Reply To: Year 9 (Grade 8) Interdisciplinary Signature Work Inquiry @ Blanchelande College
This academic year, we switched from 35-minte lessons to 50-minute lessons. This meant that the timetable was not able to accommodate the Signature Work as a separate subject, which was re-embedded in English, with a time-tabled allocation of one lesson and one homework per week. This, in turn, necessitated refining the Signature Work while also redeveloping it. This new format also meant that we were ready for the English speeches by the end of February, rather than the end of June, and we celebrated the Signature Work on Monday evening, 9 March.
While there is much to share about refinements to this Signature Work, and important insights gained, I am pressed for time at this moment. However, the celebration was extraordinary, and I share below the Library News blog post about the event, and my PPT presentation (with notes on slides 3, 11 and 21).
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On Monday 9 March, we celebrated the conclusion of the Year 9 Signature Work Inquiry, which is an independent exploration of a topic related to the theme of Planet Guernsey: Living Well in a World Worth Living in. The Signature Work, which is framed through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, is embedded in English, develops curricular links with Geography and Theology, and culminates in a presentation that includes a substantial written and spoken component. The spoken component serves as final preparation for their GCSE English Language Speaking and Listening assessment, which students complete in Year 9. The Signature Work also serves as essential preparation for the inquiry-based Higher Project Qualification (HPQ), which students may apply to do in Year 10, and which counts as half a GCSE.
As is customary, one student was chosen to deliver their speech to parents and guests on behalf Year 9, which is always a highlight of the evening. This year, Evie powerfully addressed the problem of poverty in a speech that was all the more thought-provoking and challenging for being so quietly-impassioned. The other highlight of the evening is the opportunity to discuss their Signature Work with students, which is summarized in a poster. Students will be delighted to know that Mr Miller, Head of History, who attends the Celebration each year, remarked on the impressive depth of thought that had gone into this year’s posters.
Well done to Evie and all of Year 9 for embodying the joy of independent learning, and for giving voice to “the cry of the earth and the poor” (Pope Francis in Laudato si’).
