Interview

I recently completed my 3 month work placement and within this I interviewed Lorraine March Head of Design and technology department within Allenbourn Middle School.

Question 1: The government states that all children should be given the right to relevant and challenging learning. It states that this should include ICT, language, writing, specking, listening and reading. How do you feel textiles as a subject approaches these areas?

Lorraine's response: Textiles had a massive link to maths, english and science. One of the biggest areas covered was written and specking skills due to students interviewing the user of the products they were researching. This involved using a lot of open ended questions.

From what I observed the school approaches each area within each lesson to an outstanding level. They encourage each student to develop and achieve the best results within each area. The equipment and support available to each student helps them achieve the outstanding results.

Question 2: What effect do you feel removing textiles from the National Curriculum will have on children and future industries?

Lorraine' response: Textiles is a great subject for under confident students as it teaches them skills to make a product they can be proud of. Textiles also teaches them awareness of other people and their needs when designing a product for them. The industry will suffer with a lack of skilled labours. Some of the best british designers will have started out at Middle school, so without textiles we wouldn't have top designers.

I agree with lorraine, I think that textiles is a fantastic subject for teaching the less confident and less academic students. I myself am not an academic student but flourished in a creative environment. I also think it is a great subject to develop skills gained from other subjects like maths, english and science. By measuring their fabric they develop mathematic skills, by looking at the structure and compounds of fabrics they develop scientific knowledge ect. Also one of the major skilled shortages currently in fashion is seamstresses this could be made worse with the removal of textiles from the National Curriculum. Overall I think textiles is a very important subject and with out it many children will suffer greatly in many ways.

Question 3: There are three main styles in which we learn, auditory, visual and kinaesthetic. Do you feel it is important to know and understand when teaching children and why?

Lorraine's response: It is very important to know and understand each learning style otherwise you fail to reach every student. When giving out information she uses videos for visual and auditory students and physical products for kinaesthetic students.

I think this is one of the most important subject to know and understand because if you don't you as a teacher will fail to teach all students and are therefore not providing a relevant and challenging education.

Question 4: What transferable skills do you feel students gain out of textiles?

Lorraine's Response: There are many skills learnt from within textiles that can be applied to other subjects such as researching, ICT, problem solving, time management, planning, presentation, communication, practical sewing skills and also evaluation skills.

I feel that all the above skills are invaluable skills that can be applied to not only an academic view but also in a individual view, they can apply them to home life and develop many skills to prepare them for life later on.

Question 5: How do you feel different learning styles affect transferable skills?

Lorraine's response: It is still important to know and understand each learning style because if you do not teach with each style in mind the students will not understand and will fail to learn.

I agree with lorraine and it shows the importance of understanding each students specific learning needs otherwise you will fail them as a teacher.

Question 6: Where do you see new technology affecting textiles as a subject?

Lorraine's response: Allenbourn is lucky to have a great textiles department in which they have a laser cutter, heat press and computerised sewing machines. This has won over the boys who would normally not respect the subject. It also allows students of every ability to create a product to a higher standard.

I have observed this happening within lessons and in particular winning the boys over. While on placement we had a difficult male student who refused to push himself within the subject but once shown how to apply the computerised technology to a garment he was interested in he achieved an outstanding result. The development of the students product was clear when looking at product from year 5 through to year 8.

Question 7: Do you feel the industry is important to students at middle school level and why?

Lorraine's response: Yes even the students at the age of 9 want to know the purpose of doing something and you can show them with examples of real life.

I feel that yes knowledge of the industry is important but their idea of the industry is different to ours (adults). To children at middle school age a top designer is New Look, River Island, Abercrombie and Fitch and Hollister, which are more or less high street brands. For us as adults we have knowledge of couture designers such as Vivian Westwood, Karl Lagerfeld, Alexander McQueen, Giorgio Armani and many more.

Question 8: Do you think the economy has affected education?

Lorraine's response: Allenbourn is lucky to have a headmaster who supports and funds the Design and Technology department, but knows of schools who are struggling to even do projects they wish to do due to lack of funding.

I have to say Allenbourn is one of the best equipped schools for textiles that I have seen and feel it would be a shame and an injustice to creative students for the government to remove textiles from the National Curriculum. If we loose this subject students who lack confidents or are not academic will fail at education and will become lost in the system as troubled children. Without someone showing them they are good, even great at something they will fail to see the point in education.

Question 9: In ten years time where do you see textiles as a subject?

Lorraine's response: I would like to see it still on the National Curriculum but fears that it will not due to the economy. We have already lost the manufacturing business and with the loss of textiles will loose our future british designers.

I would agree with lorraine but hope to that it will stay on the National Curriculum and would like to see textiles developing the computer aided side within schools as I feel the industry is becoming much more computerised due to the growth in technological advances.

To end I have enjoyed every second spent on placement and have learnt many things. It has opened my eyes to the true role of a teacher which i feel is more of a carers role, by which i mean to teach children you first have to gain there trust, create a warm and welcoming area and listen and care to any and all issues they may have. They are at school to learn but if they do not trust you they will not listen to you. While on placement I learnt that students want to know you care before they want to know what you know.