Part 1 of the keynote presentation from the Connect:Transmit Preston Conference. Pdf contains links to hear sample audio.

1. CONNECT:TRANSMIT PRESTON
PRESTON FM WITH YEAR 9 STUDENTS OF FULWOOD ACADEMY AND
ARCHBISHOP TEMPLE SCHOOL

2. Project Partner Preston FM Established 2005
• Strong track record of delivering radio training to schools and youth
organisations since broadcasting full time in Oct. 2008
• A large, successful and well respected community radio project
• In early 2012 Prescap, the parent organisation, closed due to funding
problems and premises were downsized during the project
• Preston FM Ltd chose to deliver with freelance practitioners having
community radio and school experience
• Project funding and volunteer match allowed a new team to be established

3. The Team! Darren from DigiEnable and Gary from The Yellow Factory.
Other Preston FM volunteers assisted with the project.

4. Project Aims
• Improve learner skills in speaking and listening and foster an awareness of
what constitutes good listening and speaking
• Move from entertaining radio to discussions and debates
• Increase awareness of community issues
• Give students the opportunity to express opinions and hear opinions of others
• Give students the opportunity to challenge attitudes of others and to
experience critical analysis of their own opinions

5. AN AFTER SCHOOL CLUB APPROACH...
• A Small Group Of Year 9 Students From Each School
• Year 9 Identified As A Group Old Enough And Mature Enough To Have
Something To Say
• Year 9 Identified As A Group Not Burdened By The Pressures Of G.C.S.E.
• Work with each school twice a month, one session individually and then all
together
• Host joint sessions at each school in turn or at Preston FM premises

6. Schedule:
• Radio skills and studio skills;
produce a Christmas radio
show Oct - Dec 13
• Creating community
discussions and debates
Jan - March 13
• Sharing learning and evaluation
March - April 13

7. Speaking And Listening Toolkits
http://archive.excellencegateway.org.uk/pdf/Teaching%20speaking%20and
%20listening%20a%20toolkit%20for%20practitioners.pdf

8. The Discussion Show Preparation
• Different approaches to discussion
and mock discussion activities
• What good speakers and listeners
do....
• Eye contact
• Non verbal responses
• Show respect
• Use vocabulary/register to fit
audience
• Summarise, paraphrase and move
discussion along
• Know when and when not to
interrupt
• Good body language
• Encourage trust
• Speak fluently

9. The Discussion Show
• Students chose four subjects for a one hour show
• Issues they don’t get to discuss in school...
• Obesity, Becoming Adult, Celebrity Culture, Euthanasia
• Planning in mixed school groups
• Each 15 min section... Song; Short Interviews; 10 minute discussion
• Recorded ‘as live’ discussions in round table format... Very different to Xmas
music/feature show

10. Listen to the full one hour discussion show
‘Make Your Mind Up’
At this link...
http://vimeo.com/65239987

11. What The Students
Thought...
• “13 and you’re going to be on
the radio, that’s cool”
• “All kids want to be famous,
say they don’t but they do”
• They felt the power of selecting
their choice of music for others
to hear
• They feel empowered and
skilled to continue making their
own radio
• They feel confident in training
others in radio skills

12. What The Students
Gained...
• Increase in self confidence,
fluency and the speaking/
listening skills of discussion
• How to ‘take turns’ in speaking
and accepting other people’s
opinions
• Appreciation of teamwork and
planning/preparation
• Space to create their own
agenda for discussion outside
of the school curriculum

14. Watch the evaluation film at this link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhVgMfVj_vY

15. Lessons Learnt
• Time constraints of working in an
after school setting
• Appreciation of the many other
pressures on teachers and students
• Teachers are enthusiastic but lack
time, resources, skills and
equipment
• Facilitators must have radio skills
but also understand curriculum
needs and the language of teachers
• Community radio can offer radio
skills as a way to meet curriculum
targets and improve literacy skills
• It might be more effective to build
capacity in teachers rather than
students to achieve longer term
sustainability
• For schools to pay for a service
such as this it would need to
engage many more students; value
for money

16. Benefits For Preston FM
• Now has a radio model to offer schools to impact on literacy skills
• Has access to freelance practitioners with community radio AND teaching
skills
• Has evidence from the project to persuade schools to free up budget to buy
in radio support
• A realisation that an FM license and being able to offer FM broadcasting is a
very attractive and exciting selling point

17. The Future For Community Radio And Schools
• Ongoing relationship
• Outlet for school produced content
• Support (hopefully paid for!!) when
required
• Case studies to expand work
• More confident teachers
• More young people = more listeners
(parents etc..)

18. Our Top 5 Tips
1) Deliver at the school if possible with visits to
the station as well.
2) Know the language of the teachers
3) Regular contact is important
4) Be flexible
5) Know your worth

19. Schedule
• 3.15pm Tour of media facilities at Fulwood Academy
• 3.30pm Student led workshop. ‘Teaching Radio To Young People’
• 3.55pm ‘Benefits Of Using Media In The Curriculum’
• 4.30 pm Refreshments
• 4.45pm Question Time Recording ‘Should 16 Year Olds Be Allowed To Vote?’
• 5.30pm End Of Conference

20. For More Information...
http://archive.excellencegateway.org.uk/pdf/Teaching%20speaking%20and
%20listening%20a%20toolkit%20for%20practitioners.pdf
http://www.connecttransmit.org.uk
http://www.digienable.co.uk
www.theyellowfactory.co.uk