St Mary’s Students Work with National Gallery

Undergraduate Primary Education students from St Mary’s University College, Twickenham were recently chosen to take part in a week long teacher training programme hosted by the National Gallery in London. During January, 12 students from St Mary’s School of Education were selected to participate in the Gallery’s annual Initial Teacher Education (ITE) placement programme. The week long training scheme gave students the opportunity to explore the potential of using art collections as a way of developing pupils’ thinking and learning across the curriculum, both inside and outside the classroom. Throughout the week, students were mentored by Gallery staff who led them through a programme of work to show how art can be used as a stimulus for enquiry and critical thinking in order to facilitate a high-quality, cross-curricular learning experience in their future classrooms. At the end of the week they presented their work to other students and staff, all of which can now be viewed on the National Gallery’s website. St Mary’s Lecturer in Primary Art Education, Joanna Woodbridge commented, “During the week, students were mentored by exceptionally knowledgeable Gallery staff, who took them through a programme of learning with enormous passion and expertise. “The students’ confidence grew tangibly throughout the week and their final presentations were delivered with great enthusiasm and engagement. I am delighted with all the hard work from students and it was great to see that, far from being nervous in what would certainly have been an intimidating setting, they were all positively bursting with ideas. Well done to all involved.”