Case study
Extended Projects:
Gently does it
A bit-by-bit approach to the Extended Project was adopted by staf_f at Gable Hall School to ensure students
understood its importance. Dorothy Lepkowska explains
ETTING ACROSS the before embarking on their main piece of work, roles and responsibilities, and were surprised
G
concept of the Extended Project to help ease them into that way of working. that even their local hospice needed to raise
to students doing Advanced Last summer, Ms Feeney heard of the case of £2.5 million a year to carry out its work.
Diplomas may not be as easy as a French Muslim woman, who was denied T_h ese conversations gave the students a
it fi rst appears. access to a public swimming pool for wearing number of ideas.
For many, it will be the fi rst time that a head-to-toe swimsuit. Offi cials in the town “We now have one doing an Extended
they are expected to work independently, of Emerainville claimed the outfi t contravened Project into whether the work being done by
researching and gathering their own rules for swimwear and that it was unhygienic. charities should be funded by the government,
information, sorting out what is useful, and “We asked the students to look into this while another is looking at the role of
then choosing how best to present it – as story and consider what they thought about volunteers. A third student is considering how
a dissertation, performance, fi eld study or it; whether the swimsuit was unhygienic and the money raised through fundraising and
artefact. how people’s opinions on this diff ered. It was donations should be spent,” Ms Feeney said.
At Gable Hall School, a specialist quite controversial but something that they Two other students in the group wanted to
performing arts and applied learning might not have necessarily thought about work with young people with special needs
college in T_h urrock, Essex, the concept was before,” she said. “T_h e students worked in – helping them to create a sensory garden.
introduced gradually by staff . small groups and took on diff erent aspects of So they spent time in a local primary school
“We really wanted them to understand that the research before putting it all together and looking at how it was cultivating its garden,
the Extended Project makes up a signifi cant arriving at a conclusion.” and in a special school learning about the
part of their Diploma, but that they needed Left to their own devices and thinking needs of SEN children.
to think about their work in entirely new up their own topics, or “questions”, for an T_h e challenge for staff now is to help and
ways,” said Sally Feeney, the school’s director of Extended Project, proved more problematic guide the students into deciding which would
applied learning specialism and line lead for the and challenging, however. be the best way to present their work.
Diploma in Society, Health and Development. “For some reason, many of the students “In almost every case, their Extended
“We devote time specifi cally to the Extended latched on to the idea that their Extended Project could be presented as a dissertation
Project every week to ensure that the right Project had to be linked to some sort of event, or fi eld work, because they will be based
amount of emphasis is being placed on it.” and it was quite diffi cult to get them out of largely on the students’ own experiences,” Ms
Gable Hall is taking advantage of a series of this way of thinking,” Ms Feeney said. Feeney said. “One of the challenges for us as
workshops being organised by the University “About half of the 10 students wanted teachers will be to guide them. T_h ey are all
of East London, which are aimed at Diploma to do something linked to a local children’s now completely into their projects and seem
students and help them to develop research hospice. So we invited in representatives from to love what they are doing, but I can see a
and presentation skills. the charity to talk to them, to give them some time when we might have to rein them in and
“T_h ese have been good for helping students ideas about the work being done there.” create an action plan to focus them.
to understand how studying at university Students learned that running a charity was “As teachers, we naturally want to control
might look and examine aspects such as essay- not just about raising money, but considering, what they are doing. T_h ese students are at that
writing skills, as well as how to decide whether for example, how it should be spent to ensure diffi cult transitional stage where we still need
the information they are using is reliable.” that the right services were reaching the right to guide them, but they must also fi nd their
To introduce this new way of learning, people. T_h ey also found out that charities own ways of doing things that will prepare
school staff asked pupils to do a mini-project employed many people, each with diff erent them for university and beyond.” DD
Delivering Diplomas • Volume 2 No 1 Spring 2010 39
38-39 case study.indd 3 5/3/10 13:00:34
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