a round of applause

Stardate 18 Oct 07

I’m going to start off thinking about my lessons today. My evening acl class is half way through already but then its only a 10 week course all most a taster leading into the ncfe level 2 which I need to get a little more info on before I jump into. Tonight I feel the course went quite well. I’m trying to make more of an effort to present to the group its strange I’m fine talking to my learners but really get nervous talking as a learner. I think this is to do with the element of talking out of my field of expertise and also as a learner you feel you’re being judged, but as the teacher we have that little extra magic somehow. Either way I need to get over it. I presented a demonstration of bottle cutting last night. It’s not a skill directly related to traditionally stained glass, but in these recycling times it’s a use for those empty wine bottles. It was good I felt like a proper teacher with the group all gathered around me watching. It’s quite an interesting process using specialist tools and a candle and surprisingly seems to work most of the time. I got a round of applause any way. The learner I specifically organised the demonstration for managed to do it first time, so I must be doing something right. I also spent a little time discussing my idea to explain the feel of various pressures to my two deaf learners. When they first arrived I wasn’t informed of their inclusion in the group, so had no time to adapt my explanation of how to cut glass. Normally I describe the correct cutting pressure as making a sound like tearing paper. As u can imagine this is no use to a deaf student fortunately they were quick on the uptake and learned anyhow. The reflective process caused me to re evaluate the problem. My idea was this, using touch and texture to represent the feel of differently applied pressure. For this I used a plane piece of paper to represent to little pressure course sandpaper to represent to much pressure and a fine grit paper to be the idea pressure. I discussed it with them and asked them to tell me if it was a stupid idea or not, in the event of me receiving more deaf learners. They seemed to think it a reasonable plan they referred to the different pressures as vibrations. I expanded the concept to tackily demonstrate uneven cutting pressure

Re the class the night before, my micro teaching thing I need to think what I can realistically fit into a 30 minute session its weird it’s a long time to talk but a short time to demonstrate. Ill have to work something out

I don’t want to get so bogged down in the little details I miss the whole point. I would also like it to reflect my teaching style. Would be nice to hear no dan that’s all wrong what u know of teaching makes me laugh out loud or actually dan it’s a little weird u teach but I have learned how to do the objective. Which is the result id hope for; different demographics of learner need different approaches right. I don’t think I could teach what I do the same way Steve teaches what he does, and visa versa. Some of the ideas are interchangeable but not all. I am here to see what I can learn and what is of use to me. Most importantly what will improve my class and benefit my learners most. I could have technically the best class in the world but if no one wants do it, then it’s closed.