Values in Action – Meet Martin
Our ‘Values in Action’ series shines a light on how our Caulfield Grammar School employees live our School values. Inspiring Creativity is about imagining and initiating new possibilities and turning these into practical outcomes.
Martin Blake, Product Design Teacher at Wheelers Hill Campus, shares how he Inspires Creativity in his classroom every day.
I am originally from Newcastle, New South Wales, and was lucky enough to be granted a Teaching Scholarship to Newcastle University. As part of the Scholarship, I was posted to Deniliquin High School, just north of Echuca, and ended up staying for six years. After that I moved to Melbourne and taught at Camberwell High School for another six years.
My passion for creating a design world of learning led me to my role as Product Design Teacher in the design team at Wheelers Hill Campus.
Design is still a relatively new space at Caulfield Grammar and together we have worked hard to create a new and exciting design learning experience and design culture. This collaboration with the design team has been one of the biggest highlights for me in my role here. The teachers here are high-quality practitioners and some of the work that their students produce under their tuition is just awesome to witness.
Teaching is the greatest job in the world and I love coming to work every day. I get the chance to work creatively and at the same time inspire young people to work and think creatively in design. Watching what students can create is the main reason I love what I do. Students have more imagination and less limitations in what they design and how they do it, and their approach changes every single day as they adapt, learn and create a wide range of exciting products.
One of my main goals as a teacher is to harness all that creativity and give my students the skills to create the projects they design. I have constructed furniture my entire life and designed pieces for a range of end users. This life-long passion is reflected in my teaching and I know my students have learned to take great pleasure in producing high-end pieces of work and documenting the design process in a portfolio.
The School has provided an opportunity for all students to undertake a Design Class from Years 7 to 9 and then choose it as an elective from Years 10 to 12, which has enabled a clear pathway.
As well as such creative students, being a part of the larger School community is a highlight of working at Caulfield Grammar. There is such an amazing vibe – from students, staff and families – and there are so many opportunities and potential to create something spectacular. I look forward to being part of this community for a long time.
Martin in his element in the Design workshop; Clock units designed by Year 8, Wheelers Hill Campus
Inspired Bluetooth speakers created by Year 9 Wheelers Hill Campus students following the MYP design process
Wheelers Hill Secondary Year 11 Unit 1 Design Practice works (from left to right): glass top coffee table (Alexander), circular timber coffee table (Asia), table with blue resin (Shayish)
Caulfield Grammar School is a values-led school. Our five School Values guide the way we work together and behave. Active interaction with these values supports our students and staff in having clarity and ownership about what it means to be a member of the Caulfield Grammar School community – how we treat each other and what we expect from each other.