TtT — Information & advice for organisers

The CCCBR Education Committee is very pleased to be given the opportunity to bring its course on teaching to your association, guild or society. We have delivered the course now on a number of occasions, and these notes are intended to pass on some of that experience to assist your local organisers. We endeavour to be flexible in our approach and try to adapt the course to fit local requirements. You should, therefore, treat these notes as guidance and clarify as much as possible with our coordinator well in advance.

General organisation

If you have chosen all, or most, of the modules for the programme, then we recommend you have a headquarters where the whole group of students and, if possible, helpers as well, can get together for some general management sessions.

A meeting place is in any case essential for the Tower Management module. This might be a church hall, school room, a large ringing chamber, or any other meeting place, and ought to be warm, have a lavatory within easy reach, and facilities for at least making drinks.

Course material

We provide a comprehensive set of student notes for each module, and copies should be distributed to students, helpers and assistant tutors, at least one week in advance of the course. We will supply complete sets of notes (prices given below); you are welcome to copy these yourself, but as the notes form an important part of the preparatory work for the course all participants must have their own set. The notes for the Tower Management and Teaching beyond Rounds modules are 50p per set, and those for Teaching Bellhandling are 30p per set.

We are able to bring two simulators with us if required, but note that this requirement should be identified early, as our simulators are much in demand by borrowers. If you can use towers where they are already installed this will be very beneficial. Simulators are useful for the bellhandling sessions. If a tower has six or eight bells connected to a simulator this could be used for the method ringing or call change modules.

We are usually able to provide a video camera and playback facilities. If you are able to complement this with additional facilities (eg camcorder) this is very helpful, especially where there are several groups. These would be used in the bellhandling sessions. Simulators and video cameras are very useful, but not essential.

Choice of towers and travelling

There is a great deal to do during this course, and very little slack time, so choose towers which are as close together as possible, and aim to have groups move small distances between modules, if they have to move at all. Please avoid towers where the bells are known to be difficult to ring, and wherever possible choose towers which are familiar to the students.

If course attendees have to travel make sure that everyone knows well in advance where they will be going, and supply directions or a map in good time.

For the teaching beyond rounds module, a six bell tower for the first session and an eight bell tower for the second session is the preferred choice. The method ringing module needs two six bell towers (the back six of an eight is acceptable if there is a shortage of suitable sixes).

Our expectations of students

Teaching bellhandling: The student should be able to handle his/her own bell competently.^* People who have taught before, and those for whom it is the first time, are welcome alike. However, we do recommend that the level of experience is communicated to the tutor prior to the course, to ensure that the module may be delivered at a pace that is right for the student. We have also found it beneficial to split the more experienced and newcomers where there is more than one group running as this again helps ensure that the course is delivered at a pace and level suitable for the students' current capabilities.
^*This is, of course, very subjective and any doubts should be discussed with the coordinator. We aim to be inclusive and seek to adapt the course to the full range of requirements.

Teaching raising & lowering in peal: Two learners per group are required for the second session. These people should be just tackling this particular stage.

Teaching beyond rounds: This module can be delivered at two levels: a) teaching the students how to call changes effectively, and b) how to use call changes as part of an overall teaching programme for your learners. It is very important that the level required is established before the course, and care should be taken to ensure that if both levels are required the students are grouped appropriately. The students should be able to ring call changes (with someone else calling) competently and without assistance.

Teaching method ringing: This course is designed to cover a teaching programme for developing learners from the call change stage up to Plain Bob inside. The students must be beyond that stage themselves and should be competent at Plain Bob and Treble Bob (hunting). If there are students from towers where there is little or no method ringing, and their objective is to develop the whole band in the basics of method ringing, this can be dealt with; however, this should be identified before the course, and these students should not be grouped with the more advanced students.

Tower management: This is open to everyone, and the students need not even be ringers.

Student abilities in general: It is not always possible for you to divide students into neat groups of ability, and there are sometimes students who do not really fit into any of the above categories. Our tutors are experienced at adapting the standard course to fit non-standard needs. However, this will be most effectively achieved if they are given warning of required changes in advance. If you have concerns about how students will fit the expected profile, or you know that adaptation will be necessary, then please discuss this with our coordinator in advance.

Required materials/equipment

A white or black board and markers/chalk are useful in the meeting room.

Students should have paper and a pen or pencil.

Although we bring some Central Council books with us, it is a good opportunity for the local Guild book store to make some sales. Copies of the educational books should be made available for purchase. Our expectations of helpers Usually we would be able to bring copies of the Central Council video, Bellhandling -- A Tutor's Companion, along with us.

Our expectations of helpers

Helpers must be competent and preferably good ringers. We recommend that you choose your helpers rather than ask for volunteers. They are only required by two of the modules, but should expect to work quite hard on these. Helpers also often make a valuable contribution to the General Management module. Helpers who are sympathetic to the teaching process are most useful, and all ought to have read the course notes before joining the modules. Both modules start with about 30 minutes of discussion and, while it is not essential for helpers to attend this part, our experience is that they are more effective if they have participated in these preliminaries.

Teaching beyond rounds: Require 4-6 helpers per session.

Teaching method ringing: Require 4-6 helpers. These helpers must be competent method ringers, and the ability to look up a simple method and ring it straight afterwards is useful, although not absolutely essential.

The number of helpers, of course, depends on the number of students, but these guidelines are based on the group sizes given below.

Our expectations of assistant tutors

For all modules (except the General Management and Bell Control module) one local person from your association should take the role of assistant tutor. This ringer should be competent in the subject of the module, and it is most effective for the Guild if this person has the necessary presentation skills to be able to repeat the course locally at a later date. The assistant tutor should have thoroughly read the student notes, and tutor notes, prior to the course, and it is very strongly recommended that the assistant tutor speaks with the tutor (by telephone) prior to the course, to gain a good understanding of the programme in advance.

Catering and refreshments

A communal meal, eg ringers’ tea, on the Saturday afternoon gives a good opportunity to talk about some of the issues, and to relax a bit after the busy day. Coffee and tea ought to be provided at appropriate times to keep everyone refreshed! Indeed the less time the students and helpers have to spend thinking about travelling and organising food, the better.

It is a good idea to provide coffee or squash on site for long sessions, as this allows comfortable short breaks to be taken.

Group sizes

General management: open to all participants.
Teaching bellhandling: no more than 4 per group
Teaching raising & lowering in peal: no more than 4 per group
Teaching beyond rounds: we recommend no more than 4 per group
Teaching method ringing: we recommend no more than 4 per group

Guineapigs

A number of guineapigs (inexperienced ringers, not stooges!) are required. We have found that experienced ringers acting a part are less effective than real beginners.

Teaching bellhandling: Two complete beginners (never handled a bell) per group are required. These people will have to work quite hard and be asked to give feedback; children are usually not appropriate. In some cases students have brought their own learners with them; this can be very beneficial for everyone and can be offered, but not insisted upon, as a possibility.
Teaching method ringing: Two learners per group are required for the second session. These people should be just tackling a particular stage, such as plain hunt, Plain Bob (plain courses)
Teaching beyond rounds: Two learners per group are required for the second session. These people should be just tackling this particular stage.

The number of learners might be different if the standard course is adapted, but you should discuss this with our coordinator.

Tutor costs, expenses and accommodation

The cost per tutor per visit is £40 (a visit comprises a single journey to and from the guild) (£25 for Bell Control module). This should be paid to the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers Ringing Course and handed to one of the CCCBR tutors on the day.

Where tutors must stay overnight, the Guild must arrange accommodation (at its own expense).

the central council of church bell ringers