Primary teachers learn the art of craft
Mr Dawson and Mr Braham hosted a visit of 30 Primary School Teachers who attended hands-on Design and Technology training. The event was organised by the Swaledale Alliance and was an opportunity for Primary staff to be trained by ‘experts’ on how they can deliver Design and Technology effectively in Primary Schools. It was also an opportunity for Mr Braham and Mr Dawson to inform staff of what would be useful for students to know when they start Design & Technology in Year 7 at Richmond School.
The session lasted 1 ½ hours, starting with an insight into what Design and Technology is, why it is important, and using the KS1 and 2 curriculum – how they could deliver it effectively in Primary Schools. Staff were taught about the 4-stage Design Process: Investigate, Design, Make and Evaluate and the importance of problem-solving and ensuring students have a focus for their projects. Primary staff posed questions about the importance of Creativity and the Design Cycle.
Primary staff then spent time completing a Design and Make challenge. They were given the problem of furniture and increasing student awareness of Design and Design Eras – they were to design and make a model of a piece of furniture which could be used in their Primary School to get students thinking about Design and encourage creativity. The Primary Staff, albeit slightly lacking in confidence, completed the task and demonstrated some fantastic Design and Make skills, creativity and used the Design Era inspiration to complete the task. Mr Dawson and Mr Braham were very impressed with their commitment and keenness!
Overall, the event was a huge success and Primary staff have commented since on how useful it was. Mr Dawson and Mr Braham have some follow-up appointments to visit Primary Schools and have been asked to do some more in-depth training around tools, materials and equipment.