M2F: 23 Mar 2018 - Tewkesbury Abbey

Breaking the mould!

Cheltenham district ringers stepped out of their comfort zone to try some new ways of teaching at the ART M2F Day Course run at Tewkesbury Abbey in March.

Cheltenham has many towers within the district but not always enough ringers on the end of ropes. In the last few years, there has been a recognition that we need competent, confident and enthusiastic teaching to retain the beginners we attract.

With this in mind two ART Day Courses have run so far, hopefully with more to follow. This course focussed on bringing on beginners from rounds, to ring call changes and begin the basic building blocks of methods. While many of those attending the Day Course had recent experience of learning and teaching, the challenges to examine how we teach and how pupils learn, proved a real eye opener.

Of particular interest was examining the basic skills needed to ring a method, breaking down these skills and developing exercises to teach each skill individually. Some of these exercises proved challenging for the attendees and did highlight how set in our ways we can become – all too easily forgetting just how hard it is! (Never has a Mexican wave been so challenging)

I know that everyone who attended will be taking something back to their home tower which will enthuse the pupils and challenge the more experienced.

Simon Ridley