For this experiential module and in my future career aspirations, I plan to work with people who have difficulties expressing themselves verbally or with people who have learning or physical disabilities/difficulties. I hope to help, encourage, and support them to express themselves through art.
Research -
Below is a list of organisations that I have approached for this experiential module, a more in depth list of my research can be seen in my personal pro-practice resources list, which is inside the clear A4 document folder that I have submitted.
- Birmingham Disability Resource Centre (BDRC) is an organisation based in Yardley, Birmingham. They provide a range of independent support services to disabled people, their families and carers. They run support groups, a youth club, and activities such as arts and crafts, card making, and music group.
Contact details-
John Ellis - Co Ordinator
www.disability.co.uk
drc@disability.co.uk
0121 789 7365
- The Ark (Skills and Recreation) is a day centre for people aged 18 and upwards with learning disabilities, mental health, aspergers, and autism. Alongside the many activities that the centre offers such as - life skills, sports, and health and beauty, they also run arts and craft sessions.
Contact details -
Rebecca Bisseker - day centre manager
www.thearkcentre.co.uk
Info@thearkcentre.co.uk
- Queen Alexandra College (QAC) is a national college for people aged 16 plus, who have visual impairments or other disabilities. They offer many courses including BTEC'S in Art, Design and Media, and Performing arts.
Contact details -
Hazel Hall - Senior learning manager
hhall@qac.ac.uk
www.qac.ac.uk
- Skills tank is an organisation that offers fun and practical learning activities for adults that learn differently. They aim to enrich the lives of adults, aged 18 plus, with learning difficulties/disabilities, challenging behaviour, mental health, and/or autism spectrum disorder. Skills tank offer many activities including music and art therapy classes.
Contact details -
www.skillstank.co.uk
Lorna Gregory - Manager
0121 358 8150
lorna.gregory@carefirstltd.co.uk
Debbie Tipper - Recruitment
0121 308 6555
- Victoria School and Specialist Arts College is a special school for children with motor and physical disabilities. They teach the National Curriculum including Art, and are also a specialised Arts College.
Contact details -
Sandra Kallitsakis - Head of Art
s.kallitsakis@victoria.bham.sch.uk
0121 476 9478
www.victoria.bham.sch.uk
A copy of the Email that I used to approach these organisations can be seen below, names were changed for each organisation.
I received responses to this Email from Skills Tank, Queen Alexandra College, and Victoria School and Specialist Arts College. Copies of these Emails can be seen below.
Skills Tank -
I filled in an application form and arranged an interview with Skills Tank.
Queen Alexandra College -
I filled in an application form and arranged an interview at Queen Alexandra College.
6.12.11 -
I attended an interview at Victoria school and specialist Arts College and was offered a placement immediately on the understanding that my CRB check came through without any problems, I filled out the CRB form and sent it off, agreeing to contact the school as soon as it arrived.
8.12.11 -
The school invited me to go and see their infants Christmas play, in order for me to get more of an insight into the children's capabilities. Photographs of their Christmas play programme can be seen below.
14.1.12 -
CRB check came through without any problems, so I contacted the school and they asked me to start on the 18.1.12. A photograph of the CRB form can be seen below.
18.1.12 -
1.30-3.00 (1 hour 30 mins)
Aims - Meet the students in the class that I am going to be working with (class S4), also meet the class teacher and teaching assistants that I will be working along side. Learn about the students conditions and needs, what support is offered to them, and how? What techniques/procedures does the school use in order to assist/support the students? What are the students learning about at the moment? How is their day/lesson structured? What art will we be doing/creating? How will I be assisting the students, and how hands on should I be?
I learnt that the students in S4 have moderate and severe learning/physical difficulties, profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) and specific language disabilities (SLD). Class S4 is a key stage 3 class which consists of students aged 11-14 in a main stream school, but due to the children's learning/physical disabilities at Victoria school, the students in this class are aged between 11-16. They are learning the National Curriculum level 3, but in a way and at a pace that suits their needs.
I also learnt that the class is learning about South America and doing a project about the South American Inca tribes that worship sun gods. I was told that with less able bodied students the school use a hand on hand technique, and was shown how, for example - the pen or glue stick is placed into the students hand and I then place my hand on top of the students in order to move and navigate it around. Constant communication with the student is a MUST, and the work should be as much theirs as possible, therefore it is my job to ask and make sure that I know what the student wants to do, make, or communicate at all times.
The teacher I will be working along side is Heather Woodward, and in order to prepare for the days activity which was creating Sun Gods, she asked me to cut sun shapes out of gold cardboard, that the students will then be asked to decorate. I did this and was then asked to work with a student called Melissa.
Melissa uses a wheel chair, doesn't communicate verbally and responds very little.
I found assisting Melissa to create her Sun God very difficult, I communicated with her and asked her questions at all times but got very little response from her. However, I found that if I showed Melissa an option of different papers etc she would in fact chose one that she liked by taking it off me. Melissa did like to eat the paper that she would take off me though, so making sure that she didn't do that was very important.
The other thing that I was able to get Melissa to participate in was using the glue stick, every time I asked her to glue for me she held her hand out for the glue stick, we applied glue to the cardboard using the hand on hand method that I mentioned earlier, we also used these methods to apply bits of crumpled up tissue paper to the sun in order to add decoration, and drew a face on to the Sun God together, again using the hand on hand technique. Examples of the Sun God that we made can be seen below. The one that we made together is the one on the bottom left hand side.
23.1.12 -
11.00-12.30 (1 hour 30 mins)
Attended induction training which consisted of health and safety procedures, manual handling, wheelchair handling, signing contracts, and a brief introduction to Makaton, which is a form of sign language used especially to communicate with people who have disabilities/difficulties with speech and hearing. I was asked to sign a contract stating that I would not take photographs of any of the students, a photograph of this contract can be seen below.
Student placement form -
Makaton sheets -
25.1.12 -
1.30-6.00 (4 hours 30 mins)
Aims - Learn more about the students needs, capabilities, conditions, and what they are doing and learning about at the moment. Learn more about communication methods and how to engage with the students.
Like last week the class are still creating Sun Gods as part of their project about South American Inca tribes. I was asked to work with a student called Robbie. Robbie has developmental delay and communication hydrocephalus, he uses an electric wheelchair and although he has no speech he hears and understands everything that is spoken to him and around him, he responds using Makaton signs.
While supporting Robbie to create his Sun God, he made all of the decisions for himself and glued and positioned everything in to place mostly unassisted, he indicated to me that he wanted to add eyebrows, hair, ears, and a mouth to the Sun God by pointing to all of those features on me. Robbie knew exactly what he wanted to do and how he wanted to do it , including which colours he wanted to use, which papers and which pens, he communicated all of this to me by pointing, gesturing and using Makaton. I only needed to support him a little at times with things like gluing and drawing, and I did the stapling.
This was a completely different session to my time spent with Melissa, and I learnt that every student is different with very different needs and capabilities, but all are equally as rewarding to work with. A photograph of the Sun God that we made together can be seen below.
I started helping out in the after school club, where I learnt about sensory play and a lot about different methods of communication, such as using light, wind, and music, for example - we all created a circle (including the students and staff) and each held on to a section of a very large parachute, we wiggled and wafted it in order to create waves and gusts of wind, we threw bells, balls, and glow sticks onto the parachute to create different sounds and colours. We turned off the lights and everyone took it in turns to go underneath the parachute to experience all of the different colours, sounds, and sensations.
We listened to music, danced, and sang songs, encouraging the students to get involved with doing the actions that go along side the songs. We also gave the students different objects to play with, look at, and feel such as mirrors, balls of string, teddy bears, and different fabrics. I found that the students were engaging, responsive, and enjoying themselves. They were laughing and smiling and I learnt that there are many ways to communicate and connect with another person.
We also had a cooking session where the students made scones, I assisted with the measurements, cutting, and washing up.
1.2.12 -
1.30-6.00 (4 hours 30 mins)
Aims - Learn more about the National Curriculum and how the students learn it, more about the students conditions, and more about communication methods, and Makaton.
I read the class profile which contains information about each students conditions, and this gave me a much greater insight in to each students needs and capabilities.
The class are still learning about the South American Inca tribes and making Sun Gods, which are worshipped by the Inca's and I was asked to work with a student called Becky. Becky has Down syndrome and is very able bodied and capable, she knows exactly what she wants to do, how she wants to do it and is very determined.
I assisted Becky with very little when it came to the making of her Sun God, only cutting and stapling. Becky's speech is at times difficult to understand but on the whole decipherable, however she uses Makaton along side her speech to help make things clearer. She is a very outgoing, friendly, and tactile student. Becky added a lot of different papers and objects to her Sun God including big balls of paper, fabrics and tinsel, this resulted in Becky's Sun God ending up very large.
Becky drew a picture of a heart and asked me to cut it out, she then stuck it on to a sticky backed pad and said that it was for me, to say thank you for helping her. Once again this was a very different experience and gave me a deeper insight into just how many different levels of communication that the students have, each student is unique and a joy to be around. I thoroughly enjoyed how enthusiastic and engaged with the task Becky was, watching her enjoying creating this piece of art work was very rewarding. A photograph of Becky's Sun God can be seen below.
In the after school club we worked with paper mache, encouraging the students to shred pieces of paper and put it in to a bowl of water, we asked them to mush the paper up with their hands and tear the paper in to tiny pieces, this gave the students something new and different to feel/experience. We then supported the students while they drained all the water from the mushed up paper and added glue to it, the students were asked to mush this with their hands again. The paper mache was then ready to use, to create what ever the student wanted to.
I was asked to work with two students, both with very different capabilities. Craig who uses a wheelchair, has no speech, and poor mobility in his arms and hands didn't seem to enjoy the experience. I talked to Craig and explained what we were doing at all times, but when I placed his hands in to the water/paper he didn't seem to like it very much at all, he was pulling faces of disgust and groaning. I involved Craig as much as possible while making his paper mache art work, constantly asking him questions and giving him options, and I made the decisions by Craig's facial expressions. Photograph's of the art work that we made together can be seen below.
Shane who has Na noons syndrome, is very able bodied, he is able to walk and has perfect speech, he is very chatty, outgoing, friendly and capable. Working with Shane was a very different experience to working with Craig, Shane was very engaged with making his paper mache art work and seemed to enjoy it immensely, he was very enthusiastic and and knew exactly what he wanted to make, how he wanted to do it, and what colours he wanted to use. He needed very little assistance or help. Photographs of Shane's paper mache Bat Man can be seen below.
I feel that I have got to know the students a lot more and have started to develop relationships with them. I have felt my confidence grow and I have felt much more comfortable. Once again I have learnt even more different methods of communication and have seen different levels to the students abilities. I have experienced working with a student that gives extremely little response, but have still managed to communicate with him and together we created a piece of art work, which feels very rewarding. Photographs of mine and some other students work can be seen below.
8.2.12 -
1.30-6.00 (4 hours 30 mins)
As part of the National Curriculum the class is learning about South America. Working with a theatre production company called Raw Nerve, the whole of the key stage 3 year will be putting on a play for Easter about South America.
For the play class S4 will be based in Peru, acting as Lamas and Peruvian Shepards. In order to get ready for this we practised some drama/acting exercises. With the whole class sat in a circle we all took it in turns to show different emotions using only a facial expression, for example - happy, angry, and sad. We then passed an imaginary ball of different sizes around the circle, and each took it in turns to say our name in voices in order to express different moods such as happy and angry. We then each did an impression of other people, for example - fire fighter, mother, footballer, and teacher.
I was very impressed at the level of co-operation and involvement from the students, they all seemed to enjoy their selves and I learnt and saw that the students can follow instruction and grasp the notion of acting. I also learnt some acting techniques.
In the after school club we all participated in a thing called Sign to Sing, a photograph of the badge we were all given can be seen below.
This involved us all singing songs together along with copying Makaton signs for each word of a video, resulting in us all singing and signing at the same time. It was a great feeling and atmosphere for us all to be taking part in something together, I learnt a lot more Makaton and that the students can multi task, follow instruction, and have good co ordination.
22.2.12 -
1.30-6.00 (4 hours 30 mins)
Raw Nerve assigned roles for the play about South America/Peru to the students, Lewis and Ellie-Mae were made shepards, Lewis has Muscular Dystrophy but is very able bodied, can walk, and has perfect speech. Ellie-Mae uses an electric wheelchair and has fairly good speech. The rest of the class will act as lamas in the play, the decisions were based on the level of co-operation, involvement, and enthusiasm that the students showed during the drama exercises the previous week.
We discussed the script and asked for the students in put, for example, we asked them questions like - what would you like the shepards to say/do? What do you think the Lamas should be doing? The students and Raw Nerve decided that the shepards should be leading a group of naughty Lamas in to a field, but the Lamas would not pay any attention, so the shepards sing a song and dance in order to get them to co-operate. Eventually they get all the Lamas in to the field.
We practised the same drama techniques again as the previous week and looked at possible costume ideas, deciding that the shepards will wear ponchos and that simple hats and masks would be the most effective/practical solution. I learnt more drama techniques, more Makaton, and more methods of communication. I also saw how creative, intelligent and imaginative the students are.
We played a board game called signs and Symbols Lotto which teaches children about different signs and their meanings.
I met with the head of the art department Sandra Kallitsakis and she asked me to start running my own art workshops with the students in the after school club. I will be given a budget to buy supplies and the activities that I chose to run with the students are entirely my responsibility to plan, arrange and run. I feel very nervous but extremely excited about this, and I will start running them in the new term after Easter.
7.3.12 -
1.30-6.30 (5 hours)
Working with Raw Nerve again, we practised the scene and more acting exercises. We all sat in a circle and did voice warm ups by singing very loudly. We each took it in turns to make loud noises which everyone then had to copy, we asked students to suggest noises for everyone to shout. We did a memory exercise where we all had to copy the movements and actions of other people and then add our own movement or action.
I was asked to work with a student called Jade. Jade practically lies down in a wheel chair, has no speech, only makes grunting sounds, and cannot move her arms unassisted. I supported Jade and got her involved by moving her arms, and talking/singing to her, she seemed to enjoy this and was smiling a lot.
I learnt drama techniques, interaction and communication skills, and today the students capabilities shone through, they responded excellently to the session and engaged with everything that was asked of them, they got very involved.
14.3.12 -
1.30-6.30 (5 hours)
We did a play rehearsal, and I was asked to work with a student called Hodo. Hodo can walk very slowly with a walking frame, doesn't hear very well, has speech but uses it very little, Hodo is able bodied and has full uses of her arms and legs but requires support most of the time. Today I was dancing with/in front of Hodo as part of the dancing scene in the play and she really enjoyed it, Hodo was smiling and laughing and spoke to me for the first time un-prompted, when I had stopped dancing she said "again". This gave me such a feeling of achievement. We looked at images of Lamas on the internet and chose which Lamas we would like to print off in order to make the Lama masks for the play.
The students then made mothers day cards, I assisted with cutting and gluing. A photograph of the cards can be seen below.
21.3.12 -
1.30-6.30 (5 hours)
We made hats for the students to wear while acting in the play about South America, and decorated them with feathers, paper, sequins etc and I was asked to work with a student called Conner. Conner has cerebral palsy, he is very able bodied and intelligent and needed very little assistance, I only supported him with cutting. Photographs of the hats we made can be seen below.
28.3.12 -
1.30-6.30 (5 hours)
Working with Raw Nerve again we did a final play rehearsal. We also made masks for the students acting as Lamas in the play to wear. We made the Lama masks by searching for images of Lama faces on the internet, we printed off the images and cut them out, we then glued them on to cardboard, cut around them, and attached them to a stick. The students could then hold their mask in front of their faces or for the students that can not use their arms the mask can be attached to their wheel chair.
I was asked to work with a student called Olivia. Olivia has Leighs syndrome, Global development, and Spina Bifida, she uses an electric wheel chair but can walk, Olivia has good speech and is very friendly and outgoing, she knew exactly how she wanted to make her Lama mask and only needed little assistance with cutting out. Images of some of the Lama faces we used to create the masks can be seen below.
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I kept a record of my hours spent at Victoria school by creating a form that I filled out during every visit and got signed by the class teacher, a photograph of this form can be seen below.
Unfortunately I was unable to see or help with the play about South America as I had to attend University on the day that the production took place. The school has now closed for Easter, but I will be returning in the new term to start running the Art workshops, and to continue assisting the art teacher with her classes.
Altogether I have completed 41 hours of experiential work and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Please read my evaluation which is inside the clear A4 document folder that I have submitted.
I found assisting Melissa to create her Sun God very difficult, I communicated with her and asked her questions at all times but got very little response from her. However, I found that if I showed Melissa an option of different papers etc she would in fact chose one that she liked by taking it off me. Melissa did like to eat the paper that she would take off me though, so making sure that she didn't do that was very important.
The other thing that I was able to get Melissa to participate in was using the glue stick, every time I asked her to glue for me she held her hand out for the glue stick, we applied glue to the cardboard using the hand on hand method that I mentioned earlier, we also used these methods to apply bits of crumpled up tissue paper to the sun in order to add decoration, and drew a face on to the Sun God together, again using the hand on hand technique. Examples of the Sun God that we made can be seen below. The one that we made together is the one on the bottom left hand side.
23.1.12 -
11.00-12.30 (1 hour 30 mins)
Attended induction training which consisted of health and safety procedures, manual handling, wheelchair handling, signing contracts, and a brief introduction to Makaton, which is a form of sign language used especially to communicate with people who have disabilities/difficulties with speech and hearing. I was asked to sign a contract stating that I would not take photographs of any of the students, a photograph of this contract can be seen below.
Student placement form -
Makaton sheets -
25.1.12 -
1.30-6.00 (4 hours 30 mins)
Aims - Learn more about the students needs, capabilities, conditions, and what they are doing and learning about at the moment. Learn more about communication methods and how to engage with the students.
Like last week the class are still creating Sun Gods as part of their project about South American Inca tribes. I was asked to work with a student called Robbie. Robbie has developmental delay and communication hydrocephalus, he uses an electric wheelchair and although he has no speech he hears and understands everything that is spoken to him and around him, he responds using Makaton signs.
While supporting Robbie to create his Sun God, he made all of the decisions for himself and glued and positioned everything in to place mostly unassisted, he indicated to me that he wanted to add eyebrows, hair, ears, and a mouth to the Sun God by pointing to all of those features on me. Robbie knew exactly what he wanted to do and how he wanted to do it , including which colours he wanted to use, which papers and which pens, he communicated all of this to me by pointing, gesturing and using Makaton. I only needed to support him a little at times with things like gluing and drawing, and I did the stapling.
This was a completely different session to my time spent with Melissa, and I learnt that every student is different with very different needs and capabilities, but all are equally as rewarding to work with. A photograph of the Sun God that we made together can be seen below.
I started helping out in the after school club, where I learnt about sensory play and a lot about different methods of communication, such as using light, wind, and music, for example - we all created a circle (including the students and staff) and each held on to a section of a very large parachute, we wiggled and wafted it in order to create waves and gusts of wind, we threw bells, balls, and glow sticks onto the parachute to create different sounds and colours. We turned off the lights and everyone took it in turns to go underneath the parachute to experience all of the different colours, sounds, and sensations.
We listened to music, danced, and sang songs, encouraging the students to get involved with doing the actions that go along side the songs. We also gave the students different objects to play with, look at, and feel such as mirrors, balls of string, teddy bears, and different fabrics. I found that the students were engaging, responsive, and enjoying themselves. They were laughing and smiling and I learnt that there are many ways to communicate and connect with another person.
We also had a cooking session where the students made scones, I assisted with the measurements, cutting, and washing up.
1.2.12 -
1.30-6.00 (4 hours 30 mins)
Aims - Learn more about the National Curriculum and how the students learn it, more about the students conditions, and more about communication methods, and Makaton.
I read the class profile which contains information about each students conditions, and this gave me a much greater insight in to each students needs and capabilities.
The class are still learning about the South American Inca tribes and making Sun Gods, which are worshipped by the Inca's and I was asked to work with a student called Becky. Becky has Down syndrome and is very able bodied and capable, she knows exactly what she wants to do, how she wants to do it and is very determined.
I assisted Becky with very little when it came to the making of her Sun God, only cutting and stapling. Becky's speech is at times difficult to understand but on the whole decipherable, however she uses Makaton along side her speech to help make things clearer. She is a very outgoing, friendly, and tactile student. Becky added a lot of different papers and objects to her Sun God including big balls of paper, fabrics and tinsel, this resulted in Becky's Sun God ending up very large.
Becky drew a picture of a heart and asked me to cut it out, she then stuck it on to a sticky backed pad and said that it was for me, to say thank you for helping her. Once again this was a very different experience and gave me a deeper insight into just how many different levels of communication that the students have, each student is unique and a joy to be around. I thoroughly enjoyed how enthusiastic and engaged with the task Becky was, watching her enjoying creating this piece of art work was very rewarding. A photograph of Becky's Sun God can be seen below.
In the after school club we worked with paper mache, encouraging the students to shred pieces of paper and put it in to a bowl of water, we asked them to mush the paper up with their hands and tear the paper in to tiny pieces, this gave the students something new and different to feel/experience. We then supported the students while they drained all the water from the mushed up paper and added glue to it, the students were asked to mush this with their hands again. The paper mache was then ready to use, to create what ever the student wanted to.
I was asked to work with two students, both with very different capabilities. Craig who uses a wheelchair, has no speech, and poor mobility in his arms and hands didn't seem to enjoy the experience. I talked to Craig and explained what we were doing at all times, but when I placed his hands in to the water/paper he didn't seem to like it very much at all, he was pulling faces of disgust and groaning. I involved Craig as much as possible while making his paper mache art work, constantly asking him questions and giving him options, and I made the decisions by Craig's facial expressions. Photograph's of the art work that we made together can be seen below.
Shane who has Na noons syndrome, is very able bodied, he is able to walk and has perfect speech, he is very chatty, outgoing, friendly and capable. Working with Shane was a very different experience to working with Craig, Shane was very engaged with making his paper mache art work and seemed to enjoy it immensely, he was very enthusiastic and and knew exactly what he wanted to make, how he wanted to do it, and what colours he wanted to use. He needed very little assistance or help. Photographs of Shane's paper mache Bat Man can be seen below.
I feel that I have got to know the students a lot more and have started to develop relationships with them. I have felt my confidence grow and I have felt much more comfortable. Once again I have learnt even more different methods of communication and have seen different levels to the students abilities. I have experienced working with a student that gives extremely little response, but have still managed to communicate with him and together we created a piece of art work, which feels very rewarding. Photographs of mine and some other students work can be seen below.
8.2.12 -
1.30-6.00 (4 hours 30 mins)
As part of the National Curriculum the class is learning about South America. Working with a theatre production company called Raw Nerve, the whole of the key stage 3 year will be putting on a play for Easter about South America.
For the play class S4 will be based in Peru, acting as Lamas and Peruvian Shepards. In order to get ready for this we practised some drama/acting exercises. With the whole class sat in a circle we all took it in turns to show different emotions using only a facial expression, for example - happy, angry, and sad. We then passed an imaginary ball of different sizes around the circle, and each took it in turns to say our name in voices in order to express different moods such as happy and angry. We then each did an impression of other people, for example - fire fighter, mother, footballer, and teacher.
I was very impressed at the level of co-operation and involvement from the students, they all seemed to enjoy their selves and I learnt and saw that the students can follow instruction and grasp the notion of acting. I also learnt some acting techniques.
In the after school club we all participated in a thing called Sign to Sing, a photograph of the badge we were all given can be seen below.
This involved us all singing songs together along with copying Makaton signs for each word of a video, resulting in us all singing and signing at the same time. It was a great feeling and atmosphere for us all to be taking part in something together, I learnt a lot more Makaton and that the students can multi task, follow instruction, and have good co ordination.
22.2.12 -
1.30-6.00 (4 hours 30 mins)
Raw Nerve assigned roles for the play about South America/Peru to the students, Lewis and Ellie-Mae were made shepards, Lewis has Muscular Dystrophy but is very able bodied, can walk, and has perfect speech. Ellie-Mae uses an electric wheelchair and has fairly good speech. The rest of the class will act as lamas in the play, the decisions were based on the level of co-operation, involvement, and enthusiasm that the students showed during the drama exercises the previous week.
We discussed the script and asked for the students in put, for example, we asked them questions like - what would you like the shepards to say/do? What do you think the Lamas should be doing? The students and Raw Nerve decided that the shepards should be leading a group of naughty Lamas in to a field, but the Lamas would not pay any attention, so the shepards sing a song and dance in order to get them to co-operate. Eventually they get all the Lamas in to the field.
We practised the same drama techniques again as the previous week and looked at possible costume ideas, deciding that the shepards will wear ponchos and that simple hats and masks would be the most effective/practical solution. I learnt more drama techniques, more Makaton, and more methods of communication. I also saw how creative, intelligent and imaginative the students are.
We played a board game called signs and Symbols Lotto which teaches children about different signs and their meanings.
I met with the head of the art department Sandra Kallitsakis and she asked me to start running my own art workshops with the students in the after school club. I will be given a budget to buy supplies and the activities that I chose to run with the students are entirely my responsibility to plan, arrange and run. I feel very nervous but extremely excited about this, and I will start running them in the new term after Easter.
7.3.12 -
1.30-6.30 (5 hours)
Working with Raw Nerve again, we practised the scene and more acting exercises. We all sat in a circle and did voice warm ups by singing very loudly. We each took it in turns to make loud noises which everyone then had to copy, we asked students to suggest noises for everyone to shout. We did a memory exercise where we all had to copy the movements and actions of other people and then add our own movement or action.
I was asked to work with a student called Jade. Jade practically lies down in a wheel chair, has no speech, only makes grunting sounds, and cannot move her arms unassisted. I supported Jade and got her involved by moving her arms, and talking/singing to her, she seemed to enjoy this and was smiling a lot.
I learnt drama techniques, interaction and communication skills, and today the students capabilities shone through, they responded excellently to the session and engaged with everything that was asked of them, they got very involved.
14.3.12 -
1.30-6.30 (5 hours)
We did a play rehearsal, and I was asked to work with a student called Hodo. Hodo can walk very slowly with a walking frame, doesn't hear very well, has speech but uses it very little, Hodo is able bodied and has full uses of her arms and legs but requires support most of the time. Today I was dancing with/in front of Hodo as part of the dancing scene in the play and she really enjoyed it, Hodo was smiling and laughing and spoke to me for the first time un-prompted, when I had stopped dancing she said "again". This gave me such a feeling of achievement. We looked at images of Lamas on the internet and chose which Lamas we would like to print off in order to make the Lama masks for the play.
The students then made mothers day cards, I assisted with cutting and gluing. A photograph of the cards can be seen below.
21.3.12 -
1.30-6.30 (5 hours)
We made hats for the students to wear while acting in the play about South America, and decorated them with feathers, paper, sequins etc and I was asked to work with a student called Conner. Conner has cerebral palsy, he is very able bodied and intelligent and needed very little assistance, I only supported him with cutting. Photographs of the hats we made can be seen below.
28.3.12 -
1.30-6.30 (5 hours)
Working with Raw Nerve again we did a final play rehearsal. We also made masks for the students acting as Lamas in the play to wear. We made the Lama masks by searching for images of Lama faces on the internet, we printed off the images and cut them out, we then glued them on to cardboard, cut around them, and attached them to a stick. The students could then hold their mask in front of their faces or for the students that can not use their arms the mask can be attached to their wheel chair.
I was asked to work with a student called Olivia. Olivia has Leighs syndrome, Global development, and Spina Bifida, she uses an electric wheel chair but can walk, Olivia has good speech and is very friendly and outgoing, she knew exactly how she wanted to make her Lama mask and only needed little assistance with cutting out. Images of some of the Lama faces we used to create the masks can be seen below.
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I kept a record of my hours spent at Victoria school by creating a form that I filled out during every visit and got signed by the class teacher, a photograph of this form can be seen below.
Unfortunately I was unable to see or help with the play about South America as I had to attend University on the day that the production took place. The school has now closed for Easter, but I will be returning in the new term to start running the Art workshops, and to continue assisting the art teacher with her classes.
Altogether I have completed 41 hours of experiential work and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Please read my evaluation which is inside the clear A4 document folder that I have submitted.
