Mikes Two Week Practicum At: Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School
On Friday October 30th
Rob Williamson (UBC faculty adviser) and myself meet with my school adviser, Mr. Tim Oswin who is the department head of the technology department at Lord Tweedsmuir; Tim teaches the wood program at the school. Tim took us on a tour of the tech. education department and introduced us to various staff members, they all seemed to be very nice and accommodating. I felt happy about our meeting and the school I think it will be a good fit for me.
Day one: November 2nd
I stayed in Tim’s wood shop all day, he teaches four blocks the first three are a grade 9 – 10 mixed class. Most of the student were finishing off their initial project, a wooden shelf which introduces students to safety and shop tools and equipment. There are also returnees as Tim calls them students that he has taught in the past, these students were finishing off a mirror picture frame project. At the grade 9-10 level, Tim scaffolds his projects so students can build their skills and confidence; I think this is a smart approach for any student entering the wood shop for the first time. The last block of the day was a grade 11 – 12 class, I found this class very interesting as the student were a very diverse group, for some it was there first time in a wood shop and for others they have taken a wood shop program many times. As a result each student was working on individual projects; I felt that Tim was a ring master in a circus, orchestrating and conducting the students, it all seemed to work. Today was report card mark submission day, and I witnessed a great technique for project evaluation, Tim asked each student individually to give an honest mark/ appraisal of their project that they have been working on taking into consideration their effort and workmanship. Most students gave themselves a fair assessment of their project; this method allows students to that ownership of their work and the effort they put into it. I will use this method of assessment in the future, I think it is a great tool to help students grow and mature by forcing them to look at their work critically. Today was a good day and I feel Tim is going to be an excellent mentor for me and my teaching.
Day Two: November 3rd
Today was a great day I was able to experience four different shop classes, during the first block I visited 11/12 jewelry making class which is taught by Mr. Chris Leupold. The class is well equipped, the student were working on a variety of projects ranging for spin casting rings to silver chains and copper etching. This program attracts both male and female students with varying degrees of experience and talent, I think it would be fun to teach a program like this someday. Second block I moved to a 9/10 metal program which is taught by Mr. Phil Wasmuth. The students in this class were finishing up a variety of small projects such as a chain mail hacky sack, basketball game, and a deluxe bottle opener. I liked the smells and sounds of this shop, they reminded me of BCIT and I felt comfortable in the environment. After lunch I went to Mr. Vincent Lo’s grade 8 power and technology class, the young learners had a lot of energy as we helped them to build their own catapults, this class was a lot of fun. The last class of the day I returned to Mr. Tim Oswin’s class and participated in his 9/10 woodworking. After class Tim gave me some resource material and explain how and what he teaches his student at the beginning of the semester. I appreciate Tim taking the time and energy to guide me, he is a seasoned veteran in the wood shop and I value his input.
Day Three: November 4th
11/12 auto was the first class that I visited today, Mr. Phil Johnston is the instructor for this class. The class which was all males began upstairs above the auto shop, Phil took attendance and then talked about the day’s agenda; the students were divided into groups and each group was assigned a task for the day. Phil teaches the ACE-IT auto program for the Surrey School District, he is extremely knowledgeable mechanic haven worked for many auto dealers and has taught at both the college and high school level. I found it interesting to see how Phil organized his class and was able to service customer’s cars. Second block I was in Tim Oswin’s 9/10 wood working class, it was a small class due to the fact that the grade 9 students were away, it was take your kid to work day. Tim and myself worked on a refresh measurement lesson for the next day and talked about how it would be delivered. The students worked independently on their projects. I visited Mr. Jeff Swaddling’s class third block, Jeff is the IT specialist for the school, he teaches a split class both in grade as well as subject; 9/10 grade and drafting and visual effects as courses. I defiantly would not want to teach his classes, my computer skills are not high enough. Forth block of the day I returned to the wood shop and worked with another group of students, this block was smaller as well, it was nice to have less bodies in the shop.
Day Four: November 5th
The first three blocks of the day was in Tim Oswin’s 9/10 wood working class, Tim did a review lesson on measurement in the first block and then I taught the same lesson in the next two blocks. Tim is an excellent teaching coach and I appreciate his approach to guiding my practicum. The last block of the day I spent observing a grade 9/10 art class, the teacher was Ms. Esther Volpe. Esther is an exemplary teacher she has high energy and teaches with a passion, her students were engaged and happy to be in her class; she create a friendly inclusive environment one in which students can take risks and challenge them selves.
Day Five: November 6th
I spent first block in a humanities class taught by Mr. Drew Gallagher. I use to work with Draw at Tamanawis Secondary School, he is an excellent teacher that keeps current with the latest teaching treads; he is in the process of modifying his course material, in order to fall in line will the new ministry curriculum, he feel the changes he has made and will make are a benefit to his students as it encourage critical thinking while allowing for Independence and student driven discovery. Drew’s class is reading a graphic novel which is geared around the theme of racism, the students are divided into groups of three and each member has a particular job to fulfill, each week they rotate to a different job. Students must submit a weekly work sheet pertaining to their job of the week and are accessed and grated immediately; the students can always resubmit their work if they are not happy with their mark. This method places the ownership of the work in the students hand and they can decide if they want to improve it or not. Second block I went into the metal shop with Mr. Phil Wasmuth, Phil is going to be one of my school adviser for my long practicum, I will be teaching grade 9/10 metal. The more time I can spend in Phil’s shop the better prepared I will be for my long practicum. On Fridays Phil allows his student time to work on their individual projects, he delivers no theory on this day it is just a work day; I like this approach and will use it in my own class. After lunch I spent the third block with Tim Oswin in the wood shop. Rob Williamson came by for a visit and stayed for block 3 and part of block 4. I also know I will be teaching grade 9/10 wood during my long practicum. I feel I should spent as much between metal and wood shops as I can, in an attempt to gain a certain level of comfort and familiarity in these environment as possible. I returned to the metal shop for the last block of the day, the students worked on their own projects and did a more detailed clean-up as it was Friday and it is always nice to return to a clean shop on Monday morning.
Day Six: November 9th
I spent the full day in the metal shop with Mr. Phil Wasmuth it was great. During first block I worked with some students individually on some brazing Technics: how to light the torch, set the neutral flame, how to hold the torch, and such. Part of the second block I spent set up for my brass whistle demonstration. Third block I worked with some students helping with their projects and I started to think about the projects that I might be teaching during my long practicum. Forth block I began to make a money clip which is the first project that I will have student make second semester.
Day Seven: November 10th
Began with a discussion with Tim Oswin about the day’s agenda, it was decided that I would be in wood and metal first block, I took the attendance and delivered a lesson on changing router bits to a grade 9/10 class; for the most part the lesson went well. I moved to the metal shop where I taught a group of 9/10’s to make a brass whistle; I felt rushed, due to the fact that I did not have a lot of time to set up and deliver the lesson. However I learned from my mistakes. Metal second block, a new group of grade 8 students cycled; introductions were made and classroom expectation were set. Next I delivered the brass whistle lesson; it was much better the second time I was more organized and the pacing was better. Third was the Remembrance Day assembly which I attended with the 9/10 metal class. Fourth block was spent in metal, I repeated the brass whistle lesson for a 9/10 group this lesson went well, however I learned some area where I improve. I was pleased that some student were able to complete their whistles. At the end of the day Tim spent some time with me to debrief me on my router bit demonstration, the key things to keep in mind for next lesson:
- Do not turn back toward any students
- Do a pretest of topic; ask questions and give time for students to respond.
- Practice demo / get comfortable with topic and setting
- Make sure all students are paying attention especially when it comes to safety.
I thanked Tim for his feedback, I appreciate his constructive critique of my lesson as I want to improve on my deliver and approach to teaching.
Day Eight: November 11th
Remembrance Day / No School
Day Nine: November 12th
Pro-D which was held at Fraser Heights Secondary School for Surrey Tech Ed teachers. The meeting started at 9 AM, there was a good turn out of 40 to 50 people. Initially I learned nothing new, I had heard most of this information before at the Tech Ed conference. Some of the other attendees must have thought the same way due to the fact that they left during the morning break, possibly they felt their time could be better spent else were. As for myself I stayed, I know some people at the meeting that I hadn’t seen in a long time so it was nice to catch up with them. After the break we divided ourselves into groups (metal, wood, electronics, and so forth) and brain stormed about various projects that student might due at particular grade levels which would be in accordance with the new curriculum. I found this exercise interesting and useful. One of the attendees gave us a talk on scholarships that our students might be eligible to receive and the benefits of being involved on the scholarship committee. The last topic was advice that experienced shop teacher could give new shop teachers, which was interesting and beneficial. The meeting adjured just before 2pm.
Day Ten: November 13th
Pro-D which was held at Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School. The Tech Ed Teachers utilized their time by pursuing individual educational endeavors. Tim Oswin my school adviser stayed only a short time as he was having flooding issues at home and needed to attend to it. However before Tim left he provided me with the plans to make a shelf which is the first project that the grade 9/10 woodworking class make. I was left alone in the wood shop to make the shelf; I appreciated this opportunity it allowed me time to work on the F.E.W.T.E.L process and get more acquainted with the Lord Tweedsmuir wood shop. My friend is the teaching chef at the school, so I had a coffee with him and we were able to catch up on what has been going on in each other’s lives. All in all it was a good day, I plan on back to Lord Tweedsmuir on Friday November 20th.
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