Timesliders
General information
Organisation / School
The National Trust for Scotland at Drum Castle Garden and Estate, St Vincent Primary School.
Duration
3-week period between April and June.
Target group (age range)
6-9
Group format
Primary 3 and 4 classes, small group or class.
Context of the Practice
Description of the Practice
Timesliders is an educational programme, which uses mixed media and podcasts to get students excited about the history of Scotland. It is immersive and gives the impression that they are traveling back in time. It covers the themes of Scottish history, sustainability, local area study, architecture, geography and literacy study. Aimed to spark interest in conservation of landmark heritage and history. The delivery of the programme follows a storytelling format and involves role-play experience that engages: social studies, language arts, health and wellbeing. Students help to get the characters out of paintings and to stop Professor Curran from changing history.
Link with Uchronia or Alternative Narratives
Does the practice involve rewriting history, alternative scenarios, role play, or speculative narratives?
Yes
Explanation:
It follows the story of Kyla and Eden – who are travelling through Scotland’s past, present and future to stop the villainous Professor Curran from rewriting Scotland’s history.
With the help of a time-travelling device called SUSIE, Kyla and Eden will accompany the pupils as they learn about fascinating historical people and inspiring places.
The adventure transports the pupils to Drum Castle in Aberdeenshire, where your pupils will take part in a mysterious quest involving a labyrinth of team challenges, thought-provoking riddles and intriguing puzzles.
There is the aspect of both time travel and uchronia, in stopping Professor Curran from changing history.
Social and Transversal Skills Developed
What are the skills developped?
- Empathy
- Communication
- Cooperation
- Conflict management
- Critical thinking
- Media literacy
- Problem solving
Explanation:
This is achieved through the group work puzzles that unlock the characters from the portraits.
Inclusion and Accessibility
Targeted learners (learning difficulties, diversity, disengagement):
For learners with hearing or sight loss there are braille transcripts and/or handling objects. Accessible for disengaged students and those with learning difficulties.
Accessibility measures used:
Available online in podcasts. Classroom resource box. The physical location of Drum Castle.
Impact and Outcomes
Observed impact on pupils:
Sentence completion undertaken by pupils whilst at Pollok House.
Feedback from teachers or pupils:
They conducted an evaluation programme aimed to capture feedback from the full range of stakeholders (the Timesliders Project Team, staff at Pollok House, participating teachers and pupils). Online surveys sent to teachers following participation in each element of Timesliders. In-depth interviews with the six members of the Timesliders Project Team.
Transferability
Can the practice be reused or adapted?
Yes
Conditions for replication:
Audio or podcast element to listen to, to help them feel they are going back in time. Physical element with objects that engage interaction to solve the problem. It could be remodeled to explore the area and history of another location. Has the possibility of not needing to be completed on site.
Relevance for Reframe the Story
The physical presence of the location and landmark castle is a small part of what makes this uchronia curriculum work so well, which makes this programme so relevant and applicable to implement. It has a range of learning subjects it can cover, making it a great teaching tool that teachers can use to reach children that might be falling behind. Using audio, and objects to unlock parts of a puzzle or problem is accessible to recreate regardless of location. It can inspire teachers to recreate their own to teach different subjects. Objects and audio can pull you into a story to provide the sense of bringing you back to a time period.