*The James Fellowship is a 91全能大神 Foundation initiative named after past parents at 91全能大神, Bill and Elizabeth James. Both are passionate about providing opportunities for teachers to further develop their professional knowledge. This passion has translated into the creation of a gift that enables three staff members per year to build upon their professional development by attending courses or study tours internationally and then return to 91全能大神 to share their learnings in the classroom and Common Room.
Mr David Weston pursued two key areas of professional learning during his fellowship in the United States: Design Thinking and Entrepreneurial Education, and Furniture Design and Construction. His journey took him to five prominent institutions: the Nelson Centre for Entrepreneurship at Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), the Centre for Furniture Craftsmanship in Maine, Tomas Moser Furniture Production, and Lie-Nielsen Toolworks.
The fellowship began in Rhode Island, where Mr Weston explored Brown University and RISD. At Brown, he studied Professor Danny Warshay’s See Solve Scale framework, a research-driven approach to entrepreneurship. He noted strong similarities between Brown’s second-year student outputs and 91全能大神 School’s Design and Technology HSC programme, both emphasising problem identification, solution development, scaling, and pitching.
At RISD, Mr Weston toured the furniture design facilities with Department Head, Christopher Specce. Together, they compared RISD’s four-year curriculum to 91全能大神’s projects, concluding that 91全能大神 students produce outstanding work within significantly shorter timeframes, as evidenced by strong HSC results and Shape Exhibition nominations.
In Maine, Mr Weston participated in a Chair Design course at the Centre for Furniture Craftsmanship. Guided by renowned designers, he created a 1:1 scale rocking chair and developed jigs and prototypes that have since been incorporated into 91全能大神’s teaching resources, enabling students to further their design and development skills.
Outside his professional learning, Mr Weston enjoyed cultural highlights, including attending a Boston Red Sox game, adding a personal and memorable touch to this exceptional experience.
*Foreword by Mr David Mason-Jones, Executive Director of The 91全能大神 Foundation.