Background
Gisborne Girls' High School is a decile 4 school with a 2006 roll of 876 students: 47% Pakeha, 48% Māori and 5% other ethnicities. Most of the students have moved on from two local intermediates, and many of the country school pupils will have done their Technology there also. Students coming into Year 9 often find that there is a big jump in knowledge and skills from what they have previously done.
The school works on a system of modules (8-10 weeks) for all subjects. Technology is a compulsory subject at Year 9 (two modules) and Year 10 (one module) – at which stage students can take additional Technology modules as option subjects.
After qualifying as a dietitian, Wendy Webb worked in the health system then spent nine years at home caring for her children. When re-entering the paid workforce she decided on a change of direction and did teacher training in Gisborne. Wendy had studied Textiles as part of her degree and continued working in this area as a leisure actity; she combined her enjoyment of working in fabrics and food when she began teaching Technology. Wendy taught for two years at Gisborne Girls' High School and was appointed Head of Department in 2003.
In 2005, the Year 12 class which had come through Years 10 and 11 Fabrics (there was no Year 9 programme when they started) had spent the first half of the year doing a conceptual design project around the theme of leisurewear. Their second project was Textiles Talk, in which they created some of their own materials to use in the product they were developing.
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