War Stories

Presenting the 'Gemstones' programme has definitely been a highlight of my term. The students enjoyed having their own personal activity books, and spent considerable time filling them in, AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY - they loved them!

While the class and group activities promote our key competencies of participating and contributing, and relating to others, etc, having their own personal 'record' of the stories is significant in that they have ownership of their own journey through the 'Gemstones' programme.

With so much going on in the school day, timetable wise, the system of the 'Gemstones' stories is fantastic, as teachers do not feel obliged to read through the whole book, and the selected stories can be dealt with individually, related to their various themes and concepts. Some students are keen to read more for themselves, and feel privileged to be lent the book itself for a few days.

I believe people of all ages love to listen to stories, and it was very satisfying to see the listening going on in the students' eyes. The feedback the students gave us was encouraging and I look forward to immersing myself further in the stories, and encouraging other staff to get on board.