Guitar Hero

The idea of thematic learning is one that is promoted as a methodology in primary schools. One of the issues that arises from this approach is that the pupils' experience can be repetitive and piecemeal if there is no cohesion and progression built in to the programmes of work that schools employ. However, flexibility, dynamism and learning coming from the children can be the result of a collaborative project that grows organically from within a class. This seems to be what has happened in this case study. The main points that have arisen from the Guitar Hero project are:

• Children like the idea of contexts driving and gluing learning together.
• This context has suspended the children’s disbelief and they have bought into learning via the context of Rock and Roll.
• This project has proved to have been a powerfully motivational context.
• Children have been engaged by and committed to learning activities associated with the project.
• The children could not believe that a game such as Guitar Hero could be used in school but were tremendously excited and switched on by it being there.
• Relationships and the class ethos have been enhanced as a result of the collaboration associated with the work carried out in the project.

All these points can be exemplified by viewing the video assets accompanying this case study.

This project was ambitious in terms of introducing a game that on the surface appears to have little if any educational value. However, the project as shown that with a degree of innovation and creativity but with healthy focus on appropriate learning outcomes and appropriate methodologies, a game such as this can bring learning to life.