Just trying to set down a rough order to the various forms of interaction we'll have with schools. If everyone puts stuff in here should be easy to condense into a tighter list... - Adam
1. Consult generally on experiences transitioning from primary to secondary
IN PRIMARY – what are your expectations / fears? How are you preparing for this?
IN SECONDARY – your experience, challenges and how to overcome
Single visits. Each session (40-60 mins?) with a singe class (max 30) – but we'd want a few different schools / classes for variations of input. Spring / Summer 2018?
Some methods:
- general chat with a class
- structured fact-finding – e.g. collating key-words (emotions / adjectives) or physical-spatial exercises ("where scale of one to ten", "everyone who..." etc.)
- role-play – acting out real or imagined situations
- hot-seating imagined characters with different possible situations / experiences
- secret letter-writing – where each member gets to write a short, anonymous note to the workshop leader, posted in a secret letterbox, which tells something they might not have felt comfortable saying in class
- drawing – making art (rather than using words) to express feelings
PLUS... Broader question of other big / comparable life changes (e.g. parents separate / move home / financial circumstances / illness)??
2. Consult generally on mental health / social wellbeing and skills for social connectedness
Follows naturally from (1) above – but I think this stuff only for SECONDARY schools as will be too heavy for primary. Spring / Summer 2018?
What do we mean by social wellbeing? What does good social wellbeing look like? What does bad look like?
What are the CAUSES of poor social connectedness and what are the RESULTS of poor social connectedness?
Idea of mental health / 'invisible' illness (as opposed to having a runny nose or a broken arm)
What are the CAUSES of poor mental health and what are the RESULTS of poor mental health? [in both yourself and others]
The idea of stigma – because of your identity or because of your family / circumstances
What are all the different ways someone can be bullied / social excluded?
Emotions – the role they play in our lives, how they affect our behaviour, how easy they are to control, what happens when you lose control
Idea of each person's family being 'their normal' – conflict of individual and group values when you arrive in shared public space like classroom
The challenge of perspective-taking – putting yourself in others' shoes.
Note (from Adam): with research like this we're looking for both quantitative and qualitative data. It's good sometimes to know that "70% of kids said x... or felt x...", but specific individual stories – which capture a broader truth – are so useful. This is why I am keen on things like the anonymous writing exercise in (1) above – some things kids will only reveal in private. There are of course safeguarding and ethical issues here (can discuss my experiences). Also: I find that the best output comes 'in the moment' – i.e. asking kids to go away and write something (or even – which may seem tempting – submit online) tends not to produce results in my experience – kids tend to do the task in front of them when it's in front of them.
3. Consult on their current use of technology / social networks / games
Continues from (1) and (2) above. Both primary and secondary – last year primary and first year secondary probably most important. Spring / Summer 2018?
Who uses what, for what purpose, when and with whom?
Where? (At home? In school? On the move via phone / portable devices?)
Do all young people treat online world / tech the same way? Or do people have different usage patterns, preferences and personal relations with technology and social media?
Bullying? Abuse? Risks? Dangers? Interaction with strangers? Inappropriate material?
Balance of / types of usage: for schoolwork, for socialising, for playing games, for consuming media / entertainment, for learning about world, for day-to-day life
Does usage (and access?) change across ages 8 to 12?
Any discrepancy between adolescents' preferred usage pattern and that which their parents permit?
(Secret letter question: when have you disobeyed an adult's orders in your use of technology)
Underlying questions: what will and won't they engage with? Where and how?
4. Co-design of HUB
builds on (3) above
5. Co-development of digital experiences / serious games
builds on 1-3 above
Executive functioning training (this would be best slotted into a schedule alongside the development of other digital experiences and the SWEP)
Working with one or more small groups in secondary school(s)...various visits over a period of many months...visits, or sets of 2-3 visits, need to be spaced at least 6-8 weeks apart to allow time for software development in between times. Some of the activities will require adolescents to engage with games outside of class, so this is another reason why it is important that consecutive visits have enough space between one another.
Oct 2018 - May 2019 - initial prototype development
- development workshops on experiences with existing training games, and other commercial games - seeking information on adolescents' preferences and features that motivate their play; determining the priority areas for development
- precipitating creative input from adolescents that can be integrated into the game prototype (within defined parameters that adolescents have an understanding for via activities that they have engaged with) - this might include co-creation of graphics, sounds, displays, gameplay features
- initial exploration of ideas around the infrastructure for integrating the game into the hub (so that the back end of this can be worked on)
- creation of first prototype
Jun 2019 - December 2019 - alpha testing
- exploration and refinement of successive prototypes (3?)
Jan 2020 - Apr 2020 - beta-testing
- exploration of ideas for integration into the hub
- in depth exploration of ideas around integrating the game into the hub (what it will look and feel like)
- engagement with a version of the game integrated into the hub as far as is possible at this stage - gathering information in workshops on technical problems, barriers to engagement etc.
6. Co-development of film
builds on 1 & 2 above
Working with one or more small groups in secondary school(s)... various visits over a period of many months... from initial brainstorming of ideas / drama games, to exploration of an evolving story and script through several drafts, to exploration of cinematic style / storyboarding and production choices, to potential involvement (on or off camera) in the filming itself, to getting feedback on rough edits and early prototypes of interactive elements
Run across a whole school year (and more)? e.g.:
Sept / Oct 2018 - early workshops – ideas generation
Nov / Dec 2018 - exploring the first 'treatment(s)' for storylines
January 2019 - exploring the first draft
February 2019 - exploring the second draft
March / April 2019 - exploring the final draft
April/May 2019 - exploring cinematic style and production choices
June 2019 - looking at "storyboard" artwork / casting and pre-production
July 2019 - Rehearsal etc.
August 2019 - Film shooting
Sept / Oct 2019 - Exploring early edits and edit choices
Nov / Dec 2019 - Feedback on edits and exploring interactive elements
Jan 2020 - Ready for piloting as part of HUB Testing (see 7 below)
7. Testing of HUB & experiences
builds on 4-6 above. From Jan 2020?
8. Co-development of SWEP
builds on 1-2 above, 2018-19 school year
9. Implementation of SWEP / pilot of hub usage
builds on 7 & 8 above - 2020/2021 school year?