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Developing
resources for CADCAM |
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School: Our Lady &
St. John Rc High School Blackburn |
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Fellow: Stephen Fleming |
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Email: sfleming@lineone.net |
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Final report |
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My Gatsby Fellowship activities
have overlapped with the DATA Support Centre
initiative. I have been able to combine events
to maximise training and dissemination of
information. A CD of my teaching materials
has been produced which has been tailored
to teachers’ requests: |
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CADCAM materials for
use in KS3 / KS 4. |
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CADCAM materials for Electronic Products
and Resistant Materials at GCSE. |
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CADCAM scheme of work to cover Key
Stage 3. |
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New activities written covering KS
3 / 4. |
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What did appear, as something
of a surprise was the request for assessment
samples at KS3 to cover the D&T disciplines.
I have revamped my own Faculty internal examinations
and have made these available under the initiative. |
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The CD contains many pupil examples that
will provide exemplar materials to teachers
implementing CADCAM into the D&T curriculum.
These are a starting point and teachers are
being encouraged to add to the materials and
submit them for all to use.
One example covers the use of ProDESKTOP with
Year 7 pupils to create Halloween Masks providing
good links to the Art & Design curriculum.
It has been interesting to see that other
departments have identified a possible use
for the software including Mathematics and
ICT. |
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At the moment I have 200 Meg.
of work looking for a website to host it.
The school is working with the local education
authority to produce a website to host curriculum
areas. |
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Problems encountered |
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Finding time to get out of
school and visit colleagues has proved to
be difficult. Headteachers in the area have
clamped down on staff time-out. This has been
driven by pupil behavioural difficulties and
the need to keep established staff in front
of and controlling classes. A second factor
would seem to be the pressure that teachers
are under to achieve targets. |
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Training teachers |
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26 teachers trained within the Blackburn
with Darwen LEA this also includes the EAZ.
The training covered several twilight sessions
over the 3 month training period.
This training has enabled all Technology teachers
in the Blackburn area to be accredited to
the scheme. It is a credit to the teachers
that they have invested their own time to
become familiar with this scheme. It is also
gratifying that they find the course of great
value to their professional development. The
training materials have been updated to take
account of the 2000i² software release. |
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Training meetings |
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2 formal meetings were hosted at the centre
on the following dates:
November 13th 2000
January 31st 2001
I have also attended 6 Technology Support
meetings within the LEA where I regularly
update teachers about the CADCAM initiative. |
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Support of teachers and schools |
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I have supported teachers that
I have trained in the following ways:
- Telephone support.
- E-mail support.
- Visits to schools in the local area.
- Involved myself with the pilot scheme to
act as a manufacturing centre for primary
schools.
- Special support to 2 institutions:
- Westholme Independent Girls School still
ongoing.
- This included training 3 staff and setting
up the software scheme in the school.
- These teachers were trained on 2 separate
twilights. They have requested more sessions
later this year.
- St. Mary’s Catholic VI th Form College
- This included visits to the college and
giving extra help with tailoring units of
work to Years 12/13. |
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Outcomes |
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The CADCAM initiative has proved
to be an important vehicle in the promotion
and modernising of Design & Technology.
Local schools have all embraced the scheme
with some schools producing excellent quality
work. Some of the best performers have been
a revelation and usually it is the schools
that have given the software to pupils and
left them to get on with it that are the most
successful. |
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Teachers are complaining about overload,
challenging pupils and target setting at GCSE
level. |
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Working as a network of teachers we have
been able to support one another. |
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As a result of making
materials freely available this has
created a climate of mutual trust and
a willingness to share resources. Not
easy in a small locality where each
school is mindful of its GCSE A-C percentage. |
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The materials are now being developed
and improved upon by use in several
institutions. |
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Schools that have not confined the
software to just one cohort of pupils
are reaping rewards by using the pupils
to cascade training and techniques. |
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Several schools have set up CAD areas
on a shoestring by buying reconditioned
equipment. A typical price would be
£3000 for 10 computers, whiteboard
and projector. This level of equipment
guarantees progress with class groups. |
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Some of our most challenging pupils
have found that they can succeed in
this area and it has had a positive
effect on classroom management and behaviour. |
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Motivated pupils result in motivated
teachers. |
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As a moderator and senior examiner
I am now starting to see CADCAM work
appearing in files which is of good
quality. This has been spread over most
of the D&T suite of examinations.
I have taken every opportunity to brief
examiners on the initiative. This has
involved training the Principal Moderator
and his deputy for Electronic Products.
Exemplar material has also been included
on the AQA CD for Design & Technology. |
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There is a willingness by school management
teams to invest in resources that can
deliver the above. |
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Several schools in the Blackburn with
Darwen area now feature on the Cadinschools
website showcase. |
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The above award enabled me to have
an audience with the Home Secretary,
Jack Straw, to bring him up to date
with the CADCAM initiative and its success
in Blackburn with Darwen. |
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Future challenges |
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A greater emphasis on
manufacturing. |
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The use of CAM equipment in all schools.
As an authority we are addressing this
and setting up a £40,000 scheme
to loan equipment to schools with training
and technician support. |
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To ensure that schools have strength
in depth and are not held hostage by
a single member of staff. |
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To maintain the impetus that this
initiative has developed. |
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To bring quality project outcomes
to Primary schools in the authority
by developing the Virtual Manufacturing
Project. |
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Quality time to train teachers. |
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Due to the uptake of the initiative in schools
the local authority has been supportive in
developing pilot schemes to bring CADCAM to
KS 2 and to fund equipment for loan to schools.
There have been positive effects in the classroom
with reports of increased motivation not just
confined to pupils!
Quality of CAD has increased across the board
and several schools have developed CAM equipment
to manufacture their designs. This work is
now starting to appear in KS 4 files. |
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Although it can be classified
as a successful year for the initiative there
are still problems that need to be solved.
Equipment issues and quality training time
are two of the main problems holding back
progress. As a direct result of the Fellowship
and CADCAM initiative The local authority
is setting up a £40,000 scheme to loan
equipment to schools with training and technician
support. |
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