Sunday, August 22, 2010

... and that's how an assignment is done.

So... I am knee deep in assignments and I am loving it. Weird I know, and yet I can't help but feel good about what I am studying this Semester, and to be a little more precise I am excited about how I get to put my assignments together. They are appropriately 'ME' styled in their capacity for research, and for the content required.


Observe...
Assignment One, for a subject titled 'Becoming and Exemplary Teacher'. 
This assignment is a portfolio of resources. That might sound bland at first but when I say to you that I got to choose which of my subjects, and what topic my portfolio will consist of it may suddenly become more appealing (at least it did to me). My topic/goal is "To get year 10 students to understand and respect Australian theatre as a legitimate form of theatre." The essence of this portfolio is that I need to compile all the resources that I will need in order to achieve my goal. This can be teaching resources specific to the subject, student resources, and wider teaching resources. So I have made it my goal to go into every second hand book store I come across and purchase all the Australian set texts on the WA curriculum for years 11 and 12 (there is about 15 of them that I don't already own). I am loving this assignment because I can see that it would be endlessly useful if I step out into a school and they tell me to teach Australian Drama. Basically... I will have those bitches stunned with my amazing Aus Drama resource pack. 


Assignment Two, for a subject titled 'Teaching in Diverse Australian Schools'.
This assignment is a 15-20minute presentation - already up my alley. Every week this semester in tutes there is 3 or 4 presentations on that week's lecture topic. So we had 10 weeks of lectures to choose a topic from, and find our niche topic that no one else was doing. I am lucky and unlucky (any university student will understand this) that the topic that I am the most interested in is in week 10. I have chosen to do a presentation on the Autism Spectrum and it's challenges for teachers. Since directing Burn My Heart Out, and doing lots of research into people with Aspergers syndrome, I have been intensely interested in the spectrum. I've been faced with students on the spectrum on Prac, in both an English class and a Drama class and the difference in techniques used in each room, I found, made a huge difference to the learning process of the students. I am thinking about doing a masters/postgrad thesis on how Drama techniques could be used in non-drama classrooms to help students on the spectrum to learn more effectively. Needless to say, I have found a topic that I am very passionate about, so much so I am thinking about doing another postgrad course in special education. I will indeed be the eternal student. 


If you have read to this point, I commend you. This is a self centred blog, I know, but I thought it might interest some people. 


Any questions?


I'd also like you all to know that I rearranged our bedroom today, and am feeling an influx of clam thoughts, and the restorative feelings that only a clean and 'new' bedroom can arouse. It will be nice to wake up in a new room with my love, on clean sheets, with the smell of green tea and wasabi floating by. 


Good evening fellow procrastinators. 


E x



1 comment:

  1. Hi Emily. I am so very much impressed with your prose and exciting way with words. I was there to the end and wished for more. I commend you on your autism interest and would encourage you to study further in this field. So many kids these days are misdiagnosed as ADHD when in fact it is autism. They then go on thru there school life labelled a bad kid when in fact they jest need a different approach. You would make an incredible special Ed teacher.
    Now to the bedroom thingo. I so agree. I can nit change the furniture around so change the colour theme and just love fresh sheets.

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