Improving communication skills

What were the outcomes?

The researcher's findings

The researcher found that, as a result of the project, there was a significant improvement in both pupils' willingness to communicate and the quality of their communication. Their use of language improved, as did their ability to interact, give opinions and reasoned answers.

• In the first set of interviews, the balance of researcher talk to pupil talk was approximately 60% to 40%. In the second set of interviews, this had switched to 33% to 67% in favour of pupil talk.
• The answers that the pupils gave during the second interview were more extended and made connections between the knowledge and skills developed during the topic.
• The pupils interacted far better in the second set of interviews. Before the project, they tended to keep their answers and comments separate, responding mainly to the researcher and not developing their peers' answers. In the second interviews, they listened to answers given by one another then extended or reinforced them.
• The pupils' use of questions had changed by the end of the project. Whereas in the past they had been reluctant to ask questions at all, in the second interview they asked them to help justify their opinions and were far keener to discuss their ideas.
• By the end of the Tudor project, the pupils had gained and retained more than twice the amount of knowledge and understanding that they had at the end of the Egyptian enquiry.

Teacher observations

The standard of work produced by the pupils was as high, or higher, than the school would normally expect. In music, the compositions showed skill in understanding of melody, structure and form. In art, work was of an equally high standard, showing an awareness of proportion and form. The play, written by the pupils in sections, shows an understanding of dramatic structure.

The project generated an extraordinary enthusiasm and sense of personal involvement. During the topic afternoons there was a great deal of excitement and noise, but the pupils remained on task throughout. There was a significant increase in the number of year 5 pupils attending after-school homework club to find out more about the Tudors and develop their research skills.

When given a free choice of writing, several pupils chose to set their stories in a historical context showing a sense of time and place. One Latvian pupil, who had only been in the school system for three months, asked his EAL teacher to help him write some sentences about the Tudors to take back to class. The pupils were clearly more willing to speak and listen to their peers and adults, and were also happier to initiate conversations.

What people said

• 'While walking past the playground at lunchtime, I saw the pupils practising the Pavan dance.' (researcher)
• 'He's really fired up. He can't wait to get to school these days!' (parent)
• 'We had to extend parents' evening due to interest in the project.' (class teacher)
• 'The writing and performing of the play for a specific purpose and audience created a great sense of teamwork among the children and gave a purpose to their learning. It not only reinforced their historical knowledge, but raised all sorts of moral and social issues for them. Their pride in the 'success' of their play was obviously highly motivating.' (headteacher)
• 'The pupils clearly understood that they could use their knowledge and understanding of the Tudors to give their play historical accuracy. They understood the need to employ a variety of dramatic styles and to give different characters their own voices. They also knew that a play should have the power to move and speak to a particular audience. In short, they understand theatre; its practice and potential.' (actor)
• 'Looking at Tudor portraits can tell you secrets about what they were really like.' (pupil)
• 'I thought the Tarlton sisters were going to come back and take away our artefacts, but they turned out not to because they heard our play. They changed the way they were treating people because of us.' (pupil)