A day(45
min.) in Miss Amos' Art Room...
This was a lesson that
introduced Georgia O'Keeffe. She is one of my "table artists". The
students were very enthusiastic and engaged. I was originally only going to
have them do flowers, but some of the boys asked if they could do skulls of shells
instead. So, I easily relented and let them have some more choice. I thought it
went really well and I was pleased with how much my students wanted to share
their ideas. After watching the film, I think my thoughts were pretty accurate.
I only had to quietly ask two girls to stop talking during the introduction and
everyone else was engrossed. They were pretty respectful to each other and
listened well. There was one instance that they were all too loud, but I
clapped and they mimicked me and shut right up. I was pleased with how much
student voice was heard. They told me what they saw or thought and I did not
tell them they were right or wrong; I just let them explore their ideas. I was
surprised that they wanted to draw skulls, because I thought they would think
they were too difficult, but they did an exceptional job.
My goals are to have
the students talking more than me and showing their understanding. I want to
engage them by keeping them interested. I also want them to be confident in
their ability and to ask each other questions. I have a "talk brush".
When we are looking at artists' works, the only person allowed to talk is the
one holding the brush. They seem to be very used to this by now. They say what
they notice or what they like and then pass it to another student. They see
things that I never would've thought they'd see. Also, they related some of the
images to a past lesson on warm and cool colors. They students were sitting on
the carpet looking at my Smart Board and I was standing in the back as more of
a facilitator than the "sage on the stage". When they were working,
it showed me going around to each table and giving those students attention and
help. The other tables were still working hard and helping each other out. I
only had to move one girl, because she was too busy flirting and had not drawn
anything. I want to change my seating arrangement a little. I notice that I
give mostly positive encouragement and when they do need to change something i
try to make them come up with that decision themselves (ex. "Do you think
that will be big enough when we outline it with glue?").
If I were one of my
students, I would be excited to be learning about one of our table artists. If
I do not sit at Georgia O'Keeffe, I might be a little put out that we are not
learning about the artists at my table. I would enjoy the chance to talk about
what I see in the paintings, but I would be a little bored by how some of the
other students are repeating each other. I like the video about Georgia
O'Keeffe, and the music is catchy. I started drawing a deer skull and it is
awesome, but I'm having a little trouble figuring out what else to add.
Flowers? Mountains? I wish we could use the glue today!
TED Talks
I guess I'm behind on the times, because I had never seen
Ken Robinson before. I watched his video "How Schools Kill
Creativity". Can I start by saying, what an amazing accent he has? He made
some very accurate points about how schools are hurting children and not
educating them for the future. I am amazed by how many restrictions my
elementary students expect. When I give them choice, they often ask well what
do you want me to do? I want you to do something you enjoy! I agree with Ken
Robinson, that creativity should be equal to literacy. It really bugs me that
art in elementary is often just there so that the regular teachers get a plan.
I have some students who only excel in art; but they often miss half of my
class, because they are being help out to catch up in other subjects. I feel
that this approach is going to make these low learners start hating school.
They enjoy art and they need an opportunity to learn without being told that
they are right or wrong.
Rita Pierson: Every Kid Needs a Champion http://on.ted.com/RitaPierson
Rita Pierson is so
inspirational and passionate about teaching. "Kids don't learn from people
they don't like" So True! I completely agree with her about the need to
apologize to your students when you make mistakes. They need to see that we're
human too. She gives us great examples of how to help children believe in
themselves, and look at their improvement not failures. Rita Pierson is
genuine. She acknowledges that we will not like all of our students, but the
trick is to never let them know that. Teachers become actors.
Hi Katie,
ReplyDeleteIt makes me sad to hear that your artists are being kept out to receive help when ironically, its the art that might help... Have you ever talked with the teacher who holds them and found out what the student is struggling with? It may just be you have a visual strategy that could help resolve the problem..
It sounds like you have created some wonderful classroom management strategies that your students all understand and respect. Way to go!
As you contemplate the video, consider your goals. In your reflection log the next few weeks, make little notes, ah ha moments, things you want to try so you can chart growth for your second video. :)
Katie,
ReplyDeleteIs your administration aware that students are being withheld from class by the classroom teacher? According to DESE " Each elementary student will receive instruction in art, music, and physical education for a minimum of 50 minutes in each area each week." It doesn't bother me if a teacher needs a student to complete a test once in awhile, but sometimes if you give them an inch, they will take a mile. Last year I had a first year teacher who was always keeping back students, or worse, keeping them long enough so that they missed the instructional part of my lesson. I went to my administrator and he was the one who brought up the DESE requirement. Something to think about. It's a clear case of an educational system that values, as Sir Ken points out, one type of intelligence.
Wow, I didn't realize I could really fight this. I'm afraid to anger anyone. It's not the classroom teacher; it's the special services teacher, and I already get the impression that she's not a big fan of me. I talked to her about it by explaining that this student gets frustrated when he is always behind in art. Things have gotten better, but she still sends him late quite often. She claims that during art is the only time she can take him because of library. I understand she is helping him catch up in all the other subjects, but he misses needed instruction. Also, he has less time to work on his projects; he already works very slowly. Also, many teachers often send their students to me late because they are finishing up work. These students are not late enough to be neglected from their 50 minutes a week, but it is a huge inconvenience to have them miss instruction. The teachers don't even tell me they have students coming in late. I would rather have them leave a little early if it's needed. Do you have any suggestions on how I can advocate for my instructional time without angering the other teachers? Thanks for the help!
ReplyDeleteHi Katie! I'm a little behind and catching up on reading others' blogs.
ReplyDeleteI always wondered what grade it was that the right/wrong answer awareness was really established. Since I taught MS & HS I knew they had it by that time, but was really wondering how long it took for them to learn that. And probably only because I am concurrently taking Human Learning and discussing the psych part, I wonder if it is due to conditioning through reward or punishment. That may be different based on the individual, actually. (sorry thinking "out loud" as I type!) My question for you is, where do you start seeing this with most of your students? Is there a particular grade that is jumping out at you? Do you see it at different grade levels in certain types of students? Do you think using Ken RObinson's method of divergent thinking would help students step away from this right/wrong mentality and open up their creativity?
-4th graders are obsessed with right/wrong answers. They are so stuck in the "What do you want me to do?" phase. Some of them are still very creative, but they still follow all of my guidelines. They usually don't even question them. They will often complain that they are bad at something. As a result, many of them "give up" and it has resulted in many behavior issues. I feel bad for the ones that do want to try.
Delete-Kindergarten - 2nd graders are all about creating and exploring. They are always pleased with their work and they will add their own alterations/tweaks with out bothering to ask permission. They are so enthusiastic! It's nice, it makes me miss being that carefree.
-3rd graders are still typically pleased with their own work. They like to add their own perceptions, but they will typically ask for my permission first. They like pleading their case and I like allowing them the freedom they crave. I am often amazed by how well they fight for what they want.
-5th graders are much more creative than my 4th graders, but I think this is due to their past experience and their personalities. This group of kids is a tough bunch behavior wise. I learned that last year, the art teacher got so fed up with their misbehavior that she only taught the "good kids" and gave the rest coloring pages. I'll admit there were times I wanted to do that, but I fought through. They've finally realized I'm not giving up on them and most of them are truly trying. There are some very talented students in 5th grade and they are more independent. It is nice to be able to assist them in perfecting their work without having to continually re-explain the steps and procedures.