Nov 1st-8th 2020
I have started investigating and researching for my next assignment which is all about teaching the use of tools. I have started to find out more about learning “through doing” and I am very interested in the Sloyd or Slojd which can be translated as “handcraft” and comes from the Finish school system. Uno Cygnaeus introduced crafts or sloyd as a mandatory subject in the Finish school system. Later Otto Salomon developed the ideas further in Sweden and popularised them through his teachings at the international craft teachers school at Naas.
The idea of “educational sloyd” was that it was not vocational, it was taught as part of a holistic education in the same way that we teach physical education today to all students not as if they are going to be great athletes but because it benefits the whole person to take some exercise. So educational sloyd helped students develop in many ways. They learnt hand eye coordination obviously but also accuracy, learning the importance of quality in workmanship and learning to understand and honour handwork and physical labour even if they were bound for desk jobs themselves.
This teaching method interests me not only for my Forest School teaching development but also as the Design and Technology lead at my school. I have always known and promoted the importance of this subject area and it is of great interest to find out more about educational theories based on teaching crafts. As the design and technology lead I have always found that I have had to work hard to promote this subject area in school as maths and literacy naturally take priority in the curriculum. Design and Technology is often a subject area that easily slides of the radar and it often slips from teaching as it requires lots of preparation, time and careful thought-things that teachers today sadly don’t have time for. In the school that I work I have taken a lot of time to create PowerPoints and clear teaching resources to take some of these stresses away from teachers but reading this research and given me more fuel and determination to ensure that Design and Technology is given more of an important status in schools today.
To complete this section of the course I will need to purchase and buy more equipment and build up and develop my own toolbox. I will need to present my learning through video and am looking forward to working on my own skill sets and like the last assignment this will take time but the learning journey is what is important so that I can deliver high quality teaching in my Forest School sessions.
9th-23rd Nov 2020
It has been a while since I have had the chance to sit down and write my learning reflection. Life is getting busy as we head towards Christmas with plays and things happening at school. I have been continuing to do work on my tool talks although I have not had a chance till now to record it….One thing that I have realised is that some of the work I did in the PPE section now in reflection is wrong as I used the loppers with gloves thinking this was the correct method but through reading and learning more this is not right as you have more grip with bare hands. I also realise now that I did not do the respect position as I demonstrated lighting a fire and the right PPE to wear. So at some point I will have rerecord these and edit my PPE work. I have found this has happened a few times that after engaging on the next stage I have learnt more and need to go back and edit my previous work. This is an important part of the learning journey-but I think I need a note pad to record these amendments in so that I don’t forget to change them.
This week I am working on the Bowsaw Tool Talk and although I feel my progress is slow, I do feel that I am taking it all in and adding to my knowledge all the time. Recording my tool talks take time however I do feel they are a good assessment point as they make me really think and draw all my knowledge together.
I have also been looking at the stages of learning to use tools and the work of Dr Thomas Gordon and the “Four Stages for Learning Any New Skill”. This has been interesting to reflect upon and I can see myself going through this process with teach new tool.
Throughout this journey I have found it really helpful to keep my blog going as it has become my own resource bank and is not only evidence of my learning but a place I dip into and retrieve information and resources from. I am feeling like I am building up a good body of evidence that I can still use and refer to once I have completed this course and set up Canopy Forest School.
23rd Nov-30th 2020
I have ordered myself some new tools and sharpening stones, so I am able to film and practice with these tools. We do have these tools at home, and I was going to use them, but they don’t have covers and protective shields, so I thought it best to invest in my own tools instead of depending my husband’s equipment. It feels quite exciting to say that I personally own some of my own tools and will be good to have my own in the future. I have found quite a few good Forest School shops online and these will be useful when I need to order kit for the clients later. I have not done the filming yet for these and was thinking that I would do a whole day run in the Christmas holidays when I have more time to dedicate to it.
I have moved onto the next assignment which is all about tool maintenance and have filled in the text and will again film when I am doing the other tool talks. I am trying to get as much of the written parts done for this section and then I can completely dedicate myself to filming and presenting my learning. Well that is the plan.
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