Having previously attended a Module 1 course, worked through to accreditation, and found it all a huge help for myself and our new band of ringers at Broseley (now established with the ART Learning the Ropes scheme), I was very glad of the opportunity to attend this Module 2F course on Teaching from Rounds to Plain Hunt.

Group discussions in the tower

The day started with the attendees introducing themselves. Some members of the group had also attended Module 1, while others were new to the ART training scheme. The introductions were followed by a presentation explaining the importance of foundation skills. After this, we had a practical session using the bells and simulator at Edgmond. We rang ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ which involved standing the bell after one or two strokes.

After a brief coffee break and a chat with the other attendees, we had another practical session, this time on teaching call changes. This included calling the changes using places rather than bell numbers. Another exercise included in the morning was Mexican Wave. I have used this occasionally at Broseley, but it was useful to hear the different ways it has been used in other towers.

Practical Exercises

After a very enjoyable lunch in church, we had a presentation on building a band. This stressed the importance of building a good team spirit and explained how a different teaching style can help motivate ringers.

We then had another practical session, this time on kaleidoscope ringing. After a brief overview of kaleidoscope exercises, we were split into groups and given some scenarios where we could come up with solutions to help ringers overcome areas they are struggling with.

The next practical, teaching plain hunt, was one I found particularly useful. My learners have picked up plain hunt by learning which bells to follow. While this was not my intention, it was reassuring to hear others saying this is often a useful intermediate step, particularly for older learners. I’m currently in the process of helping our learners to count their places, and we were introduced to some very useful exercises to help with this. We finished our practical session by ringing Bastow Doubles, which is one of several methods that can help new ringers learn Plain Hunt.

We all came away from the course feeling very positive, with lots of new ideas to try in our own towers. Thank you to Paul for another well run day full of useful information. I look forward to
attending the Module 2C course and will be using M2F accreditation to work towards ART Full Membership from Associate Membership.

St Peter’s, Edgmond – (8 bells, 9cwt, rung from the ground floor).