KEY BLOG POST #1

KEY POINTS, INFLUENCES, IDEAS, PROCESSES, INTERESTS AND KEY DISCOVERIES  

During my time at the school I have gained many skills and techniques, I had the chance to talk to many students and share a few ways in which they could improve their sketchbook work and go beyond that and show them some practical ways to improve their sketchbook such as showing some A Level students how to manipulate photographs using image maker, candle wax and many other materials. I was also surprised at how many artists I actually remembered while I was at the school because I found myself suggesting artists on the go to mainly A Level students to add into their sketchbooks as research. 

The one aspect I thought I would take some time to get used was that all of us students in the Unit X group are from different courses (Fine Art, Textiles, Interactive Arts and Graphic Design) and so I thought I may find it to be a bit harder to communicate and speak out. However, that was not the case at all if anything I really enjoyed everyone being from different disciplines because it gave me opportunity to learn from the them at the school and in the sessions at university.

I felt coming from a Fine Art discipline I had researched many times on the topic of 'destroying' art for it to become art. I related most with this task that we had done with one of the A Level students where he gave us an already painted canvas and told us to do what ever we want with it and just gave us full control while he had filmed our reaction to this as part of his project. As shown in the images below we ended up splashing paint, making hand prints, dripping paint and eventually cutting the piece of its canvas. I really enjoyed this experience and I thought it gave me more insight into this type of art.

(Images above) Outcome of a students project based on ruin. This was done by me and 3 other students on Unit X.

(Image above) I showed three A Level students how to manipulate photographs for their sketchbooks. This is them doing the image maker effect.

One of the key processes I really enjoyed was teaching the A Level students how to minipulate photographs as part of their sketchbook research work. I felt really connected to this idea because I had learnt these techniques back in college also and I still remember them, doing this mini tutorial with them made me happy because I had taught them all very new techniques and now they could use these skills in their artwork now and in future. This session gave me a bigger insight into how teaching in the future may be and I thought doing this session with the A Level students also made me come out with my knowledge and use it for the benefit because I also found myself suggesting many artists on the go in this session (and other sessions).

(Images above) I was working alongside two students in the year 8 students and helping them with Tie Dye.

Tie dye with the year 8 class was very interesting in that I had done the dye before but not for a while and so I kind of forgot how to do it. At this point in this class there were around ten of us from the Unit X group and most of us from textiles course, this proved to be really great because they gave a helping hand to those of us with less knowledge about tie dye and I thought this was a lovely experience because in this class was the first time we all worked as a team and it proved to be one of my favourite lessons because there was teamwork and a lot of activity going on which kept the atmosphere very nice. As shown in the images above the girls I had worked with chose to go with a spiral design and I thought the outcome was quite impressive. I feel after shadowing and teaching in this class I would want to carry out tie dye in my own practice and explore more into this subject because I feel I can create quite amazing outcomes from simple strategies.

Overall, I thought these first three weeks were very helpful and insightful and I am very happy with the skills and knowledge I have gained. The experience in working in a school at first made me very nervous but now I have come to realise that I am very happy I took this option. 

HEAD TEACHER OF SPECIAL NEEDS SCHOOL

BRIAN FREW

A special needs school head teacher came in to talk to about how it is like working with people with learning difficulties. Our tutor had put in an exercise for us to do while listening to the talk, we had to create something while listening to the talk.

I started to create something with plasticine during the talk, I didn't know what to make so I started off making a simple flower and then working on it from there.

(Image above) Flower I created during the talk by the Head Teacher.

The Head teacher spoke a lot about Autism and its side affects (notes below). 

(Image above) Notes from the talk.

Overall, this session helped me realise firstly, how difficult it can be for some people in the world to do the most simple tasks and also as an aspiring teacher I learnt that there are many different ways to teach children that are less abled and give them the space they need to complete some tasks.

DARWEN ALDRIDGE COMMUNITY ACADEMY (DACA) #6

PLACEMENT DAY 6

On the sixth and last day of placement (before workshop day) at DACA in the morning session I was working with year 8 Textiles class and the students from Unit X were again assigned to two students each to work with them on their project on making a drawstring bag with tie dye effects and in the afternoon session we didn't have any lessons, the Unit X group sat down with Louise (tutor and our mentor) and spoke about our ideas for the upcoming workshop.

Morning Session
In the morning session I was with the year 8 textiles class, it was a great start to the day because everyone was ready to start and there was a good atmosphere around the class. The unit X group were assigned to two students to help them with their work. I helped the students I was working with cut letters out of fabric and get their designs ready for their drawstring bag after the tie dye they were going to attach them. 

(Image above) Students using fabric provided to cut out patterns for the bags and the fabric I cut out with 's' on.

After a while the class were shown different patterns that they could make their tie dye off, both of the students I was working with went with a spiral design.

 (Images above) The process of tie dye and the after effect on the fabric.

Afternoon Session 
In the afternoon we had no lessons instead we all sat down with Louise and had a quick recap of the days we have been in the school, what we enjoyed and disliked etc. Then we were told to start thinking about what we want to do the workshop on when we come back. Firstly, we were put into two groups and then we started planning from there on.

(Image above) First few ideas for workshop.

(Image above) Notes from the day and visitor badge from the day.

Overall, I gained new skills during today because I hadn't done tie dye before and so some of the textiles students from Unit X gave me some pointers which I then passed on the students I was working with. The morning session helped all the students even in unit X collaborate together to get results and I really enjoyed this aspect of the lesson. We also knew which groups we were going to be working with for next few weeks to plan for the workshop.

DARWEN ALDRIDGE COMMUNITY ACADEMY (DACA) #5

PLACEMENT DAY 5

 On the fifth day on the placement in the morning session I worked with a student in year 10 on photography work and in the afternoon session the full Unit X group worked with the year 7 Textiles class and we were assigned to two students each to help them work on their sock puppets together. Also the tutor in the afternoon session told us all to take turns in taking over the class for up to 10 minutes to get us in the feel of teaching and engaging with the class.

Morning Session
In the morning session at first there wasn't much for me to do because the students already knew what they were working on and what they need to do. But after break, I was assigned to one photography student to help look through the powerpoint the student had made as part of their coursework. I helped the student with sentence structure and image layout for the powerpoint. While I was helping the student I spoke to them about artist research and where they get their research from, I was told that they get all their research from the internet or they have already been given a list to look through. I realised that how different it was for us and for those in high school, we find all the information ourselves, read up on it and see what we would want to use but it was different for them.

Afternoon Session
In the afternoon session the unit X group were working with year 7 textiles class. We were assigned to two student each to help them with their sock puppets. I was assigned to two students where one had done most of their puppet but the other needed more help and so I helped the students sew the parts on together. It was a lot of fun to work with the year 7 class and I felt good helping the students and engaging with them during this session.

(Images above) Start and finished stages of the sock puppets.

(Image above) The students making the sock puppets and adding accessories.

During this session the tutor told us unit X students to take in turns to take over the class for at least 10 minutes and told us to come up with either games or the tutor has told us to do something. The job the tutor assigned to me was to show the students their pictures of the light boxes they had made and when they had used them on the day of the solar eclipse. I did a countdown from 5 to get their attention and they quickly calmed down and listened and then I told them that I will be showing them the pictures from the day (image below) and proceeded to show them on the smart board on big screen.

(Image above) A picture from them all that I had shown them on the big board. 

(Image above) Notes from the day and visitor badge for the day.

Overall, this day went well and I was able to learn how to teach students younger and older on a one-to-one basis and I really enjoyed this. The key aspect that stuck out was when we were told to takeover for a bit during the textiles lesson, I really liked that because I was able to feel in control of a full class for the first time and I was giving the instructions which the students followed in a good manner. 

DARWEN ALDRIDGE COMMUNITY ACADEMY (DACA) #4

PLACEMENT DAY 4

On the fourth day of placement I worked with an A level art group and I was assigned to a student to give them some tips on how they could improve their sketchbook and add to artwork. In the afternoon session I was shadowing and working with a year 9 art group where they were carrying on with their project from the previous week.

Morning Session 
In the morning session I was working with students in A Level art. We were showed some work the students had done first and there was particular one that the tutor showed us (image below) that caught our attention because there was a story to it. This work was about politics and the things that have happened in Darwen in particular. We were told a story that happened many many years ago when Gandhi was called to Darwen to look in the mill (image below), it was about poverty and lifestyle. It was interesting to know about this and it let us look deeper into the work and engage with the student.

(Image above) Work by student and Mill near the school.

After this I was assigned to a student to help her with sketchbook work and help develop her artwork. During this session I found myself suggesting many artists that related to her work and this made me realise that I do have the ability to look at a piece of art and suggest appropriate artists to help them and so this session was very fun and I was able to engage in what I was told to do and help the student.

(Image above) Students artwork and the artists and tips I wrote on post-it notes to help with sketchbook work.

Afternoon Session
In the afternoon session I was with a year 9 art group, the students were carrying on with the projects that they had done previously so it was a calm session everyone what they were doing and we also got involved and spoke to some of the students about GCSE options and choosing art as a subject to which we got some interesting responses. Also during this class the tutor would get them around a table to tell them the next stages of their work before they started so the tutor would demonstrate what was to be done and then they would go to their tables and do it. 

(Image above) Students around a table listening to the tutor and watching what to do next. 

(Images above) The work made by students on my table.

While the tutor let the students get on with their work, he spoke to us (students on Unit X) about PGCE and ways to get a job at the school. He even got out the workload (image below) and showed us what is required on the course. At this point I became nervous about being a teacher because he was telling us the statistics of being a art teacher and the process, but this talk with the tutor helped me and the other students understand more of what we are going to do in the future.

(Image above) Tutors work that was done during PGCE Course.

(Images above) Notes from the day, visitor badge from the day and an unfinished illustration I had done while the students wet getting on with their work.

Overall, the day was very informative and quite relaxed as most of the day the students knew what they were doing. However, it was nice to see the big difference between a higher level art class and a lower level art class from the work they made you could see the control there was in the lower level and the sense of 'freedom' they had in the higher levels. Also, it was nice to get an insight from a qualified tutor that had done the PGCE course of what it is like and what is to be expected. This day has made me more confident about being a tutor although I did get a little nervous when we were being told about the course. 

MANCHESTER ART GALLERY - THE STUDIO

TALK AND WORKSHOPS WITH 

EMMA CARROLL

We took a trip to Manchester Art Gallery as a part of this unit to engage in talks and also learn different type of teaching skills. 

Emma Carroll is Manchester Art Gallery's Senior Manager for Schools and Colleges. We (Unit X group) spent an afternoon with Emma and she gave us tips on how to control a class and how to get them engaged in what has been planned throughout the day.

When we first entered we had a brief introduction of what is to be expected during the day. Emma started the session by telling us some general information about the Gallery (all information is in the notes below) in terms of what they do and who they are in partnership with to provide the opportunities that they do. I really appreciated knowing more about the gallery and what they provide especially for students because they have volunteering opportunities for students which would help them in the future. 

After the introduction Emma took us through some activities which involved team work. 

Activity 1
Emma would say two different things and tell us to go to either side of the room depending on what we chose. For example, she would say if your green go on the left and if your grey to go on the right. The themes were very random but it was a nice way to get us all moving and into the frame of mind to work and so I really enjoyed this activity.

Activity 2
We were all told to look at and follow one particular point from this painting (image below) to get us all to focus and give us a chance to think about it and 'have our moment'. 

(Image above) A Spate in the Highlands, 1866 by Peter Graham (1826-1931)

We were all then put into groups of 4 and we were told to place ourselves in that painting and thinks about what we would be able to hear, see, feel, smell/taste. We were given one A3 piece of paper per group with a type of sense in the middle and we had to quickly write down what comes to our head depending on the sense. We changed the papers around and did the same until we eventually got ours back. This was a great task because it helped us understand the painting better, just get down first initial thoughts straight away and also Emma gave us some teaching tips during the task incase we do carry out this task.

 (Images above) Group work completing the task and the outcome of the brainstorm our group got. 

When we got our paper back we had to choose up to three words and make it into a sentence/short story. (Image above shows the short story and the outcome).

Activity 3
We all moved to another part of the gallery where we were again put into groups but this time different groups and were told to look at another painting (image below). 

(Image above) Harbour Scene, Dieppe, 1885 by Paul Gauguin (1848-1903)

In this activity we were given different sides and our group was East. We had to look at the painting and imagine what kind of place it would be and what kind of shops etc would be around the area and then draw it like a map onto the sheet provided. Everyone chose one person from their group to go around to other groups and describe how their side looked from the images they were being told to look at (shown in images below). 

(Images above) Maps made by each group describing their side depending on the painting they were told to look at.

Activity 4
We all formed a circle with our maps and Emma asked us all to say one word about the painting we had to look at. We kept going around the circle and we had to be quick and so we all shared our initial thoughts of the outcome which I thought was a good way to summarise the whole activity.

(Images above) Notes from the session at Manchester Art Gallery.

Overall, I thought this session at the gallery was very insightful and Emma was very enthusiastic about what she was teaching us and I think this helped to liven up the full session because she kept us all in focus. Emma gave us some tips at the end of the session that we could possibly use at the school when we carry out our workshop such as have a good pace through activities, don't try and fit too many activities also, get the teacher involved and maybe give them some responsibilities such as arranging the groups etc. Also, Anna was there and got involved in the whole session and this became more of support for the students I suppose. I think the tips Emma had given us would be very useful having seen them being carried out throughout this day made me more confident to think about applying them in the workshop.

DARWEN ALDRIDGE COMMUNITY ACADEMY (DACA) #3

PLACEMENT DAY 3

On the third day of placement I was shadowing classes that weren't based in the art department. I had year 8 Design & Technology group for the morning sessions and in the afternoon I was shadowing year 8 Maths group. 

Morning Session
In the morning session I was shadowing a double lesson of year 8 Design and Technology. During the first session the students made some light boxes to use to witness the solar eclipse the next day, every student had made these because they were going to watch the eclipse together the next day. To make this task a little bit more interesting the tutor had told them how another class had made very funny looking ones and this class should try and make theirs look better. The students got stuck into making and rightly followed what the tutor had said and made the light boxes look very interesting. 

(Image above) Light boxes made by the Year 8 Design and Technology group.

I learnt quite a few teaching techniques during this class by observing the tutor and how she spoke and demonstrated certain aspects. The first session went by very calmly and the students followed everything the tutor said without trouble.

In the second session the students went back to what they were previously working on which was making speakers. 

(Image above) Students in the process of making speakers and an example of how a finished one will look.

The class were well behaved in general in the first session and so the tutor spoke in a calm voice and the students responded in a good manner. However, in the second session at some points when she wanted their attention it took a few calls to get it and then she started with raising her voice and they responded very quickly, the next stage when asked would have been to tell them that they will lose time of lunch but it didn't come to that.

Afternoon Session
I was working with year 8 Maths class, it was a very small group and later I was told that it was a bottom set. During this session there were a lot of distributions made by the students. After looking at the work they were set I realised it was made very simple for them yet some students did make a lot of effort to disrupt the class. One of the students used strong language when talking to another student, at this point the tutor had become very cross and she did shout at the student and moved the student to another seat in the room. During this session I got a scoop of how it is like to teach students with behavioural issues because they were doing the work but they made a lot of effort to cause problems in the classroom. The tutor tackled the problem calmly at first by saying they would lose lunchtime the next day and this worked for some time, but then when they carried on they were told that if the bad behaviour carried on they would be sent to the head teacher and get a call home. From this point onwards the students did calm down and although there were a few small distractions they soon calmed down fully. So this session taught me how to manage children with behavioural issues and how i could get around this.

(Images above) Notes from the day and visitor badge for the day.

Overall, I thought it was a good change away from the art department and I learnt different teaching techniques during these lessons by watching the tutors and how the students responded to what is being said. I got involved in the design and technology group in the morning and the students were very welcoming and told me and their projects and what they had been doing during the year so I found that really nice because i was able to interact with students. However, in the Maths lesson I wasn't able to interact as much but both of these sessions taught me different ways to teach a well behaved group and a group with more behavioural problems and so I thought this day was very eventful and informative.

DARWEN ALDRIDGE COMMUNITY ACADEMY (DACA) #2

PLACEMENT DAY 2

The second day of working in DACA was a lot more interesting, in the morning session I along with 3 other girls on my course got the opportunity to work with a student to 'destroy' artwork which was apart of their work as the student was looking at art history and the way some artwork becomes artwork after it is 'destroyed'. In the afternoon session I had the opportunity to work with three photography students and help them with sketchbook work and how they could make it look more interesting and so I showed them a few ways they could manipulate photographs for different effects.

Morning Session
In the morning session 4 students including myself had the opportunity to get involved with one of the students work. An A Level student asked if we would help him in 'destroying his work' as part of his art piece. He first asked us what we think art is and what it means to us, he recorded our response on camera. We then started to 'destroy' his artwork as shown in the images below.

(Images above) I along with other students in the process of destroying artwork.

(Images above) The start to the outcome of destroying the art piece.

I really enjoyed doing this and it was a great experience to what I normally do at uni also. Being a Fine Art student I never really indulged in trying different type of art and after this experience I really feel i can take from this and try this out in my own practice. Also, it was a great collaborative aspect that I could take from this experience, I think this task gave me the opportunity to learn more about this type of art and doing it with students from different disciplines made it more enjoyable and helped us share ideas with each other to get the final outcome.

Afternoon Session

In the afternoon session I worked with three photography students on their sketchbooks and helped them add more to it. I taught the students how to manipulate photographs to get different effects and then work into them further. We used image maker, sellotape and candle was to make some of the photographs they had taken look more interesting. I felt very good in this session because I once learnt all these techniques in college and it felt nice to teach other students the same techniques so i really enjoyed this session.

(Images above) Students working on their photographs and the outcome of the ones I did to demonstrate.

(Image above) Notes from the day and visitor badge for the day.

Overall, this day was very eventful and I learnt a few things about teaching and my own practice from the students and the tutors over at the school. I realised the skills we learn can always be taught to other to make bigger and better things and i really enjoyed that I was able to work with a small group and 'show off' what I knew and teach them at the same time. During this day i was able to work both collaboratively and on my own and I feel I got to learn a lot from this day in both aspects.

DARWEN ALDRIDGE COMMUNITY ACADEMY (DACA) #1

PLACEMENT DAY 1

On the first day of placement there wasn't too much getting involved in teaching but more shadowing the classes I was put into. In the previous session at university I had decided that I will be focusing on how the teacher uses their voice to control the class and how the students respond to their voice tone. 

Morning Session
However, in the first session this was almost impossible to record because I was put into a year 13 (A2 LEVEL) Textiles class and there were only 3 students present because the rest were out doing their Art exam. So this session was very quiet and ran quite smoothly. The students who were present knew what they were doing. But we were told to try and help them with patterns for designing and maybe make our own sketches/mood boards.

(Images above) My drawings from the morning textiles session.

Afternoon Session
In the afternoon session I was shadowing a year 9 Art class which was a full class so I had a chance to record and focus on different voice tones of the teacher and see how the students respond to it. 

(Image above) Students work from their art lesson.

I realised the tutor would just stop talking if any students were not listening and then the students would realise and stop talking and then the tutor would carry on. I saw this technique work a few times but towards the end of the lesson it didn't and then the tutor started taking time of the students' lunch times and I think that worked more because the there were very few distractions after that and the lesson ran quite smoothly. One aspect of the lesson I really liked was at the end of the lesson the tutor would give all the students an image each of the thumbs up button on Facebook and they would have a few minutes to go around and put it next to the one they really liked and say why, I think this was great to see them do because they could all pick out good aspects from each others work.

(Image above) Notes from the day and visitor badge for the day.

Overall, the first day went quite well and helped me get the feel of being back at high school. I learnt quite a few techniques to how I could manage a big class and a small class of students. Also, I think the thing that got to me was the break times and how short they were, whereas at university we have the privilege of going for a break/lunch at anytime being at the school on a tight schedule was something very interesting to also get used to.