This is a follow-up on the sharing of a Sec 1 boy who did not qualify but still wanted to join AEP class for the experience. I referred to him as N in my first post in this blog thread.
Last week I formally introduced N to the class. He already know several of them and has started joining the lessons but I thought it’s good to formally ‘welcome’ him to give him a psychological affirmation! I welcomed him at the start of the lesson and said that he will now be the learning critic because he is free to ask anyone to explain their work process.
Then in the last 2 lessons I have heard N saying repeatedly “I screwed up” in his attempt at drawing and painting a bunch of bananas. I also heard him, in his chat with the AEP students, that whenever he draws his mom will say to him ‘something is not right’. I understand that the mom meant no insult to her son but obviously lack skills in giving feedback.
So on Monday, I decided to sit down with N for a 1-to-1 chat. I first asked him what he has observed in AEP lesson that is different from his usual art lesson. He said ‘the students are better’ (There was a pinch in my heart!).
So I asked again: “How have I coached them? And what do they struggle with?”
He couldn’t answer.
I said “Have you noticed I always focus on them observing WHAT they do and HOW they do their work and WHAT NEXT they can do to improve? Do you notice I get them to test this and that out in painting? It is through the testing of paint that their eyes learn to observe. I am training their eyes to see and analyse HOW to be better.” (i.e. Self assessment, self monitoring and self regulation in AfL)
I continued “So whether talented or not - it’s the same in learning, it’s just that AEP has more time for them to test things out.”
I told N that I heard him saying ‘I screwed up’ several times. Then I explained that everyone ‘screws up’ sometimes or many times and I said “Ma’am here (referring to myself) messed up big time many times in my learning too! But that’s not the end. The more important thing is to know WHY and HOW I screwed up in my work, so that I will then know what I can try next to un-mess the mess up (said with a smile😉😊). This is when we need to treat learning like a lab scientist - think back the steps we did and try to see WHAT we missed out here and there and WHERE we didn’t do something right in a method. Then try another way to test out if it can work. Ok?
“I also heard you say that your mom critiqued your art. Ok, maybe your mom doesn’t know she needs to tell the WHY, WHERE and HOW it went wrong. So here in AEP class, I will be helping you to understand this part.”
N has a special place in my heart - I asked myself was there a time when I was a student, that I so wished I could be given an opportunity to be coached in an area I was weak in but I was interested? Certainly! I can see N knows very well he is weak in art but so relish the opportunity to learn!
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