Art Teacher Insights

Primary sources needed
Primary sources needed
There is an unanimous demand for relevant primary sources on every observational drawing or modelling task in visual art in secondary schools, but few art rooms would have a well... Read more...
Effective Questioning
Effective Questioning
Two of the key skills of teaching are effective questioning and feedback strategies, but the way a teacher interrelates them, using questioning as feedback or feedback through questioning, prompts students... Read more...
EAL strategies
EAL strategies
I have two EAL students, Romanian and Spanish, in different classes. Out of class, the two students became friends, and they are communicating in Spanish. In class, they are both... Read more...
Relevant themes
Relevant themes
When planning for units of learning, I find that finding a relevant theme and the disciplines that form it gives you the best start in planning and preparation. For a... Read more...
My best pedagogical experience
My best pedagogical experience
So far, I experienced different ranges of quality teaching experiences as a PME student teacher. Some felt very low in terms of classroom management and fighting with post-traumatic stress, and... Read more...
Teaching 1st years big concepts
Teaching 1st years big concepts
Opening up the new STEAM theme to 1st graders, I was asked, “Why are we doing this?” My answer was too quick: “To increase your critical thinking?”. Question back: “What... Read more...
Co-creating success criteria
Co-creating success criteria
In class, I usually write the learning intentions on the whiteboard and don’t look at success criteria more than the result of the learning intentions. After watching Con Hurley’s (Sligo... Read more...
STEAM – Interdisciplinary possibilities
STEAM – Interdisciplinary possibilities
Communication is one of the common skills to be developed in students from elementary to post-primary. It is a key element that we teachers need to have in our curricula... Read more...
The Communication principle
The Communication principle
An interesting experience as a PME1 is to be involved in the Oide (teacher in Irish) school meetings. Oide is the new support centre for teachers that unites the Centre for School Leadership (CSL), Junior... Read more...
Gamification
Gamification
Narrative Games with Graham Tugwell was another brilliant workshop organized by Oide Creativity. It was a good opportunity to see how to bring game-play strategies into the classroom. On the... Read more...
Differentiation
Differentiation
A teacher must differentiate the curriculum in a meaningful, relevant way, adopting teaching strategies based on three ‘pedagogical needs’: common to all learners, specific to groups of learners.and unique to... Read more...