Trapped inside a Polytunnel
Recently, we invited 29 educational professionals from an inner-city primary school, to go for a silent walk with us. The purpose of the walk was to facilitate a conversation around the curriculum, and teacher agency. But what actually happened was completely unexpected. As seasoned educational facilitators, practitioners and consultants, we knew it was something amazing.
Hagrid’s armpits smell of chocolate
I first read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone when I was 22 in a backpackers’ hostel somewhere in Canada. I could perhaps be a little embarrassed to reveal that I was reading Harry Potter at the age of 22, but the reality was up until that point I had never found reading enjoyable. Throughout […]
What if Jack was a girl?
Once upon a time a huge giant let out a terrifying roar when she discovered that her golden egg had been stolen. “Stop changing things” Once upon a time a little boy called Little Red Riding Hood was told to stick to the path. “Why do you keep messing up the story”
What do we do now?
Not knowing what to do can be uncomfortable – if left long enough it can be distressing. We like knowing what happens next; cliff hangers only work because they suspend time encouraging us to come back for more to discover what happens next. We love weather forecasts to discover if it will be sunny tomorrow. […]
CPD in a Shopping Centre
Hidden Giants and West Lothian Creative Learning Network will dare to take an alternative approach to addressing the current big issues in education: curriculum design, raising attainment, and participation. We invite education professionals to join us, to collectively reposition our thinking and challenge our core beliefs. We propose meeting in everyday spaces on three different […]
The Missing Part
My step-son, amongst a number of other conditions, is diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). He finds it difficult to deal with uncertainty and change. Hence, as I sit here and type this blog we are dealing with heightened confusion arising from school being cancelled due to the snow. As other children find fun in […]
Optimism of the action
“Optimism of the action, is better than the pessimism of the thought” Greenpeace Engrained in our work is the belief we need to embrace failure and accept risk as part of the every day. This mind-set can only be actioned from a position of strength and confidence. We must believe in the risk before we […]
Post Truth Box
This blog highlights the process we have gone through with two classes in one of the schools we are collaborating with. I think both examples offer a good insight into what we mean by Situated, Attentive, Immersive Learning (SAIL):
The Hidden Curriculum
Hidden Giants has worked in partnership with Dunning primary in Perth & Kinross since January 2015. The residency has generated incredible conversations in the classrooms, the staff room and further afield. It has provoked my thinking and refined my approach. Through our work there are two key strands which I thought it would be worth […]
Will this be in the test?
A few years ago I was producing a theatre company in residence at a school in Inverclyde. We had been working closely with the English department who suggested the 5th year pupils could do with a different approach to understanding Chekov. In response we invited a highly regarded and experienced director to work with the […]
Why do I dig holes in the sand?
Ever since I was a young boy I recall digging holes in the sand. Any beach, any country, and any time of the year – I would dig holes. Sometimes they were no deeper than my wrist. Others could fit my entire body. I once dug a hole so deep that both my brother and […]
Creative and Employability Skills: Auchterarder
It is predicted by 2030 global youth unemployment will hit 60%. This is coupled with 47% of jobs being automated. The shift away from mass industry to a culture of freelance employment is unarguable. The world of work is changing unlike anything ever experienced and with these monumental changes comes a new set of challenges […]
Dumfries and Galloway Chat
This is a conversation that was filmed in Dumfries and Galloway last year:
A spectrum of uncomfortable truths
Change can be difficult. We all have our favourite supermarket, a preferred route to work and choice of tipple on a Friday night. In many ways the world asks us to find the things we like and stick with them. Familiarity and safety can be a comforting feeling. However the problem occurs when we forget […]
Situated, Attentive, Immersive Learning
Creative Scotland and ArtWorks Scotland invited us to contribute to a resource for practitioners. Mathew Sowerby compiled this short film which explores our work:
Raising Attainment through Pupil Engagement
Paul and long time collaborator of Hidden Giants Matthew Sowerby worked with six teachers and more than 80 pupils in two primary schools over the space of 8 months on a research project with three aims: We wanted to know how creativity could enhance pupil engagement in the primary school classroom. We wanted to better […]
Crouching tiger, hidden giant
I recently wrote an article for Children in Scotland Magazine (Issue 166/August 2015). I hope it offers an insight into what we do at Hidden Giants: Children in Scotland article
Just Google It
I recall wandering through the back streets of Barcelona in 2008 at 1am with a fellow traveler and her friend on one of my European adventures. We were lost but didn’t want to admit it. We were searching for somewhere to have a final drink. The streets became tighter, darker and occupied by shadows intent […]
La Trace
A mystery has lain dormant for centuries in the heart of Dunning. As children play between the gravestones of the local church something far more revealing lies underneath its steeple. Historians have always believed the markings on the Dupplin Cross connected Scotland to France but were unable to find the key that would unlock its […]
Nightmare
A man walks into morning assembly; he looks confused and has obviously been sleeping rough. He stumbles to the front of the room. He begins to speak, his voice is slurred and words aren’t making sense. He speaks of an experiment in the local hospital, something he signed up for but didn’t appreciate the consequences. He has been trying to escape […]
