The most obvious way a student can demonstrate mastery of a skill is to be able to teach it to another student. That’s exactly what will be taking place this month in a collaboration between multiple programs at FIT to teach various safety techniques.
Mr. Fisher, Masonry Instructor, says, “Masons, carpenters, welders, electricians, plumbers, and HVAC techs will all be involved in becoming each other’s instructors. They will be teaching each other the things they have learned so far.”
The masons will teach the carpenters how to properly assemble and dissemble a masonry scaffold in the safest and most efficient way.
Colton Y. says, “There are a lot of things the carpenters should know because scaffolding can be very dangerous if not done properly. Teamwork is everything when it comes to scaffolding, along with making sure the frame is put together well. Because if it isn’t, the scaffold could collapse with someone on it or below it, and it could seriously injure them.”
Aside from the basic knowledge of what a scaffolding is used for, masons give key tips like making sure the wheels are locked and double checking to see that the safety pins are placed correctly.
Hailley L. adds, “I am learning more from interacting with the other students in this class than I ever would have in a normal teaching environment. I think the skills stick with you better this way. It is really engaging, and it requires the students to talk with each other, share their skills, and show each other what they know.”
The carpentry students are the experts with the ladder and safety harness, so they are teaching all of the masonry students those components.
Eli S. says, “It’s a lot easier to learn how to do something whenever you are able to do it hands-on and practice it with other students. There are various steps to setting up different kinds of ladders- from knowing what type of ladder to use for which job to making sure that you correctly unfold it and setting it up with a solid base. If you make one small mistake and set a ladder up just a little bit off, things could go very bad and someone could get hurt.”
The carpenters explain how different ladder materials are better suited for certain projects, such as aluminum ladders can conduct electricity. So, if students were to participate in an electrical project, it would be much safer to use a fiberglass ladder. They also teach the masons some basics like determining a ladder’s proper weight limit.
Mr. Fisher adds, “After the students are done here, they should learn traits from each other that they did not know before; that’s the main goal.”
