Observed Claire doing a teacher-training session today after her email yesterday suggested that Bambo and I should attend. I was not entirely sure what it entailed. The session was held in the science lab. Although we left an hour to spare on the bus we ended up on the route 9 which despite what the bus driver said, didn't take us anywhere near Techniquest. We were only marginally on time.
As it turns out, Claire was teaching the teachers some of the techniques that Techniquest uses in its shows. She started with a bang by throwing a beach ball at the teachers and then asking them how it can be moved. Claire seems to like dramatic gestures.
There were 18 teachers there, all with name badges, and we were invited to the afternoon session. At first they sat around the table while Claire talked about the principles behind how Techniquest tried to teach science. There is an emphasis on making things fun and exciting but also using what seem to be fairly easily accessible objects. This appears to be quite different to what goes on in the exhibit hall.
Later they broke into groups to play with the different exhibits. Claire then took the role of a helper as she explained different things. The stress the whole time is "interactivity" and physically doing things.
There is a lot of laughter and messing around. Two of the teachers are trying to get a tightrope walking bear to work. Claire notices their failure and once they've left comes over and tries adding more tension to the rope but it doesn't help. I think she is trying to fix it without them noticing. I hear the bear called "Ernie."
Several of the teachers have tried blowing bubbles. Claire comes over and says "have you made the bubble trampoline yet?" There is some discussion to-ing and fro-ing. I think they haven't. I'm noticing that quite a few of the activities are quite difficult to achieve.
Bambo is taking photos of some of the activities. We're still unsure how to deal with release forms so she is trying to avoid whole-face shots. I'm watching her work, as someone who is an experienced filmaker but novice ethnographer I'm not sure what she will focus on. The ongoinng irony of doing a digital ethnography by writing in a book with pen frequently occurs to me.
I watch a caterpillar activity - a series of balls running down slopes. One teacher says "I love that."
Three new teachers go over to Ernie and this time they get him to work. One teacher says "Awww" another "Ooh! Look at his tiny legs".
I made a note at the time which read "This is part education, part sales." There is very much that feel to it. I wonder if Claire ever feels this and, if so, what her opinions are. That said, a little later, I noticed her taking a break and stand in the corner of the room watching the teachers. She has a smile on her face and is clearly enjoying watching them "pay". In my notes I described it as a "pay off moment." Lasts less than 60 seconds and then she is back in among them.
Later the teachers went to the exhibit hall, followed by Bambo while I attended the new "Under the Sea Show" for nursery age children. Quentin plays the role of Eric and (Tina a helper whose name I didn't get until few days lter) presented the show while sitting in a deckchair. Both have Hawain beach clothes type stuff on. It was very much children's educational television with some counting, identification and so on, though one child broke down into tears when he volunteered to go "exploring" in a scuba suit and changed his mind.
There were 16 children all accompanied by adults. They seem quite excited and enthused. Two kids with crew cuts, look like brothers, are quite riotous and hard to keep under control.
Lots of memory testing and getting volunteers to come down going on.
Tina accidentally calls "Eric" and I see her berate herself. She is either a perfectionist or else TQ puts a lot of stress into the professionalism of their presenters. I assume that she is a helper but this is quite a complex job for a minmum wage type job.
One child called as a volunteer breaks down into tears and has to be replaced. I wonder if that is normal. Later, while talking with Quentin, he says it is unusual.
This was not at all what I expected but the I didn't really know what to expect and I assume this is fairly atypical.
After the show I bumped into a woman called Sarah who quizzed me on what I thought. I found out later that she was Sarah Boden. I was surprised at the interest she showed in my opinions but did mention that it was only in its third day amd she seemed eager to get feedback. I didn't really know what to say so I was vague and vaguely complimentary.
After the show I rejoined the teachers in the lab. Sarah Boden and Claire now lead the teachers in a discussion about to how to conduct scientific experiments. Sarah seems keen to stress that "traditional" science teaching frame them as "experiments" while as TQ like to present them as narratives so that science happens 'naturally' as part of the story. I suspect that story-telling is going to be important given the stress they placed on it.
The teachers are broken into groups, given some props and a scientific principle and told to make a story which shows the scientific principle in action. Definitely a range of abilities. Bambo joins a pair while I watch. First group is quite good but second seem to miss the point.
I am unsure about how story telling fits into the exhibit hall lay out. The exhibit hall is very unstoried as far as I can tell. Is this a difference between the shows and exhibit halls. I'm also unsure as to whether TQ are suggesting that the teachers use narratives when teaching at school.
Sarah is of the "praise everything" school of motivation so none of the teachers' "stories" are bad. I think this is just Sarah but again it could be a TQ philosophy. Actually probably a combination.
During the afternoon Claire mentioned that one of the teachers is bringing a school trip tomorrow and suggests that she asks her if we can come along. We say yes and it is arranged in 5 minutes flat. If only all things were that easy.
A lot of stress on feedback here as well. Sarah wants feedback from me and she stresses that she wants feedback from the teachers. TQ or Sarah?