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QTS Q2

Adobe After Effects Lesson 1 – Year 8

By PGCE, POT 2, Reflection, TeachingNo Comments

Class

Year 8

What we did?

We have been starting an advertising scheme of work using the Adobe After Effects package. We mainly started by looking at a YouTube clip which was the Honda Cog Advert. I then asked them questions on what makes a good advert and what they enjoyed in the advert. I found that if i did the questioning before about what makes a good advert it was a good pre-curser into the actual video followed by the video and then questions on what they enjoyed in that advert that made it a good advert. We then went on and looked at adobe after effects and the mini bath advert project. I had to show them basic features of the After Effects package such as the composition area where I explained how 16:9 was a good native resolution for modern screens. I also talked to them about the Presets tab on the left where you have all the content and media imported. Timeline, transform and text editing was what I showed them next.

What went well?

  • The YouTube video was certainly a hit and I shall be using more and more of these as YouTube is not filtered and the pupils really enjoy it and it is a great way to tease out questions based on live and real examples from current media and advertising.
  • I found that chunking the sections of the deliver most effective as many of the pupils found it hard to remember the complex steps of adobe after effects. I found that when i did do too much I didn’t have enough time to really get them on task quick enough.
  • The managing of questions in this was interesting and I had to make queue system by giving them numbers.
  • I used AB tutor to subtly keep an eye to see if they were on task.
  • I also used AB tutor to display their finished work I also got them to gather around a PC and view their work.
  • I made sure that I gave them clear guidelines as to what to do and what I expected of them before the end of the lesson.
  • I could have got them to save and submit their work to a folder for assessment and comments so I am going to create folders on the shared drive that they can cope and past their finished work to.
  • I need to give more time for a plenary so as to give time for assessment of learning by questioning.
  • I found that demonstrating up the front was a little bit tough to show them the finer more intricate tools effects that where hard to see.
  • Adobe after effects is a hugely complex program that requires great concentration. I found the explanation of key frames quite challenging i think the only way to rectify this specific step would be do a written set of instruction that are very basic.
  • I feel my behavioural management was good in the lesson and i controled the pupils well

What could have been done better?

 

Overall these where good lessons that I thought where effective and produced good work. I believe they learnt a fair bit on how to use adobe after effects but joining the theoretical side of advertising to the technical side was rather tenuous as they could not create something as good as what they saw on the youtube clip.

 

 

 

04/03/2011

Photoshop lesson 1 – Year 7

By PGCE, POT 2, Reflection, TeachingNo Comments

Over this last week I have had the pleasure of teaching 4 year 7 lessons. This was my first experience with year 7’s on the PGCE course however I had already done terms worth of teaching at Monkton Prep. I really enjoyed meeting them and getting to know them quite quickly. They have a very innocent and polite nature to them that is to be quite honest a delight to teach. I personally really enjoyed teaching this age as you have great opportunities for creativity and flexibility.

What we did?

The main aim for this lesson was to introduce the to adobe Photoshop and then introduce them to the scheme of work that has been prepared. The idea for the lesson was to create a “Madagascar in Bath” image with some of the characters cut out and super imposed onto the streets of bath. I introduced them to a series of basic photo editing techniques such as the levels, hue and saturation and color balance tools under the image adjustments section. I then took them through how to use the magic wand tool to select areas of white that they needed and then inverse the selection and then copy this onto the bath image. We also looked at the lasso tool and the magnetic version on this and the quick mask mode to ad and take away from the selection

What went well?

  • I found that my welcome and start of by asking for hands up names was particularly effective.
  • I set high expectations with my rules set out clearly.
  • I thought my intro video with YouTube was really engaging and the kids really enjoyed this.
  • I used questioning well to really tease out the important areas of Photoshop and who and why it would be used.
  • I thought my subject knowledge was good and as I knew the program really well I found it really easy to explain everything.
  • I thought I chunked the lesson well but this was maybe a weakness, as I will come on that below.
  • I encouraged them and praised them well at the end of the lesson by saying good lesson as I thought it was a good one.
  • They all created a good finished product that was creative and looked interesting
  • I found that if I encouraged them to experiment with extension tasks such as the rubber tool.

What could have been done better?

  • I didn’t at first realize the high ability of these kids and so I think that I could have done more with the demonstration time and shown them more.
  • I started of not managing all the questions that well but as soon as I grasped how to give them an order of whom was next it worked well.
  • I had one session where they were already in the classroom, which made the start of the lesson slightly less structured.
  • I would have like to use the magnetic tool more and shown them more closely how to use the quick mask tool better as I feel my demo was week in this.
  • I need to work on being more definite with my delivery still and only show one skill not a series of skills.

Lesson Plan >> http://bit.ly/j1qKCf

Observation >> click on thumbnail

03/03/2011

Forest of Dean Tutor Trip

By PGCE, ReflectionNo Comments

Over the lent term I was able to go on a school trip with my year 8 tutees this was a great trip to get to know the pupils well and build those vital relationships. I was able to lead several activities to help promote indipendant survival skils just to manage and co ordinate several expeditions.

We had to deal with children that had not been away from parents before and had full responsibility of their diet and wellbeing.

We also had evening reviews with my colleagues to asses what had been achieved in the day and to plan for the next day.

It gave me chances to take kids on walks and for them to learn in out of school contexts.

PLEASE SEE THIS DOCUMENT FOR EVIDENCE http://bit.ly/mG30Wc

03/12/2010

Lesson 3 OCR Nationals AO2 – Year 9MQB4

By PGCE, Reflection, TeachingNo Comments

What we did & Learning objectives!

We had a catch up session to get them up to speed with the current AO2 Slides such as some were falling behind on the slides.

We then moved onto looking at how to…

?        Learn how to copy and paste text and graphics from the internet in compliance with copyright.

?        Learn how to download graphic and text files in compliance with copyright

What went well?

I was really happy with my behaviour management this lesson and Even though it was wet outside I managed to get them coming in and logging on quietly and swiftly. Once I wanted them to start I was able to get their attention quickly and  get them looking at me.

I am finding that if I give a simple count down in seconds it works for me and by 0 they are usually quiet.

I felt that the pace of this lesson was great and we were able to cover allot. I feel this was clear as I made it clear what my expectation were early on and stated what I wanted them to get done by the end of the lesson. This pace even almost picked up towards the end of the lesson which was great.

Students Learning 

They responded well to questioning and I was impressed as they had retained allot of information from the last lesson. They were completing the slides well and were able come up with a valid explanation of the process they were doing.

What could have been done better and what will I do about it?

It was not my fault as RM Tutor was not installed on the teacher’s machine which meant that I could not do my demonstrations by taking over the screen. I was able to adapt and ask the students to come up to the front so that I can show them the areas that I needed to demonstrate.

Students Learning 

A few students were being lazy and at times I was getting frustrated that they had not listened and need to keep my calm and figure ways for them to stay focussed.

Feelings

I was really pleased with this lesson and felt confident with the pupils and started to feel relaxed whilst teaching them which enabled me to go round checking that they had completed their slides.

Please use this link to view my full lesson plan >> http://bit.ly/cjQnTl

 

17/11/2010

Researching Online – photos and text – Year 8MQB1

By PGCE, Reflection, TeachingNo Comments

What we did & Learning objectives!

In this lesson we had a look at good ways to research content online with a focus on text and pictures. The purpose was to give them some structure and guidelines on how start to populate their websites with good looking content.

  1. To find out some key points about your topic like using effective search techniques – what it is – history of how long it’s been an issue – a few key facts and figures e.g. how much GM food is produced in the UK. Also include one news article
  2. To gather some relevant images and pictures from Google image search and from a stock photo website like corbis images

What went well?

I laid down the ground rules to start with and set high expectations which went well and I was able to control the class without to much trouble.

I was really happy how I was able to start with a recap and get them on task quickly. I was able to use this time to make sure that each pupil was up to scratch.

The pupils were on task and achieved a good amount of work in the lesson. They are really beginning to create a website that looks good and could be actually used on the web.

Some of the questions were answered well

The where able to use their english and skills to write the work  they had researched to create the work in their own words. I had to make sure that pupils where comming up with sentices and paragraphs that where realated to the work and to make sure that it was relevant. It was interesting as some pupils literacy  levels where much higher than i expected which makes sense as this is a top set.

What could have been done better and what will I do about it?

I asked them to find content for their website and did not show them how to import it straight into their website. I should have said compile it in word and then paste it into frontpage. I think in the future I would make sure I have each instruction completely clear that allows them to completely get on with the task.

I was meant to show them a few more options to find stock photos so will need to make sure I plan for demonstration time a bit better.

Its was hard to just talk about some of these websites on the PowerPoint with out demonstrating them again I think its best to have a live example of the website rather than just image.. screen shots could be taken to achieve this come to think of it.

 Feelings

It was a busy and fairly tiring lesson but this was because it was the last lesson of the day and everyone was tired. How ever they did get a decent amount of work done.

I was really enjoying it and feel that it went well.

It was interesting as I enjoyed the time also when my mentor left the class room as this gave me complete freedom. This is not at all to say that I don’t like him there. It is just at times you want to please and glance over at your mentor for approval which shouldn’t be the case we are teaching the kids not our mentor.

Please use this link to view my full lesson plan >> http://bit.ly/bWh9yP

05/11/2010

Website Design – Lesson 1 – 8MQB4

By PGCE, Reflection, TeachingNo Comments

This was my first lesson that I had full responsability over and all in al it was realyl good. I really enjoyed it and found it really rewarding. i have completed a full lesson plan an evaluation doccument for you to read. I dont want to waste any more time on talkin about the lesson as it is all in the google doc.

I will be doing full lesson plans and evaluations for one lesson a week.

Googe Docs Lesson Plan and Evaluation Doccument http://bit.ly/9UOrCH

I was also formally assesed by my mentor and the link is here. http://bit.ly/9deKwR

I will also being doing shorter reflections in this format.

What went well?

I brought the kids in well

The use of ICT was an obvious standards that was ticked of well her and will be throughout my teaching. I have seen that pupils base level of ict capability is fairly good and this is something that i will be able to build on.

What could have been done better!

I will need to keep incorporating how to use english and maths well in my ict teaching.

I need to set my learning objects up on a PowerPoint that I can use clearly at the beginning of the lesson to say what we are going to achieve this lesson. So just list theses on a slide show with a nice format that is nice to look at..

I then need to use the objectives to aid my plenary and to check over that they all understand how to do the relevant areas.

I need to predict the areas that might be technically challenging  and have a good explanation of these and trouble shoot response

 I need to have further extension task for the pupils that finish early.

03/11/2010

Behaviour Management – SD Seminar Week 9

By PGCE, SD - ICT, SeminarsNo Comments

Few points on classroom presence

Today we are going to look at some aspects of behaviour management.

We need to protect our voice as this is out most powerful tool to control aspects of the classroom. Pitch it at the right level and dont strain it from the throat.

We need to develop a real presence in the classroom this is done by having strong body language and conveying a almost dominance in the classroom that is not scary but commands respect of the pupils. This way they will feel more confident that they can trust you and believe what you are saying.

Tips from older PGCE students before block 1

  • Keep objectives simple and to the point.
  • Do not try to speak over noise when address the class.
  • Being alert to the whole class, take moments to look up and even walk around.
  • Don’t asses your lessons on how you feel they went but on how man of the learning objectives were achieved. I DONT AGREE WITH THIS AS WHAT IF YOU HAVE DONE REALLY WEL ON ONE AND ITS JUST TAKING THE PUPILS LONGER TO GRASP. ( It is important to get them to learn something and not to just be busy

Group Work

  1. Acknowledge the girl works in and then just say gena get yourself ready to learn and ill speak to you in 5 minutes. Don’t confront it to strongly. Cary on with the introductions. Then don’t invade space when talking to her..
  2. Diplomatic approach to speaking the TA say how you feel and then use specific example of when you felt undermined. You need to stick to your guns and be assertive saying that my authority is ultimate and that i need you to support me not undermine me
  3. Deal with the fight with your voice. Raise your voice in a strong way. know who you can call on and then if it is really escalating then you can get help.. separate the pupils immediately. calm the cheering and say its not goog to spur on.
  4. Dont stoop to their level… reprimand it but dont make a big deal of it. Dont cringe up and laugh about it too much as this will
  5. Give the pupil the opportunity to leave within a time frame and then give a clear ultimatum saying if you dot this is the punishment. Be clear and concise and black and white. Deal with the boys
  6. Have a starter activity that gets them on task and quiet and having something to do while you wait for all the other pupils.
  7. Give them an opportunity to own up and an amnesty to own up. maybe by email in with who it was and someone owning up. say its not acceptable and i will not tollerate this on my board.
  8. reprimand the Joke and maybe turn it on them selves and say that is not on.. maybe go up one to one and say the it was offensive. have a moral code that you expect in your classroom that is in line with the school policy.
  9. say maybe that well you will be an expert on it and you will be really good on it but state that this is what we will be doing in greater detail.

With-it-nes

Banter can cross the line really quickly and can become over familiar to quickly. Over a while you can develop it and build it up but you must have the respect of the class and the pupils.

Learn the lingo that you use and be aware that some words will have an effect on their imaginations.

Top tips

  1. Don’t take it personally
  2. Be consitent – follow it through
  3. Dont be threatening or push kids int a corner. Threats – how effective?
  4. Criticise the behaviour not the individual.
  5. Is “control” possible? can you ever really control a class and change behaviour? You can influence but you cant control
  6. Assertion NOT Agression
  7. Nip the lower level in the bud.

Experience will give you a world of good and will build all of this.

Useful sites

www.behaviour4learning.ac.uk

Chalenges in an ICT classroom and

  • Playing on games e.g. flash games.
  • listening to music on sites such as we7
  • playing with keyboards and mice –  fidgeting
  • Talking to other children and being distracted by their screens
  • walking around the classroom and checking up on each of them
  • leaning back on chairs
  • temperature of room
  • changing the keyboard keys around
  • saving work or not saving it correctly
  • forgetting to log off on another computer
  • always asking for help and being lazy to not listen

Responses to the chalenges

  • Chunk the lessons up to keep them on task each time.
  • Don’t talk for to long
  • Use a 5 minute timer to be in absolute silence

Better professional relationships will create a better learning environment and reduce the frequency of low level disruption.

Teach First Video

Get the pupils to take pride

Should be at least 5 praise points to one negative comment.

Patience, Persistence, Practice.

01/11/2010
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