Miss Art of Teaching

Change is inevitable and as teachers we need to be flexible and positive about new ideas and approaches to teaching. Teaching is a challenging job where we need to know our content and find ways to make learning fun. Lately, I have been asking students about how they feel about the subject and what we can do as a faculty to make learning more accessible to them. This has led me back to my blog and I am now sitting here thinking of new ways to deliver content: 1. Make learning more relevant. This year we have been looking at Environmental Issues and Street Art with Stage 5 (Year 9/10). However, compared to previous year, this particular cohort seem to find the projects less engaging. My faculty plans to create four shorter projects for 2020. We need to provide them with topics/issues that are more RELEVANT to them. Make them interested and CURIOUS. Give opportunities for students to generate their own research questions and search for explanations. 2. Make learning clear. Student...

I love when teachers share ideas! A teacher friend commented on one of my Instagram posts (missartofteaching) about a cool online planner that she uses daily. She introduced me to 'Planboard' (free teacher online planner) where you can set up your timetable and then attach lesson plans, worksheets, and outcomes to each lesson.  It also syncs to Google Drive making it convenient. You can work on it from the computer or download an app for Iphones and Andriods. It took a while to set up, but I can see the benefits of using this online planner. I can edit my notes, select my standards and view my lesson attachments all under my fingertips. You can literally plan lessons anywhere and everything is in one place! I'll be using it to record class discussions and attach photos. A few examples:

I am quite pleased with the purchase of my sparkling brand new whiteboard from Daiso. It is an awesome little monthly schedule calender. They even reposted my picture on Instagram. At 8am today I had my Work Health and Safety workshop on how to use a fire extinguisher. I actually need to buy one for my own house! I had Year 7 classes from Period 1-3 and most of them are finishing off their oil pastel drawings. Some are starting the painting process. Here are a few photos: At recess, I went to visit my Deputy Princpal to talk about cabin organisation for the Year 8 camp. Careful consideration must be given to how groups are form to minimise discipline issues and conflict. My first break from teaching Year 7 (don't get me wrong, I love them!) was during Period 4. I took my Year 9/10 combined class to the darkroom. I have not been in the darkroom for about two years now. Need to brush up my skills and reorganise the room. There n...

What I am doing?.... A few weeks ago we had a guest speaker coming in to the school to talk about our teacher well being. He recommended that we name our to-do list as the ta-da list. This means crossing off the completed job, waving your arms around and do a little happy dance. I have been working my way through my list. Not much of a dancer so you will not see me wiggling around after every task. I have logically categorised my workload: marking, work samples, reports, program submissions, Year 8 camp organisation, Positive Behaviour for Learning team planning.... This year I have all my theory work uploaded onto Google Classroom for grades 7-12. It makes life so much easier for the student and for the teacher. This virtual classroom allows students to ask questions, submit tasks and for teachers to mark and send back the feedback. I no longer have to take piles of papers home to mark and drain the ink from my pen. My Year 7 students are making print making, drawing and paint...

Sometimes teaching can really take a toll on our wellbeing. I have been mentally exhausted due the tension in my senior class. I am constantly reflecting on what I can do better as a teacher. I value opportunities to grow as a teacher but at times it is also quite draining. Keeping up with what other teachers have to deal with on a daily basis has made me feel less alone. And you might ask...how? Speak to your co-workers and join relevant teaching Facebook pages. It provides you with an insight on the daily challenges that teachers battle. But it also reminds you why this profession is rewarding.  I have been quite jealous of the 'Teacher Appreciation Week' in America. Schools in Australia do not have a week dedicated to teachers. Actually I don't think we even set aside a day to appreciate what educators do but my daily conversations with my students remind me why I love my job even when sometimes it is also the same students who break my heart into a million tiny piece...

This morning I woke up at 6am, thanks to my trusty alarm setting on my phone. Both my partner and myself had forgotten to turn off the alarm. Over here in Australia we are trying to enjoy the start of Term 1 break. Thankfully, I wasn't too fussed about getting up early, as I wanted to do some marking before taking my dog to the vet. My dog is due for her dental cleaning. Marking in the morning seems easier. I only have 3 more essays to mark in my Year 9/10 bundle of Case Study. I still have my 3 x Year 7 classes and my Year 11 class bundles to tackle through so I guess there is no lazing around. After dropping off my dog at the vet (she gets picked up in the afternoon), I decided it was time to reward myself with a purposeful purchase. My ethical fashion purchase today has a lot of potential in a Textiles classroom or in any 'design' related classroom as the teacher can use this example to talk about 'The Design Process' and the steps involved. Besides be...

My head teacher came into my Year 11 Senior class today to do an observation lesson. I also asked my co-worker who wanted to do a peer observation to come in at the same time. The purpose of the observations is to allow them to give me feedback on my teaching practice and for them to see the level of engagement in the classroom. At my school, every teacher must do an observation and also have someone seated in their class to provide feedback. I spent a quarter of the lesson going through the hamburger analogy. I adapted this from a shared resource on the 'Relief Teaching Ideas Community' Facebook group. I improved on this resource by using words from my own marking criteria and by picking out desirable and non-desirable behaviours exhibited from my students during the first 9 weeks of the term. After the hamburger analogy, I went through the requirements of HSC Visual Arts. I wanted students to understand why the preliminary program and assessment tasks were designed in a...

Besides being a classroom teacher and a Year 7 Adviser, I am an advocator for the Positive Behaviour Learning (PBL) team. There are many things that are working successfully at our school such as the ongoing Vivo system for rewarding behavioural expectations, great PBL data results, systems for responding to and managing behaviours. This creates a fun and safe learning environment for everyone. Being part of the PBL team requires me to put in my weight. I volunteer to put posts up on the Facebook page since I am one of the five admins. I re-designed whole school structures for reducing truancy and created a poster that promoted consistent classroom expectations.  I help run the rewards program by asking for monetary and merchandise donations from the school and local community. I maintain the rewards program by frequently updating it with prizes and helping students and staff to reset log in passwords.  Last year I set up a stall with the PBL team leader. W...

Being a high school teacher, Year 7 Adviser, Facebook admin, rewards program runner keeps me busy. The thing about this job is that our 'work' brain never switches off. We are constantly thinking of our students, our workload and our relationships with people (staff and parents/carers). I regularly maintain my school's Facebook page to promote what we are doing to the wider community. I am one of the five admins. On the Facebook page, you will find important notices for upcoming events, photos of students inside and outside of the classroom (photos taken with permission), prizes that we have up on the school Vivo rewards shop and general information. Parents and carers can like posts, leave comments or give us a private message.  Being an admin has its perks. It works hand in hand with the school Vivo rewards program as I can make announcements of the prizes available and take photos of the prize recipients. Being a Year Adviser, I try to share photos of the Year 7 stud...

I used to stress about what to wear as a beginner teacher and as a teacher on pract. During my five-year double degree (Bachelor of Art Education and Bachelor of Design), I completed four practicums. The first three were roughly two weeks long, and the final practicum lasted around fourteen weeks. Besides getting ready for practicums by preparing programs, activities and general background knowledge check, I would plan out my teaching ouftits. I have a friend who will be starting her first practicum in April, and she is trying to organise a teaching wardrobe for herself. This reminds me of my practicums where I tried to dress more formal with button up shirts and work pants. Five years down the track, I am dressing for myself- more relaxed. I only dress formal when I have a bigger event (parent teacher night, leading presentations etc). I normally wake up and have a quick browse in my wardrobe and pull out anything that I can wear. My biggest challenge is to wear clothes appropr...

This morning I had a lovely Year 9 student who helped me set up my teacher's table. I love having good relationships with students. I taught her in 2015 and still get my morning hellos and an extra pair of helping hands. Have a look at the before and after photos.