I’m currently completing my last ever practicum placement and as such have been ridiculously busy gathering resources, planning lessons, reading up on the units I’m teaching and trying to memorise over 100 students’ names. I feel extremely lucky to have been given a placement in what is pretty much my dream school, and have been working really hard to make a lasting impression, in the hope they may remember me when I start filling in job applications at the end of the year.
Today I took a year 8 English lesson on active and passive voice - a concept they seem to have a tremendous amount of difficulty understanding. After trying to explain it in 3 different ways, I ended up telling them to forget everything I’d said. Then I wrote a sentence on the board. I asked them to tell me who or what was the person or thing ‘doing’ the action. I then asked them to identify to whom or what the action was being done. I then asked them what would happen if we switched them around. And BANG! It was like 23 lightbulbs went off in the room. I love those moments when students ‘get it’. They were creating their own sentences and switching from passive to active voice to their hearts’ content after that!
It just goes to show the power of doing rather than saying.
May 2011
7 posts
Australia’s Prime Minister today announced a scheme to reward the nation’s top teachers with pay bonuses, among other educational reforms. Click the link to read.
I just want to clarify that I don’t necessarily agree with the sentiments in any of the articles I post here. I think they are a good starting point for debate (as can often be seen in the comments section of an article!) and like to keep a record of any interesting education-related news stories.
“I tell this to everybody, especially to first-year teachers: If you’re going to be strict and have high expectations for your students, then you also have to make sure they want to be in the classroom, that they enjoy being around you, they respect you, and they’re having fun in there. If you are too strict, the kids will rebel. And if you try too hard to get them to like you, they’re going to walk all over you. There has to be balance.”
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Ron Clark (via adiemtocarpe)
Every educator should read Ron Clark’s books. Even if you disagree with his philosophies, he is onto something….
I haven’t read any of Ron Clark’s stuff, I will definitely be checking him out now. Another teacher I find really inspirational is Phil Beadle. He is a former UK teacher of the year, is the author of a number of excellent books on teaching, and has appeared in quite a few documentaries about the failings of the UK education system. You may have also seen him on the now (sadly) defunct Teachers TV website.
April 2011
7 posts
I’m finishing up my second year as an art education major, and it’s been a blast so far. I can’t wait to start teaching. I also figured that now would be a good time to start up a little blog to record my experiences. It should be kinda neat. :D
So maybe I’ll kick it off with a question to the…
Do you use rubrics in art? I’m an English/history teacher so I don’t know if the same things are applicable in more ‘practical’ subjects. They help to reduce subjectivity in marking though as you have a concrete list of criteria to check against. Perhaps you could construct your own?
