ART Events - Support after the course - working with co-teachers and mentors

What is a mentor?

If you are new to teaching bell ringing, or have been teaching for a while but would appreciate some support, we recommend that a second teacher works alongside you in the tower to shares ideas, offer feedback and help out if needed. This could be a teacher who has already got plenty of teaching experience, or you might like to pair up with another teacher as co-teachers where you work together and support each other. Having a second person around can be a huge help on a practical level - simply demonstrating a ringing skill or spotting handling issues from a different angle.

After the course, you will start teaching and filling out a log book to record your lessons. The mentor you are working with will sign off all the teaching tasks so that none are forgotten, or if you're working paired with another teacher or group of teachers, you can sign off each other's books.

If you are attending a Module 1 course, we don't recommend you teach without a more experienced handling teacher present. You will have time to practise teaching bell handling on the course, but it will be on someone who can already ring. Teaching a new ringer is different!

Who is eligible to be a mentor or co-teacher?

So that all the course material makes sense, the ringing teacher you are working with will need to either:

attend the course with you
have attended the course within the last 2 years
already be an accredited Member of ART.

Becoming a mentor

If you're already an experienced teacher you may not need much support yourself. If you are willing to assist another ringer who is developing their teaching skills, please contact your course Tutor or the ART Administrator. We would love to hear from you!

Do I need to bring a supporting teacher with me?

If there is another ringer nearby who you enjoy working with and who wants to help you by sharing their experience, or who would like to develop their own teaching skills alongside you, please encourage them to apply for the course too, so that you can pair up and help each other in the tower afterwards.

If you can't find anyone local to come with you, please indicate this when you register for the course, and we will try to help you find someone to work with after the course.

The structure of the ART Training Scheme helps motivate both teachers and learners. A lapsed ringer who recently returned was very impressed by the changes in teaching and by Learning the Ropes.”

Lavinia Sullivan, Wargrave

It certainly reminded me of things I was not actually doing and should be. I got lots of tips about what to do to stimulate interest and get ringers to progress incrementally with little bits of fun. The practical sessions were excellent.

Brian Baldwin, Woughton

The resources that ART have in place have REALLY helped me. Hooray, here comes Module 2!

Jane Mellor, Wokingham

The attendees were still buzzing the next morning and the air of excitement percolated through to our students and other ringers, even the sceptics. We are itching to get started, but patience is a virtue.

Lyril Rawlins, St John’s Bromsgrove

I learnt more in my first lesson on Saturday than in the last 15 years of on and off ringing.

A returning ringer at the Birmingham School of Bellringing

We hope to have the Newnham bells ready for the Armistice Ring-out in November. It's over 20 years since we had a band so we’ll be starting from scratch. The teacher accreditation, insurance and DBS checks that ART provides are key to achieving our goal.

Andy Vivian, Newnham

I left the course confident that I can teach in a safe, positive and efficient manner and in helping a learner to progress with a quality technique. Now it just leaves me to put this into practice!

Dianne Stewart, Kibworth

Support after the course - working with co-teachers and mentors

What do people say about ART Teaching Courses?