Teacher training event at Buckfast Abbey
A waste education training day for teachers from primary and secondary schools in Devon, run on behalf of Devon County Council.
Overview
In February 2010 Resource Futures were asked to run a teacher training event at Buckfast Abbey. The aim of this was to provide a day where interested teachers could find out more about waste education good practice in schools, learn what waste education workshops Resource Futures and Devon County Council could provide and meet other teachers from across Devon who were implementing similar initiatives within their schools. It was a chance for them to listen, talk and ask questions, pick up new ideas and share their concerns.
Preparation
The event was promoted to all schools in Devon via email and flyer. There were over 20 participants, which was higher than in previous years. Some teachers cancelled at the last minute but those who did attend found the day enjoyable and useful - 95% rated the day overall as either good or excellent, with 89% of delegates finding the information very useful. One teacher commented: “excellent day, very informative!”
On the day
There were a number of guest speakers invited to share their knowledge and case studies, the first was Nick Sheehan from Teignmouth Community College who focused on sustainability in the curriculum and engaged all with his clear presentation.
Dawn Neil from Resource Futures presented some “superb ideas on Eco schools and ways to present the information” from her time as eco co-ordinator in Heol – y – Cyw Primary in South Wales. A delegate commented that it was “good to see and hear about ideas in practice” (Justin Vernon at Topsham Primary).
Roy Kerrigan, dynamic head teacher from Two Moors Primary in Tiverton presented lots of practical suggestions and photos of what had been happening in his school. One teacher commented that “the case studies showed a variety of ways to approach a project” and had “good overlap.”
Nicky Scott gave an informative and interesting talk about composting systems which was useful to many in the room who were in the process of setting up systems themselves or had recently done so.
Attendees got to try their hand at a Resource Futures KS2 workshop – the Recycled Materials Challenge, focusing on recycled objects – a competitive yet fun challenge where they got to examine lots of different items and guess what they were made from. Throughout the day there was opportunity to look through some of the resources and lesson plans available from Resource Futures.
Teachers had time to talk, compare ideas, discuss common problems and brainstorm during a planning and discussion workshop. They also came up with questions for the panel of experts. There was the opportunity to find out about funding available from DCC and a chance to look at their new website.
Results
The day was a success, in terms of achievement, enjoyment, feedback and budget. One teacher commented, “I have had a great day - lots of practical ideas AND more importantly support resources,” whilst another found it “an interesting day with lots of information.” It was rated a “great day, very inspiring. Thank you!”