to others in a safe environment.

This will require students to be taught how to give a critique. Luckily, that’s not as intimidating as it sounds. The Innovation Unit and PBL expert Ron Berger give these three simple rules:

1. Be kind – Realise that sharing work for critiques puts people in a vulnerable position. It’s easy to get carried away critiquing others’ work, but try and balance out criticisms with positives.
2. Be specific – Describing something as ‘good’ doesn't cut it. Don’t be vague; pick out exactly what is good and why.
3. Be helpful – A critique has to be more than saying what is strong or weak about a piece; it has to include how to go about improving the work.

One Edutopia blogger provides this worksheet which asks students to organise their critique comments according to each of these three rules. Definitely worth using, especially with beginners.

Modelling critiques

A good way to introduce critiquing is to critique a model piece of work as a class. That way, students will know the kinds of questions to ask themselves about a piece of work and the level of specificity they should be aiming for. 

Image: Frank Baron (The Guardian)

Help your class to understand what critiquing means by breaking it down into these simple two questions:

• What is the product's purpose?
• How well does it meet that purpose?

Other important questions to ask include:

• What stands out about this piece?
• What strengths do you see?
• What suggestions would you offer for the next draft?

When evaluating a model piece of work, pick one relevant to the project you’re undertaking that demonstrates the standard you are expecting pupils to meet with their own products. If you don’t have any past students’ work, use a real-life product or piece. Even the professionals’ work can be improved!

Types of peer-assessment sessions

The Innovation Unit’s guide to PBL includes a list of four peer critique activities:

Gallery walk
Students display their drafts around the classroom. The class are then free to wander around the ‘gallery’ for around 20 minutes or so, making notes on post-its and sticking them to the drafts with positive points and suggestions for improvement. Probably better for more advanced critiquers, as students are pretty much left to their own devices here.

Dilemma protocol
Put students in groups of four. As them to share their draft and tell the others one thing they’re struggling with - their 'dilemma'. The rest of the group then discusses possible solutions. The important part of this approach is that the sharer stays silent for 6-7 minutes as the others converse, taking notes but not participating. After the time is up, the sharer rejoins the conversation to talk over suggestions they liked the sound of, taking the opportunity to ask for any clarification. This process is repeated until all group members have had the chance to pose a dilemma.

Workshop-style critique
Put students in groups of three and give them a list of questions about the product in hand. Students then take turns presenting their product to their group and discuss the questions as a way of improving their product. Each presentation plus feedback should last around 10-15 minutes.

Pair critique
Students work in pairs and spend 15-20 minutes really digging into a product and evaluating the work. The PBL guide suggests this type of critique session as a final critique before the product is turned in for final assessment.

Image: oer.educ.cam.ac.uk

For PBL newbies, as the Innovation Unit says, "it’s probably tempting to regard multiple draft [and] peer critique, as ‘advanced’ project methods – stuff to move on to once you’ve got the basics right... But these are the basics." Reflection and review is such a vital part of PBL. In fact, the process of multiple drafting and critiquing makes up a significant portion of that period between the entry event and the final presentation.

But it’s not the only important component of project-based learning. Picking the perfect final product is something you need to do right at the start of a project. You won’t be able to plan anything else until you know what your students are working towards. 

The next article in our PBL series will focus on choosing the best final product for your project and organising that all-important exhibition at the end. Watch this space!

*                     *                    *

Just discovered our blog? Catch up on our project-based learning series here:

• The 8 essential elements of project-based learning - What makes a good PBL project? There are 8 components. Find out what they are here.
• Top 4 project-based learning websites - Four of what we think are the best websites to turn to for PBL advice and resources.
• A crash course in writing good driving questions - Everything you need to know about choosing the best possible driving question for your project.
• How to plan for project-based learning - Information on designing your PBL unit and also on the logistics of running a 'big' project.
• Building support for project-based learning - How to get your headteacher, colleagues and pupils' parents on board with PBL.
• Launch your PBL unit with a bang! - A range of ideas for a memorable and exciting PBL entry event.

Exciting new project gives kids a bird's eye view of WW1 and 2

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Students at Sir Robert Hitcham’s Primary School
in Suffolk write their secret wartime message.

Do something special for this year's centenary of World War 1 with an innovative interactive session demonstrating the extraordinary role pigeons played in Britain's victory by carrying secret messages home from the battlefields.

Carrier pigeons played a vital role in both World War 1 and 2 as they proved a reliable method of sending and receiving messages from the battlefields - in fact, their delivery success rate was a whopping 95%! 

Just in time for this year's centenary of WW1, a new educational project has been launched to offer schoolchildren across the UK the opportunity to learn about the pigeons' important and dangerous work.

The project, dubbed 'Secret Messages', will teach children how to write a simple coded message and demonstrate how pigeons carried them during the wars.

Pigeons in the war

A student from Sir Robert Hitcham's holds
the homing pigeon before it is released.

During World War II, over a quarter of a million pigeons were donated by British fanciers to help in the war effort. Once the war was over, pigeon racing was resumed, however their contribution to the war effort did not go unnoticed, with 32 of the 62 Dickin medals awarded to date going to carrier pigeons.

The very first pigeon to win the Dickin medal was Royal Blue who won the medal 'for being the first pigeon in this war to deliver a message from a forced landed aircraft on the continent while serving with the RAF in October 1940'. Royal Blue was donated by the King, illustrating the Royal families’ strong connection with pigeon racing since the late 1890s. To this day, there is a loft at Sandringham and Her Majesty the Queen is now a patron of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association.

British history has seen many patrons who strove to make our country a better and safer place. However, many forget that the humble homing pigeon played an enormous role in emergencies during both the World Wars and still give great benefits to fanciers today.

Donna Beard, who delivers the lessons to the schoolchildren, said: “We have had a really positive response to taking pigeons into schools in the past, which is why we feel that the Secret Messages project will be of great value to children and their teachers alike. Children enjoying handling the birds and learning to write their own secret messages will help to bring the importance of these birds’ contribution. What a great tribute to all involved in WW1 and WW2.”

How the Secret Messages project works

1. Pupils write their secret message on a piece of paper. This could be a simple message using simple Caesar cipher. This could be further developed by generating a message using a virtual Enigma Machine Emulator. 
2. Pupils place their message into a canister attached to the pigeon’s leg.
3. Pupils are taught how to hold the pigeon and then release their bird from an experienced pigeon fancier. Soldiers would have had to learn this skill.
4. The homing pigeon is released and sets off for home carrying the message back to the code breakers at Kingsmead School.
5. When the bird arrives home the message is taken from the canister and the message is decoded as fast as possible by a team of code breakers. 
6. The decoded message along with the original coded message is photographed by a smartphone or iPad/tablet and emailed to the person or school. 
7. Following the experience, pupils can research a range of different investigations and win some fantastic prizes.

Sounds exciting? Get your school involved!
Schools are able to apply to for an experienced handler to visit with a small team of homing pigeons. The Secret Messages project is available to all children of all ages in the UK and is a free service.

For more information or to book a Secret Messages session for your school, visit secretmessages.org.uk.

PLUS! Visit flyingbacktonature.com to view and download a range of teaching resources and lesson plans on pigeons, secret messages and World War 1.

Donna helps students release their bird and send
their secret message on its way!

Secret Messages was launched on July 8th 2014. The project is a collaboration between the Midlands National Flying Club and the Royal Pigeon Racing Association.

Launch your PBL unit with a bang!

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The first session of your project is one of the most important, as this is what hooks your learners and gets them excited about exploring that juicy driving question. But how can you make it a day to remember?

Image: williambrookes.com

The Year 7 students wait outside the school hall. They’re all clutching flight boarding passes and the corridor is alive with the buzz of excited conversation as they wonder what’s going to happen.

Suddenly, the door opens! The murmuring stops as a Year 10 student steps into the corridor, and the younger pupils wait expectantly for their instructions.

“Your flight to Fiji is now ready to board,” the Year 10 student says with a professional smile. “Please follow me.”

The Year 7 kids follow eagerly, filing into the hall. They see that the chairs in the hall have all been set up in rows of six, with an aisle cutting down the middle – it’s a plane!

Thoroughly thrilled now, the young students take their assigned seats, as directed by the Year 10 flight attendants. They sit for a few minutes, shuffling through the magazines and safety leaflets they found on their seats, before one of the air hostesses plays a real flight safety video and the pilot (a member of staff, dressed the part of course!) announces they’re ready to take off.

The students cheer as he informs them they are now air-borne and on their way to exotic Fiji!

That is, until disaster strikes. The plane suddenly loses one of its engines, and then another. The pilot keeps the passengers informed as yet another engine fails, and the children listen with anxious (but still rather excited) expressions.

“I’m taking us down on the ocean,” the pilot announces grimly.

With great skill (oddly, this pilot has crashed a plane into the ocean a few times before…) the pilot brings the plane down on the sea. 

It’s a perfect landing, and the flight crew begin evacuating their young passengers.

“There’s an island nearby!” the pilot calls as Year 7s leap into the ‘ocean’. “You’ll have to swim. Watch out for the sharks."

And thus begins Matthew Moss High School’s project-based learning unit ‘The Island’. Now stranded on a desert island, the Year 7s will have to work out how they’re going to survive and then begin to explore how their islander community might evolve.

The kids are completely engaged in the story, the very convincing plane crash setting the precedent for a dynamic and absorbing project.

And that’s the trick to successfully launching a project-based learning unit – an exciting, memorable entry event.

What is an entry event?

Your entry event is exactly what it sounds like – the first session of your unit and your students’ introduction to the project.

According to the Buck Institute for Education, an entry event has two basic purposes: 

• to spark student interest and curiosity
• to begin the inquiry process by leading students to ask questions.

The whole point of the entry event is to introduce the driving question and establish a ‘need to know’. The students should be hooked – they should want to get on with exploring the driving question right away!

An entry event also has to stimulating and unforgettable. Suzie Boss suggests novelty, so your students aren’t quite sure what to expect.

So what kind of events make for a good PBL introduction? 

Drama and simulations

Kids as scientists on a spaceship
(Image:mantleoftheexpert.com)

Understandably, many teachers opt for the dramatic when it comes to introducing their project – and why not? It’s a chance to have some fun and get involved in a bit of make-believe. It also makes for a memorable launch to the project – which of the Year 7s at Matthew Moss High School are going to forget the day their teacher crashed a plane into the ocean?

Simulations like this work well because they involve the kids in the action. They also give students a role to play in the project. In the case of the plane crash for example, the kids were survivors, stranded on a desert island, and they stuck with and developed that role throughout the rest of the unit. 

Other projects use the entry event to set students up in the role of an ‘expert’. Depending on the curriculum content you’re covering, your kids may be archaeologists working on a dig, rescuers at the scene of a disaster, scientists in a laboratory, astronauts in a space station, or rebel fighters in a civil war. 

This type of project is made for a dramatic introduction. Start yours by gathering your students together for an in-role team meeting or briefing. Remember to let them know who they are. Use presentations, photographs, video clips and sound to get them into role and then to introduce them to their challenge. The more dramatic, the better!

Alternatively, see if you can get a visitor to come into school and play what Suzie Boss terms ‘a stranger from another century’. In her Edutopia blog post, Boss tells of a school who launched their project based on the Epic of Gilgamesh with ‘footage of swords clashing and bare feet running on a grassy battlefield. There were whoops and cries from cheering warriors, but no narrative to explain what was happening.’

As the video ended, the stranger from the past (a local classics professor in full costume) entered the classroom and challenged the students to find out ‘why his army had been vanquished by superior forces.’

If you can’t get someone local to come in and play a historic or fictional character, try a search online. There are plenty of companies, charities and actors who will be happy to Skype you and your class for a small fee. Imagine! Your students could have a chat with a real live Viking! (You know what we mean...)

When it comes to dramatic entry events, the only limit is your imagination. Rope in a few teachers and older students to play any extra characters you need (GCSE drama students are always a good bet) and see what you can come up with. 

Interesting objects

Image: interfaithhousing.org

Another way to introduce a PBL unit is through the use of interesting objects. Appeal to your students’ curiosity and imagination by arranging for a surprise invitation or parcel to be delivered to the class, asking for help with a particular problem, or orchestrate an exciting discovery on school grounds such as a time capsule, an ancient map or a box of secret letters.

Children at a primary school in West Lothian arrived one morning to find a paper trail of animal tracks leading into the classroom. At the end of them, a toy fox and its cub were sitting in the centre of the floor with a letter next to them. The letter explained how the foxes’ home – the enchanted woodland – had been destroyed and so they no longer had anywhere to live. It asked the children if they could help the foxes create a new home.

Other potential project hooks to appeal to the senses and engage students in their driving question include:

• a display of historical artefacts
• a provocative reading or poem
• ‘mysterious’ or unusual photographs
• film clips
• sound bites
• a song
• a piece of art
• shocking statistics.

Field trips and guest speakers

School outings and guest speakers - whether speaking in school, via Skype, or out on a field trip - are another exciting way to introduce a project. We’ve touched on this briefly, but guest speakers don’t always have to be in-role as a character from history or a work of fiction. Visitors from charities, museums, zoos, aquariums, local businesses, even local celebrities, can all provide thought-provoking talks to launch a project.

For example, The Innovation Unit’s guide to PBL tells of a teacher who began a project on peaceful protest by inviting in a local musician who performed for the students and then answered their questions about why, and how, he wrote protest songs.

Combining field trips with guest speakers, one school in Stockport took their students on a visit to a local archaeological site, where the students were introduced to a legendary story about a Celtic tribal leader. Developing this story as an epic battle movie became the students’ project.

In another project at Matthew Moss High School, the children were carted off to the local history centre to meet real historians and genealogists. Their task during this unit would be to research their family history and create a beautiful family tree, and experts from the history centre would be on hand throughout the project to assist.

Examining a model response

The Innovation Unit also suggests showing your students a model of the type of product they will be creating as the project’s entry event. There’s no reason you can’t do this as well as a flashy hook, but a careful, full-class examination of a model will show students exactly what you expect from them and what they should aim for.

The model can be something you created yourself, exemplary work from the previous year group’s project (though this is only possible if you’ve done the project before), or work by a professional.

Image: Matthew Moss High School

The biggest advantage of using a model as an entry event is that it provides the perfect introduction to ‘critiquing’ – an important part of PBL (see our first blog post in this series, The 8 essential elements of project-based learning). 

Work with your class to critique the model. Help your class to understand what critiquing means by breaking it down into questions:

• What is its purpose?
• How well does it meet that purpose? 

Get them to consider the work they will be undertaking. Look at the model and consider: 

• What looks most difficult to do? 
• What looks easiest to do? 
• What aspects are most important?
• What are least important?

The model you show will give students something to base their standards on, and spark discussion as to what the students’ own models will need to have, do or be. The ensuing discussion and your kids’ decision on what a ‘good’ final product will look like will be something for you to base your assessment criteria on.

Image: Matthew Moss High School

No matter what you choose to do, your PBL unit should begin with a bang. The kids should be engaged, excited and raring to go. After all, all that planning will be for nothing if your students are not invested in the project.

Of course, a good entry event doesn’t guarantee a successful project. It’s an important factor in getting the kids on board, but it’s where you go from here that will determine how much they get out of it.

A major element of PBL is the multiple drafting and critiquing process. Our next blog post will consider what this means in practice and how you can help your students develop the skills they need to be successful in this area. Watch this space!

Building support for project-based learning

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Image: nga.org

One of the key determinants of project-based learning success is the support from other teachers, the headteacher and your students’ parents.

After all, you’ll need your head’s consent to get started and you’ll need the support of your colleagues to develop and implement a high-quality project, especially if it’s your first time.

But how can you convince everyone of the value of PBL? And even if you can, how can you prove to them that it’s all going to go according to your carefully made plans?

Well, chances are it’s not all going to go according to plan, but there are a number of things you can do to get everyone on board and keep them there.

Getting the nod from your head
You know what your headteacher is like and what concerns them. The Innovation Unit’s guide to project-based learning suggests pre-empting what might worry them about PBL and what they're likely to bring up as a reason for not giving your project the go-ahead, and then planning how you’re going to prove them wrong.

For example, if your head is worried that PBL won’t be academically rigorous enough, prepare a detailed outline of the curriculum content you’re going to cover and how you’re going to do it. If perhaps, your head is worried that PBL won’t suit all students (i.e. those with special educational needs), make sure you've got thorough plans for how you're going to differentiate.

It’s worth reading up on project-based learning in order to build up a strong case for it. This fantastic Edutopia blog post by Bob Lenz highlights three concerns about PBL – basically, reasons people will give for not going for it – and explains why they’re just not true. In this post, also from Edutopia, John Larmer of the Buck Institute for Education (BIE) does something similar.

If your head won’t agree to a full-scale, whole school extravaganza, see if you can carry out a small-scale project with your class or even just a target group (i.e. more able learners). It’s probably best to start small anyway – and the mind-blowing success of your mini project will no doubt convince your head that it could work on a much larger level!

Remember to invite your headteacher to your culminating exhibition, as well as other members of staff with clout (the deputy head, department heads, governors etc.) – your students will be able to tell them first-hand what an amazing experience they've had and demonstrate the skills they learned during the project.

Convincing your colleagues
Perhaps you’re the headteacher and you’re hoping to persuade the rest of your staff that PBL is the way forward. Or perhaps you’re a Year 7 class teacher with a brilliant whole-year project idea in mind, but the other Year 7 teachers aren't so sure. Whatever your situation, there are ways to convert other teachers to your cause.

First, make sure to be sensitive to their fears – PBL can be scary! Teachers are trained to be in charge – they plan lessons and they deliver lessons. In PBL, this is taken away from them; they are supposed to ensure students succeed and now they have to watch them fail.

Image: lphs.school.net

To counter this fear, make sure they know exactly what PBL is and what will be expected of them. A whole-staff inset event that explains the philosophy behind PBL (along with some concrete examples), why you want to do it and how every member of staff is going to supported throughout the project will work wonders. It will also give you a chance to gather ideas and consider logistics ahead of planning.

Visiting other schools that have successfully implemented project-based learning is also a good idea – perhaps you could attend another school’s final exhibition with your colleagues. This is a great opportunity to talk to other teachers who've just completed a (hopefully!) successful PBL unit and convince other staff members from your own school that it’s a great experience and worth it at the end.

Persuading suspicious parents
Another group to get on board is your students' parents. The Innovation Unit suggests giving all parents and students a copy of your project sheet before the start of your PBL unit. This should include:

• the project title
• length of the project (i.e. 8 weeks)
• main teachers involved (plus their contact details)
• the project’s driving question
• the final product(s) students will work towards
• expected outcomes (i.e. By the end of the project, students will know…/students will be able to…)
• a project timeline.

This will reassure parents that the work their children will be doing is structured, well thought-out and rigorous. Alternatively, send out a letter, pre-empting and placating any possible concerns parents might have and encouraging them to get involved. You can download a great example of a letter from BIE here.

It’s also a good idea to hold an entry event for parents. If you’ve not done a project in your school before and don’t have any previous projects to use as an example (photos, testimonies and student work are all great ways to emphasise the project's success), you might like to use a video to explain to parents what PBL is and how it’ll benefit their kids. We recommend this one from BIE.

Also, try and explain PBL to parents with concrete examples and avoid educational jargon. One huge barrier to parental involvement is parents thinking they’re not smart enough to do anything useful. If they don’t understand PBL, they won’t want to get involved and giving them this opportunity to play some part in their children’s learning journey is a brilliant way to get them enthusiastic and supportive!

You can see if any of your students’ parents have special expertise, interests, hobbies, or skills that connect to your project, but even if they don’t, encourage them to do something small to help – maybe see if they can come in and help set up the final exhibition, or even watch students’ final presentations and judge their speaking and listening skills.

Remember to keep parents updated throughout the project. Information can be sent home via email or uploaded to the school’s website. Another idea is to allow parents to view project work via Edmodo or class blogs.

But the best way of convincing parents of the value of PBL is, as with your head and other teachers, seeing its success first-hand. Make sure you give parents the date, time, and location of your final exhibition as early as possible. They’ll be so proud of what their children have accomplished and will be completely on board next time round.

Image: room1beckenham.blogspot.com

So, you’ve got the go-ahead from your headteacher, your colleagues are raring to go, as are your students’ parents… but what about the students themselves? In the next blog post in this series, we explore how to introduce your students to the project, and what makes a brilliant entry event.

An Arctic adventure... from the comfort of your classroom!

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Last month, over 3000 students between the ages of 7 and 16 travelled thousands of miles to one of the remotest regions on the planet... And they did it all without leaving the comfort of their classroom!

How? Well, they were all taking part in Digital Explorer’s Arctic Live Education Event, which saw students from across the world accompany an expedition of scientists and explorers to the Arctic using Skype in the classroom.

Thousands more students were able to follow the expedition via the Digital Explorer blog, social media and accompanying educational resources.

Jamie chats with one class at St. Bartholomew's Primary in Sydenham

The aim of the expedition was to investigate the latest impacts of climate change on the Arctic Ocean, specifically looking at ocean acidification. Schools were able to connect and interact with the expedition live via satellite at the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) base on Svalbard, the northernmost public settlement in the world.

Digital Explorer director, Jamie Buchanan-Dunlop, said: “It has been an amazing opportunity to share life and science in the frozen north with so many students around the world. We hope that through this experience, they will reflect on how they can play a role in preserving this fragile and beautiful ecosystem for future generations.”

But what did the students think of this grand adventure?

Pupils at Scoil Fhursa in Ireland strike a pose!

“The experience was incredible. I learned so much it took me almost 10 minutes to explain everything to my Mum!” – Matt

“It was fantastic to have a once in a lifetime chance to be informed directly by one of the scientists the causes of global warming. I was determined to find out more after it was over.” – Lily

“It was nice to know about all the interesting things you guys are doing. We learned about the krill and how far down in the ocean you put the nets to catch them. We also learned how many layers of clothes you have to wear sometimes. I thought the Skype was awesome. It was an amazing experience to talk with Jamie.” – Logan

And their teachers?

“To me, this is a fresh teaching experience and has shown that learning need not be confined to the textbooks. This will definitely make students’ learning more relevant and authentic.” – Chye Thiam Chng, St Nicholas Girls' School, Singapore

“Thank you so much for that opportunity to speak to you [Jamie – via Skype] today and for taking the time to chat to the students. Although you couldn't see it, the children all gasped when they saw you up on the screen and ooed and awed, something very special for them indeed, so thank you. They were hanging on your every word!” – Christopher Muller, Eastwood School, Essex

And you can still get involved!

Ocean Literacy is becoming a larger part of the UK national curriculum, and it's more important than ever to engage students from a young age in the protection and preservation of our environment – especially the Arctic, one of the most vulnerable and fragile environments on the planet.

The Arctic Education Event, its blog, social media feeds and classroom resources – including a range of booklets and videos, as well as free science lesson plans on, among other subjects, ocean acidification – provide an innovative and engaging approach to educating young people.

Digital Explorer hope to run the Arctic Live Education Event again next year. But this isn’t their only event! Students and teachers can accompany a wide range of live expeditions, download exciting resources about various environmental issues, and organise visits from real-life adventurers and scientists! See this page for more information.

Jamie teaches in the snow!

Jamie Buchanan-Dunlop’s trip to the Arctic and the wider Frozen Oceans education program are sponsored by Catlin Group Limited.

Interested in exploring the Arctic even further in your classroom?

Capture your students' imaginations with our mixed media resource pack, Arctic Stories, available to purchase from the TeachingTimes Bookshop.

Designed to promote the skills-based curriculum, this resource pack is full of thoughtful activities to help children learn about the ecosystem of the Arctic and understand how indigenous peoples relate to it.