Mindset Presentation - HOD PE

Today my Year 13 class were really lucky as the HOD of PE at Tamaki College (Mr Brenton Moyes), came to talk to them about mindset and how he did Art and Graphics when he was at school.
They started off being really polite when we asked them if they thought the head of PE was good at drawing. They then relaxed and were more honest. They all answered "no!". He brought in his art boards from school and they were really impressed.










Brenton did a great presentation, talking about :-

• failure
• trying again
• practising
• improving
• trying new things
• being outside of your comfort area

They did a warm up exercise to start with where they had to draw a face by not taking their pencil off the page. They then did it again with less time and had to put more detail in. After comparing their first and second efforts, they had to choose which one they liked the best.  This was then linked to trying a new thing, not being sure, having another go - a growth mindset. Brenton then described the process he went through for his art boards and how much trial and error he went through, getting things wrong, improving, trying again. This was linked through to a sports mindset of training and practicing. I spoke to them afterwards about putting people into boxes when we see them. We all do it and it is normal but we have to be able to break the boxes when we find out more about people. They are guilty of putting themselves into boxes which is stopping their progress. The "I can't" mindset related to drawing is killing their creativity in some cases, and the need to be perfect in everything they do is killing it with others. A great presentation from Brenton today and I will have to get him back to do more as a lot of the class was missing today.

Hapara Workspace PD

Today we were very lucky to have Lenva take us through using the Hapara Workspace.
I had a go using the project my Year 12 students are working through at the moment.


Here is the workspace that I started putting together in the session today. As of typing this, it is unfinished. Link here

I also embedded this workspace onto my site so it is easily available for anyone who goes onto my class site.

Link here

To be honest, I feel at the moment that I am doing the presentation of resources and activities to the students twice as it is all on my site. "Double handling".

The good thing about the workspace is that I can track the activities a lot easier as the students have to submit via the application so it keeps it all in one space.

When I am planning new projects and activities, it will be via the workspace, so that will keep the "double handling" to a minimum, I think.

Teacher Only Day

All links on the page take you to content from the day.

Senior students present to Year 7 and 8

Two of my lovely NCEA Level 3 students went to Glen Taylor School today to talk to them about logo design. The Year 7 and 8 students have been designing logos for their school houses and they wanted the advice of some Tamaki College design students about the best way to develop their designs.

Vaifoa and Sella were very brave, standing in front of approximately 80 students in the school auditorium and talking to them about logo design all together. They then worked with smaller groups as the students brainstormed their thoughts.
We looked at famous designs and thought about what made them effective. The students then looked at the designs they have produced already and highlighted all the good parts that can be used in the development stage.
The next step is next term when my whole Level 3 class will visit and help them with their design developments.

Very proud graphics teacher today.

Negative Mindset

This week I made a Towers of Hanoi game on the laser cutter and in the workshop.
It has been sitting on my desk while I build an Intermediate Technology project around it so the students have been seeing it and having a go.

It has proved to be a fascinating insight into the mindset that the students bring to their project work in Design and Visual Communication.

My Year 13 students are a mixed bunch of some who have done NCEA Level 1, Level 2 DVC and those who have not done graphics since they were in year 9 and 10.

My three boys who have not had any NCEA DVC experience were shy of trying the new game. One had a go, one was very reluctant but has a go eventually while hiding behind his sketchbook and one refused to have a go at all.
My two girls with no experience refused to have a go.

To day, student "A" tried again but still his behind his book. Then he hid behind stories of completion and how he made it under the mathematical minimum number of moves. He kept trying. I sat with him and gave him a few nudges, winks and finger points quietly. He made it in the 31 moves with help, then he did it again without hiding, in front of everyone by himself.

I chatted with him afterwards.

How was just now different to yesterday?
"you helped me"
What about when you did it yourself?
"I had practised"
Why were you hiding to start with?
"I didn't want to look stupid in front of everyone"
What about now?
"cos I'm the man miss!"
Yeah, yeah, yeah....

This was a fascinating insight today. This is exactly how they approach their design work.

• They hide their work by facing into the corner while doing it.
• They hide the parts they don't like by rubbing them out of throwing them in the bin.
• They sit and not do the work at all.
• Occasionally avoid the whole situation by organising something else to do during my lesson.

My next step is to try and get them to understand the importance of the "design journey". It is not all about the finished "polished" product / drawing. They expect everything to be perfect and get very disheartened when it is not.