Teaching practice – Once More into the Classroom

Thank you and Goodbye

Our unit for LA was bears - I didn't know that I would end up teaching bears. The good news was they were lovely bears. If you'd like to see some bear pics then please click here. (Password Protected, Ms. V has it.) — Our unit for LA was bears – I didn’t know that I would end up teaching bears. The good news was they were lovely bears. If you’d like to see some bear pics then please click here. (Password Protected, Ms. V has it.)

My Practicum is over. I’ve not been in a classroom for six days and as I sit here in Whitehorse editing pictures for my blog I am suddenly hit by the realization that I miss my students.

I have worked on and off in schools for eight years, three of them as a substitute teacher while I was transitioning out of, and now back into education. So I have worked with many different groups of children and this particular class ranks up there as one of my favourites. They were a joy to work with. A credit to their teacher, and to their parents and guardians. Typically, I am not taken by sentimentality or hyperbolism but having worked with these students I am tempted. I am going to keep this short, but I do want to say thank you to everyone who was a part of this experience for me. My mentor, Sam V, for her patience, guidance, kindness, help and professionalism; her colleagues who made be feel welcome; the principle who allowed me in to his school; my facilitator who had advice and words of wisdom a plenty and last but not least my students. You taught me a great deal.

So all that is left is to say farewell. I’d like to extend to everyone my best wishes for the future, and if you are ever in the Yukon feel free to look us up.

First Week in School and a bit of Art

Unbelievably the first week is over. Admittedly it was a four day week but still, the week flashed by in the blink of an eye. I’m teaching in a elementary school here in Red Deer in a grade 2 class.

This week has been about finding my feet, getting to know my students and spending time thinking about where I want to go with my teaching over the next nine weeks. I find myself in a bit of a strange position. Having been a teacher before I feel at ease and comfortable in the classroom. This is in no small part due to my mentor teacher who has embraced my experience and is helping me take my teaching to the next level.

This was first thing in the morning on the 2nd day of my teaching practice. I stepped outside and snapped a quick shot with my iPhone.

First Lesson of my practice.

Teaching is not as straight forward as some people would have you believe. It is a complex mix of science and art. Last week I came across this article “Educating kids isn’t rocket science. It’s harder.” It makes several keen observations. In particular how much change has been thrown at the profession over the last two decades and in many cases with little to show for it.

Contour Drawing

Contour drawing is a technique for improving observational drawing. It involves drawing an object without looking at the paper, drawing very slowly, and without taking the pen or pencil off the paper. It’s as difficult as it sounds and for these grade 2 students it was the first time they had ever attempted it.

We brought some pumpkins into the classroom for them to draw. Many of them found it very hard not to look at their paper which you can see in some of the images above. That said there were a few of the students who gave it a proper go. This is an activity that can be done very quickly and one that will improve their observational skills as well as their drawing skills.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the activity and it was interesting for me watching them try to cope with the instructions.

University of Alberta

If you check out my wife’s blog , you will be able to catch up on our latest news as a family. It’s been an interesting few months. Four weeks in a tent sounds romantic but I can tell you once it gets cold and wet it’s anything but.

The main reason that there’s been so little action on my blog, even for me, is since the 3rd of September I have been beavering (Canadian for working hard eh?) away at the University of Alberta. Arriving around 7am (trying to get space in the park and ride at Century Park LRT station after 6.30am is nigh on impossible) and leaving between 6pm and 7pm. There’s four hours of lectures on subjects as diverse as Historical Thinking and contour drawing, puppet making to Constructivisim and it’s place in Social studies. That’s not to say there’s isn’t any academic studies in art, far from it but it’s a much more practical course and provides a nice balance to the theory in Social Studies.

I can’t speak for the other departments, and indeed can’t really speak for the whole education department, but those professors I have been in contact with, namely my Art and Social Studies profs, have been great. We are doing condensed versions of these courses. Essentially trying to fit a fourteen week course into four weeks. As you can imagine, it’s a lot of work. I’m sure that the profs don’t really like it as there is obviously a whole heap more they could and would like to say.

Now we’re into the last week, and there is a lot of work to do. Unit plans for Art, revision for our Social Studies final, art journals to complete, art assignments and on top of all that we need to start thinking about our practicum, which starts on the 14th of October. We’ve just received our placements. Mine is here in Red Deer at the Glendale Science and Technology School. It sounds rather impressive and I am excited to be learning there. I have a G2 class. So one more week at University, and I know Christa is looking forward to having me home, and access to a vehicle, then an intense week prepping for my AFX (which is short for Advanced Field Experience I think) before into school.