Miss Art of Teaching

Wow... time flies! It is already the LAST day of Term 2. Students were eager to 'paint' and help in my classroom. I had more than half the class stay back during lunch to paint my classroom. Some students did smaller jobs, like decorating the classroom fans with contact and I even had two students who made me a personal speaker! I LOVE it. The speaker is made from an empty can of Pringle and two paper cups. Check out the photos below. Now...it is time to enjoy the two weeks holidays! I will be trying to balance work with leisure time. First activity tonight is having a family dinner at a dumpling house before heading to the drive-through cinema with my partner and Shih Tzu.

To prepare my Stage 5 students for their 'Street Art' unit, I have invested one lesson on stenciling. I wanted them to understand both positive and negative space. It was also important for them to understand the purpose of 'bridges' and how to apply the paint (if they choose to use paint over spray paint). The teacher samples proved to be an effective way to explain the importance of planning their work ahead. I also demonstrated how to use a scalpel knife correctly. Students were asked to create a simple stencil using the initials of their name. At this point, it is not important to develop a conceptually strong stencil. They are still planning their 'social issues' ideas for this new unit. Students are super keen on starting this unit. I surprised them with a few furniture that I have kept aside for them to work on. They will be transferring their designs onto desks, tables, books shelves and filing cabinets. Students will still be marked ...

Last year I wrote a proposal to get funding for new furniture, paint etc. Each faculty was asked to write a proposal to change an old existing classroom into a 21st-century learning room. By enhancing the learning environment through design, it allows students to be an engaging learning environment. Studies show that by changing the learning environment it allows for understanding, recall and recognition, engagement, problem solving and communication. It is important that we make a learning environment that is exciting and attractive as it makes students more interested in learning. We were granted $10,000 by the school to use it to improve the space. Our school has an equity funding program that allows teachers to apply if it benefits the school community and its learners. The before picture: Above: The above picture is not a true indication of the state of the classroom. The walls were filled with hundreds of staples. Each inch was filled with laminated A4 posters create...