Design a community housing project

This idea starts with a history of residential changes over the last 100-150 years in Glasgow looking at past and present: what makes a community work?  Consideration will be given to: inner city tenements in the Gorbals; the GEAR and Govan Initiatives; suburban schemes such as Castlemilk; more middle class estates; today’s modern apartments of New Gorbals and the Clyde waterfront developments.  Discussion of what constitutes a community’s needs and what people really want in their community – appropriate housing, employment opportunities, and local amenities such as shops, healthcare & leisure facilities for all ages.  Learners in teams will plan their own ‘ideal’ housing development.  This will be supported by a survey of their own community making suggestions for improvement.  The pupils will deliver their findings to local community planning staff for feedback.

Broad Outcomes of learning

• Subject knowledge gained and enhanced e.g. background history and future needs of communities, ICT skills
• Enterprising skills improved by developing creativity, confidence, self awareness, positive attitude; increasing motivation to learning; consideration of others through group work and discussion
• Developed employability skills: planning, organisation, time management, researching, co-operating, contributing, analysing, reporting, presenting, marketing
• Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning through making decisions independently.
• Pupils have developed enterprising skills identified as 4 capacities of CfE

Relevance to curriculum

• Supports CfE Social Studies