Bill Dewberry
History and special needs teacher, Chingford Foundation School, London
Bill Dewberry with his year 7 students on a visit to Portsmouth Dockyard © Terry Milnes 2008
Describe your dream day of teaching.
On the decks of HMS Victory.
What has been your highlight of teaching so far?
As head of faculty for inclusion all special education needs pupils achieving six or more GCSEs last year.
What has been your worst day of teaching?
Probably a trip to a church many years ago. Lost 20 odd pupils. Found them filling in a grave with the grave digger. Not funny at the time!!
What is your favourite place or building?
I have two, but one’s abroad - the Bayeux Tapestry. My favourite place is the New Forest. Walk deep into the forest, find an open space and wait. There is something very basic when the deer turn up and the green woodpecker yaffles in the distance – magic.
What do you feel is built environment education?
Involvement. Learning to cope, appreciate and interact through your senses with what is outside the normal cosy zone. In school that is coupled with putting 3D to the flat screen and book.
What are you doing with the built environment in your class at the moment?
The year 7 ‘Where do I live?’ work starts the awareness of the use of place and buildings. Importantly it teaches them how to look at things above eye level.
If you wanted to access your local area to focus on built environment education, what might you do?
Despite where we are, London is a complete mystery to our pupils. There is a case for a termly visit to the centre.
What is the best thing about using the built environment in education?
Realisation and the questions it naturally provokes both in the field and back in the classroom.
What is the major difficulty with using the built environment in your teaching, and how do you overcome this?
Travel. Coach and rail travel is expensive. In London the Mayor’s Office allows free travel. What a bonus. Local authorities should do the same, local buses and off peak rail should be free.
Name one resource you find invaluable for teaching when using the built environment.
A camera for pupils and an interactive white board when you get back to show the images on.
Interviewed: November 2008
