Auschwitz Glow Meet: P7 World War 2 topic
Please note that this cookbook refers to Glow Meet using Marratech. Glow Meet is now delivered over Adobe Connect which offers enhanced functionality. To find out more about Glow Meet using Adobe Connect click here. The principles around the benefits of Glow Meet are the same regardless of the technology used for Glow Meet.
Overview
Morag Carson and Shelagh Scobie are Principal Teachers at Laurieston Primary school and Victoria Primary school respectively. These schools are two of the five Associated Primary schools which form the Graeme High School cluster in Falkirk. During recent transition discussions with Stephen Beath, Principal Teacher of Social Studies at Graeme High school, they came up with an idea to add a new dimension to the topic work that their schools’ Primary 7 classes had been covering.
Context
In their first term of P7, pupils from both Primary schools had been learning about World War 2. As part of the cross-curricular work undertaken during the topic, one of the books that the pupils read was “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” by John Boyne. They learned about the Holocaust and the atrocities that took place in the Auschwitz concentration camp.
During a meeting with Stephen, Morag and Shelagh learned that a sixth year pupil from Graeme High, Amy Morrison, had visited Auschwitz-Birkenau a few months previously after being chosen to take part in the ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ project. This project takes 6th year pupils from Scotland to visit the camp to educate them about what happened there and ensure it is never forgotten.
After discussions, it was arranged that Amy would speak to the Primary 7 pupils via Glow Meet to tell them about her experiences of Auschwitz and so add to their previous learning.
The Glow Meet
During the Glow Meet, Amy talked to the Primary 7 pupils about her trip. She told them about the experiences that the Jewish people had in Auschwitz and described what she saw and felt when there. She illustrated this by adding text and images to the shared whiteboard of the Glow Meet room.
The pupils had prepared questions for Amy, and after her talk, they were able to put these questions to her. Due to feedback issues with the sound, the questions were typed into the chat section of the Meeting room. Amy then answered the questions verbally. (The microphone in Graeme High was kept on, so when the microphone in a Primary school was switched on, the sound looped and caused feedback – this would have been alleviated by only having one microphone open at a time).
The Glow Meet session was recorded and the recording added to the Graeme High Cluster Glow Group to allow it to be watched back at any time.
Watch an excerpt from the Auschwitz Glow Meet session in the following video.
(Note: There is some feedback initially due to two microphones being open during the Glow Meet session)
Amy Morrison: Auschwitz presentation (5:45)
The Learning
Taking part in the Glow Meet added to the learning experiences of the pupils. As well as the other Curriculum for Excellence Experiences and Outcomes that the pupils covered in their World War 2 topic work, the Glow Meet added opportunity for pupils to engage with the following:
SOC 2-16b I can gather and use information about forms of discrimination against people in societies and consider the impact this has on people’s lives.
LIT 2-07a I can show my understanding of what I listen to or watch by responding to literal, inferential, evaluative and other types of questions, and by asking different kinds of questions of my own.
LIT 2-09a When listening and talking with others for different purposes, I can:
- share information, experiences and opinions
- explain processes and ideas
- identify issues raised and summarise main points or findings
- clarify points by asking questions or by asking others to say more
LIT 2-10a / LIT 3-10a I am developing confidence when engaging with others within and beyond my place of learning. I can communicate in a clear, expressive way and I am learning to select and organise resources independently.
RME 2-09d I am developing my understanding of how my own and other people’s beliefs and values affect their actions.
RME 2-05b I can share my developing views about values such as fairness and equality and love, caring, sharing and human rights.
Ingredients
To make it as easy as possible for all three schools to have access to the Glow Meet meeting room, a Graeme High Cluster Glow Group was created at Local Authority level and all of the teachers were added as members. This gave all three schools access to it through their ‘My Glow Groups’ link.
Within this Group, a Glow Meet web part was added and a meeting room created.
The following all had to be done to make the Glow Meet happen:
- Have a Glow Group at Local Authority level
- Add the teachers from each of the schools as members of the Group
- Have a web cam, microphone and speakers for the presenter (Amy)
- Have speakers in the Primary schools
- Have the computer in each Primary school linked to the interactive whiteboard to enable the Primary 7 children to watch
The following videos explain how to replicate some of these elements:
How to give people from another school membership of a Glow Group in your school (6:57)
How to set up a Glow Meet in a Glow Group (5:36)
How to join and take part in a Glow Meet (3:38)
How to use the video, audio and chat facility within a Glow Meet meeting room (6:19)
How to use the shared whiteboard in a Glow Meet meeting room (8:25)
How to record a Glow Meet (2:09)
How to play back a previously recorded Glow Meet (3:22)
Impact
One of the main things that both Morag and Shelagh commented on was how completely engaged all of the pupils were during the Glow Meet session. They were ‘glued to the screen’ and barely moved in their seats!
Having the Glow Meet two terms after the pupils had initial been learning about World War 2 gave the opportunity to revisit this work and challenge pupils’ recall of what they had previously learned.
The pupils themselves felt that listening to Amy talking about Auschwitz really added to their understanding and made what they had previously learned more real. They felt that learning via Glow Meet was preferable to either learning from textbooks and worksheets, or even hearing their teacher talk, because Amy had actually been to Auschwitz and therefore they felt this added gravitas to the information they were being given.