Pre-planning
The focus of some resources was to help document information in a graphical form. Using graphical documentation of systems and their interactions seemed more logical. The students I was working with were very visual, so presenting work visually made it easier to communicate and understand, rather than large bodies of text.
Most of the pre-planning was done during the 2004-05 Christmas break. Andrew had not taught Level 2 Technology before, so his first task was to familiarise himself with and fully understand the intent of the internal and external achievement standards for the subject at that level.
That done, and having decided to focus the year on lighting, Andrew wanted to come up with a major project that would appeal to the range of students in the class. He decided on a lighting solution for a trendy location that offered the opportunity to use a range of materials - steel, timber, softer based material, even a merge of composites and fabrics. He wanted to set up the project as an authentic one from the outset, and to carefully manage the process all the way through to maintain the authenticity. He also wanted the solution to have 'take home' value for the students, something of their own that they would enjoy and be proud to own, whether or not their prototype was chosen by the client for use in the intended location.
Andrew wanted a single client for the whole class, and shortlisted possible restaurants and social venues in downtown Wellington as ideal possible clients. To Andrews's HoD, Geoff Keith, one client immediately stood out - Sandwiches - as he knew its owner well. The client welcomed the idea, and a meeting was held to discuss the project and ensure the client requirements would be achievable by the class members.
I knew from the outset that I had to communicate well with the client - they're doing us the favour - I didn't try to put any extra pressure on them. We always worked around them, the way you'd deal with a client professionally, and I tried to teach that to the students also.
"I've been down this road a few times and I was able to foresee possible turns of events and plan ahead for those things," says Andrew. "For this unit, there was a lot to do in a short period of time - you've only got three terms to get all of the work completed. Time was of the essence - and students are oblivious of that, so I was conscious of continually pushing them."
