Materials
For auditory learners, these videos provide an audio version of the text.
It's just dirt...
When I learned to do pottery, the first thing we did was open the bag of clay and smelled the scent of damp earth. I was infatuated. And then I touched the clay, felt it’s coolness and pliability, tested it’s limits and had it test mine. I was in love. Learning about the material(s) you are working with is the first step in building a relationship, and in pottery, it all starts with dirt (clay).
Like pottery, teaching and learning starts with an evaluation of your materials and a consideration of how you will use these to meet your goals. At the beginning of the MET program, I set some goals and considered the materials I already had at my disposal and those I would learn to use. The artifact that I have chosen to represent this step in learning is also a key element in this ePortfolion, my SMART goals. If you are interested in understanding how these SMART goals inform my Teaching Philosophy and how I intend to use what I have learned in Creating a Better Future, please click on the links provided here or on the buttons below!
For auditory learners, these videos provide an audio version of the text.
I have also provided a map of how each artifact that I have included is linked to those goals and my learning metaphor (see below). The map is interactive and colour coded. You can click on the words that represent my SMART goals, labelled as "Theory", "Practice", and "EDIDA" (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Decolonization and Anti-Racism) to read my goals for the MET Program. The color coding shows how each element of the metaphor is connected to one or more of my smart goals. Clicking on each stage will provide you with a discussion of how the artifacts I have chosen connect to both the metaphor and my SMART goals.