January 31, 2024 (Duncan, BC) – The Construction Foundation of BC’s (CFBC) Skills Ready program ran its most recent Train the Trainer workshop on Design Thinking and ADST concepts this past week at Vancouver Island University’s Duncan campus. The morning session included a presentation followed by a hands-on activity of creating Nerve Testers with workshop participants.
ELEMENTARY ELECTRICAL WORKBOOK
Built around the construction of an electronic Nerve Tester, the workshop saw the group of 25 fifth-year student teachers working with LED lightbulbs, batteries and applying wiring techniques to establish a flowing electrical current that powered the lightbulb of each tester. The activity is aimed to push the group out of their comfort zone.
Electrical projects such as the Nerve Tester are located in CFBC’s Elementary Electrical workbook, a resource provided free online and also as a physical book. Learn more and download the book by clicking HERE or visiting skillsready.ca.
“These workshops really help our teachers understand what it’s like for their students to go through the Design Thinking process and to really go through the problem solving process,” said VIU professor, Jodi Latremouille. “They have to deal with failures, and try again and have that perseverance. I think that will help them empathize with their students and also give them some confidence to work in an area and teach in an area that’s outside of what they are normally used to.”
Student teachers were also asked to design a thinking challenge in a different subject area. This exercise provided an opportunity to apply the principles of the workshop to humanities, the arts, science, social studies, and physical education, expanding beyond ADST to create an interdisciplinary project.
“I think workshops like the ones here at VIU are awesome,” added Latremouille. “It’s really cool that our student teachers get an opportunity to actually do the work that their students will be doing. Once they understand the concepts and can complete the project, then they just have so much more confidence to teach it to others.”
There has been no shortage of Train the Trainer sessions to kick off the New Year, with a number of workshops taking place across Vancouver Island in the month of January. For more information on the work being done by the Construction Foundation of BC and to donate, please visit www.constructionfoundation.ca.
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