Redwood High School - Industrial Arts (CTE)

Departments

Industrial Arts (CTE)

James Bender: Industrial Arts Teacher

As a teacher and a professional, I have been involved in the maritime trades for more than 25 years. Much of this time has been spent on the water as a sailor crewman and captain of sailing vessels big and small, while maintenance and building of wooden vessels has been my specialty. Some of the most notable on water appointments were as Captain of the Clearwater the 106’ Sloop that does education programs on the Hudson River in New York and as Captain of Makulu during her third circumnavigation, I was captain from Cairns, Australia to New York. I was a student of Anthropology and focused on the Traditional Aspects of House and Boat Building Rituals in South Sulawesi Indonesia, there I worked with The traditional boat builders of the Bugis, who were once given the title of the boogie men since the Dutch were scared of these fierce seafarers. I worked and lived in the remote villages of Indonesia where I learned the language and the craft of shipbuilding, in the Bugis style. Back home I continued to learn about boat building. I worked in the Bronx in New York with students building and sailing small boats with Rocking the Boat. There is nothing quite like sailing a handbuilt boat. After New York, I moved to Croatia, where I founded the Adriatic Maritime Institute, an organization that uses traditional boats as a platform for youth development. For the past 11 years, we have been working in the islands and river preserving traditional boat building and seafaring skills with students from around the country. Returning to the West Coast I continued to build boats and had the chance to work with Team oracle to help with the building of the AC72 America's Cup Defender. That was an amazing experience and very different from the traditional boats I worked with in the past. In 2012 I decided that I would focus on teaching and got my certification, I have taught Environmental Science and Biology for the past seven years. Through that time I have developed an interest in architectural design and building. My interest in building trades stems from the idea of creating an integrated design that blurs the line between the built environment and nature. My goal is to provide courses that have strong foundations, with an emphasis on safety, and attention to detail, while encouraging creativity in design and critical thinking. I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to be in the shop and teach Construction Trades. I have had a long and varied career, but I believe my trade experience has given me a strong foundation. I am excited to build and make things and to pass on my skills to students, help others, and be a contributing member of the communities where I live. I am proud to be a part of the RWHS Crew!

Learn More

Email: jbender@seq.org

Phone Ext: 77314

Room: 2

Course Description: Industrial Arts (CTE)

Course Description: Industrial Arts (CTE)
title

The courses in Industrial arts are developed to immerse the students in the following frameworks; constructionism, design thinking, and the construction trades. Through interactive exercises, hands-on building, and design modules, students are engaged with projects that can be done at home or on campus using simple materials. This class combines practical application and methods that help students learn the roles on the job site, basics of engineering, and the fundamentals of design thinking philosophy.

Historic/Cultural- Look into the history of built structures in the United States and in the student’s home counties. Unifying question- How has building construction changed throughout history and what are the different cultural interpretations of houses and shelter.

Environment and Sustainability- To understand the built environment there must be consideration of the natural environment. For example: Latitude and climate- Evaluating climate for structures. Unifying question- What are the necessities for buildings in different locations?

Interactive Projects- Students will design and build models, including: model houses, geodesic domes, and many others. The culmination of these will be a 1:12 scale framed wall that can be used to complete a full-scale model framed house.

Foundations

There are four main foundations of this course

Tool Safety and Use
Teamwork/Leadership
Wood Characteristics

Applied math and Measurement

Non-Discrimination Policy

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Redwood High School 1968 Old County Rd., Redwood City, CA 94063 650.298.8876

Industrial Arts (CTE)

Course Description: Industrial Arts (CTE)title

Redwood High School

1968 Old County Rd., Redwood City, CA 94063

650.298.8876

Course Description: Industrial Arts (CTE)
title