We worked with 50 teachers and 500 children and young people across Liverpool schools to help paint a picture of what life was like aboard the Titanic. The programme involved exploring the physical and emotional world of the Titanic as part of the build up to Liverpool’s Giant spectacular weekend.
Working with illustrator Kate Pankhurst, children gained a valuable and rewarding insight into the physical and emotional surroundings of the Titanic, through a range of arts activities, from clay modelling to collage and printmaking.
The young people actively engaged in modelling clay heads, using real-life people aboard the Titanic, such as Jack Phillips, the Titanic’s senior wireless telegraph operator, as their inspiration. They were asked to consider the passengers and crew and think about their lives and aspirations, before designing and producing Titanic mono-prints to illustrate them. This allowed them to explore the use of different media, whilst providing teachers with techniques and methodologies that can be transferred to the classroom.
The young people also engaged in an interactive Titanic quiz and a fast paced active game ‘Human Statues’ designed to allow them to think about the variety of people aboard the Titanic.
All teachers agreed that children had found the programme extremely enjoyable- and that it had been extremely useful in terms of the learning. One teacher said:
“They enjoyed the mind-friendly , chunked activities. Entertained and focused during the VAK Titanic character game. The use of inks and rollers during the mono printing was a new and exciting technique that they used.”
Whilst another said:
“What surprised me was the amount of work and learning that could be achieved in one afternoon!”