Case Study: How STATWARS Ignites Cross-Curricular Engagement at Dalbeattie High

Introduction 

This case study shows how Dalbeattie High School in Scotland has successfully integrated the STATWARS Climate Change Challenge into its curriculum, developing cross-curricular learning and school connections that enhance pupil learning and skills. 

Why are they involved? 

Alastair Ansbro, Geography Teacher at Dalbeattie High School, first learned about the STATWARS: Climate Change Challenge from the school’s Maths teacher who thought it would be of interest to him. His pupils are undertaking a Geography unit specifically titled ‘Climate Change and Sustainability’, making STATWARS an incredibly relevant project that seamlessly connects classroom-based theory to practical application through data analysis.  

Alastair explains how STATWARS aligns with the school’s culture and values “It’s an eco school so there’s an eco-committee that is run with the senior pupils, although there’s interaction with the juniors further down the school, the senior pupils take a lead on that.  It’s also a Unicef Rights Respecting School and I think there’s elements where we talk about climate change and sustainability, so STATWARS also crosses over with that”.  

It excellent to hear how the school’s management team encourages and supports teachers working with educational organizations like Primary Engineer to enhance learning opportunities, further facilitating the incentives integration.  

What has the experience been like? 

Recognizing the potential for deeper engagement and application, Alastair decided to open up the program to an older age group, running it this year during a term with S3 pupils (13-14 years old). This shift aimed to capitalize on their developing analytical skills and allow them to apply classroom learning in a practical way.  

When thinking about S3 specifically Alastair said “It is incredibly relevant and a good hook as we’re learning so much theory in classrooms about what climate change is so this is a really good practical application of it. It also helps them develop their skills for when they go into the senior phase of the school, when they’re doing the nationals and higher courses, when they have to go gather data and then process that data so it is a really good way of them getting into this” 

When asking him if there were any particular moments or highlights he said “I loved how very quiet pupils in the class got a voice in the project leading/ supporting there group because they had quickly developed their data processing skills or had an opportunity to speak passionately about the importance of making life style changes that could help tackle climate change”. 

Another highlight for Alastair has been “seeing pupils make connections and apply learning from different classes” whether that’s from computer studies, business studies, maths and it’s even helped generate conversations between him and other members of staff. 

He explains “I worked a bit with this year with the Business Studies teacher, she’s a Microsoft teacher so she has all these awards for working with Excel and Word. She was able to give me insights into what the pupils in class should know about using Excel and what language they are used to hearing because the way I use Excel myself is potentially a little different from how they are taught to use it. Definitely helped me next year and how I approach it will change in regards to the language which I use.” 

Conclusion 

Alastair describes the whole involvement as a “Really positive experience, plus the working in groups and using transferable skill elements really supported the process.” 

Expanding to say “It has given us another avenue to continue gathering raw data and then processing that data in a very relatable way because it’s about their lives and how they can make a difference. It’s definitely getting more advanced in how the competition expands and develops. I see it kind of going from strength to strength and I’ll definitely run it next year!” 

Huge thank you to Dalbeattie High School for sharing these valuable insights. If you have worked with us and want to share your experiences, contact us on marketing@Primaryengineer.com   

If you want to learn more about STATWARS, register on our website today for full classroom resources to embed into your curriculum planning.