Critical Problem Solving

E-portfolio- standard D

How is problem solving/critical thinking taught through art? What are some different strategies you have used to promote problem solving/critical thinking?

I have practiced and used questioning techniques to help students develop higher level thinking skills.  During instruction and individual critique asking students the following questions and, more importantly, follow up questions helps to develop their critical thinking skills:

- Describe what you see.

-What does it make you think about?
-How do you think the artist created this piece?
-What do you think the artist wanted the viewer to think about?

-What materials were used to make this?

-What do you want the viewer to think when they look at your piece?

-What do people think when they see your piece?
-How is this work successful?  

-How were you successful in your work?

I use these questioning techniques in introduction of a lesson/artist, in reflection on students own artwork, in critique of other's artwork and in large and small group discussions.  I have found that this helps students to think more critically.

Professional Development and Continuing Education

 E-portfolio- standard H –and your video

What do you see the role of professional development being in your career?

I see professional development as a way to continue to self-reflect on teaching style, learn what is current in educational research and to help keep my teaching methods relevant.

Continuing to learn about educational practices will help to serve as a reflection tool in the classroom and a reminder to push myself as an educator.  In my student teaching I have seen several veteran teachers that have used the same methods as when they began teaching, in some cases this works, but in many the teaching style is no longer relevant or successful with a new population of students.

Keeping up with educational research will help to develop new and different strategies in the classroom as well as to develop deeper understanding of the student population.  In my secondary student teaching assignment I was in a school with a majority of students living in poverty.  One assignment for professional development was to read the book "Teaching with Poverty in Mind: What Being Poor Does to Kids' Brains and What Schools Can Do about It", after reading the book we had small and large group discussion about the topic.  A few weeks later the teachers did a poverty simulation during a professional development day.  Both of these experiences were incredibly useful in helping to understand more about a part of the student population I was teaching and helped me to instruct in a more meaningful way.  

Technology in the Art Classroom

E-portfolio- standard J

How have you used technology to enhance your teaching- how do you want to in the future, what technology is necessary?

In my art classroom I have used several different technology resources to enhance my teaching.  Projection from a computer, video, Elmo, document camera and smart board.  While each of these technologies have helped with instruction, none are necessary in the art classroom.  I believe it is important to know how to use technology but also to be able to work without it.  

I have especially used power point and video to introduce a lesson or unit.  I have found that this helps students to relate images and words to the new material.  I integrate video into my power points.  With one lesson on street art I began each day with a video on a different street artist.  This served as an anticipatory set and inspired students while teaching them about various forms of street art.

While teaching a clay unit I had the opportunity to use a document camera to project my demonstration space to the classroom.  This was very helpful to describe visually and verbally to students the process I wanted them to use to make coil pots.  Using a document camera enabled me to show a larger group of students the process at once, cutting down on individual demonstration time and allowing students more studio time.

While I have used technology to enhance instruction I believe there are times when it is not helpful.  While teaching a Monet watercolor unit to 3rd graders, I found that large group instruction was not enough to teach the students the methods I wanted them to use.  Instead, I made demonstration posters for the stippling effect they were working towards in their watercolors and went around the classroom giving individual and small group instruction.  In this case, technology was not as advantageous.  This shows that the instructor needs to be aware and considerate of use of technology in the classroom.

Art Education Advocacy and Community Involvement

E-portfolio- standards F & I

In what ways do the roles of art teacher and art education advocate overlap? In what ways can advocacy be used as a communication tool? What is your view of the importance of teachers’ relationships with their school community, parents/guardians, and the larger community – include in your discussion the role of professional ethics and school or community projects in which you were involved.

Being an advocate for the arts as a teacher is important in building community support for your program and helping both students and community members understand the importance of arts education.

Studies show that students with arts education perform better on tests, have lower drop-out rates and feel more connected to school I think these results speak for themselves on why we should have arts education in schools.

Being an advocate for anything can tread into dangerous territory, no one really likes to be told what to do or what (you think) is right. Especially in teaching, which is a very public position, I can see that being overzealous in advocating for arts could be a turn off for parents and community members. I do however, think that arts advocacy is incredibly important and a necessary part of being an art teacher. It will be important to know who to reach out to in the community and how, and it may be necessary to start to build a great art program slowly. Having community support will be invaluable for promoting arts and I think that parents and school administrators are probably the place to start.

Having after-school programs, community art shows, and mentoring programs are all places I would start in building an art program in a community. Also, making yourself personally available and getting involved in other extracurriculars as a teacher will show that you are invested in all aspects of a students' education.

Assessment

E-portfolio-standard G

What is the role/ importance of assessment in art education? What methods of assessments have you used?

Assessment is important in art education to ensure authentic learning.  Additionally, good assessment in the art classroom highlights the importance of art education.  

I have used a variety of assessment tools while student teaching and I believe this is the best way to get authentic assessment and impress the importance of art education to students and adults.  In my classroom I have used rubrics, self-evaluation, reflections, and oral presentations.  I have found that using a variety of techniques and describing them before beginning the project helps students to understand the expectations and to work to achieve a high standard.

Using assessment tools like writing reflections and self-evaluation are helpful not only in assessing student work but as artifacts to present to parents, administrators and colleagues helping to show that the art classroom is about more than "making cool stuff".  I have worked hard in my student teaching experience to create units of instruction and assessment that are interdisciplinary.  I usually require research and writing with each project.  I believe this helps not only to provide "proof" of the importance of art education but also makes the instruction more valuable to the students.

Subject Knowledge and Resources

The impact that subject knowledge has on teaching. What are some resources you can turn to for support in lesson planning ideas? People, places, websites…

In order to bring a wealth of subject knowledge to the classroom it is important to continue my own education- through courses (college or community art), research, reading and experience.

Collaborating with other art teachers or teachers in other disciplines is a great resource for both lesson plans and classroom management strategies. Building relationships with other teachers and colleagues will provide many individual resources for lesson planning ideas. I have already begun sharing lesson plan ideas with classmates and fellow teachers, working together can greatly enrich a lesson plan and strategies for implementation.

The internet is also a good resource for lesson planning and content. It is important to remember to be a discerning reader when using the internet as a resource in the classroom making sure to choose appropriate content. In addition to making sure content is relevant and appropriate it is also important to cite any resource (images, text, etc) that is used in the classroom- this will also help students to understand citing resources. There are many art education blogs and websites that have lesson plan starters, power points, flashcards and more. Some of these are: Artsonia, Deep Space Sparkle, and increasingly Pinterest.

The library is also a great resource, I often go to the public library and browse the stacks for ideas for content- specific artists, art styles, movements or project ideas.

Positive Learning Environment

What class rules are essential to a positive teaching/learning experience?

I think that the number one rule in any classroom should be respect. A common rule I have heard about this is: Respect Yourself, Respect the Materials, Respect Others. In addition to respect I would post the following class rules in the classroom and go over them at the beginning of the year and repeat as needed:

•Treat each member of the class with respect (unconditional positive regard)

•Be on time and prepared for class

•Complete all projects

oPut forth your best effort

oAsk questions when you don’t understand

oChallenge yourself to be creative

•Respect the equipment and materials

•Observe all safety rules (outlined in lectures and safety handout)

•Participate in class discussions

oListen quietly

oDon’t talk when others are talking

•Follow all school rules

In a nutshell: “Respect yourself, respect others, respect the materials, respect me.”

How do plan to create a positive learning environment when you have your own classroom?

I think that creating a positive learning environment involves classroom management, mutual respect and building individual relationships.

A way to begin to create a positive learning environment through classroom management is to establish clear and concise rules and consequences for the classroom. Classroom rules should be consistent with school rules and keep with the principles of learning. When establishing classroom rules, letting students have a say in classroom rules empowers them with control of their learning environment and will also maintain positive student-teacher relationships by establishing a pattern of mutual respect.

Researchers have found that the teachers who maintain better classroom behavior are those who set and maintain clear and concise classroom rules; keep rules simple and few in number; state rules in terms of what students should do rather than what students should not do; and keep rules posted and refer to them frequently. With these guidelines it is important for the teacher to remember that by changing his or her behavior, you can change the climate of the classroom. Focusing on the positive (what students should be doing and what they are doing well) instead of the negative (what they’re not doing and what they’re doing badly) helps both to foster a good learning environment and good behavior from students.

In addition to establishing rules for classroom behavior I believe that a positive learning environment naturally follows if teachers establish positive individual relationships with students. Getting to know each student and proving that you know and care about them will create a relationship that will help students want to follow classroom rules and engage in the learning environment. In the secondary art classroom this can be done through sketchbook and journaling exercises and reflection papers.

With creating classroom rules it is also important to establish known consequences for breaking the rules, creating consequences after the fact is too late. Students need to feel that consequences are fair and reliable to respect them. Consequences should focus on the behavior that was wrong, not the individual and it should be emphasized to students that they have the power to chose their actions and control the outcome of their behavior. Encouraging students to reflect on their behavior will help them to understand why the behavior they did was wrong, not just because of the teacher’s authority or because they were caught. Lastly, helping students to consider what could be done differently in a situation will help them to correct their behavior before it occurs.

Diverse Learners

How do you approach planning and teaching to diverse learners?

I think that before you get to know your students it is important to plan for as many different kinds of learners as possible. In art it is possible to make accommodations through visual and verbal instructions and showing many examples and demonstrations. Students can help each other and older students can volunteer to help younger students (if allowed by the school schedule). As you get to know your students individually, it is easier to anticipate the different needs of each student.

What accommodations have you made for diverse learners?

In my classroom I have made accommodations for diverse learners by providing verbal and written instructions, giving demonstrations, and moving around the classroom to help students individually. In some cases I have called in an ELL specialist to help with writing activities. I have had students help each other-I find that this is beneficial to all students and builds different skills for each individual. Additionally, for students with difficulty using fine motor skills I will have them use tools like rulers and stencil to aid in their art. Using a light box or overhead project has helped students in my classroom with low vision or difficulty seeing contrast. I have also read tests and other written materials out loud to students with reading disability or students that have trouble concentrating.

High Expectations, Classroom Setting, and Community

Think back to influential classes you have taken. How were expectations set to promote student success?

I think the classes that I was most motivated in were the ones where I cared what the instructor thought about my work. Knowing or thinking that a teacher cares about you personally and academically is a big motivator helps with student success. In classroom management we learned that High Expectations plus Caring and Support equal Student Success. I think this is important to remember in the classroom. Having high (achievable) expectations for all students and giving them the support and structure they need to achieve these expectations leads to successful students. Setting achievable goals is also key in this equation. Creating opportunities for success for each student helps to ensure that they are motivated to continue succeeding.

Introduce your student teaching setting.

My classroom is in a beautiful 100 year old building with huge windows. The composition of my classes is very diverse and I love it. The school is located in an urban neighborhood that has a strong community and a lot of parental support. My cooperating teacher and I have been doing a lot of collaborating and team teaching while we transition to my lead teaching full-time. This has been a wonderful experience because I get a chance to lead but am still able to observe and have support.

How do you view the expectations and classroom community established in your current placement?

My cooperating teacher has high expectations for each student- she helps them to achieve success by working each individual and checking their progress between each step.

The community aspect of this classroom is very strong. Students are encouraged to help each other, give positive feedback and help with cleaning up. You often see students checking the behavior of others and helping to self-correct.

Student teaching, job search and clothes, oh my!

What do you find most daunting about finishing student teaching and graduating from college?

I am most worried about finding a job post-graduation- there are not a lot of job openings and finding full-time employment in art education is difficult. Although I am very nervous to begin student teaching, I think that I am prepared and ready to begin the next set of "training wheels". I do worry that I will get nervous and forget my words in front of the class, but I think that after a couple of times it will feel natural- and this is all about practice! I am also worried about getting along with my cooperating teachers- either with different personalities, teaching styles or control in the classroom. I plan to be very flexible, hard-working and accommodating so hopefully no conflicts will occur.

What was the pivotal event that made you decide to become a teacher and enter your teacher preparation program?

After I graduated from college I lived in Michigan and Chicago for a few years. I had a very unsatisfying job in Chicago and when my husband decided to return to school for law I saw my chance to return to school to do what I had always wanted to do but had been too afraid- become a teacher.

In what ways will your wardrobe change during student teaching and as a teaching professional?

Less jeans. But seriously, I have been collecting "teaching" clothes little by little over the past couple of years and feel good about my wardrobe selection. My teacher clothes are definitely more conservative than my regular clothes. I make sure to cover all my skin and to wear things that coordinate and look professional rather than trendy. Once concern I always have is the decolletage area- I tend to wear a lot of scarves to prevent any incidents.

The UAYSFA Experience

Photo courtesy of Beriet Bichel

The UAY School For the Arts experience was a very particular situation different from a secondary classroom. I really appreciated the experience I gained with secondary-aged students and team-teaching.

Our project was to create an "Exquisite Corpse Shadowbox" using mixed media. It was very collaborative, which each student working on a panel that would fit together like a puzzle to create a 4' x 8' final installation. It was a huge undertaking both for us and the students.

If I were to do this particular lesson again, I might scale the size of the finished product down and create more parameters for the students to work within. In this setting we did not want to inhibit the students' ideas or creativity so we had a pretty open range of what they could do. A problem with this was that they didn't necessarily know what they wanted to do. I think giving a couple of specific project parameters (size, media, etc.) would help the students to focus at the beginning of the project.

I would also have more specific goals for each studio work time and create more formal demonstrations for techniques. I think our students would have benefitted from a more structured environment. Although, I do think that you have to know your students well to know whether more or less structure will be beneficial to them; some people thrive under structure and some wither.

In the end I think both we and the students were very happy and proud of our finished piece. I was certainly proud of how it emerged. Working collaboratively was fun and educational. Each student tried something they had not tried before and learned something important from the project.

Building Classroom Communities

Creating a community in the classroom is something that I have been thinking a lot about this semester since it has come up in many of my classes. While I really want to be able to create a mini-community in my classroom I worry that external factors over which I have no control will hinder these efforts.

I think that building relationships based on trust and respect is where to start with creating a classroom community. Earlier in the semester we discussed how to do this after reading the first chapter of Fires in the Bathroom. A couple of things that stuck out to me were doing student surveys in the first days of class. I think that doing this and working it into a project of personal identity might be a good way to start a semester and get students to know one another. Especially in a larger school, where the students might not know each other as well or come from very different backgrounds. Learning about each other can help to understand and appreciate diversity.

A specific strategy that I believe would be appropriate to use in high school art to increase the likelihood that my students will feel a sense of connection to the classroom and school is creating after-school programs where high-school students teach middle-school students. I believe this strategy will help both sets of students and will be a good way to work within a small budget and to get students involved that are not members of other extracurricular activities.

Fostering a sense of community in the classroom is productive for many reasons. Students that feel a part of a larger group will automatically be more engaged with the material. Research shows that students that are more connected are less likely to engage in health compromising behaviors and have increased academic success. High quality student-teacher relationships are helpful for classroom management. A feeling of connectedness helps with social development. Each of these reasons alone is motivation enough to establish a sense of community in the classroom and individual relationships with students. Ultimately, fostering a sense of community in the classroom will help to create a safe, healthy, productive environment where students want to engage in material and will be more successful socially and academically.

Classroom Management

For the most part we had little classroom management problems in our UAYSFA group. I think because our group is so small, we have a 1-1 student/teacher ratio, that many problems that occur in bigger classrooms are not problematic for us.

A couple of things I have noticed, however, is trying to keep the students on task. Cell phones are a real problem, and in this casual setting it felt weird to try to regulate them. I think in the future I will just impose a no-cell phone policy.

Additionally, while I love that students are talking and engaging with each other, I want to make sure that they are still working while doing so. Some people can work and talk at the same time and others can't. It was and will be hard to try to get the students to stay on task without seeming like a mean disciplinarian. This was something we had a small problem with in our group, a couple of times I had to "shhh" a student and ask them to keep working on their project. To be honest, it felt mean and I kind of hated it. I hope that it will get easier, because sometimes the teacher has to be the authority.

I think that one thing we did that was successful was to work alongside our students. In this way we were able to show them our artist identities, but we were also able to quietly fade into the background and I think our productivity partially motivated the students productivity. Watching us work helped them to work. It also meant that we were right there at the table to work on any problems with them or to comment on their work as they were going along. I think this also helped to build a sense of community in our group, which I think helps in classroom management in that the group becomes self-regulatory.

One thing I would like to do in my future classroom is to have a posted set of classroom rules. I doubt I'll label them this way, and I would like to have student input on them. These would include being prepared, being ready to work and especially a being respectful to self and others. I hope that this will help to create a classroom where students feel safe and that will result in some great art-making.

Arts Advocacy

Being an advocate for the arts as a teacher is important in building community support for your program and helping both students and community members understand the importance of arts education.

Studies show that students with arts education perform better on tests, have lower drop-out rates and feel more connected to school I think these results speak for themselves on why we should have arts education in schools.

Being an advocate for anything can tread into dangerous territory, no one really likes to be told what to do or what (you think) is right. Especially in teaching, which is a very public position, I can see that being overzealous in advocating for arts could be a turn off for parents and community members. I do however, think that arts advocacy is incredibly important and a necessary part of being an art teacher. It will be important to know who to reach out to in the community and how, and it may be necessary to start to build a great art program slowly. Having community support will be invaluable for promoting arts and I think that parents and school administrators are probably the place to start.

Having after-school programs, community art shows, and mentoring programs are all places I would start in building an art program in a community. Also, making yourself personally available and getting involved in other extracurriculars as a teacher will show that you are invested in all aspects of a students' education.

Checking In...

On week three of UAYSFA we checked in with the students with a mini-evaluation. We had our students fill out a survey and asked for their feedback. We asked that the students bring back the evaluation form the next week, and none of them did. In retrospect we should have given them time in class to fill out the evaluation form. We didn't this time because we weren't very far in our process and a critique/evaluation didn't seem like an efficient use of our time.

We did however, meet with each student and talk about where they were going with their project, whether or not there was something they felt they needed help with and what kinds of materials they wanted to use/learn about. I found this discussion to be helpful both for the students and for us as teachers. I think it helped the students to concretize their ideas for their projects and to think ahead about the finished product. It helped us as teachers to see where they were struggling (even if they didn't know they were) and what areas they might need help with in the future.

What I took away from this exercise was that open and honest communication with your students is very rewarding. It not only helps to further their art, but also helps you to get to know them and establish a trusting relationship. I think that having mutual respect and trust in a student-teacher relationship is one of the most important things in establishing a good learning environment.

Local Celebrities!

Check out the article and pictures about UAYSFA in the Daily Iowan! 

 UI students teach art to local children - The Daily Iowan

1st Day of UAYSFA

I had been anxious and apprehensive about the students coming on Thursday, mainly because I was worried about not being prepared enough, but it all turned out great! I was surprised at the few number of male students enrolled, and then surprised that that I had expected more males than females, I do not know where that assumption came from.

Actually meeting the students alleviated a lot of my fears, they were a lot younger than I remembered high school students to be, and while talented, they are not the experts I had been worried about impressing. I am no longer terrified of knowing less (about art, anyway) than a student.

Watching them mingle and figure out their own social order at the beginning was pretty hilarious. I talked to a few students that were lingering on the edges and tried to draw them into a crowd or encourage them to sit with some other students. They seemed to appreciate the invitation to be included and I saw some relief on a few of their faces.

As we were explaining our project to our group I think our students became a little overwhelmed and didn't necessarily fully grasp what we had laid out for them, but their enthusiasm didn't fail! They seem excited for the project and I think they will have a lot of great ideas once they feel more comfortable talking with us about them. We have two females and a male in our group and the ladies are far less talkative thus far. While we made artist trading cards I tried to ask them questions about themselves, what kind of art classes they had taken or were going to take, and they opened up a little. I think next time we need to work on asking them more questions and getting them to talk a little more and especially feel comfortable sharing their ideas and speaking up about them.

I also think that having a specific agenda for what we want to accomplish each session will help with their confusion about the project. It is a complicated project to explain and once we get started I think they'll get it, but for now, I'm not sure they have any idea what we're doing.

I am really excited about the next coming weeks and can't wait to get to know our students better and see what everyone creates!

When did you know you wanted to be a teacher?

I knew I wanted to be a teacher during my junior year at Iowa State. But I was scared and especially worried about not making enough money. I took a few education classes at ISU and loved them, but the idea of commitment was too daunting for me. After I graduated from ISU I forgot about teaching for a while and just floated along through life for a bit. I moved to Michigan, lived in a beach house and worked at a restaurant. It was fun, but I was stalling. Then I moved to Chicago and got a job at Northwestern. It was pretty sweet at first; I made money, had benefits, wore suits and had friends in Chicago. Eventually, I came to loathe Northwestern; I was anxious, I gained weight, I hated everything and felt stuck. Then Matt decided to go to law school and we moved to Iowa City. I was excited, but that excitement quickly drained, I interviewed at a ton of places and then the economy went really bad; I had no job, no friends, I felt depressed, unsuccessful and mostly unfulfilled. However, I learned a lot about myself, I matured, found focus and I found my sense of humor again (Northwestern had taken it!). I reevaluated things and I decided to go back to school to get my teaching certificate- and I’m totally stoked about it. I had missed art. I missed school. I think that my love of both is why I want to be a teacher. It took a while to get back but I have always been the kind of person that had to try out a bunch of things before making a decision. I feel like this is right and that I’m finally doing what I wanted to do years ago.

Artist Trading Cards

We made artist trading cards in class last week and here are some that I made. It was a super fun project, I could totally see doing this with a class or with a bunch of friends just for kicks.