School Year End for New Art Teacher
I just finished my first year as an art teacher within the British Columbia education system at a private school in TEDA-Tianjin, China. I enjoyed it and judging from my class assignments for the beginning of the next school year, I'll keep on teaching art classes for which I am grateful.
I should probably write more often, but with the need for VPN in China because it blocks blogger, and the terribly slow Internet, kinda acts as a deterrent for me.
Some things I have learnt.
Don't get into a rut with respect to student expectations. Working diligently to prepare lessons that meet the PLOs while providing creative and expressive activities are only a part of this vocation. Ensuring that student projects are properly labelled for display, holding students accountable to hand-in things on time and having a debrief or reflection time may be things I should incorporate into my practice.
Students (some) may become complacent with finishing up projects on time and spending allocated class time on task. Do I give them too much time in which to complete a given assignment? For some students no, in fact they could use more time. But then why do others idle away the time on their cell-phones, or misuse their cell-phones during class. I allow them their cell-phones as this is a part of 21st century life and they are encouraged to use them for school work.
But hearing other teachers talk, I know this is not a problem unique to my classroom setting.
One way, I have proposed to deal with the tardiness issue is to award part of the project mark to getting an assignment in on time. So included in the marking rubric, which students receive a copy of with their assignment, will be a category for due date compliance.
I've got a bit of a head start for the next term, although with some new types of art classes, I'll have to develop a whole set of projects - the learning never stops :)
I should probably write more often, but with the need for VPN in China because it blocks blogger, and the terribly slow Internet, kinda acts as a deterrent for me.Some things I have learnt.
Don't get into a rut with respect to student expectations. Working diligently to prepare lessons that meet the PLOs while providing creative and expressive activities are only a part of this vocation. Ensuring that student projects are properly labelled for display, holding students accountable to hand-in things on time and having a debrief or reflection time may be things I should incorporate into my practice.
Students (some) may become complacent with finishing up projects on time and spending allocated class time on task. Do I give them too much time in which to complete a given assignment? For some students no, in fact they could use more time. But then why do others idle away the time on their cell-phones, or misuse their cell-phones during class. I allow them their cell-phones as this is a part of 21st century life and they are encouraged to use them for school work.But hearing other teachers talk, I know this is not a problem unique to my classroom setting.
One way, I have proposed to deal with the tardiness issue is to award part of the project mark to getting an assignment in on time. So included in the marking rubric, which students receive a copy of with their assignment, will be a category for due date compliance.
I've got a bit of a head start for the next term, although with some new types of art classes, I'll have to develop a whole set of projects - the learning never stops :)
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