Teaching Art & Design: St Teilo’s Church in Wales High School. Week Three, Day Two

Today was my teaching day so I was given the whole day to prepare and the other teachers new I was nervous and needed to relax. I have all of my lesson prep sorted, with my design sheet examples and now all I need to do is start teaching.

I am not going to put the pupils work on this blog as it is their personal work and the school have said that I can’t share images of the pupils or work with names on. I also want to respect the pupils and what they have created so I don’t think putting their work on this public blog will respect them.

 

• I created a design examples for the students to look at and get inspired.
• I used a simple design process, I started with a shape, then worked on the design.
• I left the labels out so I could ask the students, what is missing from the design?

The problem they have found with this style of teaching, showing a good example work, the pupils will see this as a piece of work that will get good marks, so sometimes pupils will copy this work knowing they will get a good mark. I think the best way to encourage the pupils is to remind them that this is only one example, and that its more about the individual work.

Lesson: Teaching year 7 – Thinking About Form:

• At the start of the lesson Sir took the register and got them all settled before I took over.
• There should be 17 pupils in my classroom but on this teaching day there was only 11, and the difference in behaviour was very noticeable. They were more engaged, listing intently, and ready to start the lesson.
• Before starting the lesson I recapped last week, where they looked at the function, and today we are looking at form, I asked them what is the function, and what is the form?
• I got the pupils to come around the back table where I showed them my design example, they were all really surprised by the quality of my work. When the pupils are shown a design sheet example it is usually another pupils work, and they instantly said that they couldn’t produce work like that.
• I explained to them that I work at this standard because I am at university and that this is only an example of how you can lay out work. This really helped calm them down because they didn’t have to stress about the quality they only had to think about the layout.
• I asked them questions to get them thinking first, whats good about this design sheet? What is missing? What do I need to do? And the pupils answered perfectly telling me I needed labels, colours, and to put measurements on the design.
• I put three learning objectives on the board so if they got stuck they could look and see what they need to do,

1.  Pick a shape that will become your main design – square, circle, hexagon,
2.  Draw your main design on the shape, for example my main design is a bee on the hexagon,
3.  Label the design sheet, and add colours when all this is done.

• I asked them what the main outcome of the lesson was and they all told me what they had to do so I let them get on.
• The equipment was paper, pencils, rulers, and colouring pencils, all of this was at the back and I told the pupils to collect the items they needed and go back to their seats and I would come around and help them.
• Straight away I ran into an issue, they saw my design example and decided to copy it knowing the work was a high standard. I went to these pupils and told them to create their own designs and my design is my work, most of them got this but still wanted to use the shape, there was one pupil who wouldn’t change her idea.
• I made sure I kept walking around the room and made sure everyone was on task, and to my surprise everyone was working hard and on task!
• I had been with this class the last week and they were very different, they were getting up out of seats, shouting and not getting on with work, but this lesson was very different, they were calm, got on well with work, and didn’t need my help.
• I answered all the questions that the pupils had on things like size, shape, and what they could do, I had to start pupils off on the design element, I asked them what interests them, movies, sport, food and this prompting really helped as they then started thinking about what they personally like.
• Wrapping up the lesson: I gave a 15 minute warning for the end of the lesson and asked them where they were, and everyone was at the same stage! All of the pupils had come up with a personal design, lablled the designs and were now adding colour so I let them carry on for another 10 minutes.
• Packing up was very quick, I told them to put names on work and put them at the end of the table so I could collect them, and they were responsible for putting equipment away. When they had done this I told them to collect bags and coats and stand behind their desk.
• I did a recap about today’s lesson, asked them what did we do? Why? How? What is the form?
• Once this was done I told them that next week we will be working on computers taking these designs into 2D design.
• End of lesson.

Teaching Art & Design: St Teilo’s Church in Wales High School. Week Three, Day One

For this day I will be completing classroom observations in both the art department and the design and technology department. I will be working with a range of age groups who are working at different levels and on different projects.

Lesson One – Year 7 – Product Design:

• I haven’t worked with the class before but they are working on the same project as the other year 7 classes, the pencil holder task.
• For this lesson the class with be working on design story boards, going through step by step of the making process.
• The class took a little while to get settled but once they were they go on well with the task and needed little help from me.
• I noticed that some children got very comfortable with me in the room and soon wanted me to look at their work and give them praise and help when needed.
• I found this class really nice to work with, a little hard work to keep on task but they all worked well and when told they soon go back on with the work they needed to do.

Reflection – This class was really nice to work with, I found them a little hard to keep on task so if I was teaching the class I would keep reminding them that the sooner this part is completed the sooner they can get back to making. The classes in Design Technology really enjoy making so it can be hard when there is analytical and annotation work that needs to be completed. I found that just telling them the sooner they work is completed the sooner they can move on worked really well as it gave the pupils a goal to work towards and it also gave them incentives to complete the work.

Lesson Two – Year 10 – Art:

• As well as working in the Design department I have been working in Art department, helping with drawing skills, giving advice if pupils are thinking about university, and just being another person in the room who can offer advice.
• In this lesson the pupils were working with acrylic paint and using everyday objects were learning about layering, shade and tone, and how to best build texture using a new material.
• The class is very skilled and work really well with this new challenge, most had already draw the outline of their objects and just needed to start adding colour.
• I had to help a couple of the pupils with perceptive drawing (something I am not 100% perfect at so that was a challenge) and help them find a starting point.
• Once everyone was working I started walking around the room and offered tips on painting, but I found that the class had a lot of questions and were asking for me help when I came to the table.

Reflection – I really liked being more hands on with the pupils, showing them how to paint using a new medium, I think running little demos to pupils who are struggling is a really good way help more than one pupils at a time.

For this rest of the day I asked if I could work in the office preparing for tomorrows teaching lesson, creating a lesson plan and creating lesson resources.

 

PGCE Presentations

For this Monday meeting we attended the PGCE students presentations about their time at primary school. I found the presentations really interesting and informative, there were a really big difference in the schools and the teaching approaches. Some where more hands on with lessons, cooking, and some were focusing on computer skills.

The presentations were very laid back but very informative, they went over day by day lessons and what went well, and what didn’t.

Looking at these presentations I have gained some ideas on my own delivery for the presentation, have some brief notes I can look at, keep it light and friendly, explain fully all of the challenges and how I over came them.

I want to use a power point for my presentation so there is some visual but most of the presentation will be me talking to the group. I think I can explain my work better and go into more detail if it is mostly myself talking through the project.

Teaching Art & Design: St Teilo’s Church in Wales High School. Week Two, Day Three

For today I will be working in the Art Department, I like my time in the Art department as I can be more hands on with pupils, give them advice and tips for drawing, and I feel like I’m doing more than just standing at the back of the class watching.

Lesson One – Year 9 Art:

• This class is very noisy but a lot of the pupils are hard working and have some amazing works in the class, a lot of the pupils have great perspective and really know how to draw the eyes and nose in proportion.
• There was one pupils who is very talented but struggles with confidence, he asked me if I could help him and he even asked me to tell him which bits were bad so he could improve them. He was a very engaged learner and shows great talent if he chooses to carry on with art.
• There was one table where the work was there but the pupils didn’t want to carry on with the drawing. I sat with that table for a little while I gave them tips on how to shade the face and the hair, by giving them this advice they all started working and showed great improvement.
• I really enjoyed working with some of the pupils in this class, they really took on board the advice I gave them and even wanted me to go into more detail about shading techniques.

Reflection – I really enjoyed working with this class because they had so many questions about art and were really interested on improving the work they had already done.  Working with this class has given me ideas for my lesson, I think showing them shills and ideas will help them within their own work as it gives them a base to work from.

Lesson Two – Year 10 Art;

• The class was very motivated and didn’t need much support from myself or the member of staff.
• I did go around have give them help with painting techniques which they really liked hearing about

Reflection – As there was little to do in this class room I was mainly at the back of the room. The class was very well behaved and I could see they really wanted to be in the class and really wanted to get on with work.

Lesson Three – Year 7 Art:

•  In this lesson the class was starting a new project; oriental.
• The main lesson was research and collecting facts as a team.
• There was little I could do other than walk around the room and make sure the class was on task.

Reflection – The main way pupils were rewarded was with praise and encouragement, I found that the energy off the teacher really affected the class. The teacher was really excited and getting the pupils excited really changed the dynamic of the room. 

Lesson Four – Free Lesson, I used this time to relax from the lessons before and think ahead to my teaching lesson on the coming Wednesday.

Lesson Five –  Year 13 Art:

• In this lesson the year 13’s were trying something new, they were using clay and creating clay self portraits. I have never used this process before so I learning something new.
• I was able to not only help the students with their work bust also learn a new skill that I can now take back to uni and try and work into my practice.

Reflection – I really enjoyed being more hands on in this lesson, I think this is a great teaching tool with smaller groups as the pupils can see what you are doing and can see you make mistakes which will take pressure off of them and allow them to enjoy the process of making.

 

Teaching Art & Design: St Teilo’s Church in Wales High School. Week Two, Day Two

For this day again I will be helping in both the Art department, and the Design and Technology  department. My main role in the lessons is to walk around and give any support or advice to students. I’ve noticed that the students are becoming more comfortable with me in the class rooms and will ask for my help and opinions.

Lesson One – Year 9 – Art

• This year 8 class is also working on gridded self portraits, this class has already completed the self assessments and are now just putting the finishing shading on their drawings.
• This class was very eager to finish this project and move onto the next stage, almost everyone in the class was at the same stage with only a few still needing to draw the eyes and other facial features.
• At the start of the lesson I was asked to introduce myself and what kind of art works I create, I told the students that I am mostly a painter and that even I struggle with drawing portraits. I think this helped with a lot of pupils confidence because they could see someone who is now at university working at an almost professional level who struggles with some things.
• Walking around the class I found that a lot of the students were really interested in what university is like, and what I work on. They had lost of questions and when they asked me to demonstrate a technical skill (shading hair rather than using lines to build up texture) they were very engaged with what I was saying and were happy to try new techniques.

Reflection- Seeing this type of class was very interesting, they all got on with their work and were happy to be left alone but when I went around the tables I found that lots of the pupils needed technical help but were too shy to put hands up and ask. I found that walking around the class room and ask students questions like “What stage are you at?” and “What do you need to do next?” really helped as the pupils were able to ask me for help and not have to say in front of the class.

Lesson Two – Year 11 Art:

• In the lesson the pupils are filling in any gaps in books before their assessments, so there was little that I could do support wise.
• I still spoke to some of the pupils about their work and what they are working on and a lot of them where at the same stage, working with stencils.
• Quite a few of the pupils are thinking about university in the future so I was able to give them some advice.

Reflection – As there wasn’t much to do I used this lesson to prep for my lesson in the afternoon. 

Lesson Three – Year 10- B-Tech Engineering:

• The class is working on exam prep and revision, so the main part of the lesson is finding the power point with the days date on, working through the information in their books and then answering exam style questions based on the power point.
• There wasn’t much that I could do in this lesson because the boys were able to get on with their work without much help.
• There are only two main learning objectives for this lesson,

1. Find the power point and work through the work on the slides,
2. Work through the exam style questions at the end of the power point.

Reflection – The last time I was in the class there was a little bit of disruption and chatter but in this lesson they were perfect in the way that they came in, they collected their books, sat at the computers and found the PowerPoint. Again in this style of lesson there was little I could do.

Lesson 4 – Lesson Prep 

• The last lesson with the year 7’s is being run by Matt, and I will be in the back helping pupils if they get stuck. I have created a lesson plan as if I will be teaching the class but for this lesson I will just be observing, my teaching day will be next week.

Lesson Five – Year 7 Product Design:

• I have been with this class before on the Tuesday, when I was with them they had a few issues with concentration but generally they get on well.
• The main outcomes for the lesson are to copy the circuit diagram from the board, label the circuit, fill in the table with the correct information for example; the battery powers the circuit, ad finally copy the bar chart from the board.
• At the start of the lesson Sir got the pupils to line up outside the class and asks them to put bags and coats away and take out pencil cases and sit quietly at places for the lesson to begin.
• This class has a few chatting boys who will get up out of seats and walk around the room, Sir was very good at keeping them in place and working.
• During the introduction to the project there was one pupil, who kept asking what was going on rather than waiting for Sir to finish explaining, so quite a few times I had to tell her to wait until the end and I will go over it again.
• Most of the class are very capable and were able to get on with little prompting from myself or sir but there are about four pupils who are very chatty, get up out of seats and walking around the class.
• Sir kept reminding pupils to sit down in seats and to get on with work, so I kept walking around the class room, asking if pupils were alright, what part they were on, and what they needed to do next. I found that lots of the pupils were getting easily distracted with the copying off the board, but when I told them the sooner they got this side of the work completed the sooner they could start designing and making.
• This worked well in motivating some students as they new that the boring stuff would be over sooner.
• The lesson went quite well with every student drawing the circuit, most got the labelling table down, and some were able to then complete the bar chart.
• I think seeing the class in action has helped inform my teaching approach with the pupils, they like being hands on and working on own work, so next will I will run a design class, I will show them how to lay out a design sheet and how to make a clear design. I think being more hands on will help keep the concentration of the class.

Reflection – It was really interesting seeing the difference in behaviour of the pupils from the two different lessons, they really ant to be hands on with work and see the work that they are creating rather than forcing on the writing and planning. I think when I would tell the pupils that the sooner the work is completed the sooner they could start making was a good tactic as it got them all thinking ahead while also focusing on the work they were doing now.

Next week I want to run a small demonstration with the pupils, showing them an example work, (this I will create myself) and talking them through the steps to creating a design sheet.

Teaching Art & Design: St Teilo’s Church in Wales High School. Week Two, Day One

For my Second week the teachers up in the art department thought it would be good if I helped in the art department, helping all years from year 7-13. I think it will be a challenge working in the different departments, having to adjust to the different learning styles, how the pupils behaviour changes and the different teaching styles for the class.

Lesson One – Year 7 – textiles:

• This class is the one I will be teaching on the Wednesday, they are very mixed learners and some really struggle with this material process, needing a lot of help and one on one support.
• In this lesson the pupils are sewing using the sewing machines, they are creating a pillow cover and in this lesson are sewing all of the edges together, the lesson is still very independent getting the children to work together and to work through problems themselves.
• There are three main lesson objects for the lesson which are on the board:

1. Thread the sewing machine,
2. Sew the pillow case together,
3. Practice sewing against an edge of scrap fabric taking time to make sure its neat and tidy.

• Lots of the students needed lots of help with threading machines and getting started sewing, I spent a lot of time helping one student with the sewing part as he really struggled and no other students were helping him because they were also getting on with their own work. The problem with helping one student so much tho is that some will fall in the cracks and not do anything.
• I found this was the case in this lesson, on of the pupils didn’t know what to do, didn’t ask for help, and spent the whole lesson say not trying to do any work. When I tried encouraging the pupil to work they wanted me to do everything for them and needed lots of one on one support.
• I found this lesson very hard because there were so many students who didn’t know how to use a sewing machine and those that could got the work completed in the time frame without much help. I tried getting some of the more capable students to help some of the weaker but the stronger students just wanted to move onto the next thing.

Reflection- Seeing the difference in working styles has really prepared me for my lesson on Wednesday, I can see how others will work with a task and I have seen the more capable students in the class, and those who are weaker and need more help. I can change my lesson plan around by breaking the lesson into smaller chunks and keep asking questions, “have you reached this stage” “have you come up with a design” I think if I keep asking questions I can see how is falling behind and the questions prompt them to keep working harder and to reach the next goal.

Lesson Two- Year 8 Art:

•  This lesson is the first time I have been in the art department and it is run very smoothly and practically, all of the year follow the same lesson plan, for example this week all of the classes are working on gridded portraits, I think because the lesson is the same over the different years not a lot of planning needs to go into the lesson, it because more about classroom control and management.
• The year 8 class that I am with has some pupils that are very disruptive and refuse to get on with the work that they need to do. The start of the lesson is self assessment of the work they have been working on so far, this is a struggle as the class would rather get on an make art than have to write about it.
• The starter task took almost 20 minutes from a 60 minute lesson meaning there is less time for pupils to get on and do work, but as I was walking and with the students I found that lots of them are very capable and only needed help with technical techniques like crosshatching and shading.
• There was one pupil who was at the back of the class not doing anything, when I went over to talk to him he said “Miss I’ve Failed.” I asked him what he meant and he said that he couldn’t draw, that it will look bad and he will fail. I told him that he cant fail in art and asked to see his work. It was really well done and I told him this but he didn’t believe me, so I asked him what he didn’t like about his work. He said he didn’t like how it looked, so I gave him tips of shading, adding tone and texture, and I told him that if he keeps working and trying his work will get better and better, and he did try and I kept going back and encouraging him. At the end of the lesson the teacher in charge of the class told me that he usually doesn’t do any work and just sits there doing nothing. I found this interesting because all the pupil needed was someone to encourage him and push him and he started working.

Reflection- I think working with a student that didn’t think he could do anything has given me ideas on how I can work with students who are very defeated and how I can encourage them to keep working and creating art without talking down to them and making them further stressed and uncomfortable. Working with a pupil who thinks they can’t is also really rewarding, seeing them try and keep working was really rewarding for myself because I felt like I was making a difference.

Lesson Three – Year 11 Art:

• I was up in the art department again for third lesson, they wanted me to be very hands on with the pupils and to get an idea of the learning environment. The year 11’s have been working using acrylic paint to paint objects of their choice, for example; a deodorant can and a plumb.
• This class is very advanced and all of the students were very capable using the paint, they have been going through their sketch books and preparing for their exams in the summer, the main mains for the lesson was to fill in any gaps in their books, annotate where needed and carry on painting with acrylic.
• The class was very skilled and didn’t need much technical help from me but I gave the pupils encouragement when needed and gave them advice if they asked.

Reflection- Working with this type of class was really nice to just relax and not worry about the behaviour, but it was almost too easy with the class. They needed little help with work, got on without much fuss, and left me feeling like a spare part.

Lesson Four – Year 8 Art:

• Again I was with a year 8 class, earlier in the morning I was working with another year 8 class and they were a little difficult to work with, but before the class came in the teacher told me this class was different to the morning class, and that they are polar opposite.
• The class came in, sat down, and got books out waiting to be told what to do next. Again this class is doing self assessments on their own work, and are also completing gridded portraits. All of the students were able to get on with the self assessments task and were ready to get on and finish their work.
• Walking around the class I could see that a lot of the pupils have a lot of talent, and they were all really excited for me to talk to them, give them advice, and help them with shading and tone.
• This class was very clam and at some points there was only quite chatter in the room, I could tell that all the students loved being in the room, and even some of the weaker students were really excited to be given tips and help on how to improve.

Reflection- I think working with the type of class was really interesting, because everyone was so quite and getting on it would be easy for struggling pupils to not do anything and would be easy for them not to ask for help. I think something I can do when working with type of class is to make sure I’m walking around the class room, the students know where I am, and to sit with tables and see how everyone is getting on with the task. I think this approach would allow even shy students the opportunity to ask for help without drawing too much attention to themselves.

Lesson Five – Lesson Planning for Wednesday

Teaching Art & Design: St Teilo’s Church in Wales High School.

Aims and Objectives of the Technology Department:

The Design and Technology department aims to promote the exciting and innovative subject of Design and Technology in our state of the art department. Ensuring all learners make progress and enjoy a fulfilling, modern curriculum that is challenging and worthwhile. Ensuring all pupils make progress, celebrating and valuing every positive achievement, fostering a can do culture where every grade matters, because every grade counts. To achieve this objective well-trained and highly motivated staff work to create a happy, hardworking, supportive, and cohesive atmosphere in which pupils can grow in confidence and enjoy learning. 

As Teachers of Design and Technology We Aim:

• To stimulate intellectual development and enrich the lives of our pupils by arousing interest in their immediate environment and encouraging responses to it.
• To develop technological capability in our pupils. This encompasses understanding of appropriate concepts and processes.
• To develop the ability to apply knowledge and skills by thinking and acting confidently, imaginatively, and with sensitivity.
• To develop the ability to evaluate activities, artefacts, and systems critically and constructively.
• To acknowledge individuality of interests and aspirations and needs by providing a breadth of experience and choice to which our pupils can relate.
• Provide a wide range of experiences to pupils that they remember and treasure through their learning journey.
• To promote and develop in our pupils a confidence in their create powers and technological capabilities.
• To promote the acquisition of skills: problem solving, presentational, organisational, social, and technological.
• To improve our pupils visual awareness and critical faculties by developing their drawing skills, investigate and presentational- both manually and with technical assistance.
• To develop in our pupils an awareness of our cultural heritage and an understanding of the importance of design and technology in today’s society.
• To develop our pupils dexterity through structured experimentation utilising a variety of tools, materials, and processes with a due regard to health and safety.
• To prepare our pupils for internal and national examinations.
• To advise on subject choice and career prospects.
• To promote and encourage cross-curricular links whenever possible.
• To develop and maintain a well-trained staff who pride themselves in delivering a balanced and cohesive curriculum in an atmosphere of mutual respect for their pupils and their colleagues.
• To promote a variety of learning and teaching strategies, which should include group/team activities to foster tolerance and co-operation with others.
• To monitor pupils progress regularly and accurately to ensure that every pupil achieves her/his full potential.

Teaching Art & Design: St Teilo’s Church in Wales High School. Week One, Day Three

For my final day at school for the week I was placed into year 7-11 lessons in the DT department, observing product design, design technology, and engineering. A lot of the classes were working on practical projects and required help with sawing, making, and designing their work.

Lesson One – Year 10- B-Tech Engineering:

• The class is working on exam prep and revision, so the main part of the lesson is finding the power point with the days date on, working through the information in their books and then answering exam style questions based on the power point.
• There wasn’t much that I could do in this lesson because the boys were able to get on with their work without much help.
• There are only two main learning objectives for this lesson,

1. Find the power point and work through the work on the slides,
2. Work through the exam style questions at the end of the power point.

• Notes- The teacher with the class had told me that when first working with the pupils it as very difficult, they didn’t listen, get on with one another, and were rude and uncooperative. To work with the boys the teacher decided to work on a reward system, as the class is on the computers, the system for working is this; if you get all the power-point work completed, and the exam questions any time left is theirs. Then can listen to music, and when the work is done watch videos. This is a really effective working method, and although the boys can still be disruptive with one another almost all of the work is completed by the end of the lesson.

Lesson Two – Year 7 Product Design, Practical Lesson:

• For this lesson the year 7’s are cutting out their MDF designs with the final outcome being a pencil holder, over the last couple of week the students have learned how to cut out the base, sand the base, drill holes in the top, and are now working on the decorations.
• The lesson has Three main learning objectives,

1. Finish Cutting out the MDF Designs,
2. When all pieces are cut out, file them and use sand paper to smooth out rough edges,
3. When all pieces are cut out colour them in.

• The lesson is very independent with the pupils getting on with cutting out using the coping saw, helping each-other, and working through issues on their own.
• At the start of the lesson Sir asked “What Is Ffedog?” Ffedog is the Welsh word for apron, by asking this question is tells the students to go and put on an apron because it is a practical lesson.
• Notes- This class has very mixed ability students, so some were able to collect work, equipment, and start sawing without any help from the teacher or help from other students. And then there are some students who are very nervous and need help through every step of the process. There was one student who needed lots of reassuring and help to get started cutting but once he was working he didn’t need anymore help, I found that just encoring him and telling him he can do it worked well. The independent students show real talent but its pushing them out of their comfort zones and pushing them to work harder will be a challenge because some of the lower may fall further behind. 

Lesson Three/Four – Year 13- Product design:

• The year 13 are finishing off their practical work ahead for when they need to submit work for grading in the summer, there are some very interesting projects, one student is designing a house that is disaster-prof using CAD, laser cutting out the design and building the house model out of material.
• There wasn’t a lot I could do to help the students as they are very strong learners and are able to get on without much help from me.
• Notes- In these lessons I decided to tell some of the students about Cardiff Met, five of the students have applied to go to the university, so I told them about some of the facility’s, the opportunity’s, and a basic outlines of the work. 

Lesson Five – Outlining next weeks lesson with year 7:

• For my year 7’s they are starting a new project in product design, they are starting a torch project, the plan I have come up with along with the teacher is to lead two lessons of design, and help to introduce the new project.
• The first lesson will be outlining the learning objectives for the project, going into detail about the making process, and the outcomes for the final piece.
• I need to think about the different learners that are in the class, what they are able to do, what they may struggle and how I can adapt my lesson plans to allow everyone in the class to produce work and not fall behind.

Teaching Art & Design: St Teilo’s Church in Wales High School. Week One, Day Two

For the second day at St Teilo’s I followed round one year nine class, and one pupil in particular, I went with her to her Maths, English, French, and History lessons. It was very interesting seeing the difference in her behaviour based on the lesson, the teacher, and her attitude to learning. I learned a lot about teaching methods from being with this class, I go a look into what works with the pupils and what creates tension.

Pupil trail: 

“As part of your introduction to life and learning at St Teilo’s, you will need to observe a pupil for the day. This means that you will experience the school day through their eyes by attending lessons and worship with them.”

First Lesson- Maths:

• Intro task was straight into a starter about fractions and decimals, a work sheet was past around and to be filled in within 5 minutes.
• Then went through the stater getting the pupils to mark own work to understand what they did wrong or what they did right.
• Teacher recapped the last lesson, how to turn fractions into decimals, getting the students to work out questions as a class.
• The class was given a work booklet last lesson and this lesson they were to work through the rest of the questions for the lesson.
• Ten minutes before the end of the lesson the teacher called the classes attention to the front and went through any questions students got stuck on, working through them by getting other pupils to help explain how to solve problems.
• Observations- To get all learners working there was lots of questions to asked, calling on pupils to explain working, and get pupils to stand up at the front of the class and work through problems, this kept everyone engaged.  

Second Lesson- English:

• Intro task get pupils to explain the outcomes of the lesson and what the objects for the project are.
• The task of the day was proof read the debate arguments they have been working on, looking at the learning objects on the board and in books.
• To engaged all pupils they had to swap books with a partner and go through and mark the debates, this got them thinking about how they can improve own work.
• The class got on well with the task, this was a top set class so everyone was able to full-fill the task, and needed little guidance and help.
• Towards the end of the lesson getting pupils to volunteer to read out part of their debates and get the class to critique the work and then go home and improve on.
• Observations- Because the class was very well behaved and very advanced, there wasn’t a need for a disciplined approach. The pupils got on with the work and gave support to each other when needed.

Third Lesson- French:

• Intro task, work sheet recapping last lessons words learned.
• After 5 minutes the pupils went through the work sheet on the board completing the sheet as a group.
• The main part of the lesson was going over the work needed for assessment what might come up, what do you need to remember.
• Go through the work booklet from last lesson.
• As a class go through the harder parts together, calling on pupils to answer the questions asked.
• Also know the key words and translate from French to English.
• Final task was matching French words with the images on the board.
• Observations- The main objects of the lesson was being able to translate from French to English, which some pupils struggled with but when they went through the problems on the board as a class were able to work through problems and understand the answers.

Fourth Lesson- History 

• For this lesson the class was just watching a historical film as they had just finished a topic and were moving onto something new.
• Observations- As the class were only watching a film there was nothing to really note.

Pupil Trail Observations- 

• Throughout the day I noticed the difference in the pupils behaviour depending on the teacher, and the attitude of the teachers. One of the biggest shifts in behaviour came from English to French.
• In English the pupil was very engaged, working hard, had no behaviour issues and was actively participating in the lesson. Where as in French the pupil was stressed, aggravated, and uninterested.
• One of the main reasons, I believe, for this change in behaviour is the attitude from the teacher, in English they were very supportive and showed  lot of patience, where as in French they were very eager to move on and leave struggling students to work with those who are more ahead. I think this has an affect on the pupils behaviour because they could see when a teacher doesn’t care about them anymore.

Reflection- 

• I think this is something I can work on when I go into my own lessons, how can I keep all learners engaged? How can I ensure no one falls behind?

Teaching Art & Design: St Teilo’s Church in Wales High School. Week One, Day One.

Induction Day: 

• On the first day at St Teilo’s I was given a department tour, and given reading about the aims and objects for the technology department. I was introduced to all the staff in the technology department an then given a school tour. St Teilo’s is a fairly new build school, the layout is very modern, there are six main blocks with the same class room layouts all connected by one main hallway. Finding my way around became easier and easier the more I saw of the school, the same layout repeated helped a lot.
• St Teilo’s is both an English and Welsh speaking school, students attend Welsh language lessons, teachers count down in Welsh, and students answer the register with “Yma-Here”.
• I don’t speak any Welsh but the teachers have told me the basic words I need to know and they seem to be easy to pick up.
• The school day runs from 8:40 until 3:00, though staff are expected at school for 8:20 for daily meetings about departments, form classes, and general student information, for example on my second day I will go into a teacher meeting about engaging students in reading as some students are very poor in this area.

Class Room Observation:

• For my first day I also sat at the back of a year 7 product design class, where they were finishing off their last project; pencil holders. The aim of the lesson was to finish all design ideas, fill any holes in the design process, and complete a student self assessment, what went well ect.
• The main way teachers call attention to the front of the room is by counting down from three, “Tri, Dau, Un.”
• The class was very divided in learning groups with some students very poor, some very high learners, and those in the middle, so its very hard planning a lesson knowing some students will fall behind and become frustrated.

Safeguarding With the Deputy Head Teacher:

• It is the duty of all staff at St Teilo’s to keep children safe. Safeguarding is abut much more than just ‘child protection’. It is about child protection, attendance, anti-bullying, staff conduct, building design, curriculum, behaviour management, health and safety, recruitment and managing allegations.
• We know that, for some children, school represents the best six hours of their day. We must ensure that no child in our care suffer from harm.
• The different between safeguarding and child protection: Safeguarding means proactively seeking to involve the whole school community in keeping children safe and promoting their welfare. Child Protection is the process of protecting individual children identified as either suffering, or at risk of suffering significant harm as a result of abuse or neglect.
• why is this my job? School hold valuable information and knowledge about children. When not at home children spend more time at school than anywhere else. Staff have extensive training, knowledge, and experience in all aspects of child development. They are able to observe changes in children. Children frequently choose school staff when they need an adult to talk to. For some children school is their only ‘safe haven’.
• It is our responsibility to ensure that ALL staff and governors: Are aware of the need to be alert to the signs of abuse. Know what to do when they have observed abuse by other staff in the school. Know how to support a child who discloses abuse in any context. Make pupils feel encouraged and secure to discuss any concerns they may have. Know how to refer disclosure and/or allegations about abuse from (i) within school, (ii) at home or (iii) outside school and home. Know what to do if there is an allegation against the Child Protection Officer or Headteacher.
• Dealing with disclosures- DO: Keep an open mind and reassure. Listen carefully. Work at the child’s pace. Clarify facts but do not interrogate. Explain what you have to do next. Never promise confidentiality. Record accurately what was said using the same words as far as possible. Report it to the DSP the same day.
• Dealing with disclosures- DO NOT: Make false promises about confidentiality. Interrogate, investigate, or make suggestions about what is being said. Assume (for example, ‘this child tells lies’). Show anger or shock. Tell the child to go and speak to somebody else. Confront the abuser. Forget to record accurately. Forget to pass to the DSP as a matter of urgency.
• When might you be vulnerable? Alone with a child. Administering first aid. Restraining a child. Using social media. When you lack training and support. When you are unclear about guidance and procedure. When you fail to report or seek advice. When you fail to record accurately.
• Keeping yourself safe: Being alone with a child: As far as possible, meet with children in groups. From time to time, we need to meet with children alone. In such cases, leave the door of the room open. If you think that the situation is likely to be contentious, ask a colleague to join you. All doors in St Teilo’s have glass panels so that people can see into rooms.
• Keeping yourself safe: Using social media: Do not allow pupils to be your friend on Facebook or other social media sites. Keep your social media profile either entirely private or entirely public, (and, ergo, professional). Do not use the school’s name on your social media profiles.
• Keeping yourself safe: Failure to report: If you are aware, or have suspicions, of harm or abuse to a child, you are obliged in law to report it, Failure to report your concerns to the DSP may amount to gross misconduct.
• In summary: Remember who our DSP and Child Protection Officer is. Remembering who our Safeguarding Officer is. If in doubt, always ask for advice. Share information with one another to keep one another safe. Staff at this school are trusted with other people’s children. This is why we must take our responsibilities seriously and act professionally. If you are concerned about a child report it to the DSP on the same day without fail.