Teaching Art by @amuseED

Name: Allison Fairey
Twitter name: @amuseED
Sector: Secondary
Subject taught (if applicable): Visual Arts + RE
Position: Teacher
What is your advice about? Teaching Art

1: Most students will arrive motivated to participate but don’t make the mistake of believing this makes teaching art easy. Students can have unrealistic expectations.

2: Demonstrate the skills you want them to learn. Participate yourself in the learning activities you set. Work alongside of your students.

3: Cultivate a positive learning environment where students see you modelling the language they should use when talking about art works.

4: When drawing choose to use ink pens instead of graphite pencils on occasions. When using graphite don’t always have erasers available.

5: Encourage students to keep all work in their folio, even that deemed unworthy. Teach them to annotate, reflecting on their work, recording ideas & areas for improvement.

Selecting A Mentor by @amuseED

Name: Allison Fairey
Twitter name: @amuseED
Sector: Secondary
Subject taught (if applicable): Visual Arts + RE
Position: Teacher
What is your advice about? Selecting a Mentor

1: In the early days meet as many other staff members as possible. Learn their names, their role and engage in conversation with them so they get to know you.

2: Begin thinking about who on staff are the well respected teachers, the good practitioners, the ones achieving good results & who have eager, satisfied, settled students.

3: Cultivate a professional relationship with these teachers. Ask them questions, join in with their conversations & ask to observe some of their lessons.

4: Discuss what you observe. Delve deeply into how they prepare for their classes, how they cater for student needs, how they design their learning tasks & assess outcomes.

5: Select a mentor from among them and ask them if they are willing to fulfill that role. If they agree, know that they will benefit from the relationship as much as you will.

First Day Basics by @amuseED

Name: Allison Fairey
Twitter name: @amuseED
Sector: Secondary
Subject taught (if applicable): Visual Arts + RE
Position: Teacher
What is your advice about? First Day Basics

1: You should be welcomed into the school prior to your first teaching day for an orientation program, meet with key staff & curriculum coordinators & complete a WH&S induction.

2: Ask for your timetable & get someone to help you decode or make sense of it. Ask for class lists with a photo of each student (if possible).

3: Begin the process of befriending other staff. Take note of the names of everyone you meet and their role.

4: Visit each classroom you will use so you are familiar with resources, including technology available & layout.

5: Ask questions. Make sure you leave at the end of that first day with all of the information you think you need for your first teaching day.