Ask Weird Questions using Wordle

To understand teaching strategies better our tutor Caroline asked the class to divide into pairs and select a piece of folded paper from an envelope. Each scrap of paper revealed a different strategy to research, we then presented our findings to the group. Viv and I chose 'Brainstorming'. 

Brainstorming is a creative group technique by which efforts are made to find a conclusion for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members. This technique is a dynamic and stimulating way to lead learners into a topic. 

Through our research we found this strategy to be a great visual aid to assist with writing essays and to gain knowledge of a topic. The visual aspect of collating words has been a method I have used myself as a way of retaining information, and found this technique effective when working on design ideas or concepts.

 

To demonstrate ‘Brainstorming’ we asked the group ‘How would a White Apple taste’? By posing a challenging question it forces learners to break down barriers that are keeping them in the ‘safe zone’. The group interacted well with the task and provided some great answers. This method is also a good way of assessing the learner’s prior subject knowledge and observing the group dynamics.

With the suggested ideas for ‘How would a white apple taste’ I inputted these into the free online word cloud application called Wordle. See picture above.

Teaching in an Art & Design environment encourages creative thinking and visual recognition of ideas, topics etc. I think using the brainstorm strategy would be a great way of encouraging student ideas and knowledge and definitely a technique I will adopt in my own practice. I also feel using Wordle would be a great addition to enhance this and could be used as an additional resource to aid students learning. 

My personal experience of using Microsoft applications

 

Original Microsoft Office logo from 1975 - very retro!

My experience of using Microsoft Office programs includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. I tend to use these applications sporadically and though I have a general knowledge of the programs, I have used the basic functions. Any essays, reports, covering letters or general correspondents are written up using Word. I tend to use only a handful of tools such as spell checker, page layout, paragraph format and a variety of fonts. Very basic! When I begin my teaching placement in December, I will be assisting students with writing their personal statements for UCAS. I'm hoping my experience of Word will be sufficient enough for this task.

I felt the need to begin a new paragraph for reflecting on my experience of using Excel. Now where do I start. As a dyslexic and visual learning I find this number orientated program a nightmare. The complexity of this system really chews my brain cells up. But though I have little confidence with Excel, I have used it a lot for my job as a product designer to create tech packs. Though I do not see myself using Excel within my lesson due to teaching predominately art and design, I imagine I will encounter spreadsheet at some point through general admin such as registers and inputting grades. 

I used Outlook daily in my previous line of work but only to access and send mails. I never really explored other functions available in this application but feel since the ICT module I have become far more confidence in the email application.

Nearpod questions

Here's another interesting teacher tool, that can accessed for free, online! It's called nearpod and is an interactive program that has been designed to allow the learners to engage with information digitally via a selection of devices including laptops, tablets and smart phones.
I created an example above to demonstrate how useful this application could be within a classroom setting. Multiple questions, video's, images and text can be embedded into each slide, providing an interesting and captivating platform. I found this program very easy to use, and one that I will definitely use again for my own teaching.
The beauty of this tool is that the teacher can assess the learners by using a series of questions, answered by the students on their devices, and then have this data fed back almost instantaneously. Very clever.  Great way to evaluate the learners comprehension the subject matter, and most importantly in a fun way.

Prezi presentation

Prezi is presentation application that can be accessed online for free. This program allows the user to build a presentation using images, text, motion, a zoom option and a 'spatial relationship'.
I have used Prezi on a number of occasion to show project work, but have found this program tends to work better when there is a small amount of information. Using this for longer presentations can confuse the audience, and become a bit long winded. But I do feel this the case with most presentation programs including the Microsoft version called PowerPoint. I have to say many a lectures have been spent doodling in my notebook because the information being taught is just a series of boring slides. Counting down the minutes until freedom. Prezi can provide an opportunity to create a presentation that is a little less mind numbing than PowerPoint, but I do feel that this application has a time and a place.

PGCE - an introduction to ICT and how reflective writing is important.....

To kick off our ICT module, we have all been set the challenge of creating a blog. This digital journal will document our journeys on the PGCE PCET course, and provide an opportunity to reflect on our experiences of teaching whilst on placement, and also as students working towards achieving the post grad qualification.

My initial attempts at creating a blog began with taking well over 10 minutes to decide upon a URL address and title.. so a slow start. I also spent a morning deliberating what background and widgets I should include within my blog framework, it has look good right!!

Blog are a great way of creating a place that can be used specifically for documenting experiences, images and any thought that we might have. This interactive style diary that can be written in an informal way and can be updated at any point. My teaching 'diary' will serve as a platform for reflecting on my own experiences during my PGCE course and teacher placement.

Reflective writing can be a useful tool for trainee teachers, as it allows us a students, to write down some of the thoughts we have whilst carrying out particular activities, such as the micro teaching or planning and leading a class during our placements. Reflection presents an opportunity to not only look at ourselves but also the students that we teach and their different learning styles.

During my first week on my teaching placement, I was asked to cover a lesson for the textile group on the Foundation Art and Design course. The lecturer was unable to attend due to her son being ill, and with limited staff, I was asked if I would be happy enough to lead the class. My first response was yes and felt very excited, then the nerves followed, gulp. Thrown in at the deep end, but sometimes this is how we learn the most valuable lessons. There were twenty students in the class, all had be given a brief the previous day that involved researching and choosing an artist or designer who resonated with them. They were then required to take a single piece of calico and manipulate the fabric square, in a style inspired by the artist that they had picked earlier. A great project that combined critical thinking, and the VAK learning domains.
During the session one of the hardest things I found was excepting that the students could be left alone to work by themselves. Sounds silly, but I felt a bit useless in parts, and found myself hovering about and circulating the group asking how their work was going on. Though most of the students seemed receptive to providing feedback, there were some who I could tell just wanted to be left alone to get on with their work. I discussed this with my mentor Anna, and mentioned that I had found the situation uncomfortable, and was uncertain of to either leave the class to work alone, of whether I should be present. Anna advised me that timing, and judging a groups work capacity is a skill I will learn with practice, and I will find my way of working. Many of the projects set encourage self directed study, and also provides an opportunity for the learners to explore ideas and concepts through self discover. It is finding that balance of nurturing their self awareness and also providing guidance through teaching, setting briefs and formative assessment such as peer critiques, tutorials etc.

This was a fantastic experience and I learnt a great deal by reflecting on how the lesson went, and provided an opportunity to identify areas of improvement, to build upon for my own future of teaching.

'The only source of knowledge is experience' Albert Einstein