On Saturday 14th March there was an ART Module One Day Course held at St Georges, Preshute, (pictured below in the spring sunshine). St George’s is a village church separated from the Town of Marlborough by the adjacent Marlborough College and near the village of Manton. The river Kennet runs just behind the church, adding to a rather idyllic setting. The tower houses an easy-going ring of six bells, (tenor 9-1010), which are rung from the ground floor. The bells were cast by Gillet and Johnston, the back five in 1925 and the treble in 1931. There is an active local band which ring for Sunday services, important national events and they hold a weekly practice.
The ART Module 1 Day course is for anyone who would like to teach new ringers to handle a bell, as well as those who have some teaching experience but feel they would like to either refresh elements of teaching a new learner or require guidance on overcoming some of the challenges of teaching bell control.
Ten delegates from the East Dorset, Marlborough, Mere and West Dorset Branches attended the course which was led by Paul Lewis from Shropshire. Paul is a very experienced tutor who benefits from his work in higher education, this enables him to deliver PowerPoint and practical sessions in a way, keeping the delegates attention and encourages and achieves group participation.
We were joined for the day by Yolande Hasselo from Calgary, Alberta who is training to become an ART Tutor for Canada and North America. Yolande shadowed Paul for most of the day, interacting with the delegates and offering her thoughts on some of the teaching elements as well as leading one of afternoon practical sessions.
Module One of the ART Learning the Ropes Scheme is completely focussed on teaching the basics of bell control to new learners. As with all the ART processes it shows how to break things down into small and achievable steps, awareness of the need to adapt a teaching style to suit a learner, ways of giving positive feedback to learners to give them encouragement as well as pointing out what they are doing wrong and to teach in a structured and safe environment. In addition, it gives the delegates a course pack which includes ART books and resource sheets as well as a personal login to the ART website where they can obtain more support and resources.
The day consisted of several practical sessions in the tower on tied bells with some delegates playing the role of teacher whilst others acted as learners and then changing roles to gain experience as a teacher, all of this was interspersed with theory sessions and discussions. It was interesting as several had arrived in pairs from the same towers how Paul split them up so they had to work with an unknown person creating a similar scenario they would face when teaching a new learner in their own tower. This also encouraged group interaction with delegates sharing previous teaching experiences.
Throughout the day we were supplied with refreshments including a hot lunch and afternoon tea kindly prepared and provided by Len Robert and Judith Williamson from the Mere Branch, assisted by Richard Metters, the local Tower Captain, which kept everyone alert.
We hope we have provided the delegates with the inspiration and resources to feel confident in teaching a new learner and look forward to inviting them in the future to attend a Module Two Day Course which will introduce them into teaching the early stages of change ringing.
We are very grateful to everyone involved in making this course so successful, the Guild for making a donation to cover the cost of using the facilities at Preshute, Len, Judith and Richard for their hard work in keeping us all refreshed, Paul for travelling from Shropshire and delivering the course and the Church Authorities at Preshute for allowing us to use the building for the day and making us feel so welcome.
David Hacker
Course Organiser.
Thoughts from a delegate…
I was asked to provide some feedback on the Association of Ringing Teachers’ Module 1 Bell Handling course held at Preshute, near Marlborough on Saturday 14th March. To be honest, I felt a certain amount of trepidation in signing up for the course in the first place given that I am a relatively inexperienced ringer (2 years) and wasn’t sure that I was ready to consider teaching.
Organisation of the course by David Hacker was excellent, from registration, which included a comprehensive information pack on arrival, with refreshments throughout the day and lunch all expertly provided by Len Roberts & Judith Williamson, to Richard Metters – tower captain, for hosting us at such a beautiful location.
Paul Lewis was the tutor for the day, joined by Yolande Hasselo from Calgary, Alberta, in the UK for a few weeks and preparing to be the new ART Tutor for Canada and the USA. The insight and teaching methods provided by these two, covering bell handling was exceptional, and presented in a fun and informative way through both classroom and practical, hands-on work in the tower.
There is obviously a lot to cover in one day, but with the great tutoring and the supporting online resources available via SmART Ringer virtual learning website, my initial apprehension was misplaced. Whether you’re an aspiring ringing teacher, or, like me, are not sure what to expect, this course provides very valuable knowledge and feedback, which can set you on the path to teaching, assisting your fellow ringers in the tower, or simply improving your own style & technique.
The day course can be followed up with further modules and ART accreditation and is highly recommended.
Alan Richards
Tower Captain – All Saints Church, Tarrant Keyneston, East Dorset Branch
