This is technically my second day at practicum but this was the first day where I really saw a variety of teaching techniques put on display. My cooperating teacher works in a K-12 building, the structure and schedule of which influences almost everything that they do. They have to change gears very quickly, and not just between different groups of students or subjects, but between widely different age ranges. The time between classes is very limited, so the extra breathing room offered by some advanced studio classes is sometimes used to make preparations for the needs of the incoming early elementary painting that follows, only to return to a high school level course after that. In such an environment, one has to have a clearly defined plan through the day, and always have to be considering what the next few hours will be like.
I’m looking forward very much to the opportunity to work with such a wide range of students, which should give me a well rounded experience that I sorely need. In my current standing, I don’t really know whether I’ll prefer the energetic young classes or the more thoughtful high school studio courses, but right now all I have to do is engage as much as possible.
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