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German Exchange: Trip to Potsdam 2024

 

 

In early June, 19 Year 9 and 10 students, accompanied by Mrs Fern and Mrs Floyd, spent a fabulous week staying with their German exchange partners from Helmholtz Gymnasium in Potsdam.  It was a really interesting experience living with a German family and trying to speak as much German as possible (not always easy as they speak such good English!). We visited the beautiful parks and palaces in Potsdam, including the Sanssouci Palace and the Cecilienhof where the Potsdam Conference was held in 1945. We had a day shadowing our partners at school and enjoyed comparing Helmholtz with 麻豆视频. We also spent two days sightseeing in Berlin, where, amongst other things, we went up the iconic Television Tower, saw the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, bits of the Berlin Wall and tried out our skills in the Spy Museum. We bought plenty of chocolate from the Ritter Sport shop and also did a Scavenger Hunt in KaDeWe, one of the smartest department stores in Berlin.The Euros 2024 started on our last night in Germany and we saw the celebrations as Germany beat Scotland!

 

This exchange was made possible thanks to the UK-German School Partnerships Bursary. 

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30th January

Teachers commended for transforming Design & Technology education

We were delighted to read that our Design and Technology teachers, Miss Yalley and Mr Hadley were featured in the Design and Technology publication.  The article discusses the transformation of the Design & Technology (D&T) department at St. Clement Danes School over the past five years. It discusses how Mr Hadley and Miss Yalley took ownership of the subject, implementing a new subject ethos based on trust, excellence, respect, and safety to foster student responsibility and independence. Key Initiatives & Changes Revamping Projects & Curriculum Introduced more challenging design projects at earlier years (Years 8 & 9). Shifted focus to design skills, problem-solving, and justifying choices over just practical outcomes. Prioritized quality over quantity in student projects. Notable projects: Year 7: Robot concepts Year 8: Articulated lamps Year 9: Branded dispensers & modular speakers Encouraging Inclusion & Diversity Created a girls-only club to boost female participation in GCSE Product Design. Sixth-form girls mentor younger students, building confidence and community. Design Ventura Competition Integrated mock coursework with the Design Ventura competition. Encouraged teamwork and prototyping to improve engagement. Use of AI & Technology Introduced cloud-based tools to make learning more accessible. Leveraged AI for idea development and communication. Professional Development & Industry Links Participating in the Teachers in Residence program to gain industry insights. Adopted industry models like the Double Diamond Design Process and Scrum-based project sprints to enhance student learning. Established workshops with industry professionals to inspire students, especially girls, to pursue design careers. Key Takeaways for Educators Adapt curriculum to student needs and school culture. Pilot new initiatives as clubs first to gauge student interest. Encourage student feedback to refine teaching methods. Be open to change and continuously evolve teaching strategies. The article ultimately encourages educators to embrace creativity, experimentation, and student collaboration in D&T education. We are very proud of our teachers for their continued hard work and dedication for each of their subject areas. Congratulations to Mr Hadley and Miss Yalley for their inspiring article and the incredible work they’ve done to transform Design & Technology at St. Clement Danes! Their dedication to fostering creativity, inclusion, and industry connections is truly commendable, and their impact on students will undoubtedly be long-lasting.