High School Drafting Course
From Peace Corps Wiki
| Line 56: | Line 56: | ||
The ultimate objective of the class is to learn and practice drafting a house. | The ultimate objective of the class is to learn and practice drafting a house. | ||
| - | ====Revised Official Course Outline (in Portuguese) | + | ====Revised Official Course Outline (in Portuguese) [http://peacecorpswiki.org/images/Appendix_A_-_Revised_Technical_Drafting_Official_Course_Outline_%28in_Portuguese%29.doc]==== |
====Revised Official Curriculum (in Portuguese) (2nd attachment)==== | ====Revised Official Curriculum (in Portuguese) (2nd attachment)==== | ||
| Line 205: | Line 205: | ||
Methodology: Research and discuss city layout designs (from Internet, local city, additional Cámara plans). Draft neighborhood layout using outline of student houses, additional plans and other communities around your area. (To be researched – Appendix I). Build a cardboard model. | Methodology: Research and discuss city layout designs (from Internet, local city, additional Cámara plans). Draft neighborhood layout using outline of student houses, additional plans and other communities around your area. (To be researched – Appendix I). Build a cardboard model. | ||
| + | [http://www.example.com link title] | ||
Revision as of 13:22, 13 September 2009
Info about the High School Drafting Course
This page details the procedure, objectives, methodologies used for a high school drafting course at the technical high school in Assomada, Cape Verde during the 2008-2009 school year:
Education Project Plan
The mission of the education project for Peace Corps Cape Verde is to build the educational capacity in the areas of Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Teacher Training and Vocational Education. Volunteers work in collaboration with motivated counterparts in secondary schools and universities on the islands of Santiago, Fogo, São Nicolau, São Vicente and Santo Antão. The objectives, methodologies and partnering institutions for each of the sectors are as follows:
Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Objective: Help Capeverdean students and English teachers improve their English communication skills, increase knowledge of American culture, and develop/strengthen critical thinking skills. Develop teaching materials and work with local teachers for sustainability.
Institutions: High schools in Santiago, Fogo, São Nicolau, São Vicente and Santo Antão.
Methodology 1: Teach students English and critical thinking skills. Methodology 2: Get involved with your community to arrange English clubs and extracurricular activities Methodology 3: Make English lesson plans relevant to the lives and experiences of both boys and girls. Help them apply English to their daily lives. Methodology 4: Assign Internet research projects
Teacher Training (TT) Objective: Teach English at high school and university level teachers how to improve their English skills and ESL teaching methodologies. Develop teaching materials and work with local teachers for sustainability.
Institutions: University of Cape Verde (UniCV – Praia, Mindelo)
Methodology 1: Co-plan, co-teach, and peer observation Methodology 2: Train teachers in language, techniques, skills and methodologies for TEFL teaching in the classroom Methodology 3: Improve libraries Methodology 4: Help students finish coursework and final research work for graduation at the University level
Vocational Education (Voc Ed) Objective: Improve construction, mechanics, and electricity education programs. Develop teaching materials and work with local teachers to improve sustainability.
Institutions: Technical schools, Business Centers and Co-ops
Methodology 1: Teach construction, electricity, mechanics and computer/Internet classes Methodology 2: Teach and collaborate to build renewable energy projects Methodology 3: Prepare 12th graders for post-secondary school opportunities/careers
Course Introduction
This course was designed for and taught to 140 11th and 12th grade civil construction students at the Technical School in Assomada, Cape Verde during the 2008-2009 school year. It is an example of a goal-oriented teaching style for a high school drafting class.
The class covers the themes and objectives in the state-required curriculum for the Technical Drafting Course. A revised curriculum can be found at Appendix A and B (in Portuguese).
The ultimate objective of the class is to learn and practice drafting a house.
Revised Official Course Outline (in Portuguese) [1]
Revised Official Curriculum (in Portuguese) (2nd attachment)
Annual Course Schedule, School Numbers
The specific dates and number of weeks of each trimester are subject to change. Classes are also subject to unannounced cancellation due to rain, local events and holidays. Thus as a teacher, it is more important to focus more on completing the activity rather than rushing through to finish by a certain date.
1º Trimester – 13 weeks – Mid-September to winter break 2º Trimester – 12 weeks – January to spring break 3º Trimester – 13 weeks – early April to mid-late June Total 38 weeks
In two years, I taught over 200 students. However, I didn’t develop this coursework until my second year. My second year I taught 140 students – seven classes of about 20 students per class. I’d estimate my school had about 1000 students of which about 20% were girls. 40 teachers (estimate) facilitated these 1000 students.
Daily Class Structure
Every class lasts two hours: First 5 minutes – the teacher writes the date and class summary on the board and takes roll. Next 15 minutes – the teacher introduces the assignment for the day, discusses the details of the plan, when the plan is due and what the students will be graded on (all of this information is put on the board). If plans are due that day students can turn in papers at this time. Next 10 minutes – questions, clarifications Next 5 minutes – hand out paper Rest of class – work End of class – thank them for their behavior (if it was good) and hard work (if they worked hard) and repeat when the assignment is due. (Each class works at a different pace – at the end of each class the teacher may make adjustments to the due date).
Required Materials
Students are expected to come to class everyday with a pencil, notebook and a drafting square (this costs about 100 escudos). If students cannot afford or manage their materials, they may share materials. The teacher will provide copies of example plans, research materials and blank A4 paper for drafting (may have to purchase paper and copies out of pocket).
Grading
The trimester grade is broken into two test grades (40% each) and one teacher’s evaluation grade (20%). Student’s grades are submitted and entered into the school database at the end of each trimester. This grade is averaged at the end of the year and summed up for each 11th and 12th grade level, weighed at 45% and 55% respectively.
For this course, I took the grades from each drawing depending on the total possible points and divided their grade into two test grades. See Appendix C – Class Grading Example.
Late work - For every week the students turn in work late, I deducted 5-10 points from the student’s grade. The amount depends on the discretion of the teacher and weight of the assignment.
Class grading example – 11th CC3, 3rd trimester (Appendix B)
Classroom Management
20% of student’s grades are an OEA grade. This grade measures a student’s classroom attendance, participation, preparedness and behavior. Every teacher has a different method of evaluation and all are equally as valid. This method is simple in theory, difficult in practice - tough but fair. Although the school administration believed it was too rigorous, this method was designed to prepare students for the workplace. Reasoning: at a job, if you come late, unprepared or don’t behave, you can’t effectively do work. The same rules should apply to a classroom:
Students are expected to come to class on-time, with all required materials and behave. If they do this everyday, they will receive a check.
Procedure: At the beginning of each class, the teacher calls roll. If the student is present, he/she receives a check. If they arrive late (<10m mark tardy, after 10m they must wait until the second hour), they receive a zero. Zero indicates zero credit for the day. If the students make no effort to work on the given assignment, they will lose their check and receive a zero for the day. If the students misbehave, they will lose their check and receive a zero for the day.
What constitutes tardiness, non-participation or misbehavior is to be determined by the teacher. The teacher may offer warnings before marking a zero. If non-participation or misbehavior continues after a zero has been issued, the teacher may remove the student from the class.
At the end of each trimester when grades are due, the teacher will count the number of checks each student has and divide by the number of total days he/she took roll. Then the teacher will multiply this ratio by 20. This is the OEA, teacher’s evaluation, grade. (See Appendix C – Class Grading Example).
Teaching Style Notes
Everyone’s teaching style is different. For this particular class, these are a few style suggestions that helped improve student behavior/performance:
- Learn and use student’s names - Walk up and down the aisles during class to speak with students individually. (This establishes a personal relationship with the students, which ultimately improves behavior and overall quality of the work) - Encourage students to think critically and creatively about their work - When explaining the assignment, be as detailed or as brief as you feel comfortable - Try to find a lesson that challenges the quicker students and keeps the slower ones up to speed. Everyday you have to find that balance. Offer/assign extra work to students ahead, walk through assignments with students behind. Pair students of different strengths together, if possible. - The tighter your lesson plan is (easier it is to understand), the more likely you will have less trouble with misbehavior and the more interested the students will be - Identify the major idea students should take away from the day/assignment and repeat those frequently - Repeat daily: the importance of taking pride in your work, encourage students to show work to family and friends or to display it on a wall at home, - Ask them what they want to do when they graduate - Talk with other professors to see what is normal behavior and not - Roll with the class, if no one gets it, take a deep breath and slow down
Class Activities
This drafting course is broken down into five separate but related activities – each with a clearly defined project outcome. This way, students are likely to put more effort into their work. Detailed below are each of the projects:
Project 1: Draft map of Santiago to scale 1:1.5
Objectives: - Review concept of scale, - Remind students about the geography of the island where they live, - Teach students to take pride in their work: “Make this map something you want to put on your wall at home.”
Methodology: Assignment is attached (increase scale by 1:1.5, A4:A3)
Project 2: Draft different views of desk (or other simple object) to scale 1:??
Objectives: - Review drafting square and legend o Dimensions of square o Dimensions for and information to be included in legend - Learn to calculate scale, object dimensions and margins (three steps)
Methodology: Show work for calculating scale, object dimensions and margins for simple object. Draft square/legend and corresponding dimensions, legend information.
Project 3: Draft Cámara-approved plan to scale 1:100
Objectives: - Introduce required plans necessary to draft and approve residential plans at local Cámara o Plan introduction (text, for explanation) (Appendix F.1) o Site plan, (not to draft, just explanation) (Appendix F.2) o Floor plan (Appendix F.3) o Roof plan (Appendix F.4) o Foundation plan (Appendix F.5) o Elevation (Appendix F.6) o Cut section, includes stair detail for explanation (Appendix F.7) o Perspective (Appendix F.8) - Practice with line weights - Practice drawing to scale 1:100 - Practice dimensioning
Methodology: Each attached plan (located at appendices listed above, F.1-F.8) includes a photocopy of a Cámara plan to be used as example and a corresponding blank sheet of paper with grading rubric, square and legend
Project 4: Research innovative architecture, sketch new house design
Objectives: - Learn about new design methods of building houses - Brainstorm with students on new ideas, share sketches, have fun but stay focused - Sketch new ideas – include swimming pools, libraries, large patios, gardens
Methodology: Review various example pictures/designs on pin drive in folder entitled Innovative architecture research (Appendix G). Teacher may research additional ideas on the Internet or demonstrate/explain new designs on the board. Encourage sketching, new “out of the box” designs.
Project 5: Draft original house plan to scale 1:100
Objectives: - Draft each plan of the newly designed house to scale, given only a site plan o Floor plan o Roof plan o Foundation plan o Elevation o Cut section o Perspective - Practice calculating scale, design dimensions, margins - Practice with line weights - Practice drawing to scale 1:100 - Practice dimensioning
Methodology: Hand out a blank sheet of paper for each plan. Students are expected to draft the square, legend and calculate the scale, design dimensions and margins for each plan. Grading rubric is to be written on the board (could reflect grading rubric from Cámara plan for each corresponding plan). Students may also use any previous or other student plans as examples.
Project 6: Additional project ideas (untested) (for 12th grade): Draft neighborhood layout, green urban planning, model building.
Objectives: - Think critically about new development o How to utilize space wisely o Plan for further growth o How to plan for community gardens, public spaces, local schools, local markets, sport fields, etc o How to plan the city to adapt to renewable energy plants o How to use local, cheap materials to build a model of a plan
Methodology: Research and discuss city layout designs (from Internet, local city, additional Cámara plans). Draft neighborhood layout using outline of student houses, additional plans and other communities around your area. (To be researched – Appendix I). Build a cardboard model. link title