CLASSROOM REFLECTIONS

Reflections

3^rd of September 2018

 11.15 am - 12.35am double class

·      My first class was with a group of 12 first years that are going through art as a choice subject. They will choose if they carry on with the subject after 10 weeks. For the class I had prepared a 10 slide, slideshow about the importance of line when drawing and some examples of artists that use or have used line in their practice. I started out by asking the students what were the different types of line were, At the start the students were reluctant to put their hands up, I assume this was due to nerves or thinking the answer would be wrong I assured everyone there would be no wrong answers and I then pointed at different examples of past pupils work and asked the same question. This method was far more successful as the examples of the answers were right in front of them. Out of the twelve a good 9 people gave different answers. I went on to explain to them that any line is just a point that goes in any direction you choose. I feel this method of explanation worked as I could see more faces understanding why I was speaking about the importance of line. During my slideshow we discussed Pablo Picasso’s “The Kitchen”, Jackson Pollock’s “Anomaly” and a piece of work by Keith Haring. I feel the visual aids made the students engage and there was more of a sense of understanding in the room. After the slideshow I gave them all A2 sheets of paper and we gathered around a table of objects to partake in a session of object handling, I asked each student to pick and object and give it one descriptive word and it would benefit to them if they could speak about what lines the object possessed. I feel this exercise was crucial before their next task with was a 15-minute contour drawing, followed on by a 20-minute blind drawing.

 12.35am - 01:15am

·      My third class of the day was with a group of 17 second years that all partake in the art class regularly. I had more or less the same idea with them to go into a brief follow up on the importance of the line as they would have also covered this in first year. I felt that there was a great difference in-between the responses of the two year groups. Mostly everyone was co operating and engaging well but I had quite a bit of issues to do with general behaviour with one table of pupils. I was quick to tell them that there needed to be less nose or else there would be discipline measures this seemed to work and the class remained at a good volume level throughout the lesson. I feel the second years had a lot more confidence in direction compared to the first year group I had but that was to be expected. We started out with blind drawings straight away as we only had a short 40-minute class. I wanted them to spend time on one blind drawing with an object of their choice and then for the second I made them switch the object they chose with the person siting next to them. This brought general un ease and pushed the students out of the comfort zone of the object they chose. I felt it was a successful exercise to do with them as they were all very hung up about not making mistakes. I re iterated to them several times that they were not aloud to erase any marks they made as it made the learning process more interesting. I found that the students engaged with more organic objects than the more structured things like wooden blocks.

4^th of September Tuesday

 I started Tuesday with a full class of pupils. I wanted to carry on with our drawing module and I still wanted the focus to be on line. I told them that we would be carrying on with our object drawings but we would bring new elements in such as chalk and charcoal and we would be playing with scale and contrasting colours.

There was quite a bit of confusion after they had done their original contour drawings in black charcoal and I told them to choose a different colour chalk then repeat the drawing on the same page but in a different scale, of their choice. A lot of the students had difficulty with the idea of overlapping lines onto their original drawings. But when they got started the idea was easier for them to digest. I was struck with the differences in the work with the pupils, some of them who had no fear about ruining their original drawing created fascinating 3D looking work. I struggled with time management in this session, as I wanted to collect the successful exercises and have the students analyse and question the various work and how the exercise changed their idea of composition. I would have liked to have a conversation about the differences between the organic objects and the structured objects and what different terms ran through out. Time management is something I am going to work on as I have not had much pupil speaking engagement and questioning from this year group.

6^th of September Thursday

Today my new co operating teacher started as the current art teacher is going on maternity leave. Mr. Boyd starts by introducing himself to the students and he tells them that they are going to carry on with drawing practice. He shows the pupils past work that some of his past pupils had created. I found this to be a great thing because they seemed a lot more engaged to see different styles and compositions. I learnt a lot of different techniques in the class. The students started out with a contour drawing. After that the students were advised to look at the tone of the object. The teacher asked them to make five boxes at the side of the page and to put 5 variations of different tone in the boxes. Going from lightest to darkest to use a guide throughout the exercise. After the students finish the contour drawing the teacher gives a demonstration while the students are gathered around a table. He discusses the way you would hold the pencil and what kind of pressure to apply for different tones. I noticed that these tips were really great for the finished pictures overall, but some of the students didn’t understand the tonal scale. The students that took the guidance to hold the pencil on its side did very well. The teacher makes a comment saying that these geometric shapes aren’t too unlike the architecture around cork city. I thought this was a nice thing to address as it ties the exercise into the everyday. Its nearing the end of the class and everyone seems to be nearly finished the exercise. The teacher asks the students to tell him what kind of terms they learnt to use. I thought this was a great way to solid ate the learning process in the class. To repeat the lesson. He tells them to think of getting a portfolio folder to protect their work and that they will be looking at gesture drawing next week.

7^th September Friday

On Friday we had a double class with the second years. The teacher started the class off with telling the pupils what the lesson plan would be, today we were going to start the class with drawing objects but drawing the objects as their natural shapes and ellipses. The class today was a double class so the first portion of the class was going to be practice and then the second class was going to be a study of the shoe. He starts by asking the class what terms they know about texture, some reply. Like the last class he explains to the students how important holding the pencil on the side is. He wants them to draw the objects as ellipsis but while keeping their wrists on the page the whole time. Everyone begins and me and my co operating teacher walk around to people to see if they are alright with the exercise. The pupils react well to the technique. One or two tables of students are quite chatty and there are some distractions to some of the other students. The co operating teacher tells the talkative students to focus on the exercise. When the ten minutes comes to a close the teacher reiterates the aim of the next drawing.  The teacher tells the class how like in sport warm up is essential. He tells them that drawing is the same. A few students had questions about the tone and I just told them to really look where the light was coming from in the class.

After that the students all took off one shoe and put it down on the table. Firstly, we discussed the size of the composition on the page and me and the co operating teacher showed a few examples to the pupils. The students started the drawing, things were going well until me and the co operating teacher noticed the pupils weren’t really looking at the object. I went around to the students that were struggling and told them that they should be looing at the object more than the page. The class was coming to a close and the pupils had made many strides on their drawings.

Monday 10^th of September

Double class

First Year choice class

Today I was quite conscious of looking at the routines the pupils follow when entering a class, I noticed everyone comes into the room single form and takes down the chairs. The learning task in todays first class was still life drawing. My co-operating teacher had gathered shells for the pupils to study and the whole aim of the object drawing was to be able to identify various techniques the students could have used to draw the shell.

My co-operating teacher then went around the class and asked the students to say their names for a refresher for everyone. I thought this was great because I feel communication and trust are built from this. It really drove hoe the importance of getting to know the students on a personal level.

The first exercise focused on the shell, he begins to tell them that they are looking out for texture and the interesting marks they can make to create the shell. A good resource was that the co operating teacher told them to make 4 boxes at the side of the page to get them thinking about the marks they could make on the page. I thought this was great it was almost like a guide they could look back on to see what kind of different marks they could see on the shell; this exercise alone was great way for the students to examine the object.

Some of the students were getting to grips with understanding different pressures make different lines when using pencils, one great connection I noticed was that my co operating teacher said was “how do you butter bread” he got each pupil to make a lien as if they were doing that action and I feel it was a great way to get the pupils to think about different pressures.

The exercise is successful and I feel that the students got a good grasp on making marks, the teacher then asks everyone what they have learned and students answer.  The students seem to be asking their friends to se their drawing so the teacher gets everyone to raise their works. I think this is great as we are slowly chipping away the anxiety about getting them to show each other their works.

 Second Year class

In the second class the teacher tells the students that they will be carrying on with an object drawing exercise but with something different. The shoe. He asks the question to the students “Explain the difference between light and shade? “. The students are reluctant to remove their own shoe but after they do I noticed that they are more focused on this object. I think its because the shoe is theirs, its almost like the ownership of the object creates a small bit more interest in this instance. Step one is a line drawing and step two is a tonal study of the shoe. I feel there was a great understanding of form between the students in this class.

When the class starts to close in some students I feel start giving up on their works. I start walking around observing the works and asking different students what could they have done differently. I feel this is a great way too get the students to think about their works.

 Tuesday 9.40-10.20

Second year
One Class

This class starts out with my co operating teacher showing the second year art class some examples of still life’s from past pupils he has had. He tells them today will be a exercise in practicing still life, he tells them they can introduce colour into their works as well. This is the first time this school year they have used colour in the class so I am intrigued to see how the pupils will deal with it.

The students are advised to draw the objects large on the page and then a close up portion of their set ups. A lot of students start arranging their set ups. I start to see that some students are choosing very small objects and I advise them to have a differentiation of size on the page to make a more interesting composition.

The students start to draw and focus in at the task at hand. After the class has successfully practiced still life the co operating teacher starts asking some pupils did they think their works were successful and why? I thought this was a great tool to get the pupils to explain why their works were successful or if they could have changes anything. The students are starting to create their own voices in the classroom which I think is very important in the growth of a young artist. The teacher ends the class with asking them have they ever tried self portraits the class reply with a yes and he says to them to start thinking about self portraits and how they would go about them in the next class.

Thursday
First Years
9- 9.40

Todays class was a bit different because the school open night was going to be later in that evening. My co operating teacher decided to get the students to make a banner for the art room to welcome the incoming students into the art room. He references the book of kells and he starts showing the students pages from the book of kells on the projector. The pupils seem to re act well to the thought of the exercise. Everyone get s a letter to draw and and it creates a team work atmosphere in the class. He gives out resources of a printed page from a book about the typography from the book of kells which the students can take reference from. He then goes on to give a demonstration at the top of the class to show students that they do not need to spend a lot of time sketching out their given letter.

I think this creates a confidence in the students to not fall into a trap of perfection when they can spend more time on the motifs that make the letters like the letters in the book of kells.

The teacher then asks has anyone ever seen the book of kells and do they know anything about it, students react well and there is a good conversation going on about history and art. It is good to see these connections being made in the art class between different subjects such as history art and geography. A lot of students find the exercise enjoyable and some even come up with new and interesting ideas to decorate the letters. One student put a real eye over his letter I, to indicate the connection. This creativity is praised and it gives the students the notion that there is no rules in the art room when drawing something. It is refreshing to see.

Friday

1.45-15.05
Second Year

The class starts by coming in and sitting in their seats. The cooperating teacher tells the students that they will be studying organic objects, then he starts discussing elements like shape and tone. He explains to them that they will be drawing the leaves and then adding in colour and a colour study.

He then gets them to gather around a table and shows them how to create a quick contour and form drawing. There is then a grouping of leaves between four people to observe. He gives one of the students a job to give out the pages.

I feel giving the students certain jobs creates a good group atmosphere in the class. Once the students have their set ups of the leaves they begin. I begin walking around and making sure the students have a good sense of composition on the page.

Some seem to find it hand to create the composition on the page, I begin to give them tips on measuring and telling them to make sure they are looking at the leaves rather than just imagining the shape on the leaf.

After the exercise the students change the object to a fuchsia flower and the co operating teacher hands out a viewfinder to each student.

I notice that the class is quite unsettled as it is the second last class of the day on a Friday. I begin to observe how the co operating teacher handles the discipline aspect of the class. He tells the people that there will be notes in their diary’s if the attitudes don’t change.

The class seem to run out of time for the second drawing and people are starting to clean up their belongings.

The co operating teacher asks the two pupils that were disruptive up to his desk after class and gives them notes as their behavior did not improve. I find this is fair as they had been warned.

The class is over and everyone gathers their pages and brings them up to the top table.

17^th September

Monday
First Years.
11.15-12.35

Today my co operating teacher started off the class by showing the class a picture online of the collection of Irish stamps that had illustrations of flowers on them. He chose to get the pupils to focus in on the flower “Fuchsia”. He told them that they would be designing the stamp and putting lettering on the page like the stamp.

He starts by doing a demonstration of lettering on the top table and he shows the students how to copy and trace the lettering in two different ways. One was to place the page over the letters and try to get an idea where the letters were placed, he also showed them the technique of shading the back of the page you are tracing with pencil and then sketch on top of the other side. That technique will be leaving an etching on your page.

My co co operating teacher used resources such as photocopies from a book and the internet for reference.  The way the exercise went was step one was drawing out the lettering onto their page, step two was them to use a viewfinder with a fuchsia placed in the middle to help the students enlarge the flower onto the page.

After they had successfully placed the content on their pages my co operating teacher showed the pupils a water colour demonstration and the pupils made a colour scheme at the side of their pages.

I felt some of the students reacted very well to the water colours while others had never used them before so couldn’t pick up the technique straight away. During the class a pupil dropped her cup of water and the floor became wet and slippery, this flagged up certain health and safety problems in the class. I noticed also that when using paint there has to be a certain time left for clean up.

Second Years
12.35-1.15

The second year students were told to take what they learnt last week in their still life practice and place it into a drawing of a “fuchsia” using watercolours and a viewfinder. They were told to keep remembering the terms “Tone, texture, and composition”. The students were told to look at the size of the page. My co operating teacher shows the students an example from the last class. They are told to really look at the flower and try to find three separate colours within. They then make a colour scheme and try to go off them. Mixing the three colours to create lighter and darker versions of it. The students re act well to the exercise, some try the wet into wet technique in watercolour and it works out well for them.

One thing I have noticed between some of the students is that they are starting to draw from memory rather than looking or observing the object. It is something that I will have to think about when I am teaching them. The pieces that are observed for longer periods of time begin to become more successful.

 Tuesday
Second Years
9.40-10.20

Today in class the second year students were focusing on a still life compositional drawing of a collection of reflective items. Step one would be a compositional sketch and step two would be filling in the 2-d pictorial space with charcoal for the students to get an understating how shading and light works. Most of the chosen items were mostly based on ellipses and items with a rounded form. My co cooperating teacher reminds the students to keep their wrists on the page while drawing the forms. He does a demonstration of how to hold the pencil and certain motions they should be using while drawing the compositional sketch.

I notice that some of the angles the students are drawing are quite difficult and I make sure to go around and tell them to really look at the objects and measure where they are in comparison to each other. One of the students is very disruptive, the co operating teacher tells him to improve his behavior. It is very useful to see situations like this. At the end of the class the students seem to have a good grasp of the composition. There is an issue with time management and most of the students do not get to follow through with step two of the exercise.

Thursday
9.00-9.40
Single Class

After this lesson the students will have the ability to actively observe an organic object and utilize the medium of water colours.

Todays class was different because the first year choice subject changed over, that means 12 new students got to experience an art class. There are two stages to the class today, I have started to notice a pattern of different stages that the pupils complete throughout the class. The first instructional step of the class is for the student to get two leaves and to make a contour drawing of the leaf, the second step is to learn how to make a colour palette for the watercolors they will use. My co operating teacher gives the students a job to get cups of water brushes and to make out the paint pallettes. I have noticed this is good practice as it teaches the pupils how to organize the tools and materials. After the pupils have finished their contour drawings they are told to pick out three colours in the leaf and attempt to mix it. My co operating teacher gives a mixing demo very quickly so the students know what kind of paint to water ratio to use.

 Friday
1.45-15.05
Double class

Today was a double class with the second year group, the start of the class was interrupted because of the cork camogie ladies team visiting the school, I am learning more day to day about the different events or trips that may interrupt a class. It makes me think about the importance of lesson planning and getting grips on time management to get through the learning outcomes. Tonight was culture night in the city and my co operating teacher started off the class by asking the pupils did they know anything about the night or if they were going to any of the events. A few of the students knew about it and a few said they were going. This created a good atmosphere at the start of the class. The class involved two steps one was a exercise in lettering and another was an exploration into a theme about culture they were interested in.