Quality Standard 3:
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Teachers plan and deliver effective instruction and create an environment that facilitates learning for their students.
Through many lesson plans and demos, I have learned what was successful and what didn't quite click. I have also learned not to get too bothered if something I'm excited about, isn't really something my students are interested in doing. I have grown such a respect and admiration for a fully TAB classroom, where I can let the students demonstrate what they are really excited about. It also allows time for students to try more tools and materials that a fully project-based format. I have utilized many different types of assessment and technologies to help communicate effectively with students about their grades or about their work process. I believe I am proficient.
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• Element a: Teachers demonstrate knowledge about the ways in which learning takes place, including the levels of intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of their students.
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Evidence:
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Reasoning Statement:
These two images offer the contrast between addressing the needs of two opposite ends of elementary grade levels, while still utilizing the same type of technical skill. The first image shows a Kindergartener who is honing their skills in observational drawing while "observing" photographs of insects. We review the different parts of an insect or arachnid-- their legs, mandibles, thorax, abdomen, or whatever is appropriate for that specific type of bug. We break down the complex structures of the creatures into more familiar and simplified shapes: circles, squares, ovals, etc. We work on physically tracing the picture with our fingers, then using a pencil to replicate these bugs piece by piece. This project evolves into collage and adding texture to their insects, but at first we are only concerned with "seeing" with our artistic eye. This is an effective scaffold for students that are just becoming familiar with the TAB art classroom, and how to utilize basic art tools.
I wanted to compare the first image of the Kindergartener's task to the next image, the observational drawing of a 5th grade student. Since the TAB classroom doesn't focus on having every student do the same project all at once, I was able to work with a small group of about 5 students that set this year's goal to "improve their realistic drawing skills." While these students could still gain a lot of drawing experience from doing the same exercise as the primary students, I felt that this group of 5th graders was up for a challenge. We focused on examining light, form, and shading. This multi-faceted geometric apple worked really well to push one particular student out of their comfort zone, while still being an appropriate difficulty level. Scaffolding these observational drawing exercises helps to ensure that students feel well-prepared to try something new and potentially challenging. As an educator I realize that I cannot force my group of students to all draw the same geometric forms, and expect that they gain the most useful experience from it. I was able to work in a small group of students that wanted to refine a specific art skill, and this allowed students who weren't interested in pencil drawing to work on something that was fulfilling to them.
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• Element b: Teachers use formal and informal methods to assess student learning, provide feedback, and use results to inform planning and instruction.
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Evidence:
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Reasoning Statement:
I wanted to highlight an example of both formal and informal methods of assessment. The first image (set of 3) shows a grading rubric used for students to self-assess their work at the end of a project. In the middle school placement, (where grading was more common than in the elementary school,) we would utilize google classroom for students to turn completed work in. They would submit their work on a slide at the end of the lesson slides provided to them. Typically they would complete a self-assessment out of 4, and then answer what studio habit they used most for this project and why. The grading scale was very clearly laid out for students, and if they were working on the project for the whole duration, they would at least get a 2 out of 4. 1 was reserved if the student was not engaging with the project at all, and 0 was only if the student was absent or I was unable to witness any evidence of learning due to attendance issues. 3 was what students should aim for, and should be content with. A 4 would mean that a student exceeded the project expectations or made new or innovative creative decisions. If students were unhappy or disagreed with the grade given, they could resubmit as many times as needed. Most students graded themselves much harsher than I would ever grade them, so I always made sure to explain why my given grade was different than their self assessment grade. I really enjoy this system of submitting and grading, and allows students to see clearly how to change their grade, or how I came to decide a certain grade.
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The second image shows sticky notes I collected from a 4th grade class after we watched a video of a printmaking artist working in her studio. Typically we would do a See-Think-Wonder as a class and look at a still image, but for this day's STW I chose a video. I prompted students at the beginning of class to remember their See Think Wonder skills, and to write down at least one thing they noticed, thought, or had a question about. I was able to call one two or three students that wanted to debrief from the video, but having the notes from all the students allowed me to look over comments from students that didn't have the chance to get called on. I was able to assess some recurring questions, and pull some interesting comments for the next studio day. I hadn't even thought about or noticed some of the things that the students did, so I enjoy utilizing this quick and low-stakes method of assessment during the middle or early into a new unit.
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• Element c: Teachers integrate and utilize appropriate available technology to engage students in authentic learning experiences.
Evidence:
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Reasoning Statement:
In my elementary placement, I was able to utilize a new technology, Seesaw, to improve communication and assessment of my students. This application was used to upload classroom studio photos for families and students to see what the studio looks like in action. For 3rd through 5th grade, Seesaw works as a way for students to get comfortable uploading images of their work for the week, talking about what successes and challenges they encountered, and engage with the studio habits in a reflective way. This isn't really a graded assignment, but we do make sure that students are submitting something at the end of each week. It's a good way to get students comfortable with using their laptops to document their creative process, and allows families a way to see their thought process for artwork that may or may not make it home. It's also a great way to ensure that more quiet or shy students receive teacher feedback when they might get overlooked in class with more demanding students.
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• Element d: Teachers establish and communicate high expectations and use processes to support the development of critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.
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Evidence:
Reasoning Statement:
One of the Studio Habits of Mind that we want students to understand on a deep level is “Engage and Persist.” For the macrame portion of the two-part lesson on food security, students were tasked with learning the new method of fiber arts: macrame. As the teacher, I had practiced at home and with my mentor teacher several times. I had also pre-cut the proper length of string so the students could fully focus on the tying and wrapping techniques that would be new to them. I provided a video link with the exact design we were replicating, and I did a mini demo at the beginning of the class, but I knew there would still be a great number of students that would run into issues with their macrame once they got started.
I reassured the students that even as the “expert” I had a lot of initial struggles and points of failure, but that the takeaway of the this project was that engaging with the challenge, and persisting through failures or confusion would yield success. There were students that managed to get their ropes tangled or twisted in ways I had not predicted, but I worked with them in ways that supported their effort, problem solved without me doing the project for them, and learning how to better describe my own actions when doing a task in front of students. I communicated high expectations for them, and anticipated that everyone would be able to finish this project with a completed plant hanger displaying the three basic macrame techniques. This was an exercise in problem solving for both student and teacher together.
• Element e: Teachers provide students with opportunities to work in teams and develop leadership.
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Evidence:
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Reasoning Statement:
The TAB elementary classroom allows for constant opportunities for students to collaborate with on another. Creative teams develop and some students find themselves in leadership roles for a particular project. Collaboration is always encouraged, as long as each student is feeling valued and heard in their group. The toughest decision is usually who gets to take the artwork home? Is the artwork custody going to be shared? Students typically sort these conundrums out smoothly between themselves.
This artifact is an example of an ongoing collaborative work between a large group of one third grade class. There is no clear owner of the project, while there are two definite leaders of the artwork. Depending on the class period, or week, students working on making chain links come and go. Some work hard at completing links each class, while some just make a few and then go back to working on something else. I love the teamwork involved with carrying the blob of paper strips through the halls at the end of class. The students explained that they wanted to permanently install this artwork in their classroom pod, and my mentor teacher and I discussed that they draft a proposal to "install" this artwork in a school space indefinitely. I think that with project-based classrooms, collaboration is possible but not always as easy to initiate as in the fully student-choice classroom.
• Element f: Teachers model and promote effective communication.
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Evidence:
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Reasoning Statement:
This particular group of 6th graders had been very challenging for the duration of the quarter. Disruptive behaviors, misuse of materials and excessive talking over the teacher had been some of the more egregious issues in past weeks. My mentor teacher and I had worked out a good system of co-teaching this grade level, and worked through most of the problems we felt were making the classroom culture so imbalanced.
As a benefit of the students working with us to better embody classroom expectations, we decided to honor their expressed desire to work with clay before the end of their time in art. Since this was a class that was known to push boundaries and lose focus, we had to establish specific rules and make them very clear to the students, while also being a caring and empathetic professional. Students that could not participate in pottery appropriately would lose the opportunity to work in the clay studio, and we made sure they were aware of the repercussions.
I believe that due to the time spent on communicating my expectations and getting students to participate in setting studio rules, the students were able to have a successful and fulfilling time with clay before the end of their time in art class. There were a few times behaviors had to be addressed, but it was much better than it had been in the regular art room, and students were able to make artworks they were excited about.
