We know that for teachers, supporting students through the TeenTech Awards is a commitment of time, energy and resources, what makes this worthwhile?
TeenTech provide a clear structure, supporting resources, access to industry mentors, innovation sessions and of course our TeenTech events, so students and teachers can explore topics with expert feedback. Reaching the final at The Royal Society or the presentations at Buckingham Place is exciting but we’ve planned the Awards so the whole process is valuable to every participating student and builds valuable connections with industry for every school.
Here’s Susan Quirke a teacher from South West Wales.
We are thrilled to see the impact on schools across the UK and are proud to share some of the emails from teachers this year.
“STEM in our school is vibrant! Over 130 young women are involved in extra-curricular STEM activities! TeenTech has a MAJOR part to play in this. I spoke to the students about why they love TeenTech. They love the fact that they can discuss ideas and work collaboratively, letting their imaginations run wild without the restrictions that occur in lessons. They deconstruct everyday electrical equipment, creating better ways to make them function. They understand that being part of TeenTech is helping to improve their self-confidence. They are able to explain their ideas to a variety of people and the are listened to! They know they are an influential group within school! The girls in Year 8 have watched the success of the older students involved in TeenTech, and whilst the taking part is very important, we are a VERY COMPETITIVE SCHOOL, and the younger students want to be part of this success.” Liz Painter, Sandbach High School
“The Teen Tech experience has been incredible; not only for our winners, but for all of our pupils. Our students were thrilled to see their initial concepts evolve to finished prototypes. They thrived on the opportunity to engage with real engineers, and particularly enjoyed meeting their peers at the final. They were really impressed with what they saw, and it has given them a huge amount of confidence. Our Teen Tech winners have become role models for both younger and older students; the events and awards programme have sparked interest across the school and wider community. Indeed, they will be sharing their experiences with two local schools in the autumn. We could not have done any of this without the invaluable help of Don Johnson and Sophie Williams at Laleham Health and Beauty in Alton. We are also appreciative of a number of other local, national and international businesses who offered their support. I would like to publicly thank Maggie Philbin for setting up this innovative and inspirational programme. I know that our girls involved with Teen Tech have had their lives changed for the better” – Louise Clayton, Alton Convent School
“The TeenTech certificates arrived today – thank you! It is brilliant to be able to award a certificate to the students who did not make it through to the finals And a very special thank you for sending the feedback from the judges – that was absolutely awesome and very helpful for all the teams!” Daljit Kaur, Loughborough Grammar School
“Over the past two years running TeenTech has had an overwhelming impact on how our subject is viewed by both staff and pupils in the school. They now see us a department who encourage pupils to be innovative by looking at technology and how things work, to help meet the needs of a particular market group. They are beginning to view us an Engineering subject once again and it has had a direct effect on the uptake of our subject in the senior school. We have seen pupils develop a passion for the product that they are developing and see their confidence surge when they see what they have achieved in a short period of time. All of these factors achieve exactly what TeenTech was designed to do. Our pupils have seen they have what it takes to become an engineer and where our subject fits in in helping them achieve this. They have reached this conclusion through all of their experiences throughout the process and I think that one of the most important things is that they have enjoyed every moment of it”. Karen Kelly, Notre Dame School, Greenock, Scotland
“TeenTech is giving these children the chance to explore and develop ideas to a far greater extent than they ever could within the constraints of the curriculum…even, dare I say it, at A Level; this, combined with a young person’s fearless, unrestrained imagination, means we’re seeing some genuine solutions to genuine problems being produced. It’s all so incredibly inspiring. Please pass on our thanks to Maggie and everyone involved.” Lesley Zachary, Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys
“After participating within the Teen Tech Awards for the last few years, the whole experience left the students and department in total wonderment. Needless to say it persuaded me to develop the way in which Teen Tech was approached each academic year. The first year had originally been set up as mini-competition for a product design class, where teams pitched their ideas in true dragons den style. It now has developed into much more within school and after seeing each year how our students gain such a valuable experience, that this opportunity should be expanded and offered to many more, hoping that each year it will continue to grow… It is also worth noting that I also selected some students who have not perhaps taken a Technology subject as a GCSE option, the aim here being to broaden students knowledge and interest within the subjects. With always a hope that it will expand their opportunities.” Lisa Wilde, The Hayfield School,