ctc visit

on thursday i visited john cabot ctc. as well as catching up with some of my former teachers and checking out what was new at the college, i spoke to some of the staff regarding my research project

paul stephens-wood

paul is a humanities teacher who spent several weeks in nigeria establishing links with a local school, as part of ctc's global communities project. he explained for me some of the differences between uk and nigerian education models, and outlined how the two institutions stand to benefit from each other, such as with student and staff exchanges. while discussing the nigerian model, he noted that their system is based on victorian methods, a remnant of british colonialism. he highlighted that the majority of knowledge in the developing world is shared by word of mouth, rather than written texts or archives. he also suggested that montageworld may prove useful for my research

nathan jenkins

nathan is the head of design and technology, and the department is one of the most advanced in the uk. he has spent the last few years working to encourage other establishments to upgrade their dt and tech facilities to take advantage of c21st resources, such as cad/cam and rapid prototyping, in order to better equip their students with relevant skills. he is in the process of developing a bespoke vle for his department, which he then hopes to export to other schools. nathan and i discussed how engineering technology has evolved over recent years, and how he has adapted their curriculum and teaching methods to match

jayne crosby

jayne is a languages teacher who also works on the college's global communities scheme. following my previous interview with her, we discussed further issues surrounding the westernisation of developing-world teaching models, and the impact that technology is having by providing improved and instant communications, interactive learning, free and permanent resources, and accurate information approved by governmental bodies, ngo's and charities