Case studies

Caroline Tothill and Wyn Pritchard of Hillcrest Primary School
The focus of this case study was the use of Accelerated Learning techniques and in particular those relating to activities, environment, skills and techniques to assist with Year Six SATS.

This research had taken place in a time frame where building work was going on around and inside the school. There were three aspects to the study: activities, environment and the development of pupil skills and learning techniques.

Caroline and Wyn explained how different activities supported Accelerated Learning. For example, pictures into words and drama. An orbit is 'when something goes around something else'. As children rehearse the meaning of the word Orbit they demonstrate at the same time. Children 'see' the words as they say them. They are encouraged to plan stories by seeing the summary word for each part of the story in a different colour and texture. Exciting beginning is seen as bright red and shiny, problem is green and grows, the solution is long thin and blue and the end is silver and falls in sparkles. Children are encouraged to see the word before 'swallowing them'. Dram is used to practice being the character in your story. Children adopt a variety of different and sometimes oppositional roles within the story.

Environment had also been an area of research. Detailed work was done in relation to drinks, brain gym, breathing, music and display. In utilising display Caroline and Wyn described it like this.

"Display has been an invaluable revision resource. We have all of science AT2 on a large wall
Concept map that the children helped to create. Aside from Maths Mountains, maths language and mental maths tool boxes have also been displayed. These tools come from the toolbox in our heads and are chosen by children when explaining methods they have used. We explained clearly to the children what was expected of them for each level in English and have these displayed ready to refer to. W also had an English wall that was added to each week and the children were able to use it as a tool to aid revision as it had key words and memory triggers on it"

Revision techniques involved practise of memory techniques including:

• Concept maps
• Organisation of ideas by topic
• Pictures to go with words
• Lists
• Mnemonics
• Making up silly stories abut items
• Visualising the words

Caroline and Wyn also gave detailed insights into how they had used paired shares - for explaining maths vocabulary and for practising SATs questions. They used roundabout where children assembled arrange of written responses on large sheets of paper organised on the hall floor in a circle and jigsaw, where lots of individual bits of information are assembled together to make a large complete picture - eg. the skeleton or parts of a plant.