Enrichment in a rural network - film
Covered in this illustration of practice:
The Dungog District Community of Schools has a variety of settings, including a high school and one teacher schools. As a network they applied for a rural initiatives grant to introduce cross network enrichment in film making, culminating in a film festival. This revealed student high potential in script writing, stage management, costuming, directing, filming, film editing, producing, drama and more.
The needs of many of these students were only identified because they were given challenging and purposeful enrichment and extra-curricular opportunities. Recognising and unleashing high potential across the domains brought the HPGE policy to life and confirmed the mantra - a rising tide does lift all ships.
Transcript - Enrichment in a rural network (5 minutes 11 seconds)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this video may contain the images, voices and names of people who have passed away.
[music]
[On screen text] Enrichment in a rural network
HIGH POTENTIAL and GIFTED EDUCATION.
Voiceover: Seven schools around Dungog in rural New South Wales worked together as a network.
Voiceover: As part of identifying students across the domains, the network accessed funding as part of the rural and remote initiatives to purchase filmmaking equipment to be shared across the schools.
[On screen text] High Potential and Gifted Education 1.4.5. Enrichment, extension and extra-curricular programs for high potential and gifted students should be sustained, challenging and purposeful.
Voiceover: This enrichment initiative meets the High Potential and Gifted Education Policy statement point 1.4.5, which is enrichment, extension and extracurricular programs for high potential and gifted students should be sustained, challenging and purposeful. This was a program for all students, but one where high potential students in drama, scriptwriting, filming, directing, staging and more could excel.
[On screen text] The Dirty 30 – Vacy Public School
[On screen text] You Should Be Working – Dungog High School
[On screen text] The Interview – Gresford Public School
Voiceover: In fact, during this initiative, many students with high potential were identified as requiring further challenge and talent development opportunities in these areas. With the purchase of film equipment, this program will be sustained and purposeful, using filmmaking as a means of identifying and developing unique talents. The network produced enough films for a regional festival to be held in 2021.
[On screen text] Lachlan Prior – Teacher, Vacy Public School
Lachlan Prior: The virtual film festival sees students getting together with real filmmaking equipment to make short films of about three to five minutes.
[On screen text] Jessie – Vacy Public School
Jessie: My class made a film called Don't Sing Baby Shark.
[On screen text] (Don’t Sing) Baby Shark – Vacy Public School
Film characters: The first was Emily, I think. No, I'm not saying the name of the song.
Jessie: Where, if you sang the song Baby Shark, rocks from outer space, from Mars. would fall on your head.
Film characters: Baby Shark do do, [crash] oh no! Why can't we stop singing it? It's just too catchy.
[On screen text] Gillian Manning – eLearning Coordinator, Dungog High School
Gillian Manning: We were successful in obtaining a rural and remote grant, which is enabling us to give the teachers time out of school and to collaborate together in the same room to actually plan and work on the units together. Part of the grant was for the purchase of equipment, and both the equipment and the units will be shared across the community of schools.
Lachlan Prior: Each school had its own filmmaking set, which included things like a green screen, a tripod...
Jessie: An iPad for the camera, and we also had some microphones and a dead cat. I'd say we're very fortunate to have access to equipment like that.
Lachlan Prior: Being involved with the film festival has helped students learn a lot of technical skills to express their, their ideas... seen benefits to the students of increased visual literacy. It's really helped them to understand how film is made as a product.
[On screen text] Archie and Billy – Vacy Public School
Archie and Billy: Our film was Kindy’s Magic Show.
[On screen text] The Paper Fixer with Lara Kindy Magic Show – Vacy Public School
[On screen text] 9News – Channel Flicking – Dungog High School
Film character: Good evening, Australia. In tonight's news, the world is still going to
[On screen text] Hayden – Dungog High School
Hayden: It's combining all these creative outlets into one. So, to be able to express yourself in film, I think, is a very valuable skill to be able to learn.
[On screen text] Channel Flicking – Dungog High School
Hayden: And the skills you gained through the process, like editing and acting and everything, I think is very valuable.
[On screen text] (Don’t Sing) Baby Shark – Vacy Public School
Jessie: I think it was just a great program to teach kids how to make films. So, when they're older, if they want to be an actor, they have a head start.
[On screen text] Rhylee – Vacy Public School
Rhylee: Everyone got a go at different jobs. We all found one that we pretty much enjoyed the most.
[On screen text] Sam – Vacy Public School
Sam: And when I was directing, um, I could really get a feel of what it was like to be a teacher. So that could be my new job, a teacher
Lachlan Prior: Thing that I love most is seeing that spark of creativity that that happens every so often in a student's eyes that will result in something magnificent coming from out of nowhere. That would never have occurred if the situation hadn't been set up for them to achieve just that outcome.
[On screen text] (Don’t Sing) Baby Shark – Vacy Public School
Jessie: I felt like I was learning in ways I hadn't before, like doing very hands on learning by actually going out and making a film. When I saw my film with an audience. I felt great. I felt like I was famous and king of the world.
[title on screen] Find the talent Develop the potential Make the difference
[title on screen] NSW Government logo
[title on screen] © 2021 NSW Department of Education
End of transcript.
Questions for professional learning
For school leaders:
- What key action from the High Potential and Gifted Education Policy do you consider most integral to a student enrichment program involving two or more schools? How could you build on this key action to create enrichment opportunities in your network of schools?
- Hayden talks favourably about the enrichment he experienced through the Dungog District Community of Schools’ film festival project. How does your school and/or school community deliberately enrich the learning of students who have high potential in one or more of the 4 domains?
- Equity of access to enrichment opportunities can be an issue in some communities. The Dungog District Community of Schools’ accessed funding as part of the Rural Initiatives program to purchase film making equipment and hire an expert. How can you ensure that your enrichment programs are equitable?
For teachers:
- Jessie talks specifically about the variety of skills learned during this initiative. List these skills and other skills that would be an obvious part of the initiative. Map these skills against syllabus outcomes. What was the result?
- How can enrichment be integrated into literacy and numeracy so it becomes part of the classroom program, rather than an ‘add-on’?
- Hayden talks favourably about the enrichment he experienced through the Dungog District Community of Schools’ film festival project. What sustained measures do you think should be taken to ensure Hayden continues along his path of talent development in the film industry? What challenges do you think will need to be met?
- What identification procedures and practices need to be developed for effective high potential and gifted student participation in enrichment, extra-curricular and extension activities?