Final

Yippie!

Prezi: http://prezi.com/wstl887i3wl-/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

Enjoy your summer everyone!

Reflection Summation: Looking at the Whole

Step 1:

- Week 1: Our first assignment was over the 12 qualities of an effective teacher. Before I added four more qualities that I still agree with. Now, I would like to ass one more quality. 17) Including student choice & basing lessons off of students needs/wants. I have begun to let me students vote for what they want to learn about next and I feel that this has taught them and myself many things. My self-inventory is still pretty much the same except for 10-enough ego to survive the hard days (was 3, now 2).

- Week 2: I said that time was getting in the way of many things like helping every student, misbehavior, differentiating, and problem solving. I have begun to use my students more to help resolve these issues. They have to ask their table for help before they seek my assistance. Also, I am relating my projects more to student wants which is helping in many areas.

- Week 3: This assignment was all about reflection. I have learned so much about reflection this year! Before I provided a list of questions I was going to start asking myself. I should've printed this list off, because I forgot about some of these questions. One area I did reflect on often this term was behavior management and punishment (What else could I try?). There were days that I felt a class was being so bad that I told them we would be writing or practices procedures the next time instead of making art. At times this was needed, but other times I felt guilty that I let my emotions get out of hand. Instead of always sticking to my word, I would come up with another approach. I would apologize to students if necessary, explain my new idea, and explain to them why things were being done this way. Sometimes I would even ask the students what they thought I should do.

In week 3, I gave myself 3 areas from Marzano's checklist to focus on. Here are my goals and my reflection on how I did:
1. I will assess overall understanding by asking students to take notes,

summarize information learned, and identify critical information through the

use of exit slips/response cards. Also, I'm going to practice using response

chaining. (I improved, but I still need to work on this. I still rarely use exit slips, but I have asked more questions to assess overall understanding.)

2. I will engage the students in processing new information by establishing

routines and incorporating more cooperative learning/group discussion. (I feel like I definitely achieved this goal. I did a unit that used group work and in some projects I allowed students to chose if they wanted to work alone or with others. Also, I provided more opportunity for large group and/or small group discussion.)

3. I will take action to engage students by utilizing more physical movement

for all grades. ex. brain breaks, random class stretch, vote with your feet,

act out/model, give on-get one. (This goal was achieved as well. Not only did I utilize most of the examples above, but I also did a few projects that required physical movement. In addition, I began to use stations when appropriate.)

- Week 4: I decided what my teaching metaphor was. I am an explorer and my students are the environment. I learn new things every single day.

- Week 5: I reflected on my "teaching self" and learned that I am a mixture of progressive, spiritual-contemplative, and social justice styles. Teaching is not only my profession, but it is a part of my identity that leaks itself into my everyday life. A few weeks ago, I was at the park with my cousin and her daughter. There were two girls there who were carrying around a huge branch/mini tree. I persuaded them to stop by questioning them on what could happen and helping them find new solutions to have fun. My cousin remarked, "You are such a good teacher." Until her remark, I hadn't even thought about the fact that I was using my teaching strategies outside the classroom. I've began to notice just how often I "teach" in my life. Not only do I teach children in my life, but I also teach my friends and family.

- Week 6 & Week 12 (video reflections): Although my video reflections showed me minor issues I wanted to work on, overall they encouraged me and showed me that I was doing a better job than I thought. Before, I was very hard on myself and only focused on the areas I wanted to improve. Now, I am much more confident in myself and I share my glows before my grows.

Fun fact: I noticed that both of my reflections were with the same group of students and both these lessons were about one of their "table artists". I didn't focus a lot on these artists until after winter break. I have decided that I will start doing this earlier in the year next time, because the students really enjoyed learning about these artists and copying them. They verbally communicated the artists' inspirations and what the students were personally inspired by.

Week 7: discomfort in the classroom. Before, I felt that my students showed discomfort by fearing they would do something wrong. I have finally convinced most of them to try more and realize there is no right or wrong answer. I believe that my unit on real artists and group work, greatly assisted in bringing about this change. At the end of this unit, students worked together in groups of 4 to recreate a famous art work. They got to choose their supplies and were allowed to make their own "tweaks". They loved it! I feel like the fact that they were in a group persuaded them to really take risks that they may have been too afraid to do on their own for fear of being judged. Afterwards, these risks began showing up more and more in their individual work as well.

Week 8: This assignment focused on my teaching self portrait. At first my reflection was vague, but I later revised it and noticed symbols I had unknowingly used. This project helped me to become more aware of thing like: my own process, what works and/or doesn't work for me, and how my teacher self is seen. In addition, I truly enjoyed doing this project, because I lost myself in painting again. I have not taken the time to create much this year and this assignment reminded me just how important it is for me to remain an artists and create pieces that I enjoy and want to make. Just because I am a teacher now, does not mean I should stop being an artist too. If I want to persuade my students to love art, I have to take the time to enjoy creating in my own life.

Week 9: Teacher goals and mission statement. Goals I made for myself during this assignment were: 1. not crippling labeling any individual, 2. think with a more WE mindset, 3. provide my students' more specific praise, 4. make a point not to avoid or cast aside problem students, and 5. take more responsibility when I feel wronged. I still have work to do, but overall I am very pleased with the progress I have made in these areas. I focus on student attributes now more than what displeases me, this had made my outlook much more positive. I give my students more options and include them in decision making. I have worked hard to tell them specifically what they did well, not just say "it looks great" and ask them what they think needs more work. I have made a point to ask problem students what is bothering them. Lastly, I have made it a point to ask myself what I am doing that is contributing to problems.

Week 10 & 11: Encouraging questioning. Before, I egotistically thought that I always provided questioning, because it has always been important to me to teach students how to think. After this assignment and the techniques it provided, I took a closer look at my teaching and realized that I could be doing a much better job at this. Becoming aware of this fact, has forced me to think and wait when students ask me a question. Now I rarely answer them, but instead ask them a question in return. It's fun to see their minds working. Now I just need to work on, persuading my excelled learners to refrain from helping too much and to let their classmates problem solve themselves.

Conclusion: During this course, I have begun to be easier on myself. I acknowledge what I am doing well and make it a point to only focus on a few areas of improvement at one time. My reflections no longer focus on mainly negatives and self blame. Instead, they look at multiple angles and attempt to problem solve in a variety of ways. I am aware of what kind of a teacher I want to be, how I am fulfilling this identity, and what I need to work on more to better achieve my goal. I now refrain from trying to fix everything all at once, and instead force myself to focus on a few goals at a time.

Teacher Lineage:

Overall, I still agree with my original lineage. I would like to add "attitudes of current educators." It saddens me to witness the amount of teachers who have given up. When I try to express positive outlooks or defend students, I am often told that I just feel that way cause I'm new and it will eventually ware off. These remarks make it difficult to keep trying to give it my all and do my best. This has persuaded me to make it my personal goal to never personally give up and never discourage new teachers' ideas.

How has this course influenced the way I now "read" my lineage?

When I look at the teachers on my lineage now, I find myself comparing their attributes to my own teaching and assessing myself.

- Am I exhibiting the positive aspects like allowing students to explore and find their own voice, providing student choice, inspiring their future, making class fun and memorable, persuading students to want to learn, showing that I care, and allowing them to become their own artists and learn from their own mistakes?

- Am I working hard to refrain from using negative aspects like becoming easily upset, discouraging questioning, making their art a version of my own style, and scaring students away from coming to me for support? 

 

Step 2/Proposal:
I started with some of Amy's suggestions & I added some of my own. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Myself as a teacher:

- constructivist approach/student-centered classroom

- positive reflection

- honesty
- teacher self/identity

Influenced from the past:

- reminders of what to do/positive attributes

- reminders of what not to do/negative attributes
Implications for the future:

- what will my students remember about me?
- what will I do the same next year?
- what will I change?

Influences from this class:

- how to properly promote questioning

- focus on 3 goals at a time from Marzano self-rating check list

- remember to always be an artist

- avoid labeling

- reflection/teacher self and changes
- specific feedback
Influences from my students:
- attitude
- lesson planning
- group/individual work
Goals/development: 
- current goals
- future goals/plans
- plan for future development 

ATTENTION! Middle School Educators... Please help! :)

I am looking for jobs closer to home for next year. Last month, I had a screening interview at a middle school. I felt like I bombed it. One of the reasons being that I have not had any teaching experience at a Middle School. Today, I applied for another Middle School position.

Does anyone have any advice for me if I get an interview??

What type of questions should I expect?

How would you answer the following:
Describe what a middle school art lesson would look like in your classroom.
What would your behavior management look like?
How would you handle a student that exhibits talent in art, but refuses to do the homework?

Any help would be appreciated!

Week 12 Responses

Week 12: Adair
Ok, I feel like a failure as an art teacher but I had to look up what Zentangles were. I've seen them, but I didn't know the name. Thank you for teaching me something new! :) Did any of your students know what they were?

I agree with you, that it may have been helpful to make them use pen. Next time, you could maybe have them practice on a small sheet with pencil and then use pen on their actual project. Side note: I usually have my students start with pencil in case they mess up, but they still beg me to let them have a new sheet, because "It doesn't erase everything. You can still see my mistake." Do you ever have this problem? Any suggestions for me?

I also have very large 5th grade classes (26 in each). On top of their vast numbers, they are a particularly challenging bunch (have been since Kindergarten, I am told). I am constantly struggling and altering my approach.  Here are a couple things you could try that have worked for me for a little while.  
1. Table points: When I noticed everyone at a table following the expectations, I gave them a tally, and the winning table got candy at the end.
2. Strike 3 = silent art: when they get too loud, I put up a strike. After 3 strikes, we go to silent art and I turn on music. I used to play Vitamin String Quarter, but they would continue to talk. Now, I play songs with words like: Let it Go from Frozen, Happy by Pharrell Williams, Everything is Awesome from the Lego Movie, Shine Your Way from Croods, etc. I found that playing music they enjoy really persuades them to remain quiet. However, this is beginning to lose its appeal as well.
Do you have any strategies I could try out? 

Week 12: Ginia

I teach at Mark Twain Elementary in Hannibal! Would you care if I shared your lesson idea with the classroom teachers? It'd be a great way to connect the content with the students' lives. 

The classroom was not silent (it shouldn't be during this lesson) A-men to that! I'm glad that you didn't see the misbehaviors you expected to see. Do you think this could be a result from your using a more students centered approach? Do you think you'll try using this approach again? It sounds like they enjoyed themselves. 

Your "selfie" remark inspired me with an idea. It might be fun to have them dress up and reenact the images you showed. Then, they could take a picture of themselves to help prompt their writing. Sorry, we art teachers are constantly thinking in visuals. :) 

Week 12 - Video 2 - Van Gogh Introduction

Lesson: 3rd Grade - Van Gogh (explained in week 10)
*I recorded a different class than the one I reflected on in the previous assignment. This was the last class to do it. So, I already had most of the kinks worked out.
Day 1: Prezi and Smart Board review game
http://prezi.com/qgzb5mftaca7/vincent-van-gogh/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy (click to view)
Day 2: Finish review while they color a Van Gogh coloring sheet. Then, start drawing the painting they want to recreate
Day 3&4: Use thick Paint, glue, and fork to paint one area at a time (Use warm or cool colors in foreground & reverse in background)

Pre-viewing Thoughts: I recorded my 3rd grade introduction to the Van Gogh project. I thought this lesson went very well. The students were very talkative, but I believe this is because they were very interested in the lesson and it was during MAP testing. A few of them sat quietly, almost in a zombie mode, but they seemed to listening and were able to answer their review questions. They were probably just tired from testing. During the review, almost all of the students were able to answer their question. They really enjoyed the Smart Board game, but the ones not participating were a bit loud.

Post-viewing Observations: The students were even more talkative than I remembered. They kept interrupting each other. I noticed that the students I remembered being zoned-out actually did participate in some discussion and they were very interested in the YouTube clips we watched. Throughout the lesson, there was a constant amount of hands shooting up and amazement being verbalized.

- I was surprised by.... certain reactions different students had. Some thought the bedroom video was cool and some thought it was creepy. Also, the students would read ahead of where our discussion was and comment, "Whoa he painted 900 paintings!" We had an interesting discussion on mental illness and one girl even thought her dad had one. The students wanted to view the Starry Night Optical Illusion again, and they still acted surprised the second time. They all read Van Gogh's quote with me. Lastly, I asked them how Van Gogh's work was different from other artists and one girl answered by explaining what all the other table artists' paint compared to Van Gogh's work. This truly delighted me. All my hard work has made an impression!

Goals: Many of my goals were met.
1. the students were questioning and wanting to know more.
2. I included student voice by having them read the information not me.
3. I continually related the lesson to their lives. For example, we talked about how Van Gogh taught himself how to paint and asked them if they had taught themselves how to do anything. One boy said he taught himself how to play video games. I explained that they were very capable of teaching themselves almost anything.
4. I provided the students with their objectives by telling them what they needed to focus on and remember. I also repeated important information.
5. When students rudely yelled out, I made sure to call on the ones raising their hands. 6. I ensured student engagement by occasionally asking a question then calling on a person whose hand was not raised.
6. I questioned students and helped them make a connection to this lesson and a previous lesson on warm and cool colors.
7. When students were talking about Van Gogh's paintings, I gave encouraging "ahhs" and "mmhmms", but did not voice my own opinion. This really helps me assess their thinking.

Needs Work: The review went very well and almost all the students could answer questions without help. At first, they were all very quiet and focused on the person at the Smart Board, but they eventually got tired of waiting and started to misbehave. I decided that the rest of class needed something to keep them occupied. During the lesson I recorded, we only had time for six students to answer a question and "pin the ear." In the next class, when I was letting them finish, I let all the students pick out a coloring page of one of Van Gogh's paintings. They colored it when it was not their turn. This really helped reduce behavior issues and was a great front loader for their next step when they would be recreating a Van Gogh piece or their own choosing.

What was getting in the way?: The lesson was slowed down on account of the students disrespect towards each other. They were so still crazy (I blame it on MAP) that they would shout out or interrupt each other and I had to continually remind them to be considerate. Also, the review was great, but the students behavior started to get in the way. The second day of review went much better.

I am 3rd grader, "Kiki"(all names changed): Earlier, Miss Amos let us vote on what table artists we wanted to learn about next. I chose Van Gogh, because I want to know why he cut off his ear. Then, we got to use the Chrome books to go to an art museum. This museum had Starry Night in it! I ended up being in the group that got to research this painting and artist. Then, we worked together to recreate it. It was a lot of fun working with my friends to make Starry Night, but we had a lot of trouble finding information about this piece. I am curious to know the answers to the questions we couldn't answer... Also, I wonder what project we'll do.

- Wow this video about the bedroom being made is pretty neat!

- Oooo cool, I can read ahead and know the correct answers when Miss Amos asks them! Wait, what is a mental illness? ... He didn't know what he was doing.... "Miss Amos, does that mean he didn't know he was painting??" Oh... he was only crazy some of the time. Elsa thinks her dad is messed up in the head? My dad is probably sick too.

- He taught himself how to paint? I wonder if I could teach myself and my friends how to do something cool.

- I like that painting of the chair! Hmmm.. -looks around at tables- those other artists are very different than Van Gogh. It looks like he always painted what he saw. That was really hard to do when we drew our own still lives. But he probably liked it more, because he got to use color unlike we did. I wonder if he used an eraser... Probably not. Miss Amos said we couldn't use them because that's what real artist do and Van Gogh was definitely a great artist even if no one thought that when we was alive.

- I wish I could go to Van Gogh's museum! Maybe if I teach my mom about Van Gogh she'll want to take me.

   - Review: We get to throw a ball at the Smart Board and our whole class will be watching just me? Sweeeeet! Good job George!... and Anna... and Jasper. Ok is it my turn yet?! Finally! What was Van Gogh's first painting? Oooo, it was that colorful one, "The Red Vineyard!" That's right, I'm a start student. Hehe it's dark, this is so much fun! Haha! His ear ended up on his nose. Well that was cool, but what am I supposed to do now....? "Hey Elsa, what'd you do this weekend?" ........................ Oh, Miss Amos seems a little annoyed. My class was being bad, again! Why is it so hard for them to follow the rules? Oh wait, I was not listening either... but I'm usually always being a leader. I was just.... bored! Ok focus. We get to pick whatever Van Gogh painting we want and paint it using glue?? Hmm, this example feels awesome! What painting should I copy?

   - At Recess: "Hey Libby (3rd grader from another class)! Did you guys learn about Van Gogh in art yesterday? That part where we stared at the spiral and it made the sky move was pretty awesome, huh?..... Yeah, I already made Starry Night with my group. So, this time I want to paint that bedroom picture. Maybe I could put my own bead spread in it! I'm going to teach my mom about Van Gogh when I get home. Maybe she'll agree with me that dad has a mental illness. Tehe."