UAYSFA Final Reflection

In the last sessions of the UAYSFA, I really think our students were able to realize their ideas and make something that they couldn't at school or on their own. This was obviously the goal all along but I was nervous that they would run out of time and be disappointed.

On top of being happy that they were able to finish their projects, I was also sad to know that our time would be running out and that the workshop would be ending. This was my first time teaching that age group and I found it to be both a challenging and rewarding experience. I think I will miss the weekly workshop even with all the prep work and planning.

The last full work day of the workshop, our students were working on the final touches of their pieces in full force. They needed little guidance as to what to do, they all seemed to have their ideas in site and just needed to deliver on their plans. For the most part my co-teacher and I were helping when needed and also trying to encourage one of our students to push their piece further. This particular student was very resistant to any suggestion but in the end she liked her piece. It was maddening to not be able to sway her but I guess that it is more important in this case the she enjoyed the workshop and her piece.

Overall I am proud of the students in my workshop and I am happy with the way it turned out.

UAYSFA Reflection 3

After last weeks session, we had given the students the homework of brainstorming ideas for their projects. All of the students had come prepared with some ideas as to what they wanted to work with and where they wanted to go. We checked in with each student about their ideas and where they wanted to go.

Talking with each student individually was a great opportunity to get to know what they wanted and they expected from the workshop. I think that we were able to get a good idea of where we were going to go with the rest of the semester.

UAYSFA Reflection 2

The second session of the UAYSFA was interesting as it was the first day that we were able to see our students work hands-on. They were given a pile of objects to choose from and we had them make a one day found object sculpture. The students dove into the project right away and were engaged for the duration of the period. They all took time to really think about the objects and how to modify them.

At the end of the class, all of the students had created a piece. It was interesting to see that the youngest of our students seemed to have one of the most developed pieces and that our oldest student seemed to not grasp the project as well as the others. Overall however, the students seemed to gain a lot from the project and were looking forward to the larger version.