My Role as a Volunteer

My role within my placement is to: -

Support students- Helping them to engage within their work and activities.
Encourage skills and abilities- Making sure the students know they are doing well and also to encourage them so that they progress in their abilities within their work.
Explain an activity- Make sure the student fully understands the work that’s been given in class, if they don’t understand the brief it’s important to use visual demonstrations and explain in a way they will understand and comprehend what they need to do in their work.
Assist the main course tutor- Helping the tutor in any way possible, helping him/her with the amount of students in the classroom and cutting their work load in half.
Prepare the lesson before class arrives- Make sure that all the equipment is available and displayed in the correct areas for easy access to the students and tutor.

As a volunteer I have been required to demonstrate many of my skills such as: -

Authority- To ensure all the students understand I am there to help them with their work and not to distract them, and to help them progress within their work to a higher level independently.
Patience- To let them know that I am there to help and not to push them in a firm manner, and to treat each student to their level of ability not putting too much pressure on the student.
Caring- Making sure I treat every student in the same manner taking any needs into consideration e.g. physical/learning disabilities. Making sure that I do not make a fuss and to let all students know that I am there to help with anything they need.
Confidence- Ensure the students feel they can confide in me and confident in anything they need assistance with within their work.
Understanding- Making sure that I fill their requirements to each student’s needs.

My main strengths throughout my volunteering have been: -

Confidence- I have been able to talk about art in a confident manner, being able to talk out aloud to a group of students and give a small presentation about myself as an artist. I felt confident in helping the students and assisting with each individual’s needs.
Talkative- I have the ability to hold a conversation and engage with the students in a professional manner.
Authority- Making sure students were working and making sur they had completed all aspects of their work before leaving for their break.
Helpful- I was able to help students with new artists for them to explore, bringing in my Polaroid camera to assist with their flip files, and bring in books and information for them to look through. I also helped to prepare lessons and make sure equipment was ready for the students and tutor.

During my placement I have learnt how to break down tasks and have a clear understanding of a task at hand, ensuring visual reading materials are given to each student within the group and that they are all prepared with the necessary equipment for their lesson. I have also learned to make sure each student is happy with what they are doing in the lesson, just by simply asking them if they are okay or if they needed a hand with any of the work. I feel that this experience is going to be useful for me as I have gained new skills which will be required when I go onto my PGCE after completing my degree.