foolfillment: the blog

A busy day, stating with a nice quiet test for some 4th years, having just marked them this afternoon I know I’ll need to cover a lot of things with them soon.
Next up was 3rd years that I’ve covered, they have been doing written work out of books but I started them on a new design folio today and the change in the class from yesterday was immeasurable.
Third period was graphics with 3rd year, business as usual.
period 4 with the 1st years, tried going back to doing some sketching with intention of improving their rendering skills tomorrow.
P5 was an S2 class starting a new model, I didn’t do much there.
P6 spent marking the tests.

S2 first up, I did a little intro to metals wich seemed togo down well. I used some photos of things from around Glasgow and talked about the different materials they were made from - this seemed to make it much more interesting to them than just pictures of iron ore.
I’m writing this on Wednesday, I will try to come back and fill in the blanks but at the moment I’m knackered!
I remember I took another 3rd year class for a lesson on anthropometrics, their third, I explained what the word meant, asked them if they could explain it back, they couldn’t, I explained it again a different way and saw if they understood - no - so did it again, eventually one person clicked a little. Drip drip drip, eventually like in chinese water torture they will buckle and remember it. I moved on to some work where thye wrote out a little bit f relevant text and copied a 5th-95th%le diagram and then asked if they knew what anthropometrics meant - no. It can be quite frustrating this job sometimes!

This week is a short one, Friday is a holiday, and some of the kids are already on holiday mood. It’s the ScotEduBlogs MeetUp on Wednesday night, I’m writing this here in case I forget. A couple of cover classes first up. One is boring. They are both classes I should be with anyway but the teacher is off. The first one is a class that should be doing woodwork but I can’t do practical work without a real tecky teacher in the class so they are doing written work on hard and soft woods - Fun!! The other class is great, it’s a first year graphics class. Still busy doing isometric drawings but it’s really gratifying to see that some of the ones I thought were struggling are now really getting the idea of it. Unfortunately a lot of them son’t really enthuse about the drawings despite being able to do them well.

Over break time a had to do some phoning so I am getting used to the real life of a teacher - doing work all day. After break it was a 3rd year craft class - marking out ideas for a fish slice. It’s a noisy class and most of them just don’t act anything like their age, pushing and fidgetting, poking and talking, giggling and generally just not listening or doing what they should for more than about 3 seconds.

Next up I thought I was getting a break but no, it was time to do some 4th year folio work in the library. They are supposed to be sitting a test this week but it isn’t going to happen because they just don’t had the preparation time.

After lunch it is my favourite class, if I’m allowed to have one. It’s a 3rd year graphics class, so a subject I am very comfortable with and it happens to be a very capable class. But what’s gone wrong today? They are noisy, move around the class all period, and aren’t able to concentrate nearly as well as I’m used to. Oh well, I gave them some homework to do for Wednesday.
Last period off to prepare some things for tomorrow. I would normally be with 5th year.

So, now: how to make 5th to 95th percentile interesting and seem relevant…

Only a few classes today, I started off a covered 1st year class then went into the 3rd year class I was suppsed to be taking - next time I have them for wood work I’ll begin to take them through a dovetail joint.
Two 4th year classes were doing folio work in the library so no real teaching there, just prodding towards them actually doing some work.
Last was the 5th years who I showed how to start a stopped housing joint.
In the last period of the day I was roped in to helping another covered class. There was myself, the covering teacher and another technical teacher in the classroom, with 12 kids on computers, they’d been given the task to find images of boxes so that they could later describe what was good about them and maybe make something like them for their 4th year project. It was hard work, and took about 20 minutes for them to be anything like settled. I can’t imagine what it’s like taking that class on a normal day with just thier usual teacher and nobody else.

That was a hard day, I’ve felt as though each period should be the last in the day. Enjoyable though.

First up S3 graphics, most as I say are still mid-click but a couple have got it and can do most problems. One in particular is just eating everything I can throw at him.
Next S2, working on a folio doing some ideas for a toy, they’d been doing cover material the last couple of days so this is really the first time I’d been in with them.

After break it was another S2 class, doing some marking out on a coat hook. I didn’t do much with them, but will be doing a theory lesson on metal next Tuesday, this is the class I introduced wood types to on Thuesday this week.
Then S5, an easy enogh class, they tend to just get on with things with the exception of a couple. I’ll be taking them through the mirror stand project soon.

After lunch it was S4 working on folios, this class are much further ahead but they still should be doing more, I thought this was the last period of the day and was pretty tired when I realised it wasn’t.
Last up it was the S1 class doing graphics, some are fine but they really allneed to be reminded to take care with measurements, a step y step guide to the drawings would probably be beneficial for them too. This work is, I feel, a little too much for them. Constantly I’m finding people who have just guessed where to put lines and haven’t thought to measure - it’s not lazyness they just don’t realise that they can’t draw free hand.

Another day over, I’m pretty tired, I feel like I;ve not had time to rest.

Did quite a bit today, helped out with a 4th year class working on folios.
Did another class of cover with the 3rd years from yesterday - much better, in a classroom, earlier in the day and weren’t given the chance to wind each other up.
3rd year graphics, I;m going to have to find something for some of them to do hat will clow them down - they just understand too well!
1st year graphics, class from Mondya, worked well, two groups emerging - those who are ahead and can render the drawings, the other group working through the drawing still. Seem to be getting the theory now but don’t apply it properly all the time and get lines at finny angles because of misused instruments.
2nd year class finished a wooden project, a really good class, instructions are followed without question.
Finally 5th year PCS, how happy would I be with this class? Not a bad bunch but too often want to sit down while doing practical work.

I’ll cover it quickly because I’m tired.
I took a second year class for some knowledge (they don?t like knowledge) on timber, introducing hard and soft wood. It?s a bit boring and fairly bland but I tried to spice it up by using some photos from Peru last year and it seemed to get their attention. I used it more of a distraction from the booklet I?d run through with them before they set about doing some work - the intention being to see how much they?d picked up by asking questions after showing them the photos. I was pretty happy with how it turned out. It?s a great class in any case, they just get on with things.
S5 PCS, nothing much to say,
Next helped cover an S3 class, working through some written work on lathes, we were given the runaround a bit, this class are particluarly noisy and doing written work in a practical room never helps.
S3 - took the lesson on ergonomics and anthropometrics. This is pretty much the first time they’d heard of the terms so just spent the time making sure that they had some understanding of it.
S4 - folios in library, some discipline problems but nothing too out of hand, there was one incident with another staff member but it was dealt with well enough and I wasn’t involved.

It seems so long ago, I’m writing this on Wednesday afternoon and I’m knackered.
Anyway, I took a 1st year class through some written work from a book - I was helping cover a lesson for an absent teacher.
Next up was 1st year graphics, after last Thursday’s attempt at introducing manual techniques I took them all back a step and made them work through a page on simple lines at different angles. This worked much better and allowed those who got it to progress while I could help those who needed it.
3rd Year craft, this was okay, a bit of a noisy class but work well enough.
3rd year graphics, again a good class. Working through cut shapes still and most are beginning to click, just need to continue with it and see how they fare.

The end of the week. My Friday timetable isn’t too bad - only three classes. I was with a 3rd year craft and design class first up - woodwork. Then some 4th year Craft and Design - doing folio work in the library. Then 5th year PCS. Still working on the M&T joint. A couple of them finished the joint today but there are still far too many making the same mistakes over and over. A break over the weekend then may be the chance to do something else on Monday might make it okay to finish it off once and for all on Tuesday. Then maybe I should hit them with the t-bridle. They’ll love that.

Another day over, I am timetabled to have no spare periods on Thursdays but that didn’t work out today - one teacher was off so I wasn’t in one of his classes - so that I had time to prepare to take the other one of his I was supposed to be in. It was my suggestion.

Anyway, first period, I continued with the 3rd year GC class. Most of them finishing off the cut pyramid from yesterday, while others started on a cut cone. This is probably the toughest part of the course and they are coping admirably. Another few weeks on this and they’ll be sorted. Probably working on it until the Sept weekend then a little change after.
2nd period off to prepare then 3rd period with a 2nd year class. This is a sea change from my last placement. The amount of work done was incredible, no fuss they just got on and did what they were told. Quite remarkable.
Period 4 with the PCS class, continuing with the M&T joint, some of them are using far too much wood. Some will make a good job out of their first piece.
Period 5 with 4th years, kind of covering the absent teacher but not really as there are two classes working together in the library so it was just a supervising role with two other teachers there. Much of the time is spent battling with M$ Word.
Period 6, the lesson I offered to take myself. A covering teacher came along and sat in. I started them (1st Years) on isometric drawing, this is the first time they’d used instruments, and I think I introduced them well enough, but the exercise I chose didn’t suit them well. I should have done something on the board and worked through the drawing line by line, but some of them had started it yesterday so I thought it would be good to just let them get on with it. With a little more time for prep and some extra resources to show them how to use the boards and I think it would have een a much better lesson for them. On the other side I think I handled them very well. Even though i say it myself I thimk I presented it well and kept them on task as much as my lack of planning allowed.

Tomorrow, should be a short day, only three periods.