Curriculum Activity Risk Assessment—that’s what CARA means. But what does it mean for a school to get audited for safety in an ITD department? There was a lot of activity, including research, photos, forms, signs, checking tools and machines, asking lots of questions and then putting a PLAN in place.
Like all teachers, my aim is to create a safe and productive learning environment for students in the workshop by setting clear expectations for students to comply with the workshop safety rules, learn and pass compulsory safety tests and follow all Safety Operating Procedures (SOP) for every tool, machine and task while they are in the workshop.
As a builder of over 30 years, I have seen my share of serious accidents by tradesmen rushing or not concentrating on their tasks or surroundings.
As I say to my students,
“The blade does not care if it hurts you as it slices through your fingers.”
This semester, my 3-week Pex/Prac was at my Internship Host school as per Trade 2 Teach guidelines. The main difference was that I was at the school full-time and got to observe more classes. I also could ease my way into micro lessons and, eventually, full lessons. The internship helped with this process immensely, as I already knew the school, the students and how the school does things, so I could concentrate on developing my knowledge of curriculum and pedagogy techniques and strategies. During my practicum, I joined the supervising teacher in marking and moderating assessments/ marks. This was a great experience, as I saw the full lifecycle of a subject, which, in turn, helped me modify my teaching practices.