Service Learning Lesson 3 Reflection

”Nature Rainbow”

 

Relate this event to theory, research and readings. What is your interpretation of these events based on current class readings and discussions.? What worked well for this art experience?

    -Our third Service Learning class was focused on Art and Nature. Our aim was to show students how they might collect natural materials from outside, and incorporate those materials into their artwork. As soon as the students had arrived in the classroom, we let them know that we would be going back outside to gather materials for the lesson. Our class leader told them what to look for outside— fallen, colorful leaves that stood out to them, pieces of bark or small sticks on the ground, etc. 

    All of the students were open to going outdoors, even though it had been snowing just a few hours earlier. Everyone had coats, and no one seemed to mind the chilly weather. We assured the students that if they couldn’t find enough materials outside, we still had a huge pile of natural materials the teachers had all previously gathered, and they could take what inspired them. Not every student picked the same amount of materials, but every student did pick up a good amount themselves, before looking through what the teachers had supplied. Like the two lessons before, the students were all eager to get started on their nature rainbows, and we didn’t have any students that didn’t want to participate in art-making, which is great! 

    I think giving these particular students a framework for their art, (the cardboard backing for their compositions,) helped them focus more on their approach and exploration of the natural materials. The last lesson was more free-form, which caused some students to be overwhelmed with choice— but this lesson had more of a template, without being too restrictive. Even though we showed them examples, students made adjustments to their artwork to make the pieces more meaningful to them. Some added more color, or decided to change their original idea while they were working on their piece.

 

Consider the meaning your teaching experience has for you as an individual. What does this experience mean to you personally? What didn’t work well for this art experience?

    -I think all of the teachers agree, myself included, that the students really made this art project something they personally enjoyed. The students also had a good level of understanding of the big idea: nature and art, which was especially rewarding. Now that I feel that our group has more confidence in this class setting, we are able to know all of the students by name when they arrive, have more relationship-building conversations, and have an idea of pre-assessments for particular students’ needs. 

    Every student has been able to participate in each unique lesson. It feels great to have students enjoy their time with us. Reflecting back on Loris Malaguzzi’s interactive, constructivist views of learning, I’m reminded of how vital good relationships are to quality education. All students need to feel welcome, heard, and valued in a classroom—regardless of skill level or abilities, and I feel like I’ve been a part of a welcoming art classroom for these students. I also think that it is important not to just ask before and after art-making, but during the process, to get students thinking about their creative decisions, and the “why” or “what if…” while they are working. Not all students in our group feel comfortable having these conversations with us, and that’s okay—but most are willing to answer quick questions I might ask them about their color choice, arrangement, or what they might do next time if they could make another similar piece. 

    Overall the flow of the lesson went really well. There was hardly any time that a students weren’t engaged with the project. The only thing that was new, and slightly less successful, was getting the students to find a good place to stop since we needed time for paint and glue to dry. We employed  “ten minutes left, five minutes left, okay… think about stopping now… etc” warnings, with a nice clear, loud voice. A few students had no problem putting their brushes down when we asked, but there were two or three students that just did not want to stop working. We didn’t want them to feel frustrated with us telling them to stop, so it was difficult to convince them to find a good stopping point. We had planned time at the end of class for the students to gather and talk about each other’s pieces, and what they liked about different classmates’ artwork, so finding a collective stopping point was very important.

 

Relate your interpretation of the meaning of your teaching as it pertains to your education as a future art teacher. How will you configure or reconfigure your future actions as an art teacher as a result of this experience? What would you do differently?

    -I think the success of this particular lesson plan (in regards to initial student interest, and student engagement,) makes me consider using it for a fall lesson plan. Sometimes celebrating certain holidays (like Halloween or Christmas) in school can make some kids who’s families don’t participate, feel left out. I think lesson plans focused on holidays are a little silly and don’t communicate good big ideas anyway, but students enjoy seasonal activities. Using the colorful fall leaves are a great way to talk about how seasons change (especially for younger art students,) and gets them outside being active (kinesthetic learning) before it gets too cold, and everyone has to be stuck indoors for winter. I think our first two lesson plans also had more focus on man-made materials and items teachers would have to purchase, which might not be possible if the school budget doesn’t allow it. Using things like cardboard (students can be asked to bring in their own cardboard with plenty of notice before the actual lesson,) as well as gathering their own leaves and natural materials. These pre-art-making steps might make students have more respect for the materials, and be less likely to waste/destroy anything they had to gather themselves, it would also get them thinking about their art before they start making it. 

     Something still fairly new to me— that I still need to work on, is how to approach communication with some special needs students that have sensory issues, and don’t like eye contact or don’t want to communicate verbally. I always worry that without a verbal confirmation, that I might not be engaging a student enough. It really helps that there are teachers aides that already have good relationships with these non-verbal students, and they seem to get students to give responses and reactions. I try not to overwhelm the students with asking too many questions, getting too much in their personal space when I’m watching them make their art, and trying to ask them about their process for my own assessment. Pre- and post-assessment might be more difficult for these students, but seeing them participate and complete the projects makes me feel better that they are enjoying the most important part of these lessons: the process. I think this shows me that I might not be able to make connections with every student, (I will still try,) but also making solid connections with the special needs coordinators/teachers’ aides/assistants and their families will help me make sure the students’ needs are being met.