Professional Studies
Zoe Louise Ridgway
"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge."
Teaching Assistant Placement
Session 1
- Albert Einstein -
Session 1- 3rd December 2015
In my first session I was introduced to Year 2 BTEC Extended Diploma Art & Design as a teaching assistant, I was then briefed upon what the class had been involved in, in the previous weeks before which involved printmaking. The printmaking assignment was entitled ‘Metropolis’ where they had use this as a theme and to develop a range of printmaking outcomes, such as litho-transfer printing, dry point intaglio and screen-printing as well as mono-print. The class would then produce a small edition of the prints for an exhibition with the title ‘Metropolis’.
Today’s session was about the members of the group completing their mono-prints and screen-prints relating to their theme of ‘Metropolis’, I had to walk between the print room and another classroom trying to gather information on what they were creating also on what they needed assistance with.
Whilst I was in the print room I helped to dry and expose their stencils to UV Light
1. I placed the image of their stencils face up in the light box
2. I placed the screen over the image they had created on acetate, then I lowered the lid and turned on the vacuum and exposed the images to UV light for 2 minutes.
I then taught the students the process of washing out the screen with a hand held water gun and then placed it into the drying rack, whilst waiting for them to dry I helped to mix the colours they desired to use for printing. Once the screens had dried I helped to set up their screens by registering the print putting masking tape around the corners of the screens. I then showed the students how to secure their screens on to the printing table with clamps. Then I asked them to place the paper on the bed so it is aligned with the screen. Then I gave them a demonstration of how to print the image using the palette knife to spread across the screen a small quantity of ink evenly across the top of their screens, then I told the students to use a squeegee to press down at a 45 degree angle and to pull the squeegee towards themselves to ensure that they make contact with the screen bed and so that all the image is covered.
Overall I really enjoyed the experience of my first session of being an assistant teacher, I had the opportunity to work with students who were enthusiastic with their work. I tried to influence the students to be independent with their work, rather than relying on me to do it all, I would therefore have a group of student in front of me and then demonstrate how to do something, so they could repeat the process, but I would assist and watch over what they were doing, which gave me a chance to get to know each student individually and so that they would feel comfortable to talk to me and ask for any help.
Session 2
Session 2- 8th December 2015
In this session I assisted Deborah Jones with Year 1 BTEC Level 3: Art & Design for a Ceramics lesson. When I turned up for the session I was given a brief outline of what the class had been doing in their previous lessons, where they had to design a Vessel for the end of the project. Before the class decided on what design they would like to create for their end project, they had to do research on ceramicist artists and surrealist artists for some inspiration.
In the session that day the class were given a questionnaire to look up about different kinds of clay and to write about them in depth. I helped a group of six, the group I was given were challenging as they didn’t want to really engage much with me, but I kept going to each student to try and get them to finish their questionnaires so they didn’t need to do any catching up. Using laptops that were provided by the college their questionnaire had a series of questions asking about Crank, Paper Clay, White Earthenware and Red Earthenware clay. The questions asked about their texture, how high it could be fired at, what it would be best suited to build, how the glazes showed up, what was it best for delicate pieces of work or larger pieces of work and what gives it its colour.
After answering the first lot of questions we had to research different hand-building techniques you could use for clay such as slabbing, glazing, mark-making, slip-decoration and inlaying. This session was particularly difficult for me as I haven’t got much knowledge on ceramics, as I have never really gotten into depth with it, but I really did enjoy helping the student’s research. I also went around my group to look at their journals giving them some feedback on areas where they could improve and some artists they could look at, that could inspire them and help them with their final project.
Session 3
Session 3- 15th December 2015
In session three I assisted with Deborah Jones’ BTEC Level 3: Art & Design class again for Ceramics. In this session Deborah spoke to the class about what they needed to do that lesson, she had given each student a separate Surrealist artist to research. I was given a group of six in the class to help out individually with their allocated artists, we had difficulty with the laptops not connecting to the Wi-Fi. Deborah then asked me to go outside the classroom with 3 of the students to use the Macs on the corridor so the students could continue with their research.
I helped the three students with their Surrealist Artists, they were given Matthew Monahan, Pamela Sunday and Alison Britton. I brought my own journals to this lesson to show how I researched artists and how it’s important to not look at where they were born and what their backgrounds were like, unless it was relevant to the artist’s work.
Session 4
Session 4- 5th January 2016
This week I was asked to go and help out with Year 1 BTEC Level 3: Art and Design with Sian Thomas as tutor, I was introduced to the class and then given the chance to look at the brief with the class as they were starting a new project with the brief being to draw from observation. Within their unit the students needed to develop skills that were associated with drawing from observation and to explore a variety of mixed media, also exploring different techniques for developing compositions that attain accuracy and explore personal ideas.
The students were also told they had the chance to exhibit their work on the 10th June 2016 in a new art gallery opening in Cardiff, with this project they needed to create a life-size self-portrait that used a variety of materials and mixed media, with the artwork needing to be head to foot and exact in size, so the students would need to use mind measuring techniques and were essential in order for the piece to be accurate. The students needed to compose a final piece that would express their personality and need to explore and consider colour, texture, form, line and patterns to communicate who that student was as a person to the on looking viewers. The student would need to represent themselves from the ‘outside’ but it was crucial for them to represent themselves from the ‘inside’ considering their feelings, ambition, dreams and outlook.
In this session we were shown a powerpoint that had a range of artists such as; Jenny Saville, Francis Bacon, Alyssa Monks and Frida Kahlo, so that each student in the class had to research and choose a fair range to put into their flip files, I went around each table and tried to speak to each individual to get a good understanding of what type of art they were all into and how they could explore this style, I would ask the students to show me their previous works to see what influenced them within their art. I felt that this would help inspire the students and to get them to go outside the box with their ideas, even though they had a list of artists given to them I gave each student a different artist to look at, and I also said I would bring in my own books into the next session so they could include within their files not just internet research.
At the end of the session I asked Sian if it would be okay to talk to the whole class about my artwork because I touched upon drawing from observation with my final piece in Year 1 of Foundation Art Practice, where I painted self-portraits using my fingers and hands instead of paintbrushes, and also talk about artists who influenced me and what was the meaning behind my self-portraits. I was extremely nervous talking to the class about my own work, but it built up confidence and it also influenced some of the students to consider working in a variety of new ways.
Session 5
Session 5- 12th January 2016
Today I helped Sian Thomas with Year 1 BTEC Level 3: Art and Design for the second time, I brought some books that I believed would help with their research and also my polaroid camera, so they could take photos instantly so they could draw from them in their flip files for studies to help them with their research.
Like last week I went around each table and tried to speak to each individual to get a good understanding of what type of art they were all into and how they could explore this style, I would ask the students to show me their previous works to see what influenced them within their art. I felt that this would help inspire the students and to get them to go outside the box with their ideas, even though they had a list of artists given to them I gave each student a different artist to look at again such as; Jamie Oliver (welsh artist), Yasumasa Morimura, Hurst etc. I wanted them to have a wide range of artists so they didn’t do the same sort of style. I then got the students to take photos for their flip files using my Polaroid camera so they could draw from them in their flip files, it got the students to really look at themselves in a new light. I spoke to them about how they were going to pose for their drawings/paintings and how that would represent them, and about how they would dress and would they wear make-up or go all bare.
I felt a lot more confident this week about teaching and I had a great response from the students and tried my hardest to listen to each student with their ideas and tried to show them how they could develop them further. Each student worked in a variety of ways and one student felt she would find this project difficult to do because she doesn’t feel comfortable in drawing herself, so I spoke to her one on one and tried to say she could bring this into the painting within her pose by covering herself up and concealing herself from society, and she felt that suited her very well, and is now developing this idea further.