With student engagement a key priority for schools across the country, educators are tasked with implementing new techniques in which to capture student attention. Mark Duxbury of Accrington Academy discusses how the school’s implementation of radio broadcast equipment has supported it in achieving heightened learner engagement.
Accrington Academy is a specialist Sports and Mathematics secondary school located in Lancashire. In addition to our specialism we have two key themes within the academy; business and ICT, and we aim to use our specialism and themes to support the overall learning experience delivered to our student community. We currently have 970 students aged between 11 and 18 on role.
Radio and the delivery of a creative curriculum
We first encountered radio broadcast equipment five years ago after becoming involved in the Creative Partnerships programme, which is the government’s flagship programme for creativity in schools. As part of our work with this we decided to explore the use of media in learning. Our starting point was radio. We were very fortunate to work with Radio Regen and private radio trainer, David Forgham-Bailey extensively on training staff and students in the basics of radio. David specialises in the following areas of radio production; script writing, radio feature production and generation, ‘on location’ recording, pre record production and editing (jingles, promos, ads etc), live studio - presenting and technical (desk driving), web casting and radio drama scripting, acting and editing which therefore gave the students the opportunity to grasp numerous areas of radio.
Our early forays involved nothing more than an investment in two recorders and a simple mixing desk. The decision on investment was based around sourcing and delivering equipment suitable for use within lessons, however, as time has passed we have added kit when needed.
Our latest investment has been a complete broadcast system that delivers an easy-to-use and intuitive broadcasting desk, which, due to being able to fold up into its own box, is portable and therefore convenient. With the acquisition of this equipment a substantial investment, we wanted to ensure adequate research was undertaken. We concluded that many of the traditional analogue options available prove challenging and complex to grasp as the user needs to learn how to use the mixer, software and some CD/MD players. We wanted our learners to be able to use radio equipment independently without the restraints a complex solution might create, particularly as in these instances rather than being beneficial it can prove time-consuming to learn to use.
Our decision was that a digital solution would be most effective for our needs due to its intuitiveness and ability to meet both student and teacher requirements. It was important that the radio equipment should be accessible to everyone and enable high volumes of users to learn the basics very quickly whilst those with more developed skills could be able to use the more advanced features. Considering the time constraints faced by educators, new technologies should not create too much additional work.
Accrington’s radio usage
We utilise the radio broadcast equipment to bring numerous areas of the curriculum to life and we encourage staff to use radio to help deliver certain topics which could have a tendency to be slightly dry. To help staff understand how radio works we ask teachers from each subject area to create a podcast about what is going on within their department; once the teaching staff are comfortable doing this themselves, they can then introduce it into the classroom. Every year we enter the BBC school news report and one year we were the only school in Lancashire to be invited to the BBC School Report Awards in London to be handed an award. The BBC entered our radio show on Climate Change to the Radio Academy and as part of this our students went to the Radio Academy Awards in Glasgow where we again won an award. Radio is also offered to all Year 7 students as part of their enrichment period. In addition, we are involved in the Boom FM project with Rock FM which is designed to provide young people with the opportunity to run their own radio station. Through initiatives such as these, our students gain a sense of ownership over their learning, which in turn empowers them.
Radio as a motivational tool to enhance learning
Using radio as an interactive teaching tool adds to the student experience. They initially have to research the topic and then write a script to a specific time’s length. They continue dedicating time rehearsing the script and also re-editing it as they progress. Record day arrives and the students gain a genuine buzz from the recording session. They now have the chance to load the radio show to CD, mobile phone and iPod and they can listen back and evaluate the recording. All these steps lead towards creating a radio show help them to learn, yet the trick and reality is that they do not realise they are learning! It is such a fun and enjoyable experience that when they are faced with an exam question focussed on the topic they will remember the radio show, thus supporting them in their learning through equipping them with valuable skills. Therefore, from a teacher’s perspective, the equipment has become another tool to both engage and challenge students.
Students gain a number of transferable skills through using the equipment. For example, they have the opportunity to improve literacy skills whilst working on the radio shows, via reading the scripts to ensure that what they are presenting does make sense. Furthermore, they learn that deadlines are crucial and timing of delivery is key. Presentation skills are refined and the need to talk in a clear and concise voice can be utilised in other lessons or later in life in interviews. I feel the confidence in students who have taken part in radio has continued to grow; they are proud of what they have done and like to showcase it. Practically speaking, using the equipment means that students master the broadcast equipment used in the radio business which of course is hugely positive in that it equips them for work within the industry.
Radio and the future of learning
In terms of our radio studio and the future, we plan to carry on with the staff shows as it delivers the opportunity for them to be fun and creative. I would like to see an increasing number of subject areas taking advantage of using radio as a teaching tool, to help lessons become more interactive and let the students take a creative role in certain topics. We would like to stream live radio within the school at times during the day and also embed it as a part of each curriculum area’s Scheme of Work.
For any schools considering introducing radio, I would first and foremost suggest that digital broadcast equipment facilitates far greater learner independence than analogue, as in terms of ease-of-use and being intuitive it excels. Most importantly however, I would encourage people to simply have a go at using it; it really is not difficult so you have nothing to lose!
The experiences we have had since implementing the studio have enhanced learning in so many ways that it is difficult to identify them all. We all know that students are engaged by technology and generally find it easy to pick up. What we believe we have done is allow students another technological tool that they have refined to become familiar with.
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