Materials

Over the past few days, I have focussed the majority of my time towards my essay for Creative Reflective Studies, however yesterday I purchased a few materials which I'll be using for the packaging of my final product...

There will be more materials involved, of course, but for now I have a large sheet of firm card, a roll of brown paper and some rich gold paint. I have a rough idea of what I would like the packaging to look like and I am 100% sure of the layout, just not quite 100% with the design yet, although I find with things like that that I work best if I'm able to be spontaneous, so this is likely to be the approach I take.

Actions -

• Purchase disc for Powerpoint presentations and design packaging
• Printing done by next Tuesday at the latest 

I've completed my slides!

It feels great to have another thing ticked off my To Do List. This afternoon I managed to finish my PowerPoint presentation for Session 3 (mummification) that makes all three PowerPoint presentations complete.

A slide from Session 1's Intro to Egypt -

I've aimed to approach each PowerPoint presentation in a way which allows the children to engage with the topic more. I didn't want the Powerpoint to reel off fact after fact where children would have to listen in silence. Instead, I've made the presentations more interactive. For example, in this one which talks about the lives of different types of people in Ancient Egypt, I've asked the children for their thoughts by asking them questions "What kind of people lived in houses like this?" "What kind of people do you think live here?" I think this helps to break up the PowerPoint and makes it much more interesting.

My research has shown me that if children are able to engage and take part in class discussions then they are more likely to take the information in and remember it.

A slide from Session 2 - Pyramids 

This is a slide explaining how the pyramids were built. Previous to this I have asked the children how they think pyramids were made in Ancient Egyptian times without machinery to lift heavy loads. After the class discuss that, the PowerPoint then leads on to this slide where it tells them just how the Egyptians did it. 

I've taken an approach which combines visual and auditory. Visual because the information is both written and depicted visually with illustrations and auditory because I will be pointing to each step and explaining. The kinesthetic-type learning will play its part when the children engage in the activity after the presentation, which will be to build a pyramid from paper straws. 

A slide from Session 3 - Mummification

In this slide I've aimed for interactivity where children can identify and call out the names of each organ. Instead of listing them, I thought this was a much better way of making this piece of information fun and memorable. 

Action - 

• The next step for me now is to get these three PowerPoints put onto a disc which during the next few weeks I'll be designing packaging for. This will then go inside the activity pack as one of the teaching resources. 
• Check over and arrange lesson plans/structures so they are ready to be printed and put into the activity pack

Looking into lesson plans

Looking into lesson plans has been vital in making sure I know the ways in which the class room works in terms of timings, structure, aims and outcomes.

Belfield CP School Lesson plan

Lesson		Year group	Term	Lesson Length	Lesson
Art		2	Spring 1	2 Hours	1 of 6
Aims / Outcomes
Use different materials and techniques to paint. Know about the artist Frank Stella, his techniques, art and his inspiration for the pictures. Collectively produce a relief collage.
Key Vocabulary
Artist Frank Stella Collage Relief ‘Materials’ and the names of the materials used.

Introduction
Over the next two weeks tell the pupils that they will be producing a relief collage based on an artist called Frank Stella. Give them the background on Frank Stella That he lives in America, born in Massachusetts 1936 He is still alive
Main Activities
Tell the pupils that: We will be looking at a certain type of painting he produced a number of years ago around 1970 His inspiration – Brazilian birds, with bright colours and the shapes of the birds outline, beak and eye. That he does not produce pictures as they look, he takes different parts and muddles them around to make a collage – (describe collage) he then stacks the images on top of each other to make a piece of relief work. (describe relief) Show the pupils various pictures that he has produced as a hard copy or on the IWB as a Powers Point Presentation. Look in further detail at some of the shapes, how they have different textures. Tell the pupils that we are going to create the different textures and styles using various materials and our hands with paint, we will then cut the shapes out next week again in the style of Stella and stick them onto the wall to produce a relief collage. On the wall have a blank canvas for a number of pupils to use rollers and create the background for the collage. Other pupils paint using various materials and techniques quickly demonstrated by the teacher/TA onto large sheets of paper shared between 3-4 children.
Plenary
Quick recap on the class artist questioning pupils as to what they remember.  Question what they through about the various techniques, if they thought they looked attractive, why? If not, why? What techniques were hard to do, why? Tell them that they will be continuing this work next week.

Resources		Assessment Evidence
Teaching Assistant Paint Various materials including sponge, cork and bubble wrap. IWB PPP of Pictures by Frank Stella		Q & A Paintings and techniques used
Cross Curricular Links	SoW / NC ref and level	Differentiation	EAL
Science Numeracy Geography	Art 1a, b, 2a, b, 3a, b, 4a, b, c, 5a, b, c, d.	Q & A Support given Outcome	Oracy 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11.

I found this lesson plans to be very clear and helpful. I like its organisation, structure and layout. I’d like to include a lesson plan in my activity pack, which breaks down my sessions and pinpoints key areas so that as soon as a teacher opens the pack, its right in front of them and is very clear how the session is to be laid out. I like the way this lesson plan also has “Key Vocabulary” added to it. I think it’s important that the children leave the classroom and remember what they have learnt. I think having a key words section is a good way to fix in the teachers mind the words he or she must be putting across to the pupils. I also like the way it has a section for ‘cross curricular links’ to show other areas which have been incorporated into the particular lesson, allowing children to use other skills from other areas.

Another thing I like about these particular lesson plans is the structure. They have an introduction, a main activities section, which is clearly bullet pointed and a plenary. I feel that this will allow for better structure, organisation and time-keeping. Overall I think these lesson plans are broken down well and come across clearly. I think they should be so clear and understandable that another teacher could walk in, not know what it is the class are learning about, look at the lesson plan and have a clear understanding.

Actions – Organise my lesson structure into a format that is easily readable and understood by a practitioner. 

Apologies for the lack of posts on teaching methods!

I've looked through my entire blog and realised I haven't given any insight into the kinds of academic teachings and resources I've been looking at and that I've been blogging mostly about my design/illustration approach. This is not all I have been doing/researching, but rather using this blog as a reflection of my designs and sessions and that only.

I have been looking at a lot of teaching resources and methods. I have also just bought and received a copy of Learning To Teach In The Primary School which provides a good insight into different teaching techniques and approaches to learning.

I also found a great PDF online a few weeks back by UCL Museums and Collections Outreach. One of the most useful things I took from this PDF on teaching was the importance of delivery in terms of the subject being taught. It gives awareness that children respond better if they are in an interactive environment where they can contribute to a class discussion rather than being fed information from a script-type talk. This PDF includes responses from teachers, children and parents of the way in which UCL learning techniques have boosted their child’s knowledge, real life skills such as communication and organisation and overall having a much more positive vibe about the topic being taught. UCL expresses how the child should be made to feel passionate about what they are learning about and that’s why the delivery of a classroom session is so important. UCL quotes “enthusiasm is infectious,” and they believe that there should be a natural flow from a class tutor that engages with the children whilst teaching and inviting them to ask questions instead of reeling them off facts, which children are not likely to remember. Since I will be the one delivering this to the children in the Spring I’ve taken this particular aspect into consideration on a particular part of my session, which originally started off as information on a worksheet. Since then I’ve switched idea and I’ve decided to do a PowerPoint presentation instead where I can engage and interact with the children whilst I talk. The key is to get them learning, but to deliver facts in a fun way so that it becomes more creative than academic.

This proved to be a very important read, especially since I decided to approach the ways of learning in a more interactive and engaging way than just handing out worksheets.

Something else that has been of value is this website ... Primary Resources  which has an incredible amount of worksheet examples and presentation examples to cater for many subjects - among them, History.

This is one of my favourites I came across because it combines, real facts, a challenge and it's open for class discussion. I think the fact that it is humorous makes it even more appealing and fun.

This is an example of the kind of thing UCL talk about in their PDF because it allows the children to engage much more. I like the way children can interact with an adapted version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire instead of a ‘quiz’ or a ‘test,’ which some find daunting. I think this way of learning is a much better approach. I feel as if the kids are having fun, they are more likely to learn something and remember it afterwards.

Response from my client

Ammended post from 6/11/12 (Not 8/01/13)

After much anticipation, I've heard back from my client! Unfortunately because the class isn't studying Ancient Egyptian History until Spring, I won't be able to test it out on the children, however, I'm going to still take the opportunity to test my final product out in the Spring as it's something I feel passionately about. I'm also looking to take a PGCE in the future and this is something I'm sure would help me greatly in gaining experience.

.........................

So far...

It's now January and 2 weeks, 5 days until the deadline. I feel as though I am on-track and making good progress with my client brief.

So far I have managed to...

• Complete the worksheets for session 1, 2 and 3 which includes information and activities
• Annotated all of my research 
• Annotated my sketchbook so far 
• Get a lesson structure/plan together 
• Written brief and statement of intent 

Below is a breakdown into my sessions 

.....................................

SESSION 1

Powerpoint Covers – 

Introduction to Egypt as a country, explaining The Red Land and The Black land

The Pyramids - How and why Ancient Egyptians built them

....................................

SESSION 2

Powerpoint Covers - 

Ancient Egyptian social ladder. Explain how Egypt was held together by important roles - Pharaoh, Scribes, Priests, Farmers etc...

The Nile and it's importance when it comes to flooding. mention the three stages - Inundation, Peret and  Shemu

...................................

SESSION 3

Powerpoint Covers - 

Mummification. Explain why the Ancient Egyptians wanted to preserve the dead

...................................

I'm going to do this by taking the information that I feel is most relevant and simplifying it into a PowerPoint. I'd like the PowerPoint presentations to be informative yet easy on the eye. What I don't want is for them to be overcrowded with information.

...................................

Action - The next step for me is to take my annotated research and break it down into each session, coming up with a PowerPoint for each

     

Making adjustments

I've made some adjustments since I last posted. I was going to test the last activity, however, I changed my mind quickly because I felt I could improve on it.

Although I like the idea of Flash Cards, I have thought of another way to incorporate them into something else.

For now, I have changed the activity plan for the mummification process. My previous design was lacking something, and looking back it I realised that the amount of writing and the way it had been laid out on a page looked out of the Key Stage 2 age-range. After researching and browsing through various activity packs, it looked to me as though it would be more appropriate for ages 12-13. With this in mind, I went back and changed the approach to one that would be easier on the eye and would be more visual based rather than text. I felt the text was too much.

Here is what I came up with....

To help the children fill in the missing words, I drew up a Clue Sheet....

Action - I'll be testing this out in a weeks time on a few children I know to see what kind of response I get. I'll be putting together a questionnaire as well as documenting how they respond to the task.