West Norfolk pupils byte into lessons
SCHOOLCHILDREN are going to kick off each day playing "brain training" computer games for 20 minutes in a bid to improve test scores.
Greyfriars Primary School, Lynn, and partner school St Edmunds, in North Lynn, have spent 11,400 on 65 Nintendo DS handheld gaming machines and a raft of educationally-based software for the trial.
Year five and year six pupils will play games like Dr Kawashima's Brain Training, which gives players a "brain age" by challenging them with maths and problem-solving puzzles.
Pupils will play for 20 minutes during registration at the start of the day and up to 20 minutes within other lessons as well as being encouraged to play at break times.
Greyfriars headteacher Paul Shanks said: "The buzz it has created in school is amazing. We are tapping into something children are engaged in to re-motivate them or motivate them further.
"The children can't wait to get started and parents have all been very positive about it so far. There is an argument they already spend a lot of time watching television and on their computers at home, but this is about trying to use them in a responsible way.
"I think a lot of schools are going to go down this route eventually."
Mr Shanks decided to give it a go after reading about the results of a ten-week study in Scotland, which saw children across 32 schools taking part in a similar trial, where researchers said maths attainment, concentration and behaviour were all improved.
TESTS
The Lynn schools are set to be the first in Norfolk to try it and have found some of the money within their own budgets and secured 5,500 from a county pot to support personalised learning.
The schools plan to start using the games machines on November 1 and will test pupils in February to see if it is affecting results.
Norfolk County Council head of primary school improvement Mrs Chris Snudden said: "We are hugely supportive of the project at St Edmund's and Greyfriars and will be watching with interest to see the impact on pupils' learning.
"These schools are both forward thinking and are keen to use modern technology to engage pupils in learning.
"This is about increasing enjoyment and involvement by educating children via the methods that interest them."
GAMING
The schools have also bought a Nintendo Wii each – a gaming machine that requires players to move and jump around, which they hope will also encourage and improve fitness.
Greyfriars year six pupil Lucas Rosa (ten) said: "It's really exciting."
Parent governor Ms Lorraine Douglas, whose daughter Eleanor (eight) is in year four at Greyfriars, said: "I think it's great.
"Kids love these things and it's a great way of engaging them in learning."
Greyfriars is not a stranger to innovation – it has been running an incentive scheme for the past three years that gives children the chance to win a computer for good attendance.
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Weather for King's Lynn
Saturday 11 February 2012
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