Just like every other week there were last minute class cancellations due to trips that I hadn’t known about but hey what’s new, you just have to roll with it!
I found out on Monday morning that I wouldn’t have my Transition Years on Tuesday like I had previously thought. This is such a pity as this means I won’t have Ty’s again until after midterm, I am therefore quite anxious about the amount of work that is left to do. I will hopefully have for the week directly after midterm for two doubles which I feel will be sufficient time to get the unit of learning completed. There will then be a new batch of TY’s in to do art, I won’t be starting a new unit of learning with them as I will only be in the school another week after that and it wouldn’t be fair to introduce a project and not be there to follow it through.
Wednesday was the last lesson of my Art History Unit of Learning (Bronze Age: early, Middle and Late). I used the quiz program Kahoot, where I got learners to work in four groups of four. I made four Kahoots-Overall Bronze Age Recap, Early Bronze Age recap, Middle Bronze Age recap, and Late Bronze Age recap. I felt this style of recapping was enjoyable for the learners and it gave me a real sense of what learners had retained and what needed revising. I could then address this when the timer had finished after the question and in the timeline task each group had to do. If I was to do it again I may have done it in the computer room and got learners to work in pairs so as to really highlight if someone didn’t know something. There are limitations with the Kahoot questioning in terms of being only multiple choices or arranging things in order-there is no option of doing both which is a pity. I do however think it was a success as learners really enjoyed it and it was a very student led lesson rather than me talking and asking questions.
After my AH class on Wednesday I wanted to set up for this lesson. Usually I would just set up in the morning however last week the building where this art room is in wasn’t open until 08:35 which I felt wouldn’t be sufficient time to set up prior to the lesson especially for this lesson as I needed to set up a printing station as well as everything else. I therefore had it set up the day before which meant that I would be able to set up any additional materials. Thankfully I did this as I ended up having my first practical visit today.
In Thursdays' class learners were working at a variety of stages as such there was a lot of prepping for the lesson prior to the start of class. As previously mentioned I had set up the printing station and laid out the materials that were required for lesson. I was really pleased with the work that was produced with the learners; there are still a lot of learners who are cutting out their lino tile. I am hoping to work with these learners a lot more in next lesson and drive them on to complete their lino tile. A few learners have completed gouging out their lino tile in this lesson as such will be printing in next lesson. I may get learners who are printing to demonstrate for their peers how to take a print in an aim to promote student autonomy in lesson and throughout unit of learning. I got learners to offer their peer advice and one positive comment about their print in terms of design/ composition/ use of line etc. this time in a physical way by giving each learner a post it. This worked really effectively and brought a more personal aspect to their work. I will get learners to do this again possibly during the chin collé lesson. Learners offered one another really helpful advice and gave great constructive feedback which was lovely to see. Two of the learners experimented with the lino ink by creating an Ombré effect on their lino tile, it was great to see them taking ownership over their work and it demonstrates exploratory learning which is fantastic to see.
On Friday I had a group of 1st years for a double, I was welcoming the learners in as normal advising them to take out their homework from the previous week so we could discuss it as a group. While I was doing this one of the learners came up to speak to me. This learner was visibly upset and explained to me that they were physically hurt in the yard at break by a fellow 1st year student (not in this class) and it involved issues of racism. I was unsure of how to proceed as I had never dealt with an issue such as this before, the school does not have any major discipline issues. The teacher in me knew I could not leave a classroom of 19 learners unattended however the learner was quite distressed so I knew I had to act straight away and due to the nature of the incident had to ensure the learner felt like their voice was heard and that there would be consequences for the other student involved. As this was a time sensitive matter I asked the learner were they ok, did they need to go to the bathroom etc. and to take a seat until my host teacher arrived which is when we could get it sorted straight away. My host teacher then brought this learner straight to their year head to sort it. My host teacher assured me that this was the correct way to deal with this incident which I am really glad about as I wanted to ensure the learner felt heard and they got the response they deserved. I also spoke to the learner one on one when they returned to the class to see if they were ok. I am lucky to be in a great school where this occurrence is rare however I am confident that I followed correct protocol on the matter.
-E.Moran
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