...well, two mini adventures, actually; our two, twenty minute 'mini teaches' under the watchful eye of an assessor.
Building on the experience of the micro teaches, it's a chance for us to expand on what we've already practiced, again in front of a friendly 'home crowd' of fellow learners.
The preparation was a little more structured, with timed lesson plans and a rationale to be submitted before each session. We were also allowed to make use of additional presentation formats.
I put a powerpoint presentation together for my first teach; a session on the interaction of visuals and text in advertising communication.
Unfortunately, it decided it wasn't playing half way through.
In retrospect, that was a good thing. It forced me to improvise. And taught me a valuable lesson: when you're relying on technology, always have a back up!
Gratifyingly, the feedback was that I had coped very well. Again, the advantage of knowing your subject and being prepared.
Only downside? Time management. I overran by six minutes on on the first session, two minutes on the second. (Although, the second session felt like it flew by. I was convinced it was a quarter of an hour and no more. What is they say time does when you're having fun?)
It was good to see how other students approached their subjects. And as the groups had been shaken up since the micro teaches, we had a broad cross section of styles, subjects and approaches to learn from.
As an exercise, it's been invaluable. I feel, as does everyone else, we've progressed a lot as a result of these sessions.
And just as importantly, they've given me invaluable confidence and additional professional technique to bring to my 'real life' teaching.
Thursday 3 December 2009
Swapsies
Tried a new trick a week or two ago with a view to bringing it home how tutors, clever as we are, can't read minds.
Bit of background: I've stressed the importance of 'Scamps' from the word go this year.
Scamps are the quick, cartoon like layouts that Art Directors do to get their ideas down on paper. They're quick and simple to draw, but at the same time they give everyone a clear notion of the thinking behind the the work. The important thing is that they can be 'read' by anyone with a bit of imagination...
For the first couple of weeks, the whole group scamped away dutifully. After that, the scratchy, postage stamp sized doodles made a comeback and we were back to them explaining to me what it was I was actually looking at.
So I told them at the end of a lesson we'd be starting off next time with a show and tell session of their ideas. Only they weren't going to be presenting their own work. They were going to present one another's. And they wouldn't know until the day who they were swapping with so they couldn't brief them beforehand. 'SO NICE BIG NEAT SCAMPS PLEASE..'
Come the day, and half the group had taken heed, half hadn't. Seeing the half that hadn't squirming with embarrassment as their 'other half' tried in vain to explain what the hell they were holding up was, I think, a great way of driving home the lesson:
When you're not there to explain it, your work has to speak for itself. So keep it neat, keep it clear and keep it simple.
Bit of background: I've stressed the importance of 'Scamps' from the word go this year.
Scamps are the quick, cartoon like layouts that Art Directors do to get their ideas down on paper. They're quick and simple to draw, but at the same time they give everyone a clear notion of the thinking behind the the work. The important thing is that they can be 'read' by anyone with a bit of imagination...
For the first couple of weeks, the whole group scamped away dutifully. After that, the scratchy, postage stamp sized doodles made a comeback and we were back to them explaining to me what it was I was actually looking at.
So I told them at the end of a lesson we'd be starting off next time with a show and tell session of their ideas. Only they weren't going to be presenting their own work. They were going to present one another's. And they wouldn't know until the day who they were swapping with so they couldn't brief them beforehand. 'SO NICE BIG NEAT SCAMPS PLEASE..'
Come the day, and half the group had taken heed, half hadn't. Seeing the half that hadn't squirming with embarrassment as their 'other half' tried in vain to explain what the hell they were holding up was, I think, a great way of driving home the lesson:
When you're not there to explain it, your work has to speak for itself. So keep it neat, keep it clear and keep it simple.
Friday 30 October 2009
Talking points.
Something significant happened today; it wasn't me doing all the talking.
I'm not entirely sure what I did that was different. I exhorted the students to chip in with their own comments on one another's work as usual... and this time they did.
Perhaps I've said it so often they're getting the idea I actually mean it.
Or, and this has just occurred to me as I write, perhaps it was the fact I removed myself front of the class while they made their presentations in groups...mainly, it has to be said, to get a clear view of the work myself.
I think this served to take the attention off me and somehow opened up the floor to everyone. Perching on a desk three quarters of the way back clearly makes me look like I've shut up and it's someone elses' turn.
Whatever the reason, there was some good, lively debate and opinion flying about the place, so from that point of view... a result!
I'm not entirely sure what I did that was different. I exhorted the students to chip in with their own comments on one another's work as usual... and this time they did.
Perhaps I've said it so often they're getting the idea I actually mean it.
Or, and this has just occurred to me as I write, perhaps it was the fact I removed myself front of the class while they made their presentations in groups...mainly, it has to be said, to get a clear view of the work myself.
I think this served to take the attention off me and somehow opened up the floor to everyone. Perching on a desk three quarters of the way back clearly makes me look like I've shut up and it's someone elses' turn.
Whatever the reason, there was some good, lively debate and opinion flying about the place, so from that point of view... a result!
Under the microscope x2
Second 'micro' session and back on home ground with a crash course on the creative brief and an 'audience participation' exercise in spotting the proposition by working back from a number of ads.
Tried to broaden the teaching methods as much as possible, so made use of the board, the handouts and three juggling balls! (specially purchased to illustrate the 'throw three propositions, catch none' principle of simplicity in advertising)
Everybody seemed genuinely interested in the subject - and even more interested in the chili chocolate that was the subject of the example brief.
They may only be ten minutes each, but I feel these sessions have been really helpful. Not just for the experience of planning and delivering my own lesson, but in seeing how others approach it and by learning form one another.
Happy half term... back soon.
Tried to broaden the teaching methods as much as possible, so made use of the board, the handouts and three juggling balls! (specially purchased to illustrate the 'throw three propositions, catch none' principle of simplicity in advertising)
Everybody seemed genuinely interested in the subject - and even more interested in the chili chocolate that was the subject of the example brief.
They may only be ten minutes each, but I feel these sessions have been really helpful. Not just for the experience of planning and delivering my own lesson, but in seeing how others approach it and by learning form one another.
Happy half term... back soon.
Thursday 15 October 2009
Under the microscope
Now with my student hat on...
Last night was the first of our two 'Micro Teaches.' Ten minutes on a subject of our choice to five fellow trainees.
I chose a map reading exercise. One, because I thought it might be interesting to tackle a subject different to the one I teach. And two, because I need more time to work out how to cram an advertising project (usual duration 7 days at least) into a ten minute exercise.
It went OK by all accounts. And it brought home again how proper planning makes everything more relaxing and straightforward on the night.
I've read one or two articles by musicians and performers in which they say the rehearsal time is the work, the performance the reward. I think the same principle is in operation here, with lessons becoming so much more relaxed and enjoyable when I'm confident with the content.
Several of the feedback sheets commented on the good organisation too, which is nice to hear as 'well organised' isn't my default setting by any stretch of the imagination.
Of course it's easier in a small room of people you're beginning to get to know quite well, who know it's their turn next, than in front of a class of 2nd year students in need of constant motivation...
A great exercise, nevertheless. And where else in a single evening will I get to learn the basic ballet foot positions; CPR and life saving skills; computer jargon busting; and rudimentary medieval medicine?
Last night was the first of our two 'Micro Teaches.' Ten minutes on a subject of our choice to five fellow trainees.
I chose a map reading exercise. One, because I thought it might be interesting to tackle a subject different to the one I teach. And two, because I need more time to work out how to cram an advertising project (usual duration 7 days at least) into a ten minute exercise.
It went OK by all accounts. And it brought home again how proper planning makes everything more relaxing and straightforward on the night.
I've read one or two articles by musicians and performers in which they say the rehearsal time is the work, the performance the reward. I think the same principle is in operation here, with lessons becoming so much more relaxed and enjoyable when I'm confident with the content.
Several of the feedback sheets commented on the good organisation too, which is nice to hear as 'well organised' isn't my default setting by any stretch of the imagination.
Of course it's easier in a small room of people you're beginning to get to know quite well, who know it's their turn next, than in front of a class of 2nd year students in need of constant motivation...
A great exercise, nevertheless. And where else in a single evening will I get to learn the basic ballet foot positions; CPR and life saving skills; computer jargon busting; and rudimentary medieval medicine?
Sorry Molly, it's over.
Competition for time and teaching space put the squeeze on my lesson this Tuesday.
The result was, I had to shelve what I'd planned until next week and make it a simple studio session. Reviewing what each student had done one-to-one and then giving them feedback for development.
It used to be what I did for the majority of sessions, but it's clear now how limiting just 'talking to Molly' really is.
Like spinning plates, I can see the rest of the group losing interest and laying back whenever I spend more than 5 minutes with one individual.
And when we've finished talking and I move on to the next student, I can see that individual mentally 'clocking off' because they know I won't be bothering them again.
Essentially, it's a system whereby students are obliged to concentrate and think about their work for five or ten minutes... and provides ample opportunity for distraction for the other 2 hours 50!
I could play the 'in my day' card and suggest it shows a lack of focus and self direction in today's youth, but I know that's not right. There are just so many better ways to guide, stimulate and motivate people more effectively.
And they know that...
The result was, I had to shelve what I'd planned until next week and make it a simple studio session. Reviewing what each student had done one-to-one and then giving them feedback for development.
It used to be what I did for the majority of sessions, but it's clear now how limiting just 'talking to Molly' really is.
Like spinning plates, I can see the rest of the group losing interest and laying back whenever I spend more than 5 minutes with one individual.
And when we've finished talking and I move on to the next student, I can see that individual mentally 'clocking off' because they know I won't be bothering them again.
Essentially, it's a system whereby students are obliged to concentrate and think about their work for five or ten minutes... and provides ample opportunity for distraction for the other 2 hours 50!
I could play the 'in my day' card and suggest it shows a lack of focus and self direction in today's youth, but I know that's not right. There are just so many better ways to guide, stimulate and motivate people more effectively.
And they know that...
Thursday 8 October 2009
Time to get reflective...
The first session of the new term with an entirely new year group…
How’d it go? Quite well, I think. Certainly the best prepared I’ve ever been for a first lesson. And with none of that slight but persistent trepidation aboutaddressing a roomful of unfamiliar faces after a long summer lay off.
The difference, most definitely, is in the planning. Sounds strange, but until it was spelt out to me, I never really grasped how crucial it is. To everything.
Because much of what I teach takes the form of feedback to students on the work they’ve produced, that’s how I’ve ‘planned’ lessons in the past: set the brief, sit back and wait for them to come up with something we can talk about.
And I wondered why so many sessions simply tailed off in a general air of apathy and uncertainty!
For last Tuesday’s lesson, on the other hand, I tried to make use of everything I’ve learned in the last four weeks. So there were aims and objectives. Planned outcomes. A definite structure with clear ‘staging posts’ for the whole three hours.
I introduced a ‘mini exercise’ on advertising and memorability. I tried to get the students to contribute their opinion and experiences to make things a little more discursive. I even bribed them with chocolate…
(Not strictly true; the chocolate was part of the brief. We were simply interrogating the product!)
OK, so where was there room for improvement?
First and most definitely, I’m still talking too much. Having a ‘script’ of sorts helps, but I know I’m still prone to over elaboration and the odd tangenital departure. Partly out of enthusiasm for the subject, partly a lack of self-discipline.
And I’d kill to know how to moderate a group criticism effectively. Despite my pleas to ‘chip in with your own comments’ and reminders that ‘your opinion is just as important as mine’, getting more than a ‘Yeh, ‘s ok’from students by way of comment on one another’s work is seemingly impossible.
I’d love to get a heartfelt, impassioned debate going on, but so far it’s eluded me - one of the reasons my first professional practice observation is going to be a group criticism overseen by a more skilled tutor.
On both the above counts, Andy – my mentor and curriculum leader – sets a good example.
In Tuesday’s PM session, I noticed he was careful to stick strictly to the bones of the brief and the outcomes he expected. There was no ambiguity, no room for misunderstanding on the part of his learners. Only when those ground rules were firmly embedded did he become more chatty and engaged with them on a more informal level.
He also has an effective technique for drawing comment from his students; on throwing open the debate with a ‘what does everyone else think?’, he isn’t scared of allowing the ensuing silence to draw itself out to quite excruciating lengths before one of them offers their opinion.
I know for a fact I’d be jumping in with my own comments – and scuppering the possibility of a group debate – within five seconds.
A tool to try out next week, perhaps …
How’d it go? Quite well, I think. Certainly the best prepared I’ve ever been for a first lesson. And with none of that slight but persistent trepidation aboutaddressing a roomful of unfamiliar faces after a long summer lay off.
The difference, most definitely, is in the planning. Sounds strange, but until it was spelt out to me, I never really grasped how crucial it is. To everything.
Because much of what I teach takes the form of feedback to students on the work they’ve produced, that’s how I’ve ‘planned’ lessons in the past: set the brief, sit back and wait for them to come up with something we can talk about.
And I wondered why so many sessions simply tailed off in a general air of apathy and uncertainty!
For last Tuesday’s lesson, on the other hand, I tried to make use of everything I’ve learned in the last four weeks. So there were aims and objectives. Planned outcomes. A definite structure with clear ‘staging posts’ for the whole three hours.
I introduced a ‘mini exercise’ on advertising and memorability. I tried to get the students to contribute their opinion and experiences to make things a little more discursive. I even bribed them with chocolate…
(Not strictly true; the chocolate was part of the brief. We were simply interrogating the product!)
OK, so where was there room for improvement?
First and most definitely, I’m still talking too much. Having a ‘script’ of sorts helps, but I know I’m still prone to over elaboration and the odd tangenital departure. Partly out of enthusiasm for the subject, partly a lack of self-discipline.
And I’d kill to know how to moderate a group criticism effectively. Despite my pleas to ‘chip in with your own comments’ and reminders that ‘your opinion is just as important as mine’, getting more than a ‘Yeh, ‘s ok’from students by way of comment on one another’s work is seemingly impossible.
I’d love to get a heartfelt, impassioned debate going on, but so far it’s eluded me - one of the reasons my first professional practice observation is going to be a group criticism overseen by a more skilled tutor.
On both the above counts, Andy – my mentor and curriculum leader – sets a good example.
In Tuesday’s PM session, I noticed he was careful to stick strictly to the bones of the brief and the outcomes he expected. There was no ambiguity, no room for misunderstanding on the part of his learners. Only when those ground rules were firmly embedded did he become more chatty and engaged with them on a more informal level.
He also has an effective technique for drawing comment from his students; on throwing open the debate with a ‘what does everyone else think?’, he isn’t scared of allowing the ensuing silence to draw itself out to quite excruciating lengths before one of them offers their opinion.
I know for a fact I’d be jumping in with my own comments – and scuppering the possibility of a group debate – within five seconds.
A tool to try out next week, perhaps …
Friday 25 September 2009
Teaching, learning and unlearning
Well here's a thing. I don't feel too bad now about not being the erudite, educated genius I sometimes feel I ought to be.
Turns out the way I was taught was one of the least effective of all : by relentless dictation from teachers who seemed as bored witless as every one of their students and who couldn't wait for the whole torturous forty minutes to be brought to a merciful end by the bell.*
It was, I now know, a Pedagogical approach. The kind of one way, sausage factory style that looks on learning as a way of hammering facts into young heads and nothing more.
Which has led to another realisation; that the way you taught has a direct influence on the way you teach.
Not in the way you'd expect, by making you determined that the learners in your charge should on no account suffer the same drab experience. But in an subconscious repetition of the past.
It explains why, on occasion, I've felt as though I've short changed a class for 'only' speaking to them for the first twenty minutes of a three hour session!
Because, in my experience, that was what teaching was..
So note to self... out with the blather, in with the interactive engagement, visual stimulus material and all round Androgogicalness. (I'm really getting to grips with the jargon, too!)
It's only week three and I've learned a lot of things - and unlearned one very important thing - already...
* With the exception of Mr Seaton, of whom more in subsequent posts
Turns out the way I was taught was one of the least effective of all : by relentless dictation from teachers who seemed as bored witless as every one of their students and who couldn't wait for the whole torturous forty minutes to be brought to a merciful end by the bell.*
It was, I now know, a Pedagogical approach. The kind of one way, sausage factory style that looks on learning as a way of hammering facts into young heads and nothing more.
Which has led to another realisation; that the way you taught has a direct influence on the way you teach.
Not in the way you'd expect, by making you determined that the learners in your charge should on no account suffer the same drab experience. But in an subconscious repetition of the past.
It explains why, on occasion, I've felt as though I've short changed a class for 'only' speaking to them for the first twenty minutes of a three hour session!
Because, in my experience, that was what teaching was..
So note to self... out with the blather, in with the interactive engagement, visual stimulus material and all round Androgogicalness. (I'm really getting to grips with the jargon, too!)
It's only week three and I've learned a lot of things - and unlearned one very important thing - already...
* With the exception of Mr Seaton, of whom more in subsequent posts
Thursday 17 September 2009
In at the shallow end (with armbands on)
After enrolment and familiarisation, our first group session and assignment proper. The subject?
'What makes a good teacher.. and a good teaching session'.
As you might expect, the themes were pretty consistent from group to group. Variations on Engaging, Empathetic, Confident, Enthusiastic, Inspiring, Articulate, Authoritative, Patient, Respectful and Interesting seemed to sum up all our memories of good teachers past.
Other more inspired observations included 'Challenging the thinking not the thinker' and 'Teaching the class AND the individual'.
Individuals with all these qualities are, of course, few and far between (which is why we probably all remember the teacher from our past who embodied them) and I was interested to read an advice column in the TES Online today that suggested succesful teachers aren't necessarily brilliant in all areas, but play successfully to their strengths.
So perhaps that's another one for the 'Good Teacher' column: 'Playing to your strengths'
A good session, from a learner's point of view, was deemed to be Memorable, Interactive, Challenging, Rewarding, Involving and Interesting. All the better if it was also well structured, clear in its objectives and offered variety.
Interestingly, there was a brief debate in our little group about whether an Engaging teacher automatically made for an Interesting session. In other words, was it possible to engage a class purely on the strength of your personality and enthusiasm, at the expense of the subject being taught?
Yes, probably was the concensus. So another lesson learned: You might be in the spotlight, but the star of the show is always the subject you're there to teach.
'What makes a good teacher.. and a good teaching session'.
As you might expect, the themes were pretty consistent from group to group. Variations on Engaging, Empathetic, Confident, Enthusiastic, Inspiring, Articulate, Authoritative, Patient, Respectful and Interesting seemed to sum up all our memories of good teachers past.
Other more inspired observations included 'Challenging the thinking not the thinker' and 'Teaching the class AND the individual'.
Individuals with all these qualities are, of course, few and far between (which is why we probably all remember the teacher from our past who embodied them) and I was interested to read an advice column in the TES Online today that suggested succesful teachers aren't necessarily brilliant in all areas, but play successfully to their strengths.
So perhaps that's another one for the 'Good Teacher' column: 'Playing to your strengths'
A good session, from a learner's point of view, was deemed to be Memorable, Interactive, Challenging, Rewarding, Involving and Interesting. All the better if it was also well structured, clear in its objectives and offered variety.
Interestingly, there was a brief debate in our little group about whether an Engaging teacher automatically made for an Interesting session. In other words, was it possible to engage a class purely on the strength of your personality and enthusiasm, at the expense of the subject being taught?
Yes, probably was the concensus. So another lesson learned: You might be in the spotlight, but the star of the show is always the subject you're there to teach.
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