A new Technology Centre
The development of a new Technology block, to replace the old Balclutha Technology Centre, provided an opportunity to incorporate aspects of the process within a Technology programme.
Construction of the new South Otago High School Junior Technology Centre involved much more for TIC Technology Christine Elder than just looking at plans. Not only was she fully involved in the planning but she used the development of the new building to teach the Technological Products and Technological Modelling Components of the Technology curriculum, and also initiated a community history project.
Located in a cramped, two-prefab, unfenced facility off-site from Balclutha Primary School, the Balclutha Technology Centre wasn't ideal for its purpose. The Ministry of Education didn't want to renovate the building and staff were told they would get a new facility. During discussions around the building of a new centre, South Otago High School (SOHS) proposed that it be relocated to their grounds and built in conjunction with a new high school Technology block. With support from Balclutha School and the Centre's client schools, planning began for a combined Technology block. Christine, colleague Simon Kay, Nick Simpson and the high school Technology staff together with members of the Board of Trustees, visited a number of South Island schools to look at their new Technology rooms.
At the same time, Christine had begun researching school buildings for a proposed study of educational buildings and new curricula (although this didn't eventuate). This provided a good preparation for working on the Technology Centre project, even though she had been looking at general school buildings rather than Technology rooms specifically. Having read widely on the topic, Christine recommends The Language of School Design: Design Patterns for 21st Century Schools by architects Prakash Nair and Randall Fielding who specialise in designing school buildings. She also found useful a PowerPoint presentation Technology Suites of the First Decade containing photos of modern school buildings in New Zealand and Australia, put together by Steve Mercer during his 2001 RSNZ Science, Mathematics and Technology teacher fellowship. In anticipation of the building development, Christine showed the PowerPoint to her students and asked for their opinions on what they liked and thought would be effective in a Technology room. She also asked them what they didn't like about their old building. Christine recorded all their comments and later, during the early stages of the project, shared the information with the architect.
A lot of the students identified furniture as very important as the Centre had wooden stools that, due to the highly polished floors, students frequently fell off! Christine investigated classroom furniture to ensure that she got the best available, choosing chairs and stools from Hawke's Bay manufacturer Furnware. The company had lent her some chairs to use in the old facility so that over several weeks students could test and evaluate them as they would be used.
In 2008, the new principal of South Otago High School, Nick Simpson, revived the Technology Centre plan. Although the timing and funding didn't allow for a combined Technology block, he proposed that building of a new Balclutha SOHS Junior Technology Centre block should go ahead on the high school grounds. Having already done the initial research and school visits, Christine, Nick and the Board of Trustees were able to discuss the proposal and move on quickly. Architect Phillip Gilchrist was appointed to design the new building and had a good understanding of the requirements as he was an ex-student of the high school, member of a local Board of Trustees and experienced in designing school buildings. Told to go away and get started, Christine and Phillip began many hours of consultation as they worked through the process of designing the new block. "We sat down and we talked and got on really well. The prior work I'd done gave me a good understanding about what's required in designing a building so although he was the architect of course, we were able to work together as a team."
Christine had indentified the priorities for her Soft Materials/Food Technology room as flexibility, light and space as she wanted an area large enough to include a design studio and to allow flexibility in using the room "to make it a 21st century teaching space". To make sure that the design studio could be fully utilised that it was large enough to fit the whole class, Christine modelled it with her students as they gathered, with their chairs, to work how much space would be required to sit a whole class comfortably. The final plan incorporated a "really useable" area which allows the whole class or individual students to easily move in and out to access the television or five computers. Christine keeps a class blog with examples of student work, and instead of getting hard-copies of recipes the students look them up on the blog.
Students were involved throughout the planning process – as with previous groups, Christine asked current students for their opinions on what was needed in the new block. Conscious that she was working through the same technological process she was teaching her students, Christine documented the building's development with photos, visiting the site every week to photograph progress. She gathered up pieces of material that were lying around and asked students what they might be, as the basis for discussion of the Technological Products component. Now that the building is completed most of the materials can't be seen, but if Christine wants to make this link again she can refer students to these photos.
During one site visit Christine took photos of the pink lines spray-painted on the grass to mark cutting lines as an example of modelling for her students. She discussed other kinds of modelling in the development, such as the evening she spent on the phone with Phillip "looking at the building plan on the computer, and as we talked about it we'd slide bits of paper around to reorganise the office and the storage area". Christine admits that, although she can read plans, she is more visual so found it difficult to envisage what the building would look like and to work out how the rooms linked. Phillip used Google Sketch Up to create a 3D virtual tour which enabled people to look through each room. Students could follow the modelling from pink lines, initial concept drawings and technical plans through to the virtual tour. Christine notes that after viewing the tour students had the knowledge to download the program and use SketchUp at home for their own projects.
Christine and Phillip made decisions throughout the planning process, but kept Nick in the loop through regular meetings in which they discussed progress. Christine consulted many other people during the work – she was conscious that she couldn't make decisions just for herself as she wouldn't always be at the Centre. Thorough planning meant the development went smoothly – "We just sat, and went through it and went through it. When you look at the initial concept drawings and what we've ended up with, you can see how much we've changed or tweaked things." Despite the rigorous planning one oversight did slip through, and when students are washing dishes it is evident that the bench space between the sink and oven should be longer.
After teaching in the building for almost a year, however, everything else has proved its worth. In addition to providing flexibility, the increased space allows equipment to be left set up so Christine doesn't have to change the room around when she switches from Soft Materials to Food Technology. Before, sewing machines had to be shifted away before the ovens could be turned on. There is plenty of storage area, with Lundia shelving suitable to store textiles and also be used as a pantry – Christine and Simon also appreciate their new moveable whiteboards which contain cupboards for extra storage. The new block was officially opened in November 2010, although classes didn't start using the facility until the following year. Students commented on the extra space, the design studio and the colourful look but were most impressed, Christine says, with the electric windows!
The large windows provide much more light than the previous building "where sometimes we could hardly thread a needle", and there is a good indoor/outdoor flow through the big doors to the courtyard. The windows are set high enough that high school students passing through can't look in and distract the students. The old trees around one side of the building help the 'outside' come into the room – "and the large glass windows and the spring growth on the trees give a very soothing feel to the room". A raised garden was installed later on, directly outside the building, and Christine plans to set up a garden programme for the students who attend for a whole day.
Although sited on the edge of the high school, the Centre isn't completely separate – there is a science lab close by ("Keeping kids quiet, or reasonably quiet, at break times can be a wee bit challenging!") and the high school's new Digital Technologies room will also be nearby. The Centre runs on a different timetable to the high school, so students don't tend to mix, although some who had hoped to be in the Centre when they were Year 7/8 have come in for a look. The ten client schools have ten half-days every term – three sessions when they come in for a morning or afternoon, and two when they attend from 9:30-2:30. Having a whole-day session allows flexibility in the programme, enabling Christine to take her students to events such as the high school wearable art parade and the touring art van. She was pleased that the high school art teacher chose some of her students' work for a fashion parade, although the students were too shy to actually wear the garments.
In this first year, there hasn't been a lot of interaction between the Centre and high school staff but this may change, particularly as most of the Technology Centre students move on to the high school where they can continue with their Year 8 subjects – Soft/Hard Materials, Food and Electronics. Christine and Simon are part of the SOSH Technology staff and during the year share their appraisals with the secondary staff. They also send them the Year 8 results at the end of the year. They hope their proximity will lead to a strengthened relationship between teachers and improved transition for students moving from Year 8 to Year 9.
Community links
Many in the community have had links to both schools and were aware of progress on the new Technology Centre. People are also pleased because there hadn't been any new school buildings in Balclutha for a long time. In 2006, Christine started a project linked to the anticipated rebuild, documenting the history of the Balclutha Technology Centre. She worked with Curator Gary Ross of the South Otago Museum to construct Moving On, an exhibition about the old Manual education and the changes made with the advent of Technology education, and has continued to work closely with the museum which will store the historic material.
Members of the community were asked to share memorabilia from the past, such as photos, outcomes, recipe books and class exercise books. Parents and grandparents have written about their memories of attending the Centre (including the grandfather recounting how he'd jump off the train at a siding because it was going so slowly, run alongside and then jump back on!). While most respondents reminisced about the 1973 building, there were some who had attended the first Technical School constructed in 1912. Christine took a few students to interview an elderly woman on video, but says that this wasn't particularly successful with amateurs and that it would have been better to record an audio interview instead. In 2011, parents of students new to the Technology centre also contributed to the Moving On project.
The history initiative proved well-timed, because the old building was shifted to Christchurch after the February 2011 earthquakes – "I drive past the old site now and it's a lovely green space with trees and if we hadn't recorded it nobody would have any idea. It came down so quickly and that history has just gone". Teachers and students had created a time capsule but, with the hasty moving of the old building, it was popped into a shed until there was time to install it properly.
Asked what advice she'd give to another school developing a new Technology block, Christine says "Do your homework". She adds that she was due to take a holiday before the project began but was so excited about starting she carried on working. In retrospect, she suggests "Make sure you have a good rest before you start because it's just incredibly time-consuming and you've got to be on the ball. It was an amazing journey. It was huge and took over my life for about a year, but as a Technology teacher just going through that process was invaluable".
And Christine's other recommendation – take lots of photos. Although she didn't have much time to review her photos during the build, Christine later made them into a PowerPoint to share with her students. She has found this a useful teaching tool and it also reinforces some aspects of the whole development for her.
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