I have vivid memories of a first aid training video which I watched around 15 years ago. Why? Well, interspersed between the clips about how to check someone's pulse, put them in the recovery position, and so on were clips of a chef using a large meat cleaver to joint a chicken. Each time we returned to the kitchen he was using the tool calmly and skillfully, but this was a video about first aid and the suspense was dreadful ... and yes, eventually the inevitable happened!
This was brought back to me because I spent the day watching and thinking about basic Heath & Safety training. In my current research at Sheffield Hallam University I am looking at how basic skills are taught in the Design Studios and how web 2.0 technologies could be used to support independent learning. H&S training is so important, done properly it will help prevent students hurting themselves, damaging costly machinery, and ruining their creative work, but mention it and people glaze over.
The three students who did turn up this morning I think had a really engaging and useful session. The technicians showed them so many little handy hints over and above the statutory safety stuff and they gained really valuable experience using the equipment. However, it was not efficient use of staff time and the other students won't be allowed to use the workshops until they too have had their training.
This feels like a good area to tackle in my research (there's funding for it!) and I am now thinking about how I could make it appear more relevant and interesting. I'm very squeamish so I don't think I'll be shooting it as a horror movie, but it is food for thought!
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