Reflections from John

Reflections of the day…….

A really worthwhile day!

Getting there ….yes I think we did well Chrissi! Dealing with diversions, building works at the train station, dodgy directions from locals and absent signage….I must get a smart phone with sat nav though!

Everybody had put a lot of effort into the preparation which I feel was rewarded by the positive outcome, illustrated by the faces of the children, the general chat throughout the day and the feedback from the staff at the end.

Having a young audience was a challenge, particularly knowing where to pitch the assembly and trying to explain and illustrate the subject matter of buildings in a way which was interesting, enjoyable, understandable and fun. I was mindful of the importance of connecting and getting the attention from the start.

The day before I visited a local builder’s merchant to get some materials to try and illustrate to the children how and why buildings are put together the way that they are. I was lucky to obtain the help of someone in the merchants who understood what I was looking to do and who went the extra mile to provide help and supply what I was looking for. So thanks to Bob!

The School had a completely different feel compared to the environment of a University campus. This reinforced my view that the importance of the teaching environment and its impact on the learning experience should not be understated.

Tackling an assembly was something that I had never done before. Having three children of my own, 7, 10 and 12 was good though as I was able to try out some ideas on them before hand and receive comments like ‘Dad you are joking aren’t you’ or ‘ok that could work’ and ‘why don’t you try that’. Interaction is what my children suggested was lacking in their assembly’s so their inside knowledge (know your audience) was a great help.

The rationale for the assembly was to introduce the built environment in a simple but memorable way. Also to get the children thinking about the buildings they live, learn and play in. I also felt the use of language in the delivery was important here. So we looked at famous buildings and structures from around the world and also highlighted the different types of buildings, trying to use examples which they could relate to, including ‘Chocolate Factories’ and then focused on different types of homes, again looking at various examples from around the world.

I also wanted to use a simple visual aid which the children could relate to and help them remember something important. I decided on a lemonade bottle. This illustrated a means of lighting homes with plastic bottles and water, in deprived places overseas, such as African villages or shanty towns in South American cities where no services exist to light the dwellings. Simple, but hopefully effective.

We got the children to form houses of different shapes and sizes using themselves which also challenged the teachers to maintain order and avoid chaos, but got the children interacting and moving around which they appeared to enjoy. I was keen to conclude on something which they could give some further thought to. I decided on the impact of development on the global environment. The session seemed to be well received which was good, helped I believe by trying to focus on participation, interaction and fun.

I think we managed to maintain this throughout the day particularly from looking at the photos…. What to take to Higher Education? Perhaps considering how to create that buzz, engage and connect with the students, involvement, discussion, problem solving, being visual and creative when looking to bring the subject matter to life…and lots more probably!

Wheeling in the building materials in a barrow seemed to provide a little impact when we moved to the classroom which was good……getting the attention at the start! Then the issue is holding it and getting the children in groups to build boats and houses certainly did that…..

The enthusiasm of the children in tackling the tasks was so noticeable, as was the dynamic in the classroom over the day, which went so quickly, with the pupils focused and engaged in the learning, whilst clearly enjoying themselves at the same time. Refreshing and good to see. As I said at the start, a really worthwhile day.

Returning to the bottles providing light…..

‘We must view young people not as empty bottles to be filled, but as candles to be lit’

     Robert H. Shaffer

Reflections from Sam

It was a really good experience to go into the Primary School as part of a larger group of deliverers. As an arts practitioner I am used to going into schools for one day workshops, where you have to quickly get to know staff and students and lead and deliver whole class (or sometimes larger) projects in  a day with specific outcomes at the end of it.

This project was different in that the project ideas were shared and planned as a group with John, Sarah and Chrissi and delivered as a team this meant that we were in a great position of having one adult ‘helper’ to 7 or 8 children which made facilitating group tasks much easier. Having the additional help of the schools art manager (and ex MA Creative Education student) in the classroom too and a very flexible class teacher meant that the day ran really smoothly.

The morning session in the classroom was based around the children working in groups of 7/8 around a table to create a group vision of a magic boat that was to take them from flooded Rochdale to a new land. The children had an hour to build a boat with an adult per table helping  ( mainly distrubting bits of sellotape as fast as possible to stick the boxes together!) The students worked really well on a group vision for their Magic boats – collaborating on initial ideas then getting stuck in. The results were great – we had cruise liners, flying boats and boats on wheels

In the afternoon the groups had a seperate challenge of working with limited materials – twigs, straws, wire  or bamboo sticks. The students worked in pairs to create villages.

Both sessions went really well in terms of what they achieved and how successfully they worked in their pairs – all the children contributed and it was great to hear from the class teacher in the end about individual children who normally struggle to engage , who had enthusiastically joined in.

The initial idea of creating a story from the junk models may need to be adapted but we have plenty of pictures to work with to either create a story or document the day through a book

It was great to see how John delivered the assembly and i loved the wheelbarrow full of potentially dangerous materials being wheeled into the classroom!!! and it was great to have the enthusiasm and energy of both Sarah and Chrissi – as i said earlier a much funner way of going into a primary school for a one off project!!

Reflections from Friday at Healey Primary School, Rochdale

As an artist I am constantly seeking new and exciting ways to expand my skills and audience.  The project has enabled me to change the context of my practice from a studio environment into an educational institution.  I have never worked on projects targeted for this age range before and I have found it hugely rewarding.  My work deals with nature and more specifically water and its personal significance to me as both a meditative and contemplative element.  When me and John started to work together it seemed we’d found a perfect match! An academic who works in the built environment, wanting to base a story on water.  Here, we have managed to form a story that connects to the younger generation about the importance of the environment and its personal meaning for them.

The day itself was a huge success, putting the story into practice was lead mostly by John who did a fantastic job in both the assembly and the day.  He interacted with the children and held there interest throughout, this made a good start for the rest of the day.  The narrative of the story has formed through the documentation of the day, I feel the story also centres around the four of us involved that day and how it should be celebrated that people of all ages and backgrounds where able to share knowledge and work together.

back to school (Healey Primary School)

Are you ready John?

It was our first School visit in Healey Primary School yesterday with John, Sarah and Sam. We visited and worked with children in the Rochdale area. Months of preparation suddenly all came together.

Finding the school was a bit of a challenge for some of us. I learned that men seem to use pubs as landmarks to find places… really interesting. But it did work in the end and after getting a bit lost, we found it!!! Didn’t we John?

It was a strange feeling being there and actually staying in School for the whole day. I could sense that John was a bit nervous. I think we were all a bit nervous and it was the day when we would have the first opportunity to find out if our ideas and plans would actually work in practice.

Sam and Sarah and John in the background - getting ready for Assemby

John had done a lot of preparation and I know how much inspirational teaching means to him. He is really keen to spice up his own practice and make learning exciting and fun at the same time. This is exactly what I saw yesterday.  So very proud of him!

John having fun

I remember John, when he first joined the PGCAP and when I visited his classroom for the first time. I am really impressed with how much he has grown as a teacher. He is definitely more experimental now, takes risks and adds the fun factor too. He really values participation and seeks constantly for this to happen. He did it yesterday too.

John in action during Assembly!

Keeping 200 kids engaged is hard work but John did a really good job. I am looking forward to his reflections from the assembly and the classwork afterwards to find out more about his thoughts and feelings linked to these activities and if and in what ways the day will have an impact on his thinking about his own practice in HE.

Making houses!

There was a buzz until we left and our little makers were great fun to be around. So curious, so creative.

What I also liked it seeing the little makers working together in teams and negotiating. It proofed to me, if we start early, we can become more effective team-players much faster. Too often we get stuck with asking our students to carry out activities individually but there is a lot of value, I think, in doing some of the learning  in groups and pairs. Beyond the learning, they are actually learning what it means to work with other people and this is a skill that they will be able to use and refine throughout their lives.

my little storymaker gang

The children we worked with loved the day! Many said that they wanted to do that kind of stuff every day! What else could we have wished for? Would love to go back for more! And are thinking with Sam to promote and enable community engagement for all academics and other professionals who support learning at the University of Salford.

A big thank you to Sam, Sarah, John and the Healey Primary School who saw value in the idea and the project, their creative energy and commitment. Together we made this happen!

This is just the beginning!!!

Emily Speed is …

Emily Speed is a sculptor, artist and a maker of books working in Liverpool. Her work explores the temporary and the transient through reference to architecture and the body. She examines buildings both literally and metaphorically, as physical shelters and as containers for memory, bound with the history of their occupiers. Her work is often lonely and isolated with a seemingly short life – Shelters offering the briefest respite and storage to hold only the lightest items.

Emily Speed, in the making…..

Emily Speed, Yorkshire Sculpture Park

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Cardboard City, Emily Speed

Hi Guys! Here’…

Hi Guys! Here’s some inspiration for the workshop on Friday, perhaps the artist Emily Speed will be able to open our minds as to what forms our temporary shelters might take……