THE STONEY BYWELL / VERALIA PROJECT
This is a Rolling Role project involving schools, and a university, in different countries; linking children in primary schools (Foundation Stage and upwards), with students in secondary schools, and undergraduates. We have created two fictional spa towns – Stoney Bywell, in the Peak District (UK), and Veralia in Spain.
The idea is that the towns are twinned – and both of them are celebrating their septuacentennial!
Classes and groups in different institutions worked on the project. They have uploaded materials they created to the maps on this website. Groups have consulted and used materials that other groups have produced - and so the project “rolled” from one group to another.
We used an app, Thinglink, to allow groups to share their work online - the digital equivalent of the shared display space in the school, which Dorothy said was essential in Rolling Role.
Stoney Bywell is loosely based on Buxton, and Veralia on Alange.
STONEY BYWELL
A fictional context was created. A map was produced of a spa town in the English Peak District, called Stoney Bywell. (It was loosely based on the town of Buxton.) The map was digitized using a programme called Thinglink, which meant that students could upload materials such as videos, photographs, audio files etc., and ‘pin’ them to the map. The town was given a history going back to Roman times and beyond. The "point of change" was a forthcoming anniversary marking 700 years since the town was granted a Royal Charter. There would be a year of celebrations and special events.
Different curriculum possibilities were embedded into the map, which different teachers could employ – for example: the Roman history of the town; geology of a spa town; tourism (foreign languages).
One of the first tasks for children was to study "postcard" images of the town, such as these, and map them to locations on the map.
In Woodrow First School, children in Year 4 also created "tripadvisor" reviews for the town, and films about their (imagined) visits to different spots. (Click on the map to see more!)
They took on the frame of Museum Workers in the town. Here is an example of how the work "rolled" to other classes:
The team believed there may be Roman artefacts to be excavated in Bell’s Cavern. They visited the caves but discovered three bats on the floor outside the entrance. The manager of the site was worried about disturbing any other bats in the caves, so wouldn’t let the museum workers into the caves.
The museum team wondered about moving the bats to a darker place, but eventually settled on calling someone to help. They used ("walkie talkies" to speak to the Year 1 classes as they are working as if they are a team of Animal Heroes.
They were so excited to receive this commission!
The Animal Heroes agreed to take the bats and find out why they are not flying. The museum team asked them to let them know what they found out...
One of the Year 4 class summed it up: "So we are part of their story and they are part of our story - cool!"
Looking back on the experience, the class teacher Lisa Hinton made the following observations:
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Having a map to work from, and a common place, is the thread which brings all the work together.
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The children crave interaction with other children. After the initial introduction to each other, the children initiated meetings and links.
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The children talk about each other as teams: The Animal Heroes, The Museum Workers. The Year 4 chidlren never referred to the younger children as Year 1.
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The older children never questioned the contributions of the younger children in terms of accuracy or importance. They considered everything the younger ones shared as important and valuable.
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The links with the other teams added depth and tension to the work.
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The older children loved that ‘our story becomes part of their story and their story becomes part of our story.’ The younger children were wanting to involve other year groups. When we didn’t know about something in Year 1 or Year 4, they said ‘Well, Year 2 must know!’
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It feels like the children involved … have really become a community of learners.
The Y4 class also created biographies of notable residents of Stoney Bywell, past and present.
The information was rolled on to students at the University of Łódź in Poland, who created materials about the residents for a tourist guide book.
First-year students of English Philology in the Institute of English were taking a course in "British History and Culture 2," led by Dr Tomasz Fisiak. They worked in groups to create "biographies" for four "celebrities." (This involved them in research in British history and culture.)
One group completed the biography of Issan Alliner, a local architect, illustrating it with drawings or photos of his projects.
Another group looked at Rosa Chalkers, a 19th-century painter; and created one of her paintings, "Lady with a Cat" (in sentimental Victorian style).
A third group looked at the life of Jenny, a local pop singer - and wrote the lyrics to her biggest international hit, "Moonlight":
In the moonlight, I love you, but that's not why
In the moonlight, there’s a lie
In the moonlight, I draw you near
In the moonlight, I can sense your fear
Take a step through the shining beam
In the moonlight, you should never dream
Another group invented the life of Robert Bakewell, a Wordsworthian Victorian poet. They wrote a poem, "Convallaria" - and even added a critical commentary on it!
Dr. Fisiak observed: "The Stoney Bywell project managed to build a bridge between a group of university students in Lodz, Poland, and a class of pupils in Redditch, UK. The latter could see how their initial creations were transformed. What is more, the project was in line with certain goals of the British History and Culture 2 course, i.e. 'to increase the students’ familiarity with the most important elements of the history of the British Isles', and 'to emphasise the role of social and cultural changes in the shaping of British consciousness.'
"The course deals with the role of art, music and architecture in forging British national identity. Through the project, the students had an opportunity to use the knowledge they had gained throughout the semester, and they also increased their awareness of selected elements of British history and culture. Finally, they created a special bond with their younger partners from the UK, demonstrating thus the indelible role of culture as such."
Lisa Hinton commented: “The Woodrow children were thrilled that university students had taken their work and used it. When they recognised something from their own original inventions, they were amazed and proud. They really like that our Mantle is linked with the students' work – the partnership idea really resonates with them. Although they haven’t met, they feel the link which has been created.”
To find out about the "Veralia" project at IES Padre Juan de Mariana, Spain, click here
Partners in ths Stoney Bywell / Veralia project: Woodrow First School, UK; University of Lodz, Poland; IES Padre Juan de Mariana, Spain; Midland Actors Theatre, UK.
Maps of Stoney Bywell / Veralia created by John Bell
Participating organisations:
Woodrow First School, UK
Midland Actors Theatre, UK
I.E.S. Padre Juan de Mariana (Spain)
University of Lodz (Poland).