• Raise interest and performance of male pupils in textile design
• Increase general interest in the subject
• Provide students with experience of industry standard tools

Teachers of textiles at Chilwell understood the need for something to be introduced in the textile classroom that would offer a new way of approaching the subject and embrace pupils' love of computing. They aimed to develop schemes of work that would seize the interest of both girls and boys, introduce the use of ICT and address the gender stereotyping issues around the subject. There needed to be a wide variety of tasks so that the students would learn by doing, watching demonstrations and following written or verbal instructions to reach kinaesthetic, auditory, visual and verbal learners. The use of some open tasks would also help to promote problem-solving skills.

At Key Stage 4 and A Level, the Advanced Skill Teacher, Miss Cox is currently using the Designer 1 machine with students. The machine simulates CAD and CAM (Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Manufacture). The Designer 1 sewing machine has pre-programmed stitches that students can use in their work. Students are able to draw a design on paper in any medium, scan the design, and then manipulate or enhance the design using the Adobe School Collection. The scanned image is then converted into a jpeg and saved onto a disc that the Designer 1 machine then uses to enable students to create the stitch and fashion the design onto fabric. The sewing machine has the ability to sew lengths of repeat designs or 'one-off' designs according to student needs.

During A Level lessons, Adobe Photoshop Elements is used as a tool to enrich and enhance designs. Surface decoration designs can be scanned into Adobe Photoshop Elements then filters applied to the design. The design is then printed onto transfer paper, ironed onto fabric and embellished further with machine embroidery and components added such as sequins and beads. These designs can then be taken further by putting them into a repeat pattern which can also be done in the Adobe School Collection. This allows students to simulate their designs as a repeat for an item such as curtains, wall paper, sofa, and duvet.

Mrs Bedford, Design & Technology Teacher, developed a scheme of work for Key Stage 3, which introduced the use of Adobe Photoshop Elements. The scheme on fabric decoration incorporated swatch production for the standard techniques such as tie-dye, fabric pens, transfer crayons, appliqué, etc, but it also gave an opportunity to introduce a unit of CAD to the scheme through Adobe Photoshop Elements. This is the unit that got most of the boys interested due to the use of computers. The majority of female pupils preferred the hands-on swatch production but by covering both areas the students were well motivated throughout the project. The scheme has worked for both low and high ability students and, since initial trials of the scheme, adjustments have been developed to meet the needs of older students too.

An initial design brief helps students to formulate an understanding of what a client requires. The first few lessons concentrate on researching, designing and evaluating. Students then go on to produce a selection of fabric swatches. For the first CAD lesson, students scan one design they wish to develop further and save it to their personal space as an Adobe Photoshop Elements file. From here, they can then get straight into the manipulation of their image. Each time new features of the programme are explained, students are given experimental time, which helps them to discover different effects for themselves. Students frequently surprise their teachers with what they discover independently and are encouraged to note down how they achieve their results. Once they have a suitably coloured and sized image (4x4cm max), they open a blank A4-sized file in which they create different repeating versions of their design. A feature in Adobe Photoshop Elements provides a grid with which to line up images and helps students to produce more accurate creations. If students work very quickly, tutors introduce modelling by using an interior layout, which can be used to superimpose designs to simulate what they might look like on curtains, cushion and wall-coverings, etc.

• Improved understanding of industry standards and career opportunities
• Development of skills that can be used on other subjects
• Improved perceptions and performance from male pupils
• Promotion to the first Textile Centre of Excellence for Chilwell School

In projects like this, students can learn a great deal about the potential applications of CAD in Design and Technology, which is a regular area for questions on the GCSE papers. Students felt that the skills they learned in Adobe Photoshop Elements could be useful in other subjects such as Art, Graphics and ICT.

"The earlier we can get students to explore these ideas the better. Many boys who completed the project said their perception of Textiles had changed and that they were really surprised that it wasn't all about sewing - even the girls were enlightened!"

Due to the increased use of CAD/CAM, the number of male pupils taking GCSE Textiles at Key Stage 4 is increasing. The number of female pupils taking the subject continues to grow. As a result of this success in Textiles, Chilwell is in the process of becoming the first Textiles Centre of Excellence in the United Kingdom.