Michael Stanton

This project involved making small Christmas decorations by preparing and turning blanks made of ash wood. I ran this project with my S1 DAS group, with this photo showing a completed example made by one of the pupils. I chose the turning activity as an exciting new challenge for the pupils in this class, as turning is not normally something they would get to do until S3. Happily, they quickly got the hang of using the wood lathe, with excellent results!

This selection of Christmas House models was produced by pupils in two of my DAS classes. The project was designed to be a quick task to complete in the run up to Christmas, and focused on accurately marking out and cutting parts so that they fit together properly. As ever, I encouraged my pupils to be creative with their designs, and was not disappointed by the results!

I have been working one-to-one with a DAS pupil that has demonstrated extreme behaviour, and this is one of the first projects we completed together. The simple credit card torch task was perfect for the situation; it was suitable for a classroom, quick to complete and well suited to the ability level of the pupil involved.

I produced this storyboard for use with the torch activity. The pupil I am working with responded well to the format of these instructions, which I developed after receiving training on working with people with his requirements.
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These torches - completed by the pupil and the support teachers working with him - were all built within 45 minutes.

These models were completed by an S5/6 DAS group. The brief for the project was "A Gift in a Box" and was based on a similar product - a Gift in a Tin - that I saw while visiting a local craft shop. The pupils produced a box of a certain size, which would then contain all of the parts needed to build a model. The pupils were given a choice of products to produce - either an insect house or a toy car.

These aeroplanes were produced by an S2/3 DAS group. I developed the project after discussing possible options with the class, and it was designed to allow them to apply many of the skills they had been learning in other projects through the year, such as marking out, measuring and cutting.

These model boats were completed by a second year DAS group over three periods at the end of the school year.

This chair was completed as a group project by the S2/3 DAS group. The students worked together to produce the components and assemble them into the completed chair, which also folds for easier storage.

The class is supported by a PSA, who also got involved!

The folded chair.

The pupils were very proud of the finished product, and were very enthusiastic while completing the project. As with previous activities, I gave them the choice of whether or not to build the chair, and also left it up to them to decide what to do with it; they have chosen to donate it to the DAS department.