Two solid days at the weekend, thinking about how to teach a class of S2 pupils about series and parallel circuits. A full-on lesson plan (well ahead of schedule in terms of academic expectation), reviewed with my sympathetic and helpful incumbent physics teacher. Reworked following that advice - resulting in a better plan. Ready to go.
And my delivery was crap.
Dull lesson. Delivered with a set of shoulders that were tenser than the proverbial camel's arse in a sandstorm. Earnest pupils trying to pay attention and listen to my hopeless verbal micturating.
OK, so I'm exaggerating. My feedback was "OK - here's how you can make it better. It was by no means the worst first-lesson I've seen". But I hated it. It wasn't how I pictured myself as a teacher.
Fast forward 48 hours to my scheduled primary school visit. P7 teacher struggling with - savour the irony - electric circuits. My offer of assistance was jumped upon - and with no preparation, no time to fret about it - I delivered 40 minutes of exhilarating (for me anyway) teaching. High order questioning, pupil involvement, humour, cooperative teaching, and all finished off with a bit of assessement to guage achievement of learning goals.
The teacher gave me some good feedback but I only really heard "if I hadn't known you're a student I would have said you'd been doing this for years".
Woohoo!
So, a week of two halves. From the despondency of being poor to the exhilaration of being, well, pretty good.
This week, it's back to Uni for another four weeks. Four days a week. Tuesdays off.
Torture eh ?
Tuesday, 9 October 2007
Sunday, 30 September 2007
Gordon Ramsay : Eat Yer Pansy Heart Out
As an old, earnestly non-sweary chum says - "Jings".
A week in real school and I'm knackered. Er, and because of the Glasgow autumn holiday on Monday it was actually only a four day week. Four days of non-stop teenage mentalness.
Tuesday was spent doing the intro meetings and school organisational chitchat. All very necessary, but it was only after lunch that I managed to get in among a proper class and start to do some toe-in-the-water stuff. "Can you tell me what you're doing guys ?" I asked of the spikey-haired-shirt-tail-hanging-out group of 16 year old pupils.
"Momen'um" - was the reply, not really inviting any further conversation. However, recognising the frictionless track, exploding bogeys, light-gates and timing device, I started to ask them to explain conservation of momen'um to me. It's funny, but when you play the daft-laddie it can really open people up. Within about fifteen minutes I was being asked what team I supported. Apparently it's quite unusual for student teachers to get talking to pupils so soon. Woop.
Thursday's plan was shadowing an S1 pupil for the entire school day - this turned out to be one of the most tiring days I have ever spent. Period 1 : 20 pupils (12 year olds) in the Home Economics deparment, each one tasked with making a pot of leek and potato soup........in about forty minutes. Apron on, sleeves rolled up, I constituted a classroom assistant perpetual motion machine for the entire period. Some pupils easily on-task. Some pupils not grasping how to scrub a potato. Some pupils in danger of cutting their fingers. Some pupils needing watched in case they scalded themselves. Twenty pots of soup later, and it was on to maths. Sitting at the back of the class, on at least two occasions, I came withing a whisker of putting my hand up with an answer to a question.
There followed a day of more or less non-stop attention-keeping. Hard enough for a bought-in budding-teacher adult, but for a 12 year old it's simply not possible to keep focus for that length of time. And it showed. You could count on one hand the kids that didn't get reprimanded for not paying attention. This was a "good class" too.
Needless to say, a small sherry was required on Thursday evening.
Anyhoo - this week I will be flying solo with a class of S2 pupils. My mission (if I choose to accept it, and I have) is to explain series and parallel circuits. Given the fact that actual teaching isn't a requirement for this short induction block, I'm hoping this will put me ahead of schedule.
Interactive whiteboard, here we come.
A week in real school and I'm knackered. Er, and because of the Glasgow autumn holiday on Monday it was actually only a four day week. Four days of non-stop teenage mentalness.
Tuesday was spent doing the intro meetings and school organisational chitchat. All very necessary, but it was only after lunch that I managed to get in among a proper class and start to do some toe-in-the-water stuff. "Can you tell me what you're doing guys ?" I asked of the spikey-haired-shirt-tail-hanging-out group of 16 year old pupils.
"Momen'um" - was the reply, not really inviting any further conversation. However, recognising the frictionless track, exploding bogeys, light-gates and timing device, I started to ask them to explain conservation of momen'um to me. It's funny, but when you play the daft-laddie it can really open people up. Within about fifteen minutes I was being asked what team I supported. Apparently it's quite unusual for student teachers to get talking to pupils so soon. Woop.
Thursday's plan was shadowing an S1 pupil for the entire school day - this turned out to be one of the most tiring days I have ever spent. Period 1 : 20 pupils (12 year olds) in the Home Economics deparment, each one tasked with making a pot of leek and potato soup........in about forty minutes. Apron on, sleeves rolled up, I constituted a classroom assistant perpetual motion machine for the entire period. Some pupils easily on-task. Some pupils not grasping how to scrub a potato. Some pupils in danger of cutting their fingers. Some pupils needing watched in case they scalded themselves. Twenty pots of soup later, and it was on to maths. Sitting at the back of the class, on at least two occasions, I came withing a whisker of putting my hand up with an answer to a question.
There followed a day of more or less non-stop attention-keeping. Hard enough for a bought-in budding-teacher adult, but for a 12 year old it's simply not possible to keep focus for that length of time. And it showed. You could count on one hand the kids that didn't get reprimanded for not paying attention. This was a "good class" too.
Needless to say, a small sherry was required on Thursday evening.
Anyhoo - this week I will be flying solo with a class of S2 pupils. My mission (if I choose to accept it, and I have) is to explain series and parallel circuits. Given the fact that actual teaching isn't a requirement for this short induction block, I'm hoping this will put me ahead of schedule.
Interactive whiteboard, here we come.
Monday, 24 September 2007
Um, Er, Um.
This week saw our first attempts at teaching a lesson. Not a lesson to actual pupils, but a five minute mini-lesson to our peers on a subject (of our own choice) from the "Health Physics" section of the Standard Grade physics curriculum.
I chose the use of Ultrasound, and given the fact that I have a fourteen year old scan from The Queen Mother's Maternity Hospital thought that a "real world" example of the technology might prove enough of a hook.
Now I've done a fair number of oily corporate PowerPoints, but this was wayyyyyyyyy tougher. Ever tried to explain the concept of sound when you don't know how much your audience already knows ? When you don't know how bright (or otherwise) they are ? When you don't know how motivated your audience is ? When you're not 100% sure of how the (ultra)sound is produced ? Why use ultrasound and not MRI? Is therapeutic ultrasound different to imaging ultrasound ? Where was it invented ? Is it dangerous ? How do you know ?
It is of course not difficult for an internet-capable dude like me to find the answers - once I've created a list of issues and questions. But my prep took me a day and half.
For a five minute lesson.
A full-time teacher is required to deliver more (probably way more) than twenty 50-minute lessons each week. Yikes.
Anyways, we were all a bit guilty of some umming and ahhhing (along with repeated use of "OK?") but some peer feedback told me that I had been "entertaining" and "engaging". "Educational" didn't feature as a comment, but then neither did "hopeless", so I guess I've avoided the dreaded crash 'n' burn for the time being.
This coming week I'll be able to see the whole lesson-planning and delivery in action as the time has arrived for us to spend a two-week induction block at our nominated school.
I chose the use of Ultrasound, and given the fact that I have a fourteen year old scan from The Queen Mother's Maternity Hospital thought that a "real world" example of the technology might prove enough of a hook.
Now I've done a fair number of oily corporate PowerPoints, but this was wayyyyyyyyy tougher. Ever tried to explain the concept of sound when you don't know how much your audience already knows ? When you don't know how bright (or otherwise) they are ? When you don't know how motivated your audience is ? When you're not 100% sure of how the (ultra)sound is produced ? Why use ultrasound and not MRI? Is therapeutic ultrasound different to imaging ultrasound ? Where was it invented ? Is it dangerous ? How do you know ?
It is of course not difficult for an internet-capable dude like me to find the answers - once I've created a list of issues and questions. But my prep took me a day and half.
For a five minute lesson.
A full-time teacher is required to deliver more (probably way more) than twenty 50-minute lessons each week. Yikes.
Anyways, we were all a bit guilty of some umming and ahhhing (along with repeated use of "OK?") but some peer feedback told me that I had been "entertaining" and "engaging". "Educational" didn't feature as a comment, but then neither did "hopeless", so I guess I've avoided the dreaded crash 'n' burn for the time being.
This coming week I'll be able to see the whole lesson-planning and delivery in action as the time has arrived for us to spend a two-week induction block at our nominated school.
Saturday, 15 September 2007
Those Who Can.
We all got a bit of a reality check this week.
Although most folks were well aware of the requirement to submit a couple of chunky assignments across the year as well as do loads of teaching practice (with all the associated lesson plans and evaluations) we've now had our obligations explained to us regarding our Professional Portfolios.
A Professional Portfolio does what it says on the tin - it is your written record of how you learn (and, subsequently, continuously develop) as a teaching professional. Note the use of the term "continuously develop" there - this is a career-long requirement. If you fail to develop and enhance your skills (and - importantly - provide the evidence) you're out.
What this means for the trainee teacher is to demonstrate - in your portfolio - that you have come to understand the following:
- Professional Knowledge & Understanding (massive)
- Professional Skills & Abilities (massive)
- Classroom Organisation & Management (massive)
- Professional Values & Personal Commitment (massive)
Additionally you have to document that you have covered all health and safety policies, first aid procedures, emergency procedures, multi-agency working policies, child protection policies, primary school liaison policies, communication policies, management structure, assessment procedures, accident reporting policies, additional support needs policies, knowledge of school catchment area..........for each school you visit.
And this is just the first version of the portfolio. It needs to be added to and kept up to date year on year in order to demonstrate how you are developing.
This simply outstrips anything I experienced in 20-odd years of corporate life.
Essentially, in the corporate world, you can trundle along, year after year doing a reasonable job and unless you really (like, really) mess up your future is reasonably well assured. Learn the politics, who to have as an ally, what those in positions of authority are looking for and it's a scoosh. Now of course, those many folks in corporate-world who work hard, strive to do a great job and perform honourably get rewarded and recognised (as they should). But for an employer to offload those at the other end of the scale is actually quite difficult. It either costs a wad of cash or requires a tortuous disciplinary process in order to avoid a messy employment tribunal. Essentially then, a haven for the smart-but-lazy. Or the smart-but-disillusioned. Or the earnest-but-hopeless. And I should know, I've been all of these things at some stage. OK - we could debate the "smart" bit.
Teaching ? Well, unless you demonstrate continued professional development, year on year, the General Teaching Council can revoke your licence to teach. And they're not actually your employer. But your employer (the local authority) can't continue to employ you if you don't have your licence. So you're out on your ear - how cool is that ? No-one actually has to sack you for you to lose your job.
Now I know what you're thinking: "aye right, I've known loads of moany-faced crap teachers". Indeed, but things are a-changing. Continuing professional development is the current hot issue - and I guess there's a fair few long standing teachers keeching themselves.
However, there is also a much bigger number of experienced, dedicated teachers - along with the influx of mature enthusiastic postgrads - who are now in a prime position to demonstrate that the professionalism of teachers is at least the match of their corporate counterparts.
Hard work ? You bet. I fired up the new Vista laptop (grrr) this morning (Saturday) at 9:15am. I'm still doing stuff at the moment (pay no attention to the timestamp below - it's around 7pm just now). Today I have written a mini-lesson plan; written my ICT assignment due for January (500 words on howstuffworks.com); written up three lectures and a tutorial, planned out my initial tasks for my portfolio and set up a Wiki for our group assignment on Climate Change (Outdoor Learning Opportunities).
My smug meter is still on full 'cos I've enjoyed every minute.
Saturday, 8 September 2007
Vista Shmista
I took the plunge and bought a new laptop today. Nice hardware, shame about the OS.
Windows Vista is possibly the poorest piece of commercial software since Lotus Notes - it simply will not do the basics. Unreliable wireless connectivity, completely non-intuitive UI and a stubborn refusal to talk to anything else that you might have on your LAN (er, like backup disks and shared printers). It's pish.
Anyways, I bought it as things are starting to hot up on the University front. Lectures coming thick and fast, science tutorials (yup, bunsen burners, electroscopes, microscopes, hydrochloric acid, and the old favourite Van de Graaff generator, what a hoot that was) and assignments and I can't keep bothering the Mrs for shots at her laptop (if you'll pardon the indelicacy). She has a real job to do after all.
I don't think I could even attempt to keep on top of things without a machine of my own and me old favourite Microsoft Outlook - which is perfect for keeping notes, weblinks, tasks and appointments in one place, all automatically synced with my Pocket PC. Strathclyde Uni is pretty well set up ICT-wise and I can see all my lectures on-line if I need a refresh.
So can you : here's a link to one of this week's lectures on the history of Scottish Education since the 15th Century. No really - it's actually quite interesting. Take a look and learn some stuff.
One of this week's big discoveries is that I am naturally attuned for education. I am, apparently, a Quadrant Four learner according to Kolb's learning approaches. This makes me an ideal candidate for a career in Marketing, Sales, Action-Oriented Management (whatever that might be) and (fanfare) education. I guess that puts the 22 years in IT in a kind of perspective.
I am now trying desperately to avoid a sort of maudlin reflection on whether or not I have wasted the biggest part of my "career".
Finally, I'm now a "friend" on something called Bebo, one of the hazards of working with the young folks - in this case a nice wee lassie in my tutorial group. When you're "on" Bebo it seems you have to talk in a special language (thnx, lol, pshd, shppin, k) and humiliate yourself with a photo trying to look like someone "glamourous".
In my day we had real friends.
Windows Vista is possibly the poorest piece of commercial software since Lotus Notes - it simply will not do the basics. Unreliable wireless connectivity, completely non-intuitive UI and a stubborn refusal to talk to anything else that you might have on your LAN (er, like backup disks and shared printers). It's pish.
Anyways, I bought it as things are starting to hot up on the University front. Lectures coming thick and fast, science tutorials (yup, bunsen burners, electroscopes, microscopes, hydrochloric acid, and the old favourite Van de Graaff generator, what a hoot that was) and assignments and I can't keep bothering the Mrs for shots at her laptop (if you'll pardon the indelicacy). She has a real job to do after all.
I don't think I could even attempt to keep on top of things without a machine of my own and me old favourite Microsoft Outlook - which is perfect for keeping notes, weblinks, tasks and appointments in one place, all automatically synced with my Pocket PC. Strathclyde Uni is pretty well set up ICT-wise and I can see all my lectures on-line if I need a refresh.
So can you : here's a link to one of this week's lectures on the history of Scottish Education since the 15th Century. No really - it's actually quite interesting. Take a look and learn some stuff.
One of this week's big discoveries is that I am naturally attuned for education. I am, apparently, a Quadrant Four learner according to Kolb's learning approaches. This makes me an ideal candidate for a career in Marketing, Sales, Action-Oriented Management (whatever that might be) and (fanfare) education. I guess that puts the 22 years in IT in a kind of perspective.
I am now trying desperately to avoid a sort of maudlin reflection on whether or not I have wasted the biggest part of my "career".
Finally, I'm now a "friend" on something called Bebo, one of the hazards of working with the young folks - in this case a nice wee lassie in my tutorial group. When you're "on" Bebo it seems you have to talk in a special language (thnx, lol, pshd, shppin, k) and humiliate yourself with a photo trying to look like someone "glamourous".
In my day we had real friends.
Sunday, 2 September 2007
Mosh Pit For Bugs
I managed four days before the all-new germ mix - inherent in a new work/education setting - managed to overcome my hitherto fairly impressive immune system. My throat is raw, my nose resembles the capilliary-like tube in the Sudafed advert and my eyes are like dogs' balls.
My course tutor pre-warned us that once you get into a school setting you can wave goodbye to long term bouts of clear health - I didn't even get to the end of the first week of Uni. Deep joy.
Anyways, a week of lectures, tutorials, timetabling mishaps, and getting to know some fellow students - some of whom look like they are barely out of school, others who look like they should already be drawing a pension. It was a couple of dudes from the latter group who gave me a reality check in the morning coffee queue: I kinda assumed they were in their late-40's/early-50's, so when one of them looked straight at me and said "yeah, us older generation students should be well ahead of the game when it comes to discipline" - I felt the need to either punch him on the nose or go and buy a bag of Werther's Originals. I don't look that old do I ?
This week I are been mostly learning about different learning styles; policy bodies in Scottish Education; school organisation; faith schools (grrrrrr); and general science (since I'll be required to teach that an' a'). It's been quite a slow start and as I was all geared up for a huge workload, I've been left feeling a bit deflated. I have been assured that that will all change once we get to the first "school experience" block.
I've also been starting to get (involuntary) ideas for lessons. This morning's hair-brained notion was to use a Who Wants To Be A Millionaire format for revision lessons. It could work. Couldn't it ?
I guess no-one would notice any cough-based cheating among all the other snuffles and sneezes...........
My course tutor pre-warned us that once you get into a school setting you can wave goodbye to long term bouts of clear health - I didn't even get to the end of the first week of Uni. Deep joy.
Anyways, a week of lectures, tutorials, timetabling mishaps, and getting to know some fellow students - some of whom look like they are barely out of school, others who look like they should already be drawing a pension. It was a couple of dudes from the latter group who gave me a reality check in the morning coffee queue: I kinda assumed they were in their late-40's/early-50's, so when one of them looked straight at me and said "yeah, us older generation students should be well ahead of the game when it comes to discipline" - I felt the need to either punch him on the nose or go and buy a bag of Werther's Originals. I don't look that old do I ?
This week I are been mostly learning about different learning styles; policy bodies in Scottish Education; school organisation; faith schools (grrrrrr); and general science (since I'll be required to teach that an' a'). It's been quite a slow start and as I was all geared up for a huge workload, I've been left feeling a bit deflated. I have been assured that that will all change once we get to the first "school experience" block.
I've also been starting to get (involuntary) ideas for lessons. This morning's hair-brained notion was to use a Who Wants To Be A Millionaire format for revision lessons. It could work. Couldn't it ?
I guess no-one would notice any cough-based cheating among all the other snuffles and sneezes...........
Saturday, 25 August 2007
Ladder, Bottom Rung. Not Quite On It Yet.
Constructivism.
Having registered at Strathclyde University this week, I am now a fully-fledged student again. I have tried to limit my god-awful "Rik" impressions (upper-front teeth thrust forward, one hand raised to waist level with a V-sign to the fore) but have failed miserably. I haven't been this smug for quite some time.
Constructivism.
Having joined three (count 'em) three teachers' unions, collected a few freebies, gotten my student card and looked aghast at my timetable for the year - I have since been reading about how folk learn and in what environments they are most likely to excel.
Constructivism.
Sit pupils down, stand at the blackboard and talk at them. Give them hunnerz of facts. Tell them to read books and revise dead hard. Get them to repeat rules/mantras/facts. Be an expert in your subject and you'll be a good teacher.
I've never believed in all that (and thankfully it's not what's expected of us). I've never been an expert in anything (cheesy 80's pop aside) - but I've always enjoyed understanding strengths and weaknesses in others; setting challenges; having a hoot; helping; prodding; giving advice; seeking debate; celebrating successes; trying to create an atmosphere where others want to learn and succeed. Now I might have been crap at it - but that's not the point. It's what I believed.
It's called Constructivism, and when I read about it, I felt the need to put my tongue between my teeth and bottom lip and mutter "well.........duh". I am the converted and on Monday I will getting preached at.
Away we go....................
Having registered at Strathclyde University this week, I am now a fully-fledged student again. I have tried to limit my god-awful "Rik" impressions (upper-front teeth thrust forward, one hand raised to waist level with a V-sign to the fore) but have failed miserably. I haven't been this smug for quite some time.
Constructivism.
Having joined three (count 'em) three teachers' unions, collected a few freebies, gotten my student card and looked aghast at my timetable for the year - I have since been reading about how folk learn and in what environments they are most likely to excel.
Constructivism.
Sit pupils down, stand at the blackboard and talk at them. Give them hunnerz of facts. Tell them to read books and revise dead hard. Get them to repeat rules/mantras/facts. Be an expert in your subject and you'll be a good teacher.
I've never believed in all that (and thankfully it's not what's expected of us). I've never been an expert in anything (cheesy 80's pop aside) - but I've always enjoyed understanding strengths and weaknesses in others; setting challenges; having a hoot; helping; prodding; giving advice; seeking debate; celebrating successes; trying to create an atmosphere where others want to learn and succeed. Now I might have been crap at it - but that's not the point. It's what I believed.
It's called Constructivism, and when I read about it, I felt the need to put my tongue between my teeth and bottom lip and mutter "well.........duh". I am the converted and on Monday I will getting preached at.
Away we go....................
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