For EDUC450 practicum, I was placed in Loveland's Thompson Valley High School during the spring 2023 semester. This school was further from my previous pre-service experiences in Wellington and Fort Collins, but I really enjoyed getting to know the Loveland area, and Thompson Valley's school culture. 

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     I worked with my mentor teachers, Mr. Crawford, who teaches Pre-AP art, and Mrs. Robinson, who teaches an advanced metals and jewelry making class. I split my time between the two classes, with a bit more focus in Crawford's classroom. The class sizes were small, which allowed for some quality one-on-one time with students, and more targeted lesson plans geared toward the students' needs and interests. 

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     Over the semester, I had a chance to work with a variety of different grade levels in each art class, as well as tutoring once a week with non-art, AVID students. Students worked on several projects that would take weeks to develop and complete. I was able to observe and participate in different types of critique, and offer assistance with student questions. 

 

     With a fellow art education classmate, we collaborated and planned two co-teaching lessons. We share similar art concentrations and have taken similar CSU studio classes, which we used to inform some of our lessons. Our first lesson was in the Pre-AP art room, and focused on a new method of observational drawing. The second lesson we co-taught was in the metals classroom, where we demonstrated a new technique in making jump rings with wire, and building chainmail for jewelry pieces. Both lessons were huge learning experiences, and we received great feedback from the respective mentor teachers. I would definitely use both lessons in future classrooms, and plan on developing them further.