On Tuesday the 14th June we make our second trip to Red gates school this time we would be observing our classes in our pairs.

In our pairs we went to our classes ours being class 7 at met with the teacher and the 3 teaching assistance's.
We needed to observe the lesson and see how the teachers work and communicate with the children ad this vital for when we go to plan our own workshops.It was very important to get to know your class as all four and so different.

Before the children arrived myself and Mia spoke to the teacher to come up with a plan, I asked if we could first observe and take notes and this would be vital in our personal workshop preparation. We discussed how long we would be with the children and found out we were observing for 2 sessions and snack time. The children are in middle school aged 8-9 but their mental ages are considerably lower, we are working with middle school as the art coordinator is in that department.

Arrival and Hello

The children began to arrive and the children had a little play before everyone arrived, they were full of energy and notice us within their class room. We has previously seen names and pictures so we knew who was who. The next step was to sit all the children down in a circle, this was quit a task as some refused to sit some sat on the floor while other wanted to sit on the TA's, each children was given this object like a bendy straw which they played with, it keeps them occupied. Once all the children were sat down the "hello" greeting session begun. The teacher sat in the middle with cards each card had one the first letter of one of the children's names made from different textures. She sang a song and went up to each child individually they saw the first letter of their name she then turned it around and they saw a picture of themselves. She then presented a yellow scarf and a orange one she also singed this using makaton as the children are non verbal. Once the child picked a scarf she placed it on their head, it was then removed. All the teachers sang" here i am here i am how do you do" while the teacher presented a mirror to each child so they could see their refection. Once the register and toilet breaks were finished, she presented a chart which displayed the next activity in this case art. 

Transition Period

Once the introduction was over the children have a short amount of time before the next lesson begins. To get the children settled they played music (rainbow song). The effect this has on the children is really interesting, it calms them down before the next lesson begins. Some of the children become louder when there was more noise from the music the staff gave them noise canceling headphones with calmed them down and they stayed quiet.

Art Lesson Part One

The teacher bean my communicating that art what the next lesson, she brought over wooden stair for the children to walk up. The teacher also brought over a huge sheet of paper and placed it at the bottom of the stairs. One by one she got the children to sign me in makaton she then picked that child and brought them up the stairs and handed them a cotton ball soaked in non toxic paint. The children went on to throw the cotton wall balls which they really enjoyed, it was interested to see how they picked the colour they wanted to use. Once they finished then walked down the ladder and sat back down. This was a very interactive task which is something I take note of when planning my own workshop. 

Art Lesson Part Two

The teacher and the TA's split the group into twos and sat them at tables around the classroom. Mia and i helped the teacher by giving each table a large sheet of paper a bottle of paint and a box of different tools (sponges, comb, paintbrushes ect). The children began experimenting they really enjoy feeling the paint/tools and smelling everything they touch. Some of the children put the tools and paint in their mouth for them this is a way of learning different textures. The teacher asked Mia and I to work with a pair as another group wouldn't sit down and needs more attention. While watching over the pair I realised how different the children's personalities and reactions are to the activity. One of the children ate everything he was given while the other one picked up the paintbrush and make marks. All of the 8 children completed the task invert different way some and more physical than others while some are very confident. Once the task was complete we cleared up with the help of the children and asked their hand.

Music Lesson 

After we finished clearing up there was another transition period where music was played and the children sat in the circle again. The teacher and TA's moved around so there was one adult paired with 2 children. The teachers each had a bag of different instruments witch they paired with a music powerpoint presentation. The used different instruments with each slide and demonstrated to the children how to play them. This was a very successful lesson and it was obvious that the children enjoy it very much. Once the powerpoint was done they packed up and has a transition period while the staff got snacks and drinks ready for the children. At this point we left.

My Experience

I really enjoyed observing the lesson and without it i feel that i wouldn't be able to plan a workshop suited to class 7. I got to observe how the children work as a group but also what each child id like individually and how they reacted to us. Before observing the lesson i didn't have a clue how the lessons worked nor did i really understand them. I now have a strong insight into their daily routine and how important art is for helping the children learn.