River Clyde's classroom connection

A new chapter in the annals of one of the world’s most famous rivers is being written as it becomes the focal point of a ground breaking enterprise in education project.

The revival of the river’s fortunes is being harnessed as the catalyst for an exciting learning experience for a new generation of young Clydesiders and pupils across Scotland.

The project involves a new website offering teachers specially prepared lesson plans linked to aspects of the river’s development and complemented by the opportunity to bring it all to life with a Classroom on the Clyde boat trip on board The Kenilworth.

Created, developed and funded by Clyde Waterfront, the strategic partnership responsible for coordinating and promoting the £5.6 billion revival of the Clyde, the project was launched today (Monday 16 June) by Communities and Sports Minister Stewart Maxwell MSP.

Visit the Clyde Waterfront website

The Clyde Waterfront Curriculum Resources for Schools initiative is tailored to complement the school curriculum and provides a wide-ranging web-based educational resource for teachers which will be used to connect pupils with the dramatic developments taking shape along the river.

The floating classroom on The Kenilworth, operated by Clyde Marine Services Ltd, will be launched in 2009 and will be equipped with A/V presentation facilities allowing teachers and pupils to cruise the river and see the changes along the 13 kilometres of the Clyde as they carry out their project research.

A bank of 200 lesson plans written by local teachers for Clyde Waterfront linked to the eight curricular areas and themed around twelve aspects of activity relevant to the regeneration of the river has been developed for teachers to use.

Download the lesson plans, suitable for pupils from P6 to S3 at the Clyde Waterfront  website

A teacher wanting to plan a science lesson would highlight that subject in curriculum area menu then select one of the twelve themes and click on the search button to reveal the appropriate lesson plans. For example selecting science then highlighting River Basin returns 4 lesson plans:

• River Basin – Habitat;
• Flooding and Flood Defences;
• Habitats and Wildlife;
• The Water Cycle and Water Supplies.

It is the first time a national regeneration project has been used to create a comprehensive teaching resource linked to the Scottish Government’s Enterprise in Education programme in which business and education work together to give children and young people positive attitudes to work and life.

The launch of the initiative was held in the new £130 million BBC Scotland headquarters, itself one of the anchor developments in the new riverside Digital Media Quarter at Pacific Quay.

Welcoming the launch of the initiative Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell, said “The River Clyde is synonymous with shipbuilding, and historically is renowned as the world’s greatest engineering power house.”

“This innovative activity is offering young people the opportunity to learn in a truly exciting and engaging way, linking what they hear in the classroom to life beyond school and encouraging them to become enterprising citizens.“

“I welcome the opportunity for pupils to hear about the history of the River Clyde and the exciting opportunities arising from the major investments that are driving the regeneration of the Waterfront. This initiative will allow them to see first hand the work of the many employers represented along the riverside and encourage them to become involved in making their local area a better place to live.”

Hosting the event for an audience of leading educationalists, business people and developers, Councillor Steven Purcell, Chair of the Clyde Waterfront Strategic Partnership Board and Leader of Glasgow City Council, said:“Connecting a new generation of young people with the River Clyde is an exciting prospect. The project brings the river to life as a source of knowledge and learning in a way never before undertaken. It adds a new dimension to the river’s value.”

He added:” The River Clyde is more than a powerful economic asset. It flows through the centre of our communities helping shape our history, culture and most importantly our future. Communities are at the heart of the river’s regeneration and our young people are their future. This project will help ensure a new generation is knowledgeable of the changes taking place and is aware of the important role of the river in providing a sustainable environment, job opportunities, and leisure activities.”

Clare Harker, a primary teacher seconded as Employability and Enterprise Officer, at King’s Park Secondary, Glasgow, said: “Contextual learning is very important and the Clyde is at the heart of Glasgow and its communities. What we are doing in this project is to give the Clyde back to the children. They know the river but they don’t know anything about the emotion it evoked when people like my grandparents sailed away from the Broomielaw to start a new life in America or when the shipyards closed. Young children never experienced the noise of the shipyards so I wrote a lesson plan that uses percussion and dance to help the children understand and relate to the noise that was generated and the activity that went on in the shipyards. To me connecting children with that aspect of the river is a vital part of regeneration.”

Hazel Ruxton, P6 teacher at East Fulton Primary, Linwood, Renfrewshire, said: “This is a fantastic resource for teachers that not only assists in bringing the history of the river to life for pupils but also the new developments that are underway. I used it as part of our Clyde Built topic which focuses on things like the shipyards and going “Doon the Watter” on holiday. One group were asked to imagine they worked in the shipyards 100 years ago and were given the task of planning a holiday at one of the Clyde resorts involving arrangements for travel, accommodation and food with a restricted budget in old currency. Another group were asked to design a leaflet to encourage people today o holiday locally which involved looking at options and attractions available. It also helped highlight the issue of global warming and the impact of flying.”

Claire Gunn, a primary teacher on secondment as an Employability and Enterprise Officer with the St Roch’s Learning Community, organised a lesson plan with bridge designers Halcrow where the engineers visited the classroom and explained the process, the pupils were taken to the Clyde Arc and visited the company’s offices then set a bridge design challenge.

She said:” The Clyde is an excellent resource for young people to learn from and it is right on their doorstep. The lesson plan I wrote provided an excellent opportunity to engage with business and they brought a level of expertise beyond anything a teacher can provide. It also highlighted the importance of the construction industry and the job opportunities it provides. The Clyde Waterfront project enhances the Curriculum for Excellence which aims to produce successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors to society and responsible citizens.”

Lisa Hughes, an English teacher at Our Lady & St. Patrick’s High, Dumbarton, said: “Pupils don’t always see the relevance of English studies, such as poetry and language to the real world. This excellent resource helps to demonstrate in a very practical way the link between the skills they learn in class with the skills they will need in the workplace. The project we undertook was to use their writing and language skills to advertise the health and leisure facilities now available in the area. Other lessons plans I’ve developed for the curriculum resource website involve designing and promoting environmentally friendly homes and developing a website or blog to promote the use of the green spaces along the river.”