Duke of Edinburgh Award: How does it work?
I'm thinking of doing the DofE this year and am a little confused about assessors:
Obviously if I'm volunteering somewhere, the person in charge can be my assessor and sign to approve that I've done the required amount of volunteering.
And for the physical section of it, I take swimming lessons and can get my swimming instructor to be my assessor.
But I'm confused about the skills section - if I wanted to do, for example, photography how would that work? If I just take photos and edit them for an hour a week who is going to verify that I've actually done it?
Or if I chose Biology (that is actually listed as one of the activities you can choose), does that mean I could just get my Biology teacher at school to be the assessor and confirm that I've progressed in my Biology classes? Or are you not allowed to use a school subject as a skill (even though they've listed Biology, Zoology, Chemistry, etc on their list of suggested activities)?
If anyone has any idea about this I would really appreciate your input, thanks!
Obviously if I'm volunteering somewhere, the person in charge can be my assessor and sign to approve that I've done the required amount of volunteering.
And for the physical section of it, I take swimming lessons and can get my swimming instructor to be my assessor.
But I'm confused about the skills section - if I wanted to do, for example, photography how would that work? If I just take photos and edit them for an hour a week who is going to verify that I've actually done it?
Or if I chose Biology (that is actually listed as one of the activities you can choose), does that mean I could just get my Biology teacher at school to be the assessor and confirm that I've progressed in my Biology classes? Or are you not allowed to use a school subject as a skill (even though they've listed Biology, Zoology, Chemistry, etc on their list of suggested activities)?
If anyone has any idea about this I would really appreciate your input, thanks!
Scroll to see replies
Original post by Aliceo
I'm thinking of doing the DofE this year and am a little confused about assessors:
Obviously if I'm volunteering somewhere, the person in charge can be my assessor and sign to approve that I've done the required amount of volunteering.
And for the physical section of it, I take swimming lessons and can get my swimming instructor to be my assessor.
But I'm confused about the skills section - if I wanted to do, for example, photography how would that work? If I just take photos and edit them for an hour a week who is going to verify that I've actually done it?
Or if I chose Biology (that is actually listed as one of the activities you can choose), does that mean I could just get my Biology teacher at school to be the assessor and confirm that I've progressed in my Biology classes? Or are you not allowed to use a school subject as a skill (even though they've listed Biology, Zoology, Chemistry, etc on their list of suggested activities)?
If anyone has any idea about this I would really appreciate your input, thanks!
Obviously if I'm volunteering somewhere, the person in charge can be my assessor and sign to approve that I've done the required amount of volunteering.
And for the physical section of it, I take swimming lessons and can get my swimming instructor to be my assessor.
But I'm confused about the skills section - if I wanted to do, for example, photography how would that work? If I just take photos and edit them for an hour a week who is going to verify that I've actually done it?
Or if I chose Biology (that is actually listed as one of the activities you can choose), does that mean I could just get my Biology teacher at school to be the assessor and confirm that I've progressed in my Biology classes? Or are you not allowed to use a school subject as a skill (even though they've listed Biology, Zoology, Chemistry, etc on their list of suggested activities)?
If anyone has any idea about this I would really appreciate your input, thanks!
Hi! I'm going to begin my bronze d of e this september and really looking forward to it! I'm doing it with my school, and for the service, I'm working at a charity shop, for sport, I'm doing hockey, and for skill I might do cooking! it's really hard to find an assessor for skill but in your case, if you do photography as your skill, you might have to make your art teacher at school your assessor, I think a couple of girls in my year have done that. If you're doing biology as a skill, I'm pretty sure you can't do it as a school subject. By biology I think it means doing experiments regarding biology and going to labs and organisations where you can do biological tests, so your assessor would be the professor there! I think you should do photography though, as it's easy and hassle free
For my skills for the sections, I think I did rifle shooting, piano lessons...table tennis might've been used there for one of them, I forget. Some people I know did driving lessons and similar.
Edit-the above has reminded me that perhaps cooking was one of mine actually!
Pretty much everything we did was at places there'd be possible assessors, so if you were going to do photography, I think it'd be expected to perhaps go to a photography class or something (wouldn't need to be every week for that I'd have thought, but long enough someone there could sign off that you've got a body of work that suggests the requisite time). I think for biology and stuff it'd have to be extra curricular stuff for it rather than just in school.
I think the DoE website might be more help than here though?
Edit-the above has reminded me that perhaps cooking was one of mine actually!
Pretty much everything we did was at places there'd be possible assessors, so if you were going to do photography, I think it'd be expected to perhaps go to a photography class or something (wouldn't need to be every week for that I'd have thought, but long enough someone there could sign off that you've got a body of work that suggests the requisite time). I think for biology and stuff it'd have to be extra curricular stuff for it rather than just in school.
I think the DoE website might be more help than here though?
You'll have to get an assessor; have you thought about joining a photography club or something similar?
You need someone is a position of authority to verify your activity, otherwise people would just lie about it.
I've just completed my Gold expedition so feel free to ask questions if you need to.
You need someone is a position of authority to verify your activity, otherwise people would just lie about it.
I've just completed my Gold expedition so feel free to ask questions if you need to.
I have done bronze and am doing my silver expedition soon. Believe me when I say the assesor thing doesnt matter! For my volunteering I had a sheet that the charity shop owner would sign every time I finsihed work and for the physical and skill I have had no assesor (Except I wrote my Mum and the head of my kayaking club) but I have pictures of me playing the guitar and kayaking etc. Most of the DofE is done on trust and they wont know if you are lying or not, it takes a lot of effort alone just getting the photos and preparing for expeditions etc. A few friends I know were not able to get somewhere for the volunteering in bronze so they just had to lie (The head of our DofE club was fine with it). I volunteered in the PDSA for bronze and silver. We were also told by the way that you have to change your physical and skill for each award. For bronze I did cooking, skateboarding and working in the PDSA and for silver I played the guitar, kayaked and worked in the PDSA (Volunteering doesnt have to change). The variety is what they want.
Original post by Aliceo
Okay, thanks everyone! I will try to look for some kind of photography class I can attend once a month or something for the skill section of it
I'm not sure this would count. We were told it had to be an hour a week for x months (eg 3 for bronze, 6 for silver) or as a minimum two hours every two weeks. Check with whoever runs your scheme though
This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App
Original post by Parente
I have done bronze and am doing my silver expedition soon. Believe me when I say the assesor thing doesnt matter! For my volunteering I had a sheet that the charity shop owner would sign every time I finsihed work and for the physical and skill I have had no assesor (Except I wrote my Mum and the head of my kayaking club) but I have pictures of me playing the guitar and kayaking etc. Most of the DofE is done on trust and they wont know if you are lying or not, it takes a lot of effort alone just getting the photos and preparing for expeditions etc. A few friends I know were not able to get somewhere for the volunteering in bronze so they just had to lie (The head of our DofE club was fine with it). I volunteered in the PDSA for bronze and silver. We were also told by the way that you have to change your physical and skill for each award. For bronze I did cooking, skateboarding and working in the PDSA and for silver I played the guitar, kayaked and worked in the PDSA (Volunteering doesnt have to change). The variety is what they want.
I was thinking of doing cooking for my Silver DofE, and wondered if i could have my parents as the assesors in some way, because it would be quite awkward asking other people to taste your food haha, i've had varied responses, what do you reckon?
Original post by studentboy12345
I was thinking of doing cooking for my Silver DofE, and wondered if i could have my parents as the assesors in some way, because it would be quite awkward asking other people to taste your food haha, i've had varied responses, what do you reckon?
When I did mine we were told that it definitely wasn't allowed to be your parents or any close relatives…
Dear everyone!
I thought I would drop a line on this thread. I've just completed my DofE, been to the palace and collected my gong!
Anyone reading this who needs the encouragement, it's the most amazing volunteering experience you could get, over a period of two years (it goes really quickly). Not only that, it's internationally recognised and it's impressive to employers.
If you have any questions, feel free to email/direct message me. One bit of advice I would give is about the residential section. It took me ages to find something I wanted to do.
I chose ATE, a children charity that runs holidays for children. Their website is www.ate.org.uk, it's definitely worth checking out.
If you are interested in working with children or a career in teaching then you should definitely check it out.
As a volunteer, you are responsible for the recreational and pastoral care for a group of children for a week. It is really rewarding and extremely fun. I go back year on year (thanks to DofE for giving me the motivation to go out and find these people!)
If you have any questions get in touch, I'd love to talk to anyone who is interested! Good luck with your DofE
Thanks,
Rob
I thought I would drop a line on this thread. I've just completed my DofE, been to the palace and collected my gong!
Anyone reading this who needs the encouragement, it's the most amazing volunteering experience you could get, over a period of two years (it goes really quickly). Not only that, it's internationally recognised and it's impressive to employers.
If you have any questions, feel free to email/direct message me. One bit of advice I would give is about the residential section. It took me ages to find something I wanted to do.
I chose ATE, a children charity that runs holidays for children. Their website is www.ate.org.uk, it's definitely worth checking out.
If you are interested in working with children or a career in teaching then you should definitely check it out.
As a volunteer, you are responsible for the recreational and pastoral care for a group of children for a week. It is really rewarding and extremely fun. I go back year on year (thanks to DofE for giving me the motivation to go out and find these people!)
If you have any questions get in touch, I'd love to talk to anyone who is interested! Good luck with your DofE
Thanks,
Rob
Original post by studentboy12345
I was thinking of doing cooking for my Silver DofE, and wondered if i could have my parents as the assesors in some way, because it would be quite awkward asking other people to taste your food haha, i've had varied responses, what do you reckon?
I had my parents assess me
Honestly the people who did my Duke of Edinburgh just relied on trust, I pretty much self assessed for everything. Just maybe get some pictures of what you make to back it up? That's what I did hahaOriginal post by Aliceo
Okay, thanks everyone! I will try to look for some kind of photography class I can attend once a month or something for the skill section of it
You could always ask an art teacher at your school to look over your projects occasionally? I had a friend who did photography for her silver and did exactly that. Just an idea if you can't find a class!
Your parents/carers are allowed to be your supervisor for cooking in the skills section
Posted from TSR Mobile
Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Aliceo
I'm thinking of doing the DofE this year and am a little confused about assessors:
Obviously if I'm volunteering somewhere, the person in charge can be my assessor and sign to approve that I've done the required amount of volunteering.
And for the physical section of it, I take swimming lessons and can get my swimming instructor to be my assessor.
But I'm confused about the skills section - if I wanted to do, for example, photography how would that work? If I just take photos and edit them for an hour a week who is going to verify that I've actually done it?
Or if I chose Biology (that is actually listed as one of the activities you can choose), does that mean I could just get my Biology teacher at school to be the assessor and confirm that I've progressed in my Biology classes? Or are you not allowed to use a school subject as a skill (even though they've listed Biology, Zoology, Chemistry, etc on their list of suggested activities)?
If anyone has any idea about this I would really appreciate your input, thanks!
Obviously if I'm volunteering somewhere, the person in charge can be my assessor and sign to approve that I've done the required amount of volunteering.
And for the physical section of it, I take swimming lessons and can get my swimming instructor to be my assessor.
But I'm confused about the skills section - if I wanted to do, for example, photography how would that work? If I just take photos and edit them for an hour a week who is going to verify that I've actually done it?
Or if I chose Biology (that is actually listed as one of the activities you can choose), does that mean I could just get my Biology teacher at school to be the assessor and confirm that I've progressed in my Biology classes? Or are you not allowed to use a school subject as a skill (even though they've listed Biology, Zoology, Chemistry, etc on their list of suggested activities)?
If anyone has any idea about this I would really appreciate your input, thanks!
Hi!
I'm a qualified Duke of Edinburgh Leader and Assessor (having done my own bronze, silver & gold awards) and I work in local schools. I often get asked these kinds of questions from the students I teach.
With regards to getting people signing off your sections, as a general rule it needs to be someone with authority in that area i.e. not your parents. So if you were going to do photography, is there photography lessons you could have at a local college or something? With biology no, it cannot be your teacher as it needs to take place outside of school time & in your free time.
Generally with skills it is quite often difficult to get someone to sign it off, so I often advice my students to keep a diary for the months you are doing your skill for to write a bit each week of what you have done & how you have progressed. You can also take pictures/videos of you doing your skill to demonstrate that you have actually done something. Or if you were to do photography you could compile some sort of portfolio to give to your assessor to show them your work.
Basically, as long as you can prove that you have done something & progressed at it over the number of months you have been working at it for then you should be fine.
Hope this helps.
Original post by Aliceo
I'm thinking of doing the DofE this year and am a little confused about assessors:
Obviously if I'm volunteering somewhere, the person in charge can be my assessor and sign to approve that I've done the required amount of volunteering.
And for the physical section of it, I take swimming lessons and can get my swimming instructor to be my assessor.
But I'm confused about the skills section - if I wanted to do, for example, photography how would that work? If I just take photos and edit them for an hour a week who is going to verify that I've actually done it?
Or if I chose Biology (that is actually listed as one of the activities you can choose), does that mean I could just get my Biology teacher at school to be the assessor and confirm that I've progressed in my Biology classes? Or are you not allowed to use a school subject as a skill (even though they've listed Biology, Zoology, Chemistry, etc on their list of suggested activities)?
If anyone has any idea about this I would really appreciate your input, thanks!
Obviously if I'm volunteering somewhere, the person in charge can be my assessor and sign to approve that I've done the required amount of volunteering.
And for the physical section of it, I take swimming lessons and can get my swimming instructor to be my assessor.
But I'm confused about the skills section - if I wanted to do, for example, photography how would that work? If I just take photos and edit them for an hour a week who is going to verify that I've actually done it?
Or if I chose Biology (that is actually listed as one of the activities you can choose), does that mean I could just get my Biology teacher at school to be the assessor and confirm that I've progressed in my Biology classes? Or are you not allowed to use a school subject as a skill (even though they've listed Biology, Zoology, Chemistry, etc on their list of suggested activities)?
If anyone has any idea about this I would really appreciate your input, thanks!
With the biology, you could probably get your teacher to assess you depending on how strict the person who runs DofE is. My friend is doing reading classic books for her skill and she writes a review each week and gets her English teacher to sign it. You would probably need an aim in Biology though - you need to be able to show how you've progressed when you update evidence and stuff.
Photography - if you have an art teacher you could get them to verify that you've actually done it. Or someone you know who is qualified in art or something. Basically the only requirement for an assessor is someone who is not directly related to you (like your mum/granddad etc) and is also someone who is qualified in their subject. There are some exceptions though - I mean if you're volunteering by helping the old lady down the road with her shopping she's not qualified but she can still verify that you're helping her?
Hope that makes sense - good luck!
Another thing - with the biology, it needs to be outside of school - so you could do an experiment out of school but get your teacher to verify it maybe?
I was wondering whether anyone has ever done DofE while at university? My school didn't offer it but this seems like a very good self-development programme.
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Is DoFe actually useful for university applications
- Personal Statement
- Supercurricular/ work experience ideas help needed!!!!
- Duke of Edinburgh
- LSE Financial Maths & Statistics - No related work experience... a problem?
- Prefect application letter
- What are some things a 19 year old can do to boost their CV?
- Duke of Edinburgh GOLD advice
- Do I have to upload a peice of evidence for DofE every single session?🤔
- how is duke of edinburgh for obese people
- Is DoFe worth it
- Should I pick History or Geography for my GCSEs?
- Volunteering for DofE
- US applications
- How Difficult Is It To Get Into Oxford?
- Things to do after GCSE as an aspiring medic
- Duke of Edinburgh - Bronze question
- Duke of Edinburgh physical - walking
- I'm a current law student at Uni of Kent - ask me anything!
- St. Andrews Personal Statement?
Latest
Trending
Last reply 2 weeks ago
NCS Sixth form? Should I go if given the opportunity?Trending
Last reply 2 weeks ago
NCS Sixth form? Should I go if given the opportunity?
