Paula Lewis

Paula Lewis

Hi. I’m a keen outdoor and ice swimmer! Degree Sociology and English. Worked as a PA in media then onto making short films. Worked at a Montessori school and my present job for last decade is TA.

Location Manchester

Activity

  • Is there any way of proving to my work that I have completed this course, (without paying the £32 for a certificate and final test)

    I have spent many hours learning, reading and digesting. Also putting into practice new skills everyday; as I am sure fellow futurelearn students have too. Would be great to know. Thank you

  • I’ve enjoyed this course and feel more confident and knowledgeable about PFA , which is beneficial in covid times. I will be looking, listening and linking if needed. Thank you.

  • Brilliant resources and links.

  • Self care is so important. Then we can be healthy and well enough to care for others .

  • Very useful.
    Good idea to check links are up to date.

  • Useful links.

  • Really important reminder , We must look after ourselves to be able to help others. Remember to look after number one , my mum used to say.

  • Paula Lewis made a comment

    I love the 54321 technique and grounding technique.
    I like the pinching of the fingertips whilst saying a mantra in my head such as ‘ simply it’s going to be a good day ‘ helps focus. I love breathing and calming techniques too .

  • Paula Lewis made a comment

    Really interesting the difference between empathy and sympathy and how best and when to show them .

  • Powerful video! I think I’ll forward it to my colleagues. Thank you.

  • I am looking forward to learning about the look and listen approach and identifying children who may need more practical support and resources.

  • Paula Lewis made a comment

    A very informative and helpful start to the course.

  • Great video about dignity and respect

  • The resources are great, thank you

  • It’s really important to understand that children and young people will respond differently to abnormal situations. Levels of resilience can vary. The cognitive development and signs of distress should be considered. These are common reactions for most children, however some may try and hide their emotions or react in a different way. Children with special...

  • Talking with family and friends helps. I like to go for an outdoor swim at the lake or Quays to help clear my mind.

  • I am hoping to be able to identify and support pupils who may need help when they return to school.

  • I play the game with my boys when we are watching TV...camera position, camera shot ... very fun. Getting to know them all . Great

  • Paula Lewis made a comment

    I need to practice a couple of these techniques more. Thank you

  • I love iMovie. I find myself spending too much time editing though! And now school are asking me to do lots more because they like my editing! Haha It’s all good fun and creative. I think iMovie is the most user friendly editing software I have come across.

  • Wow! Would love a dolly and tracks! Very Pro! So smooth

  • Great way to teach phonics.Brilliant

  • Fantastic! Short , sharp , snappy! Good clear French language with great visuals. Love it! Tres bien

  • I love this video. It moves along well with so much art information packed in. Great voiceover and music. Where can you use music from without copyright? Please.

  • Amazing! So time consuming. My Grandma used to do this, it was all set up in her attic. I was always fascinated. She made a short film called Albert the lion , that is the one that I remember most. I’d love to get this set up fir my kids and kids at school. Step by step though... it still seems complicated. Will have to make it really basic to start with :)...

  • The visual learning and the audio worked well too! Fantastic

  • I love the idea of paper cut outs fir my Year 2’s. Creative

  • Wow! Love it. Can’t wait to show pupils some inspirational stop motion animation.

  • Hi, I’ve never used Padlet page before. It looks good!

  • The extreme long shot works perfectly at the end of the film. I recognise the different shots. Really helpful.

  • Paula Lewis made a comment

    As a TA in year 2 bubble with an extremely busy curriculum I doubt there will be any time to do this in school at the moment, sadly.

    However if I can organise it I think I would introduce them to a ‘one shot’ film style. I would use the Plan Worksheets. Discuss the topic eg. Egyptians choose one amazing fact per group. Research it, write down what they...

  • The Vimeo’s are great! I love the persuasive writing spiderman one! I agree too, Cora the teenage sister one is hilarious.

  • Can you think of any topics that you’re currently teaching that could benefit from this approach?
    This one shot approach would be good for all sports in our PE lessons. Keeping it short filming in only one shot eg.a tennis serve, dance move, football manoeuvre, rounders throws. Could be used to show actions in Drama, facial expression. Music a line of a song,...

  • A fun approach! A bit like charades, like a game of chemical knowledge

  • I really like this ‘one shot’ style of filming, perfect for the camera shy! Also only need paper and pen. Simple but effective. Clear voiceover and instructions. I would be tempted to use some counting cubes/sticks/counters/buttons too for visual effect and aid. I would set it out using squared paper (Year 2) This would be very helpful to use in lockdown. Thanks

  • What other ideas do you have for using teacher-created films as a tool for learning?
    Make a film in short steps showing the pupil how to do origami or a maths puzzle , or whatever is next on their learning journey... Put an Egyptians fun fact quiz together for them, with multiple choice answers. Something more interactive online ? Games, puzzles, challenges.

  • You could try stacking a pile of books putting iphone or ipad camera at top facing down until you get the right distance for filming. Then put some more books on top of the device. Works for me for filming hands free. Good luck.

  • That’s great. The student is like the teacher! The process is well prepared and thought out before the camera is rolling! the experiment, recording it , adding the narrative and the correct scientific terms. Brilliant , the pupils will never forget this and by using this hands on approach and filming it it’s engaging and hopefully more fun. Well done!

  • I love this! The pupils were engaged and took ownership, especially with the alien story! Acting as news reporters they were keen to get the facts correct. Brilliant team building. 3 pupils was the 4th camera person? Great filming skills too

  • Maybe pupils could interview their peers on a hot topic/s of the week eg. Climate change. The mic could be a ‘hot potato’ passed round. They can reflect on the week and discuss , with year 2 age I would have to give them some starting points and direction then with their talk partners or small groups they would hopefully come up with something interesting to...

  • What topics in your teaching do you think could be made more accessible and enjoyable with filmmaking and animation?
    All topics! eg. Y2 Maths partitioning use colourful beads/blocks/cards multi sensory aids to show how a number is partitioned 100 + 50 + 4 is 154 pulled apart. The film could be short sharp and snappy probably animated . Hopefully the team...

  • Hi, I am a TA year 2. I also have kids at different stages of education at Masters Sc, A’Level and year 4. I have had experience making films on broadcast quality equipment in the 90’s!!! Thing’s have changed technically and I would like to up skill! I hope I can pass on skills to create and produce films with the pupils at school/online and my own kids at...

  • I think all topics can be made more accessible and enjoyable through making film and animation. It will help pupils to talk, put their creative ideas on a storyboard and as a team share roles ie. director , producer, camera person, sound, writer.. they can swap roles too. so for example they could film stop start animation of some colourful cubes/cards to to...

  • Good checklists in the form of diagram; making sure all different ways of higher order thinking have been implemented and embedded into the flow of the curriculum work to the pupil. Will do a printout for on my desk to serve as a reminder for HOT. Thanks

  • Valuing and planning for diversity in heterogeneous settings. (This is my favourite definition off the info graphic. :)

  • They talk to their talk partners. We usually spot the ones who haven’t contributed and engage them in the discussion by asking fir their ideas/thoughts. If some have still not grasped it then we’ll talk to them in their smaller groups or individually.

  • With a new topic we may get the pupils to sit on the carpet (year2) and have a discussion, first of all listening to what the pupils have to offer and build from there.

  • Paula Lewis made a comment

    Looking forward to advice on where the student is at? Assessment and differentiation being effective. Thanks

  • Thank you this is very helpful and I will print out the grid and use it in the classroom, hopefully some ‘Eureka’ moments.

  • Paula Lewis made a comment

    I’ve recommended this course to my colleagues at work. And I’ve put this down as my personal CPD training. Thank you

  • ⭐️to reflect and listen
    ⭐️to use the tally chart and matrix
    I wish to become a better TA
    Thank you for this course, I’ve enjoyed it and learnt a lot.

  • Paula Lewis made a comment

    3s was much too quick to respond effectively. 10s was much more civilised!

  • I’ll be asking more higher order questions. I’ll allow longer for the answer and reflection. I’ll try and make my questions more interesting

  • I’ll be thinking about this every time I ask my pupils questions. Will try the talky chart too.

  • Really interesting. We have vocabulary books ... but I’m going to find an area on the wall to display ‘new’ words-a word bank on the wall ...also with their origins ie. astronaut is Greek for ‘star sailor’

  • I spend hours reading with my pupils and indeed my own kids at home- I love reading. This love of reading is something special. Parents are so busy though theses days, and don’t always get chance to read. A bedtime story is the best thing for my kids and me! Also when they were little 2 -4 I used to switch on the subtitles so they could see the words as well...

  • A child asked me what does astronaut mean? I looked it up and it is Greek for ‘star sailor’ what a lovely description... I learn new things everyday.
    An interesting video, thank you.

  • Listening is important for the pupils to learn, and talk to their talk partners and discuss. Reading and writing ... all important skills. Sometimes working in silence is needed fir eg. reading or writing up a piecemeal of work etc...

  • Yes, speaking and listening go hand in hand. I find that the teacher does most of the speaking in class and I listen to the pupils. I probably speak more when it's break time etc...

  • I think the topic of RSE is very important, all children should be given the opportunity to discuss in school. Teachers may benefit from being fully trained in RSE especially in areas of pregnancy and online relationships.

  • Paula Lewis made a comment

    It is an important and natural subject that should be taught age appropriately - introducing topics gradually from Y3 to Y6

  • We are always there to listen to a pupils who may want a chat. We show empathy and teach empathy, kindness, respect , caring & sharing in the classroom. We talk to the teacher about any concerns /issues re: pupils. We celebrate and share Pupils achievement in a positive working classroom.

  • The role of TA is to work in unison with their teacher and other teachers eg. PE and Drama teachers etc...Also, to support the needs of all pupils -SEN and Gifted & talented pupils (who need extension work and further challenges.) TA’s help each pupil reach their goals, academically, socially , emotionally. Working in small groups or one to one we teach...

  • Hello all, I’’m from Manchester and just this morning listened to Maxine Peake reading The Masque of Anarchy , so I’m ready and raring to go now; was happy to find this course on my Twitter feed today, thanks a great learning opportunity.
    My youngest just learnt about Emaline Pankhurst with school at The People’s History Museum Manchester so he is always...