Williams F1 and Cambridge University Press are pleased to announce the launch ofRace to Learn, the new educational resource that brings the excitement of FormulaOneTM to the primary classroom.
Race to Learn is an easy-to-use interactive DVD-ROM for teachers to use in theclassroom with children in years 5 and 6 (ages 9 to 11). The exciting world of GrandPrix racing provides the engaging real-life context for a fully cross-curricularresource. Focussing particularly on science, maths and literacy, Race to Learn alsocovers a wide range of additional curriculum areas including technology, geography,and citizenship. Each activity comes with detailed links to the relevant curriculumobjectives to enable it to be fitted neatly into teachers’ planning.
Working in small groups, children form their own racing teams to complete taskscarefully designed to develop their group-working skills. Even reluctant learners areengaged by the positive models of effective group-working drawn from the highlymotivating real-life context of a Formula OneTM team and featuring exclusivelylicensed real-life video content from Grands Prix. Rewarding activities and exclusivebehind-the-scenes content ensure that the engagement level never slips.
Race to Learn’s twelve half-day sessions can be used in any order, intensively overthe course of a dedicated topic week or over an entire term, making it a flexibleclassroom resource. And at the end of their Race to Learn experience, teams canrepresent their schools in a nation-wide race for exciting prizes by choosing theirfavourite work to enter into the Williams F1 Fast Track competition.
In a demonstration of the successful teamwork that Race to Learn will inspire inpupils, Cambridge University Press and Williams F1 have each brought their ownunique talents to this project. Cambridge has provided its expertise in educationalcontent developed over 425 years of publishing, and Williams exclusive behind-thescenesaccess to the world of Formula OneTM motor racing. Software development isby Cambridge-Hitachi, a joint venture between Cambridge University Press andHitachi Software Engineering
John Tuttle, Managing Director of Cambridge University Press’s New DirectionsGroup said, “Cambridge University Press seeks to be at the front of the grid when itcomes to innovation in the educational publishing world. We are therefore well placedto partner Williams F1 in this important initiative. The world of Formula One providesa highly motivating environment for children to learn in key curriculum areas such asscience, maths and literacy, as well as the group-working skills that are essential notonly in the pit-lane but in the classroom, in the office and beyond.”
Frank Williams, Williams F1 Team Principal said, “For me, this team is all about greattechnology and intense competition. The idea behind Race To Learn is to bring aflavour of what we do into the classroom, to get children excited about teamwork andtheir studies. I hope in this way we can play a part in making sure that newgenerations have the technical and team-working skills not only to sustain sports likeFormula One but also to contribute more broadly to society. And perhaps along theway we will find the girl or boy who will one day design the 2040 championshipwinningcar!”
