Placed

New Teacher Training Workshops

This January and February PLACED delivered two teacher training activities for teachers from eight schools in Greater Manchester and Ellesmere Port. The workshops were based on sessions PLACED delivers in schools for pupils and were designed to give teachers ideas to take back to the classroom and incorporate into their teaching.

The PLACED workshop in Greater Manchester was organised by St Peter’s High School as part of a technology inset day and brought together technology teachers from six local schools. They participated in two sessions; the Bridge Building Team and the Interior Design workshop.

The session was well received, with 96% of participants reporting that they found the day interesting. Feedback from teachers included comments such as the session was “Fun and interactive, and can be used with pupils. Good ideas to expand on.” Another teacher told us that she “Enjoyed the hands on practical aspects of the session; it gave me tips and tools to use in lessons.”

As a result of taking part, 80% of teachers felt that they had a better understanding of the potential of the built environment to support their teaching and 90% of those who took part reported that they would feel confident in delivering elements of the workshop themselves.

The session was delivered by a fantastic team of Ambassadors; Antony Meadows, Mark Hammond, Irina Adam and Zlatina Spasova.

A second workshop was delivered for all teachers from the University Church of England Academy. The workshop saw over 100 teachers participating in a half day session that will later be delivered to their year 9 students as part of the STEM Festival taking part in Ellesmere Port.

Teachers explored the idea of culture and heritage; what makes somewhere unique, what is important about its design and what do we mean by a ‘cultural space’. Working in teams, teachers then developed a range of creative solutions for the design of a Cultural Island in the River Mersey.

Ideas ranged from a entertainment island in the shape of a spider linking the two sides of the Mersey to an island dedicated to providing activity holidays for young people from the region. Teachers commented how they enjoyed “Groupwork, not writing tasks, planning and succeeding!” and the fact that the session was “Fun, and different to any other CPD training!”. 

The session had links across the curriculum with particualr links to STEM subjects, art, history and geography, and all teachers had an input into design ideas that developed. The session brought together teachers of all subjects, and the opportunity to work with colleagues they wouldn’t typically work with was enjoyed.

Six Ambassadors delivered the workshop; Graham Marshall, Matthew Lewis, Ben Green, Ben Prince, Andrew Connor and Erin Walsh. Feedback from the day was extremely positive and PLACED are now looking forward to working with the year 9 students for three days in March. PLACED is grateful to Ellesmere Port Education Partnership for organising the event.

To inquire about teacher workshops in your school email info@placed.org.uk