Please click on a photo link or on the menu on the left to view selected examples of artwork, with project details.

A summary of my teaching skills and knowledge in key areas relevant to current issues is given below.

Art and Design Knowledge

I have knowledge and ability in teaching painting - oil, watercolour & acrylic as well as stretching and priming canvasses, drawing in a wide range of media, ceramics- preparing clay, slab, pinch and coil pots, 3D sculpting, bas reliefs, slip & glaze decoration, printmaking - lino cuts, intaglio & collagraphs, papermaking, marbling, plaster sculpture, papier mache and paper sculpture, simple book binding, interior design, digital photography and image manipulation, graphic design, textile techniques - batik, silk painting, applique, tie dye, weaving, knitting, embroidery, machine sewing, quilting & smocking which I also taught as a design technology subject. I am constantly looking at new ideas and techniques to bring into the classroom.

Planning and Organisation

During my PGCE and induction year I carefully planned lessons for Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 that satisfied curriculum and health & safety requirements, integrated literacy, numeracy and ICT skills, and offered a variety of exciting projects to students. I covered a broad range of different artists, designers and makers from western and world cultures and different media to explore all formal elements in varied ways. While teaching EFL for 4 years I gained strong experience in lesson preparation and was responsible for coordinating ability levels and writing internal exams.
I am eager to experiment with good practice gained from sharing with colleagues and personal research, including ideas working with new media and work from contemporary artists.
Recently I have designed and developed schemes of work for senior students in Canada in line with Ontario curriculum guidelines. As an artist/educator I have planned, organised and delivered 2 art camp programmes to younger children and have taught Saturday children's drawing classes at a Canadian public art gallery, using the collection as a study tool. I am currently using the accelerated learning cycle in all lessons.

Curriculum Knowledge

I have a sound knowledge of the Art and Design National Curriculum for England and Wales and have used it comprehensively in planning and assessment for Key Stage 3. I have taught GCSE General Art and Design, GCSE Vocational Art and Design, AS Art and Design, A2 Art and Design with both AQA and Edexcel Examination bodies and AVCE Art and Design with Fine Art, textiles and Graphic Design. Through self study, I am building my knowledge of the 5 to 14 Art and Design Curriculum for Scotland, and all Scottish National Qualifications in Art and Design. I have a good knowledge of the new Curriculum for Excellence, Assessment is for Learning and am keeping up to date with developments.
 
Assessment Strategies

I try to use a range of techniques in my teaching to encourage a sense of self assessment in students as well as using formalised means for recording child attainment. At Key stage 3 I use feed forward praise, showing individual students' work to the class to be discussed and to encourage a positive attitude to work. Assessment for learning is being implemented fully at my current job and I use a range of strategies in most lessons, ranging from self, peer, and teacher feedback, in verbal and written format. For Key Stage 4 I have created handouts and department wall posters that simplify the exam Assessment Objectives and demonstrate requirements for different achievement percentages. The department used these resources to encourage students to engage fully in raising their own attainment, making expectations as transparent as possible.
In formal assessment and report writing for KS3 I carefully sort classwork according to achievement and look at previous NC levels for each child. I communicate with colleagues to ensure there is moderation across the department. When students add their own comments to their reports I direct them to NC information so they can understand the level they have been given.
For GCSE level I have attended regional moderation meetings, looking at exemplars for each grade level. When assessing GCSE the department worked closely together off timetable to give each student a fair judgement and grade. Students I taught GCSE to in year 10 achieved good results in the exam in 2006.
While volunteer teaching in Canada, I had opportunity to lead critical feedback presentations with senior students, where I encouraged students to discuss each other's work and give constructive criticism to each other. I found this process incredibly beneficial to the intellectual growth of the students and would like to use something similar in UK teaching whenever possible.

Classroom Management

On my teaching placements I learned how to run practical lessons efficiently and safely. The 19 months I spent teaching at St Aidan's gave me opportunity to develop a wide range strategies to deal with disruptive behaviour and challenging attitudes. I developed a calmer way of interacting with students and ways to avoid direct confrontation whilst still achieving the behaviour I required. I believe that consistency, fairness, high expectations and praise go a long way in developing a happy and productive learning environment. A teacher who is organised and well prepared is in a better position to focus entirely on issues as they arise. I am not afraid to discuss problems with colleagues to find better solutions and I give support whenever needed. I ensure that discipline techniques I use follow whole school policy to reinforce consistency for students. I workied as a supply teacher at St Aidan's as well as team teaching across the curriculum to improve attainment in challenging classes and supporting behavioural measures in the maths department.

ICT and Crosscurricular

I have a good level of computer literacy and I am extremely competent in use of Microsoft office, many internet applications and site building, as well as learning new programmes easily. I have used SIMS.net effectively in my monitoring of students as well as Bromcom registrating and Behaviour For Learning applications.
I regularly use photoshop as a sketchbook tool in my own art work and have used both Photoshop and Corel Photopaint in teaching Key stages 3 to 5. I am currently self studying to improve my knowledge of Photoshop CS3 and am eager to learn about digital video editing as I think this could be used to excite and engage students with video based art forms. While assisting artist in residence John Hall, I became acquainted with Authenticity Software for creating sound art. Using digital multi media is an important part of curriculum development in art and design as university courses and careers in art demand good knowledge of this area. Enabling students in ICT can enhance idea development and sketchbook presentation.
I have taught schemes of work to year 7 that incorporate the curriculum for history and medieval times. I have used symmetry and tessellation in different ways with key stage 3 and aim to make pupils aware of how they are using literacy and numeracy in every lesson.

Differentiated Learning

Many of the classes I have taught included a wide range of abilities and individual needs. I use differentiated instruction giving and band expectations of work to be completed each lesson so that each child can remain on task with a clear sense of what they need to achieve. I instruct classroom support clearly on what is expected and use the support's own knowledge of individuals to help them achieve the best they can. I have offered extra curricular classes to encourage gifted and talented pupils as well as the more enthusiatic to stretch their abilities beyond what can be offered in the classroom. I would like to take this idea further to encourage participation in local and national projects and competitions that would reward enthusiasm and build self esteem.

Team Work & Communication Skills

I have been part of a strong, close working department at St Aidan's who give each other support at all times and share good practice. In the academic year of 2004 to 2005 and I was job sharing with another member of the department and shared a timetable, classroom, resources and responsibilities, with some classes being split between us. This required a high level of coordination and communication to ensure smooth running. I believe that clear and regular communication between department staff is of absolute importance. As a supply teacher I have communicated with departments across the school and strive to implement their own expectations and follow procedure closely. I have attended parents evenings for key stages 3 to 5.