Description

FUN 4U
The concept of FUN 4U was developed more than 30 years ago in various primary
schools in country Victoria. It was an attempt to have students aged from 6 to
14 profitably occupied in meaningful, open-ended investigations.
The students were allowed their free choice of activity sheets and this
generated many positive outcomes. The sheets were swapped rather like
stamp collecting, parents asked for copies for visitors, and they were regarded
as student preparation for scholarship entrance exams.
The newly-formed Australian Curriculum Corporation requested that the activity
sheets be made available to all Australian schools and funded 10 collections
entitled FUN ONES. A compendium – THE BEST OF FUN ONES – was also printed
and distributed nationally and internationally to support classroom teachers.
Since those times there have been many revisits, revisions, and inclusions. This is
the first occasion that these activities have been presented in this format.
We now describe FUN 4U as “enjoyable, multi-faceted collections of user friendly choices for individual and group learners.
1. FUN 4U collections encourage personal choice and active involvement
The more students are more effectively engaged with their own learning, the
more they learn. Students learn more when they are presented with problems
that interest them. Properly designed activity sheets require students to develop
and practice basic skills through problem solving strategies, recording and
checking measurements, and interacting with others.
2. FUN 4U collections invite students to examine misconceptions
New ideas and knowledge are largely constructed out of previous experiences.
When existing ideas contain misconceptions, it is possible that any new
knowledge will also be flawed. Activity sheets should encourage students to
identify and revisit past ‘learnings’ and have opportunities to make adjustments
to previous understandings.
3. FUN 4U collections present a variety of presentation styles.
Learning is enhanced when ideas are presented with a mixture of analytic,
numerical, graphical, verbal, and written representations.
4. FUN 4U collections encourage sharing and feedback.
Learning is improved when students are required to express ideas and then
receive timely feedback. Students should have opportunities to reflect on the
feed-back they receive and have opportunities to make adjustments
5. FUN 4U collections encourage the appropriate use of technology.
Teachers are no longer expected, nor should they be, the sole and ultimate
source of information. Interactive Communication Technologies should be
readily available so students can research and collect further data.
FUN 4U collections provide opportunities to make choices and to generate a
range of instant, often unexpected inputs, to expand interaction and introduce
new or novel thinking.
Peer group involvements in activities also support metacognitive growth and
development of reasoning skills.
FUN 4U has now been organised into twelve 24-page collections. They will be
released each month with a recommended retail price of $US6.
The complete set of twelve – 288 pages in all – can also be purchased up-front
for $US60, a saving of $US12