Authored by
Benjamin Jones Cohen, BFA, MFA
Student Teacher
&
M.ed Candidate
Department of Education:
Saint Michael’s College
Colchester, VT
Student Teacher Placement:
Mount Mansfield Union High School
Jericho, VT
&
Richmond Elementary School
Richmond, VT
Table of Contents for Entry I:
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 1
Description of Classroom………………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….………Page 1
Classroom Population……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Page 1
Classroom Schedule’s Effect on Population…………….………………………………………………………………………………………………………Page 1
Physical Space………………………………………….………………………………….…….………………………………………………………………………………………………Page 2
Classroom Dynamics………………………………………….…………….…………………….………………………………………………………….…………………………Page 3
Instructional Methodology and Results…………………….……….…….………………………………………………………….….………………………Page 3
Parent Teacher Relations………………………………………….……………………….…………………………………………………….…….…………………………Page 5
Departmental Dynamics………………………………….……………………….…………………………………………………………………….…………………………Page 6
Description of the School……………………………………………………………………………………………..……………………..……………….………….……………Page 6
Population………………………………..……………………………………………………………………………………..……………………..……………….………….……………Page 6
Physical Space………………………..……………………………………………………………………………………..……………………..……………….………….……………Page 6
Mission……………….…………….…………..………………………………………………….……………………………..……………………..……………….………….……………Page 6
Discipline………………………….…………..………………………………………………………………………………..……………………..……………….………….……………Page 7
Community Dynamics.…….…………………………………..……………….……………………………………………………………………….………….……………Page 8
The Arts Communal Status.…………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………….………….……………Page 9
Assessment of Environment……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….….………Page 9
Political Social Communications Effect……………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….….………Page 9
Time……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….….………Page 9
Economy of Resources……….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….….………Page 10
Classrooms Ambiance………………………………….………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….….………Page 10
Behavioral Approach…………………………….……….……………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….….………Page 10
Facilitating Equality…………………………….……….……………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….….………Page 11
Student Responsibility………………………….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….….………Page 11
My Role in Ambiance……………….………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………..…….….………Page 12
Entry I: Analyzing the Learning Environment
Introduction
My student teaching internship took place primarily at Mount Mansfield Union High School USD #17 (MMU) in Jericho, VT, where I worked with 9-12 graders, under the supervision of CT Dodi Gomez. We taught the last three weeks of the fall semester together, teaching Drawing I, Movie Making, Graphic Design I, and AP Art. We taught Drawing II, Painting I, Graphic Design I, Graphic Design II and AP Art through twelve weeks of the spring semester. During both periods, we also taught Advisory and Work Period.
It should be noted that I spent time teaching at Richmond Elementary School (RES) in Richmond, VT. For one month, I taught three days a week, Pre-K-4 grades with my second CT Jeremy Ayers. These were elementary level 2D and 3D art classes to service the entire school. However, I will be focusing on my work at MMU in this document.
Description of Classroom
Classroom Population
The MMU classroom population I worked with varied in terms economic resources, social development, political spectrum, and educational performance demographics. However, the population was primarily Caucasian and lived in a community developed with Vermont, small town, rural, American, European, and Christian traditions and perspectives. We had one Hispanic American and one African-American in our classes. Each class has as many as 22 students and as few as seven. There were 78 academic students and 35 students in our Advisory and Work Periods.
The range of student academic backgrounds is across the board. There are students with IEP’s, 504’s and 230’s (See Accommodations Matrix, Evidence Entry I, Tab 1). In our classrooms, seven were unspecified students who had either an IEP, 504 or 230 plan. There were two students identified with an IEP and one student with a 230. They were students with Aspergers, Autism, sight and visual sensitivity, developmental delay and/or ADHD. Each one required specific accommodations, and each one brought unique skills and perspectives that benefited the class as a whole. Some students were assisted by Para Educators and most seem to have had the resources necessary to perform well in Art. We had five students at MMU who had been on a plan, but are currently inactive. In my estimation there were fifteen other students in our classes who should have been on a plan for behavioral and/or academic support. There were no plans for gifted students in my classes. In my estimation, we had at least eight students who should be tested for gifted talents in the arts. Of the over four-dozen students who I would not describe as having special needs there was an equally wide range of performances in the arts. Some of these students needed additional motivation, creativity in teaching styles and additional attention from the classroom teacher. Each student benefited from individualized attention and a variety of teaching styles that addressed multiple intelligences.
Classroom Schedule’s Effect on Population
Each class was formed based on a combination of student interest and art curriculum requirements. This along with academic scheduling has led to a diverse age range in most classes. It is not unusual for freshman and seniors to be in the same classes in art. There are alternating A and B days. The last period of day, 7th period, is half the length of the 1 ½ hours long periods, and occurs every day.
Scheduling is a contentious issue for all departments. As part of a departmental and faculty meeting, I found that there is not a one size fits all solution for length and placement of classes. In our department we ended up recommending that we would work with whatever the other departments want, because internally we had two very different desires. For the music, department short classes were best. For the visual arts, we need large blocks, because of the instructional, materials preparation and artistic process time. There is a pacing and inertia in the artistic process that works best with longer periods, and if disrupted early, is counter productive and wastes classroom time.
Once teachers have made their recommendations, the administration considers and creates a schedule. Then the consolers work with students to create a schedule that works best for the student and incorporating consoler recommendations.
The unfortunate thing is that even with significant student interest, the schedule often dictates what can be offered. Strategic planning for the arts is essential, so they can maximize their student population in order to educate more students and maintain an appearance of relevancy. This semester 35 students signed up for Painting I, an “elective.” This was enough students to split it into two sections. However, due to the time it was scheduled, only seven students could actually take the course. This is because it was scheduled during a slot that competed with “required” courses for the majority of these students in the History, Math, English and Science departments. Despite the vital roles the arts play in education, social development, creating an informed citizenry and influencing innovations that benefit the economy and society; basic needs that should be required for all high school graduates. Ironically, the shorter 7th period, less suitable for the arts, had to turn students away, because it was so full (see Parent Teacher Relations, Entry I, page 4).
Physical Space
The primary room we taught in at MMU is a traditional art classroom, a large space with a sizable amount of light and very high ceilings. It is filled with nooks, compartments and surfaces crammed with stacks, piles, and bundles of supplies. There seems to be a method to the madness, but it is not as organized as the metals shop next door. The posters in the hallway, this classroom, and the Mac Lab are traditional “fine art” examples. There are three computers in the classroom. One CD/radio player. The room is divided into two sections; one has a number of typical large classroom tables and chairs for students to work at, forming five islands. Ms. Gomez has a wobbly cluttered worktable with an ergonomic chair that occupies a wall along the rooms divided. The other side of the room is where there are a very large light box, mat board cutter, the student’s iMac and laminating machine. With the exception of the board at the front of the room and the windows, every wall has some sort of cabinetry or shelving to store supplies. There are four doors. One leads into a small room with sinks and storage. Two others, on opposite ends of the room from each other, lead to the Ceramics classroom, and the Metal Smithing classroom. The fourth leads to the hallway. Under the chalk board at the front of the room is a PC virtually blocking the door to the Ceramics classroom, despite high traffic.
The MAC computer lab at MMU was our secondary classroom. It is smaller and less illuminated. It is a comparable size, with 24 iMac less then six years old, to one MAC lab at an art college, were there would be many such labs. The technology available in the school is not state of the art, but what I would characterize as contemporary and unusually good for a high school. There are technicians that are generally accessible, an LCD screen, roughly 2 dozen iMac, a number of iBooks, wireless access, multiple printers, and one scanner. Most computers have industry standard software such as, Photoshop, Illustrator, In Design, Dreamweaver and iMovie. Not in the classroom, but in the building there are also three smart boards. In this classroom the teacher sits in the back of the room, so they can monitor what is being seen on each monitor.
There were other art classrooms that I spent some time in and each has, for the most part, suitable to bellow standard to acceptable resources for the mediums whether it be metal smithing, woodshop, photography, printmaking, music, or ceramics. There does seem to be room for improvement with ventilation, wich would expand the capabilities and safety of the entire department. The department did look into ventilation options, but found the expense was beyond budget capacity. In metal smithing, drawing and/or painting you use acetylene torches, acids, castings, spray fixative and oil painting mediums, all of which are safest if ventilated. There is ventilation for the kiln and darkroom.
Classroom Dynamics
There seemed to be a fare, friendly, lighthearted approach to classroom discipline, by my CT, both social and academic. When policy (see Mission, Entry I, page 5), “good” judgment, work habits, and ethics were crossed, they were acknowledged and encouraged to improve. There was care to make individualized relations with students, as well as, properly address the classroom as a whole. There was a conscious effort, by my CT, not to micro manage behavior and efforts so as not to raise her “blood pressure.” My CT relied on common sense and peer problem solving to be the primary control mechanisms of discipline. My CT, as it is her nature, would clearly state objection and take action if necessary, calling students on behavior that crossed her substantial tolerance level. If she alone were not able to solve the problem, she would call on the assistance of other staff or faculty whose job specifically dealt with discipline. There are school rules, but my CT has autonomy and tries to not play the role of “enforcer.” (See Discipline, Entry I, page 5).
The typical issues we had in terms of behavior had to do with students leaving class unannounced, lack of focus on task and distractive behavior (see Dated Field Notes, Entry I Evidence, Tab II and Log, 3-18-08, tab 1).
Student’s interaction was friendly and moderately cliquey. As it was encouraged there was some peer-to-peer assistance on assignments, but the majority of communication among students was social.
Students were somewhat casual when speaking with the instructor, but it is generally in the context of academic questions they have. Instructor instigated social conversations and inquiry were typically well received.
Instructional Methodology and Results
My CT has been praised by the district for her curricula, which is standards and/or GE based and have been or are in the process of submission to the district to be placed on the district curriculum website, VCAT. The standards do not play a prominent role in instruction, however objectives are stated and referred to through the education process. There is a clear sequential building of skills and knowledge throughout the semester in each course. There is also a natural maintaining of previously acquired skills, as the units become more complex intellectually and technically. Textbooks are used in the process, along with lectures, visual communication, examples, demonstrations, tutorials, exercises, quizzes, preparative processes, culminating final projects, critiques, reflection, self-evaluations and final exams.
Each class was slightly different in terms of types of activities and instruction. The most basic divide was between the digital art and 2-D art. Both require instruction and basic activities of design, such as elements of design and utilizing a sketchbook. In digital art there are activities and instruction that are specific to understanding a program or equipment that require a different amount of care and attention by the student. There is often a need for consistent feedback and problem solving assistance from the teacher. In 2-D this is the case as well, but there is much more time for problem solving being focused on conceptual level, as a pose to technical procedures. 2-D does have slightly higher degree of safety instruction required.
Reading, writing are closely linked with visual arts, and are often incorporated together artistically. Academically as in most classrooms, there is reading, writing, and tests. For reading this comes in the form of research and instruction. For writing, there are brainstorming, proposals, and reflections. Tests and quizzes are assessment tools to make sure that vocabulary, technical design concepts and procedures are being comprehended. Not only does reading and writing provide more opportunities for students to work on their English and comprehension skills, but it also provides an opportunity for students who might feel challenged by the art making in class and might excel at reading and writing to find opportunity to build confidence in their knowledge of art. Confidence in one part of the learning process builds interest, relevance and confidence in more challenging procedures.
Most assignments are presented with verbal, visual and written example. There is limited time, but students are asked to practice, plan, execute, and assess on most project lessons. Not all goes according to plan and it is not unusual for overlapping of assignments and rushing of work to take place. There is a minimal amount of homework required of students. Only what time in the classroom does not allow for and what resources are available out side of class becomes homework. The one acceptation to this is the work done in the AP Art class. The majority of the work done for this class is done outside of class with resources provided by students, parents, and the department. Anecdotally it has been said that this AP course is more challenging and certainly is more time consuming then other AP courses. However, it is primarily by student choice that the bulk of the work is done outside of class. An unusual choice in comparison with reactions to other homework assigned to them.
There is a variety of student efforts in each class. One class will show up and work with out prompt, while another will not work the entire time and as a group has excuses to attempt at legitimizing this lack of effort or preparedness. Most students do attempt and the majority do complete work on time. There are noticeable exceptions who procrastinate and are late with work. In general, the student population is polite, even if they are not all motivated. Individually each student could be successful, but in the group dynamic some students undermined their performance and affected the performance of others with their behavior. In our 7th period class we had a number of interpersonal dynamics that made it a fun and challenging class to teach. Silas was one of a hand full of students who talked a great deal and had trouble accomplishing work in class exemplified the dynamics in this class (see fig 1, Evidence Entry I, tab III) . He is a good hearted person and was liked by most in the class, but could not seem to stop talking and focus on his work. This was with consistent reminder of what he should be doing and an acknowledgment on his part after some defensive posturing. We first removed him from his friends with a random seating change, which did not change his behavior. We eventually sat him next to the quietest student in the class, Zoe, who was one of the hardest workers. Instead of improving the work habits of the student who lacked focus, he was so entertaining, that the quite student spent so much time laughing that she produced an inferior piece that seemed unfinished (see fig 2, Evidence Entry I, tab III).
Parent Teacher Relations
There was minimal contact with parents during my time at MMU. At the beginning my internship my CT had some contact with a parent who was taking a student out of class early, which caused the student to eventually fail the class. We have had isolated issues with parents pulling students from classes early, or some how else disrupting the educational opportunities for their students in art. Typically, this happens in the last class of the day, 7th period (see Classroom Schedule’s Effect on Population, Entry I, page 1). It is not a long enough period for an art class. Students arrive to the last class of the day busting at the seems, anxious to leave. By the time you have the class settled, you have given instructions and the students have prepared their materials to work on their art the class is half over. When a parent constantly pulls a student out from the last class of the day, even just early, they create a president and expectation in that student that supercedes the importance of the student’s education and professionalism. While this occurs in other areas of study, for the arts it is also a sensitive issue. It is hard to know if it is prejudicial in terms of respect for the arts on the part of the parents. However, when you couple this experience with the common experience of other departments expecting student to take a test in their class during our class time, you begin to see a pattern of lack of respect. On the part of the parents in this case, the parents may have other priorities or simply have a lack of appreciation for the importance of education in general, not necessarily just the arts.
At the end of my internship, I took part in a parent teacher conference. Out of the 78 students, we saw eight individual parents or parent couples. One conversation focused on a students challenge in terms of sight and learning disabilities and how that would affect her when she went to college next year. Another focused on issues a student was having, which was a surprise to one of the parents. We discussed how home, in class and socially the student had been doing and what internally may have been causing the complex student who loves art to be performing poorly in art. Typically, the conversations were affirming for parents and casual. My CT tended to speak much less then I did. As is typical in our approaches.
In the midst of the internship, we had a departmental gallery show in which a large number of parents and students attended. I had conversations with a handful of parents. The substantive conversation that night was with Mary and her parents (see Entry II, Case Study II for more about Mary). They are weighing the benefits of a college focused on Fine Arts or the Humanities. We also discussed the benefits of studying outside her current world, both academically and geographically. In conversations with Phobe’s parents, I informed them of how impressed I had been with the quality and guts intellectually that she had taken with her art. I wanted her parents to either understand this, or feel the support of someone else who does understand this. The conversations ranged from my encouragement of the student, explanation of students success, future academic plans of students, to sharing of genuine appreciation of each other in our academic relationships.
Departmental Dynamics
Human resources generally include the teacher, with some assistance from Para Educators and other classroom teachers in the vicinity. The art department’s teachers are close nit and as a unit promote the arts as best they know how or have the time to do. There is universal concern about job stability, respect and support for the arts in this department. However, they also seem aware that they have it better then most art departments (see Classroom Schedule’s Effect on Population, Entry I, page 1).
Description of the School
Population
The school over all population is approximately 900 and has risen to 1300 and shrunk over the past decade. They expect to reach a low of 700 by 2010, due to an aging population in Jericho and Underhill. However, there are signs of a growth at Richmond Elementary, which also feeds into the future population of MMU. This increase in population is due in part to parents from outside the city limits choosing to send students to Richmond. There seems to be a fluctuating pattern that has affected the stability of services at MMU and Richmond Elementary, particularly the arts.
Physical Space
The campus is traditional and conservative in design with one primary building on a modest hill that is bland despite a nice blue roof. Parking surrounds the school and on the outskirts are the athletic facilities. Internally it is divided subtly into sections for each department. It takes time to get your baring and seems somewhat maze-like. There are murals on the walls that help when you loose direction. In the middle of the building are the library, administrative offices and the gym.
Mission
The mission statement and expectations of MMU as stated in student handbook are as follows:
The Mt. Mansfield Union High School community is committed to ensuring that all students meet learning standards that encompass academic, civic and social expectations.
Our professional staff members are role models and facilitators who are dedicated to challenging all students in relevant, interesting and creative ways. Responsibility for learning and assessment is shared by our whole school community. We are committed to sustaining a healthy school environment that fosters trust, honesty and respect for the opinions and diversity of others. This mission statement, along with a comprehensive curriculum, will guide all policies, procedures and decisions in supporting our learning standards and ensuring the attainment of this vision.
The faculty and staff at MMU believe that behavioral standards in a school should reinforce the educational mission of the school by striving to help students gain more responsibility for self-discipline and assume accountability for personal decisions. Every person in the school community is expected to follow several simple rules of behavior:
· Respect and be considerate of the rights and responsibilities of ourselves and others.
· Respect and be considerate of our own property and the property of others.
· Be responsible for following your designated school schedule.
· Respect the rules for specific areas such as the library, cafeteria, Learning Lab, school grounds, etc.
· Understand that every student has the right to a drug-free school.
· MMU does not discriminate in any educational programs or activities.
The mission statement’s aspirations are consistent with the daily goals in our classroom. However, the mission needs to be continued, because there are still examples of times where the mission has not been met. We had students who could not meet academic standards in our class. For example, one student, Tyler, could not meet the standards in and elements and principles assignment for Graphic Design II. He was not able to show an understanding of visual arts concepts and vocabulary by analyzing and demonstrating innovative and skillful integration of the elements and principles of design (see fig 3, Evidence Entry I, tab III as well as Elements and Principles Curricula, Entry I, tab IV).
Discipline
Behaviorally the procedure for discipline as stated in the MMU student handbook:
DISCIPLINE
Mt. Mansfield Union High School is committed to providing all students and staff with a safe and supportive school environment.
PROCEDURES:
· A hearing with the student will be conducted to allow them an opportunity to be heard with respect to the alleged offense.
· A student whose conduct seriously disrupts the academic atmosphere of the school, endangers fellow students, teachers, or school officials, or who damages school property will be removed from the situation immediately. State or local police may be contacted.
· A suspended student may be removed from school during the school day, if necessary, without first notifying a parent or guardian. Law enforcement authorities may be contacted. Communication between the school and parent/guardian will either be in person or by telephone followed up by a written letter.
· At the time of the suspension, it is the responsibility of the administrator to inform the student of the suspension guidelines and when the suspension will begin and end.
· Administrators may not suspend a student for more than ten (10) consecutive days or fifteen (15) total days in a school year without the approval of the superintendent.
· Administrator in this procedure means principal, assistant principal, director of student activities, or administrative designee.
· The school resource officer will assist the administration whenever support is needed.
· Depending on the severity of an incident, teachers, counselors, and administrators will make every effort to notify parents of student misconduct. Administrators, counselors, and teachers will work with parents toward trying to improve student behavior.
We dealt with minor disciplinary issues. It was a common need to stop classroom disruptions (see Instructional Methodology and Results, Entry I, page 3), I had to stop some playful taunting that was escalating to a physical nature (see Log, 2-4-08, tab 2), and there was a complex unfortunate rumored event outside of school that lead to a student who had disciplinary issues leaving our class (see Log, 3-17-08, tab 3).
Community Dynamics
Superficially MMU does maintain a friendly, productive, positive learning environment. Students and faculty seem to feel free to be polite and friendly. There is a sense of community. My assessment of a deeper cultural reality that is genuine and reflects the broader community it serves. In a democratic society, this should be viewed as a positive occurrence and one that prognosticates improvement. However, departmental factions and student behavior does test the cohesiveness of the school. It has been inferred that there is a division between the administration, the arts faculty, sports staff, and other department faculty (see Log, 1-3-08, tab 3). There is interpersonal division in departments as well (see Dated Field Notes, Entry I Evidence, Tab V). Students can be disengaged from the community and can be subject to roomer and innuendo, creating a division in the community (see Log, 3-17-08, tab 4).
With traditional and progressive educators in the school, there is an expected amount of struggle on a variety of subjects. Some teachers bring a tried and true experience that can be balanced with wariness for another round of progress. I have witnessed, resistance to integration of technological requirements and an apathy for organizational change, that is coupled with logical explanations for these arguments that truly focus on student needs. Other teachers may have a naïve inefficiency balanced by energy driven by a more current philosophy. These teachers can point out valid inefficiencies in the way seasoned teachers work while their lack of experience show that any system can be burdened by lack of experience. The truth from my perspective after seeing this is that no mater your tenure we teach in a gray area were moment to moment we could be described or identify with any of these descriptions.
Considering the community’s dynamics, priorities in the community have a significant effect on the budgetary priorities of the school. Even with a homogonous community, there are efforts in the school and broader community to be conscious of the needs of minority interests (see Classroom Population Entry I, page 1).
While I was at the school I witnessed first hand how unified the community at MMU can be. Tragically, a student was killed in a car accident (see Log, 1-17-08, tab 5). The school has been through such a tragedy before. Communally, there was a very human response and a supportive reaction. This connectivity of community was seen in lighter scenes as well, whether it is the Winter Carnival, Arts and Music Festival or a fundraiser where cream pies were thrown in the faces of some of the most dynamic personalities in the faculty and administration.
The Arts Communal Status
From the perspective of the arts there does seem to be a strong interest in providing quality education. However, with a shrinking student population at MMU the arts are under more scrutiny currently then in the past. While reasons to provide the arts have been reasonable and well received, there does seem to be need for a stronger argument in its defense then what is traditionally used. There has been real evidence I have witnessed that leads to the idea that teachers in other subjects value their discipline over the arts (see Parent Teacher Relations, Entry I, page 4). Anecdotally there seems to be the same conflict with the sports department (see Log, 1-3-08, tab 3). Through sports and arts there seems to be an effort for real and meaningful connection with community. I have attended art hops that have a good showing at the school in the past (see Log, 3-27-08, tab 6). I am told, culturally, sports are the focus of the population in terms of the school’s pride. This cultural issue goes well beyond the walls of MMU and, historically and presently, into the priorities and beliefs of American culture. A clearer understanding of the role the arts play in economic, democratic, innovative and cognitive education could change the dynamics (see A Philosophy to Effective Learning: The essential Value of Art, Evidence Entry I, tab VI).
Analysis and Reflection of Environment
Political Social Communications Effect
At MMU when it comes to communal cultural philosophy of education that truly affects student’s education, there seems to be a discussion that occurs in private conversations in the form of gossip. These discussions lead to the beliefs, will, and actions of members of the community. It is these discussions, which lead to policy and application. In an educational environment, I find it interesting how difficult it may seem to communicate openly to enact change based on transparent consensus building. Regardless of the process of change does occur. It seems there is consistent influx of new ideas and over time, they do lead to new realities for students learning opportunities. As a member of the school and broader community, the conversations I have had regarding educational policy and philosophy at MMU are generally and genuinely built out of tangible experiences, commitment, ethical perspectives, intelligence, reason, community pride and desire for the best for students. However, these conversations are also based on personal fears, expectations built from generalizations, cyclical mistrust, budgetary hording, stress, lack of personal responsibility, and departmental and hierarchical stereotypes. It seems from my time at MMU and living in Jericho, VT that a political social communicative process has great influence on the creation of the learning environment.
Time
It has become much clearer to me how important a role time management plays in the learning environment, as it does in adult life. This sense is contradictory to my perceptions when I was an adolescent. I certainly did not feel the pressures of time I feel today. I do feel that many students today are forced to have this same sense of lack of time. I have learned the imperative need to be conscious of the balance our students need help with. We cannot be singularly concerned with students acquiring the knowledge in our class. We must be aware of the scheduling conflict that our students are faced with and be honest brokers in helping our students navigate their priorities. We should be clear in helping students balance work ethic, learning, physical health and mental health. This sometimes requires us to promote being a kid and having fun. This sometimes requires us to promote other departments over our own. And yes, this sometimes requires us not giving them homework.
Economy of Resources
While there is a push and pull for priorities in the lives of students and in the resources available to help students, I witnessed an economy to the role resources play in the school. In the art department, measured consideration is placed on physical space, equipment, supplies, and human resources. In Graphic Design I and Drawing II we had to turn students away because there was a lack of space and materials. In the case of Graphic Design I this included computers (see Log, 2-1-08, tab 7). My last conversation with the principle reviled that she wished to hire an additional art teacher, however, as we both understood it was not in the budget. In fact, my CT was almost cut back to 80% for next year. This is after she and the two other 2D art teachers had added to their schedule classes taught last year by a now retired teacher. The principle agreed with my assessment that she was getting the most she could from her current art teachers.
Classrooms Ambiance
The classroom I entered on the first day has slowly become more real and less fanciful. I saw occasional opportunity for change that would have improved the reality of situations. While in contrast, I saw practical reasons for inaction on the part of my CT. The longer I was in the classroom the more the cluttered environment seemed an issue, despite the familiarity I gained with the space and all it contains. This is clearly part of system that is both inherited and self created on the part of my CT. I did not see the extensiveness of the issue at first glance. Students contribute a great deal to this, but it symbolizes the relationships created in the class. Easy going, organic, frustrating at times, but fun. In many ways, I think the classroom signals to the student symbolically how to approach the class. The environment is open to all students and my CT makes an effort to provide guidance to all students. Nevertheless, they must be active in this process and ask, delve and discover to take full advantage of the opportunities. When required a sense of urgency and the need for personal responsibility is communicated to students. The same is true for accessing all that is available in terms of the materials the environment provides. However, there is a missed opportunity to show respect for the arts by having the students clean up after themselves. The mess only serves to promote a lack of care on the student’s part.
Behavioral Approach
In the classroom, I have found affirmation in disciplinary and behavioral issues. A common sense approach built on respect, communication and a calm, reasoned affect goes a long way in managing a classrooms behavior. Sometimes it takes one student to disrupt a class, and sometimes you are faced with six students that test the boundaries at once (see Instructional Methodology and Results, Entry I, page 3). In Graphic Design II, I had a student, Aris, who showed signs of interest, but often would leave class unannounced, work on other classes work in our class and would be defiant (see Entry IV, Lesson I for more about Aris). A number of students in Drawing II who would Sensitivity and listening to students helps navigate behavioral and educational challenges. Consistency and equitable approaches are much more valuable then hasty decisiveness resolution.
Facilitating Equality
Equality in the classroom is an area I have confidence in addressing, because of my experiences, personal and through story. I have a learning disability myself and have experience working with students who have their own individualized needs for success in the classroom. These issues can encompass a complex set of challenges and I am open and often insistent on good communication with other faculty, parents, special education specialists and medical providers. I am particularly well informed on the role of mental health and chronic pain provider’s practical role in helping students with special needs (see Entry II, Post Script: My Motivation). When appropriate, I am supportive of students taking personal responsibility and I try to facilitate these opportunities. Peer-to peer educational opportunities can be the most effective way to improve the student with special needs, as well as, challenge the student with gifted potential.
At MMU there are a number of students who have special needs related to academic, emotional, and physical realities. There is also a significant range in terms of economic reality. In AP class, we had a student who will be the first in his family to go to college in part due to economic realities. He receives special support along with others through school organized support groups. In the same class, we have a student who will likely be going to a top-level private art high school in California next semester, in part because her parents can afford to send her there. While these divisions have impact of students learning and relations, the lack of cultural and racial diversity does exist.
One student’s presence in Drawing II, Silas, who is African-American and was adopted into a Caucasian family, has displayed the mostly non-prejudicial nature in our school. However, I have had to interject my extensive experience growing up and living in a multi-cultural community into the classroom. Silas has multiple times in jest, used as excuse or interjected racial stereotypes into conversation in the classroom. These stereotypes are not likely to be seriously considered by his fellow students, beyond the humor it was intended. However, I know people in the African-American community who would take offence to Silas giving any sense of credence to these stereotypes. I had to make the point to Silas, that he represents his heritage to his fellow student who might not otherwise have a personal connection to his race. He should consider what his words might imply is ok for his friends in class to say or feel about other African-American’s other then himself.
I was not sure what role my experience growing up with friends and family who are African, Middle Eastern, Asian, American Indian, Hispanic, Caucasian, Jewish, Homosexual and Heterosexual would play in a more homogenous setting. It seems it will be infrequent, but poignant. On a personal note, ironically, in truly progressive Vermont, for the first time I have been offended by ethnic stereotypes said to me as a Jew. Partially because it has happened to me more often then in California or Georgia, but also because I sensed it came not from the personal experience, but from a naïve understanding.
Student Responsibility
I have found, hesitantly, comfort in the philosophy of letting students determine their destiny to a degree. However, there have been instances at MMU where intervention of some nature was called for. Not always, were there are recourses or time to address needs, but there were timely attempts. This is a time in students lives where they should be testing the waters and determining how they will precede. Each individual, however, has times where they will need a sounding board to figure out what they are truly intending for themselves in terms for behavior and learning strategies. I see this as my primary role.
My Role in Ambiance
In terms of my role in creating the ambiance, I would not try to be anything other then myself. Students can sense false behavior. My understanding of my character contribution would bring a relatable nature that is anchored by wisdom through eclectic experiences. For better or worse I am also positive, impassioned, youthful, humorous, accepting, playful, focused, practical, likable, honest, open, fare, approachable, concerned, curious, mediating, balanced, a thinker and intellectual. I relate well with all if by nothing else then on the grounds of curiosity. I identify with the misunderstood and misrepresented; the underground. However protective of the rights and ideals of the individual, I enjoy working toward concessions in a democratic and logical manner as often as is necessary and practical. I relate through story and anecdote, which can be tedious for some. Lucky for them, I enjoy others stories more then my own. While not always perfectly enjoyable to be around, I am told I err on the side of a positive contributor to ambiance. So again, I would not change much in terms of my personality affect on an environment. I reserve the right to learn for improvement’s sake, however.
Table of Contents for Entry II:
Overview………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………Page 1
Intro……………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………Page 1
Serving All Students with Special Needs…………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………Page 1
Mike and Pat…………………………………………………………………….……………….………………………………………………………………………….………………………Page 1
Mary……………………………………………………………………………………….…………..……………………………………………………………………………….………………………Page 2
Case Study II: Mary…………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………….………………..…….……………Page 2
Challenging Mary………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………..…….……………Page 2
The Person…………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 2
Case Study II: Matrix of Students with Special Needs………………..……………………………………………………………………………Page 3
Art Work…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 4
Post Script: My Motivation………………………………………………………………………………….………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 7
Entry II: Accommodating Students Identified as Having Special Needs
Overview
Intro
My two Case Studies were conducted during my Special Education Course training and during my Student Teaching Internship. During Case Study I, with Mike, my first student’s sessions were terminated early, so I have two students documented in Case Study I part A and part B. Part B was done in conjunction with secondary science licensure candidate, Tom Lawrence, who had worked with the student, Pat through the entire semester. Case Study II was done with a third student, Mary as part of my Student Teaching Internship.
Serving All Students with Special Needs
All students identified with special needs were approached with an ethics that kept the laws regarding IEP, 504 and 230 in mind (see Laws Quiz). This was made difficult with out access to a transparent fully updated resource system. I was provided with plans to read about students, as well as, and active list, but based on my experience in the classroom a number of students were not identified as having special needs when, I felt they should have been (see accommodations matrix, journal entry, and Entry I). In providing accommodations for each student I assessed needed special assistance I did my best to be clear on what the student need in the moment (see Accommodations Matrix). Over the course of the student teaching internship I improved on being prepared for individual students needs (see journal entry). As much as I was available, I provided extra time to best facilitate the needs of students (see journal entry).
Mike and Pat
While working with Mike, the majority of my learning occurred in navigating my professional relations with the student and his family as well as the family dynamics that affected the quality and eventual length of time to work with Mike. There was much more to the practical educational purpose I intended, but what I took away as a lesson primarily had to do with teacher, student, parent, and community dynamics. As a teacher, we have only so much influence in advocating for and educating our students. Interpersonal relationships and personal priorities of others outside the student teacher relationship can influence greatly the result and lasting effect of any lesson plan; particularly when emotions dictate priorities (see Case Study I A).
My work with Pat was significantly affected by the work my partner Tom Lawrence accomplished with Pat. He showed how significantly you could change a student’s performance with positive, innovative, and consistent approaches to learning. The strides that Pat took were perceived as remarkable to virtually all involved in Pat’s life. The work I did added another wrinkle to progress and was interesting from an Arts Education perspective. If you take initiative, engage a student through multiple intelligences, and are enthusiastic about the lesson, you can make great strides with any student (see Case Study I B).
Mary
Mary is a special challenge, because I have tried to increase the learning opportunities for a student who is resourceful and motivated already. Her painting is at a high level for her developmental stage, but I wanted to see how far we could help this student excel in development with more resources available (see fig 1.) If Pat and Mike can move beyond conventional expectation, why not Mary? The school has not identified Mary as gifted. However, I noticed right off her extraordinary ability. My CT agrees with my assessment.
Accommodating Mary with more challenging learning opportunities, then another student is a difficult choice to make. In fact I tried to provided a number of students “individualized” resources that will help with improving their development as artists. With Mary, I it was challenging to provide specific challenges that push her to move beyond her perception of her own capabilities. I intended to include innovative approaches on my part; differentiated instruction with an art foundation, peer-to-peer mentoring, and self-analysis through art and broadened resources. The challenge for me to provide time, be innovative enough to truly effect Mary’s development remained through out the process. It may have been naïve on my part to assume I can provide a supplemental learning opportunity when Mary is so self-motivated and my CT was already provided a high level of education in the AP Art setting.
As an educator I want to help all students, but in doing so that includes helping those who have special ability or vision as artist in best pursuing their objectives as artists. I certainly could not have produced what Mary is doing now when I was at her stage in development. I chose Mary, as a Case Study, because she challenges me. While I have and still could produce work similar to Mary’s technical approach, I am enough out of my element to be challenged, just as if my high school art teacher would have tried to teach me to do comics. My goal was to help Mary make the most of this opportunity, to improve the quality of her work as she intends. To provide guidance at this stage so she does not look back and wonder what if.
Case Study II: Mary
Challenging Mary
Instantly inspired by Mary and the quality of her work, I set out to facilitate a challenging, differentiated instructional and technically proficient artistic process. That would build self-discovery and self-confidence. In the end the challenge was mine to have and Mary was affectively facilitating most of this on her own.
The Person
Mary is a 16 year old white female, an easily approachable and easy to get along with, junior in High School. First imprisons provide you with the perception of someone who is a model citizen. She comes from a family that is successfully politically active in the community. Her personality is easygoing and not very dynamic. Without appropriate appreciation, she could easily be lost in a crowed of more demanding or disruptive students. She is the type of student teachers likely either rely on or ignore. If you as the teacher are looking for others assistance to make your classroom run more smoothly, Mary is one who would sincerely help you and do a competent job. She would be easy to ignore, because she presents no desire to be preserved as a burden. My impression in Mary’s case is this comes from both the persona she inherited from her mother and the obligation working towards a greater good, also inherited from her mother (see Journal Entry, see Entry I).
She had a severe injury that did affect her mental and physical approach to her education (See journal Entry). Mary has physically recovered from breaking her neck in a sports accident. She required surgery and still has a scar. My CT feels she has been affected by this injury in two ways. She is cautious and aware of her physical vulnerability, unusual for this developmental stage. She also has developed an under-whelming self-confidence level. She may benefit from moving beyond her focus on her own work to helping other students with solving challenges in their artwork. As a means to not just provide additional time for her to learn, but also to build confidence and move out of her protective shell. The issue here is providing the extra time given hers and my time commitments.
She in some subjects has also performed at levels not reaching the success she has found in art. I wished to work to utilize her success in art to improve the perception of self and improve the possibilities of success in other subjects through differentiated instruction. By harnessing her strengths and incorporating her challenges into her work it could help her increase her confidence and as a side effect may increase an understanding of these other academic subjects.
The political success of her mother may have shown Mary what you can gain from individual motivation or perhaps she feels the comparison between hers and her mothers path is unfair. Does this relate to the perception that Mary has under-whelming self-confidence? According to “Mary” her mother paradoxical outwardly has an introverted personality like Mary. Perhaps Mary’s subdued persona is based in wisdom not in a lack of self-confidence. It is clear that Mary has learned from her parents a strong self-resiliency. This left me the challenge to build on a strong foundation and provide whatever resources (technical, referential, intellectual, guided) I could that facilitate further development, building on her won motivations.
Mary is a “gifted” art student who requires a separate set of resources (see Matrix of Students with Special Needs During my Student Teaching Internship . However, the goal is the same with any student. I am working to help facilitate the highest level of results. The difficulty in Mary’s case is to have the vision to see how far the human potential can go. Regardless of the student there is always opportunity to utilize strengths and interests to fortify areas that are currently challenging to the student.
Case Study II Matrix of Students with Special Needs
(See Accommodations Matrix: AP Art Mary)
Art Work
In our AP art class there was a high standard for student self-motivation, verbal encouragement, critique, technical guidance, and intellectual consideration. No student is required to pursue the full opportunity the class provides. There is a finical and potential cost to the ego that is required to get the full credit the course offers them (see journal entry). Most pursue the opportunity to develop as an artist, free of the challenge of pursuing the college credit. If you apply for the college credit, you are subject to comparison with a national competition, not simply the other students in your room. The students have access to all the resources in the department (see Entry I description of classroom). There are budgetary, cultural, and time limitations (see Entry I). “Mary,” seems to be very productive and satisfied, but I can not help but wonder what if she had this challenge, or that chunk of time, or this paint, or that technique, what she could accomplish, innovate.
It would be disingenuous for me to characterize Mary as an undiscovered diamond in the rough. My CT gave two certificates for free ice-cream to students who are working hard and are under appreciated. She consulted me and we agreed on the two. They actually are the two I was debating between to do this case study. One was another AP Art student, a dynamic quirky personality who has to struggle to stay at the level he is at, a wonderful kid (see journal entry). The other was, Mary. My CT assumed both had never received this recognition, and their reaction confirmed this. Mary works at a high or average level, but she is ignored or under appreciated. Of course, not by all, I am sure there have been more people in Mary’s life beside my CT and myself that have appreciated her. Her paintings strike me as a source for building recognition (see fig).
Mary works in acrylic, but it has been suggested that she work in genesis, watercolor and oil paint as well. She has not had exposure to these paints after the recommendation (see description of classroom Entry I). She works from photographs found in her family’s home. My CT and I provide guidance through individual verbal assessment, written feedback and in the context of class critique (see written assessment, field notes). Feedback from her fellow students is very beneficial to Mary.
While resourceful, Mary may not be demanding enough to fully take advantage of what is available to her. She should not loose her good sense to be unburdening, but I hoped to help her take advantage of any opportunity that is being over looked. Her art demands attention and recognition, not her persona (see fig). There is an instantaneous recognition of success that can be preserved by most who view her work. If Mary is privy to this reaction it should help to build her confidence.
Mary’s concentration is on portraiture of family and herself. In her last two pieces, she is beginning to gain a strong balance between high detailed focal points and a more graphic yet painterly approach to other compositional elements (see figs).
My first exposure to Mary’s work was her 1st Concentration Piece (see fig). The face of her grandfather had a high level of proficiency in technique. She had used non-local color and a painterly, but detailed application of acrylic to build an accurate and deep depiction of the face. The less detail found in the ears, hair and cloths transitioned will into a painterly yet flat earthy color scheme that attend to the character of the face. The approach of these areas was effective in part because of the use of a brayer technique she developed. I made a few suggestion in approaching the glasses, which had not been made yet and also noticed that there was a clear division between elements that could have been eliminated with an under painting (See Vermont GE AAHS:10-21). This was one of only a handful of time I was able to assist Mary on a technical level.
I then saw a slide show of her previous work from earlier in the year. While there was a self-portrait (see example B) and a painting of a building (see example C) that showed her use of the brayer and alluded to the possibilities accomplished in her 1st Concentration piece, the earlier work was not as clearly accomplished.
What Mary accomplished with substantial time over Christmas brake and a clearer relationship with the subject in Concentration #1, became less representational around the edges of the face when striped of familiarity with subject and time in working on Concentration #2 (see example G). With slight warping of the outer edges of the face the transitional elements in Concentration #1 began to filter into the facial structure. The strength of color in the background and the accomplished non-local and local colors used in mouth, nose and eyes were being distracted by a painterly quality. This I confess is an aesthetic judgment on my part and was not seen as intentional or stylized until other pieces were shown. My CT clearly thought the piece was successful (see Spring Evaluations Concentration Piece #2) Part of the difficulty with this process was that Mary, was bringing in almost finished pieces from home and doing little work in class. This was typical of the class as a whole.
The AP Art class is considered by many to be the most time consuming class in the entire school (see journal entry). In my experience, this is typical of art in general (see Entry I). The AP Art class prefers to work in an environment they are more comfortable in and can worker longer stretches of time then our class. Of the thirteen AP students, three regularly work in class and two others occasionally. This, in part, has to do with the mediums they are using and how much time it takes to set up their materials. My CT and I are accepting of this, because these are highly motivated artists, most of which would be doing art on their own regardless of a class assignment. So logically we let them work in an environment were they are most prolific, for most that is not in class.
With the Parts of a Moving Object (see example H) the class had a brief critique, but I was evolved with another students needs. What was beginning to unfold, was the issues found in attending to those who need help, while “Mary” was left to challenge herself once again. Not only was the piece close to finished by the time we saw it, the critique was dominated by more gregarious personalities. My suggestion of using better reference was not a step that could be actionable this late in the process. The nessasary balance of working with students who demand less attention is something I had yet to begin to appreciate.
On Concentration #3 (see example I) the painterly style of the transitional elements were now clearly blending into a less detailed presentation of the facial features and even the background. To me this direction she had taken her work was counter productive. There was discussion on fixing specific elements such as her eyes. However, I was beginning to feel that time management and working at home was becoming an issue in the artistic progress I felt she should be making. I was aesthetically resistant to the deconstructive direction her work was taking and because the bulk of the work was done at home I had no opportunity to communicate this until each piece was finished.
Mary’s Calligraphy Composition (see example J) piece was turned in late. This analogous color schemed landscape was economical and relaxing. I personally was not impressed, but without a critique and her working on it in class, I saw little point in sharing this. I wish I had thought otherwise at the time. She had begun to have conflicting schedules with our class, due to applications to a next year semester program in Napa, CA. One of the portfolio requirements was a self-portrait, luckily for her she had already produced two.
Cogeneration # 4 was a medium diversion that turned out to be very successful. She striped down the piece to the basics of drawing and did a cross hatch of her grandfather that from a distance was very successful, but still had the markings of a high school art student at closer analysis. It is a wise choice in terms of time management any time you chose a medium that does not take much time to set up. Drawing with ink is such a medium. The cross-hatching is time consuming, but typically does not take as much effort as the level of realism found in Mary’s acrylic paintings.
For Concentration #5 (see example L) she stuck with drawing this time of her grandmother, but in charcoal. This is were I began to realize that some of what I thought was a warping of features in Concentration #2 and #3 may have been a stylistic choice. When you remove the paint or details and show just the line, you see specific form choices much easier. My only critique would to clean up the negative space on #5.
I should note that up to this point while other students are prolific and share their sketchbooks, bringing them into class. Mary does not often. I have only seen her sketchbook once and have only seen her work in it on that day (see figs). I asked her to bring it in more often to work in class. I think because of the personal nature of her concentration she is not comfortable working in class. This has made it difficult for me to implement any of the techniques I am now using with other students that were intended to work on with her.
The next three pieces I see from Mary are Concentration Pieces #6-8 (see fig ). However, I see them on the day of the art show. Mary went to visit Napa for a week and I have been teaching in other capacities at RES and as a substitute at MMU (see Entry I and Journal Entry) and have missed out on the opportunity to help Mary with these two wonderful pieces (see example M & N). I have no way of knowing how much my feedback on Concentration #3 affected this result, but Mary has redirected her painting approach with Concentration #6 a third Self-Portrait. She also began to lessen her approach to drawing with a much more gestural portrait of her father in Concentration #7. The gesture drawings improved the basic drawing style she had alluded to in her earlier paintings and reviled in Concentration #5.
With Concentration #8 (see fig) Mary portrays her father in acrylic, with the under painting suggested during Concentration #2. The gesture drawing has strengthened the form her style takes. She has taken the non-local color and applied it with a more purposeful palette. She still applies the brayer technique and keeps the graphic quality to the fringes of the face. She has captured her father in a way that alludes to his physical suture with the size of the canvas and the close cropping of the face. We see his outgoing nature balanced with his fatherly caution in the strong color choices and the details of the expression. She has turned the corner through her own artistic process.
Concentration #9 is in process on my last days visiting the class. I see more on this day in terms of process then I have seen all semester. I see for the first time a photo she is working from. I get a snap shot of the order in which she approaches the canvas. In this piece, she is returning to the exploring the diversity found in her own family seen in Concentration #2. This time her uncle is of Asian heritage. These exercise of portraying diversity is incredibly important in developing technical skill because it forces you to look objectively and pulls you further away from portraying yourself in you subjects. It also gives you a great deal of time to consider others then yourself.
In the end I feel my role in helping Mary, was personally supportive, but technically minimal. The lack of time can hamper student’s success, in this case it affected my ability to influence her much more then it hurt her development. Her strong technical abilities and her wise sense of subject mater have in some ways limited my opportunity to help her growth potential. Without changing her concentration focus, I set out to connect with these more abstract and more important opportunities, differentiated instruction, self-discovery, poignant visual communication. Art as an innovative process requires self-discovery, foundational competence, and diverse and deep knowledge of all academic subjects. As her artistic process moved on I began to believe she was discovering herself on a fundamental level (see figs). She did appreciate my impute, however inconsequential the result of my role. I learned to trust Mary’s process and realize now that the process guided by her own instinct and discovery out ways my facilitations and knowledge. Mary’s self-motivated, student centered approach, facilitated in part by my CT and myself, resulted in her growth both technically and in self-discovery. She explored artistically and discovered.
Post Script: My Motivation
At a young 32 I have what I consider diverse experiences that have lead to where I am today. There are three aspects of my life that most effectively contribute my work with art students, particularly students with special needs:
Firstly, I am a student with special needs. I have a documented learning disability that has affected dramatically my academic life. I have overcompensated in other areas of strength and could be considered gifted in these areas. This duality is a result of intention and need on my part. I look for this paradox in all my students and try to help them harness these discrepancies in strengthening the areas of less success and building towards the ultimate potential in both extremes.
Secondly, I have some experience although unofficial in consoling. My training came from my parents, the two are psychologist, one worked as a social worker. Although never officially trained I have helped positively people dealing with issues of death, rape, assault, bigotry, mental illness ect… I have worked for Vermont Orofacial Pain Associates (domestic abuse, drug dependency issues, poverty), Community High School of Vermont (history of violence, criminal behavior, drug dependency issues, special education, developmental challenges, mental health, poverty), Burlington College (developmental challenges, special education), SCAD’s Rising Star Program (a tragic rape incident, discovery of a dead body, special education, developmental challenges, mental health), SCAD’s Sequential Art Department (robbery, murder, gun violence, bigotry, special education) and Berkeley Day Camp (poverty, violent behavior, bigotry). Through friendships, I have helped others with all of the above issues at different points in my life. I have always risen to the challenge of helping to counsel people in moments of crisis.
Thirdly, I decided I was going to be a cartoonist at the age of four. Cartoonists have developed a few stereotypes placed upon them over the past 100 plus years, that are sometimes applicable to the reality. Working in the comics industry is like working in a slave shop. Cartoonists are adolescent. Cartoonists are intellectual elitist. Cartoonists are poor dressers. Cartoonists are bitter. Cartoonists are funny. Cartoonists are sensitive. Cartoonists are socially awkward, “geeks.” Cartoonists are good observers of the human condition. Cartoonists are storytellers. Cartoonists are perfectionist. Cartoonists live in another reality. Cartoonists are not “real artist.” Cartoonists are “underground” artist. Cartoonists are “America’s” artists. Cartoonist are Jewish, which I am. I could go on. I suppose at times in my life all of these could have been applicable to me. I do strongly believe that a cartoonist wears so many hats as once that they share a similar challenge to that of a teacher. As a cartoonist we are, illustrator, wordsmith, editor, storyteller, graphic designer, fine artist, humorist, observer, researcher, historian, journalist, architect, costume designer, director, psychologist, innovator…again I could go on. This diversity leads to two strengths in teaching arts to students with special needs. It is inherent in our experience to have the duality of under whelming expectation and the necessity of perfection. As a cartoonist, I am steeped in tradition, innovation, the underground and the classical method and worlds of art and literature. This complex prism leads me to focus not on the judgmental traditions of conforming the arts, but does focus on the wisdom found in the traditions. It allows me means to build foundation and create an environment of student-centered innovation. It helps me help students with special needs discover for themselves strengths and find tools needed to utilize those strengths to help in areas that are currently challenging to them.
Table of Contents for Entry III:
Colleagueship………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 1
Berkeley Day Camp…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………….…………………………..…….……………Page 1
SCAD’s Rising Star Program………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………………..…….……………Page 1
SCAD’s Sequential Art Department………………………………………………………………………….……………………………………..…….……………Page 2
Burlington College…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….……………Page 2
Community High School of Vermont………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….……………Page 2
Saint Michael’s College…………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 2
MMU……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….……………Page 3
RES……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….………………………………………..…….……………Page 4
Advocacy……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 4
MMU…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...………………………………………..…….……………Page 4
Berkeley Day Camp………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….……………Page 5
Vermont Orofacial pain Associates…………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 5
Entry III: Colleagueship and Advocacy
Colleagueship
Berkeley Day Camp
In my teens, I worked as a camp counselor in Berkeley, CA for a number of summers. There we worked in teams of two, receiving kids from parents at the bus stops in the morning and carried out a variety of activities with them through the day. We also had a counselor-in-training, which is how I started out working at the city day camp. The camp required clear communication between collogues, because we were a young staff, ages 13-25, in charge of teaching, caring for and facilitating activities for children ages 5-13 in an urban, marina and forested hilly preserve. The focus of lessons, art activities, songs, games and sports often had environmental or communal lessons. The relationships built on trust, coordination, and ethics with colleagues helped determine my character in future colleague relations.
SCAD’s Rising Star Program
Partially due to my experience as a camp counselor, as an undergrad, I was asked years later to be part of Savannah College of Art and Design’s (SCAD) program to house and educate high school students. The program was an advanced arts education program for gifted student who received college credit through participating. It was also a program to promote the college. There were six of us who lived with the 90 high school juniors for five weeks, helping with their course work, organizing activities and being the first responders to solving interpersonal issues. Along with the necessity of us working well together, we also had our relationship with the Program Director. Whom I team-taught an orientation course with, and the Resident Director who was the only fulltime college employee to live with the students and us. In terms of our role, colleagueship and professionalism proved to be critical like no other time in my life.
We were given one night off, three of us would stay, and the other three were free to do what we wished for the evening. On my night off I returned with the rest of my colleagues who had the night off to a tragedy. One of our students had been allegedly raped by another of our students. This affected a number of students, my colleagues, the college, and families. Principally it affected the victim. A girl who I had the intuition to understand had been sexually assaulted before, from a concerned conversation I had with her parents on the first day of the program. Also involved were the alleged rapist, who was a well liked by all. He had a close relationship with the friend of the victim who had been drinking with the victim. The victim had passed out from intoxication in the alleged rapist room and the fourth person affected was the roommate of the alleged rapist who witnessed the event, paralyzed by fear, loyalty and disgust. All four of these parties involved had important conversations with me after the incident, because of the trust and respect that had developed. We had to report the incident to our supervisors. We had to work through issues of guilt and responsibility on our end as colleagues, resolving a division between those who were there and those who were not. This process was critical to continuing our responsibilities as a team, we did so successfully professionally and personally without mediation. We also were quickly given directions by the college that was as much focused on protecting students as protecting the college legally and publicly. I had to quickly learn how to ethically navigate my responsibilities towards my colleagues, my supervisor, the school and my students. Complicating affects of the tragedy stayed with the program through the remaining weeks. It has stayed with me ever since, and it no doubt has stayed with those involved. I am also left with lessons of complex loyalty not blindly obedient to an institution and working through issues that are personal with colleagues on a professional level so we can serve our students.
SCAD’s Sequential Art Department
In graduate school, also at SCAD, I student taught/interned with two professors in the Sequential Art department, helping teach courses on writing, storytelling, and illustration. This experience was very similar to the student teaching relationships I have experienced with my classroom teacher as part of my current licensure program. The process and evolution of my role was to observe, integrate into an assisting position, and briefly run the class. I did not develop curriculum, but I interpreted and informed the curriculum already created by my Professors. The two biggest differences were that these were slightly older and adult students, as well as, half of the curriculum was not visual arts, but writing instead. For both professors I served as a bridge between the students and the professor. I had taken the course they were teaching from the same professors so I was familiar with the student’s perspectives as we proceeded through the semester. I also had a newly acquired colleagueship with my professors, which helped me appreciate their perspective and gave me an opportunity to learn once again from them on a new level. A level of trust and respect that had not previously existed emerged from that experience.
Burlington College
When I was teaching course at the college level on my own, I had been placed in a unique position in the colleges, structure, I had designed a curriculum that fell under the wings of three different departments. The colleagueship I had with the department heads was a great experience for me in terms of learning how to balance the diverse recommendations. Each department had a vision of what my courses would teach students. I had to balance three visions with my own. In the end, I felt that the cartoonist and illustration students were ill served by this, in part because I was unclear in my own mind on what to focus on. However, the storyboarding course was dynamic, energized and enjoyable for all, because of the complexity of priorities.
Community High School of Vermont
During this same period, I was also teaching at the local correctional system. To students who were changing the course of their lives and as part of that effort was getting their high school diplomas. There was a more relaxed concern regarding curriculum at this school, because there was the simple challenge of keeping the student population in class and productive. The relationships with my fellow teachers seemed to reflect this volunteerism environment. My primary interaction was with the program director. She seemed happy just have someone there to teach art. I did make a rubric that had to be approved by her. Other then that, she let me be and was pleased to see me returning. Those who I interacted with were there purely because these were students in serious need of positive change in their lives.
Saint Michael’s College
As part of my education in the course focused on helping students with special needs I had the opportunity to work with a colleague of mine helping a student with special needs. My role was both collaborator and supportive in helping advance the fine work he had already produced by the time I came along (see Entry II Case Study I A).
In Seminar, there was a open and diverse sharing of experiences, philosophies and solutions. I benefited from questions asked and opinions put forward regarding grade school discipline, time management. I found the strong opinions and experiences of alternative school settings and traditionalist expectations to bring a valued diverse discussion to the context of the class. In this context, the skepticism and innovation shared enlightened the diverse perspectives on education. The most valuable of experiences was my colleagueship with Erin the other art student teacher. We shared approaches to curriculum, classroom management, and anecdotal insight and served as sounding boards for our perspectives.
MMU
As my student teaching internship for this license has transpired, I have had opportunity to work closely with a number of members of my schools, community. Primarily I have been working with my Classroom Teacher at the MMU, assisting, co-teaching, and responding to her feedback as I moved through my solo teaching. Our colleagueship began with me supplementing and problem solving issues voluntarily so my CT could more efficiently work with students (see Final Eval). This initiative continued through out, which benefited students as well as my CT. I also brought a consistent evaluation of student work and provided timely feedback to students, which at time over stepped the comfort level of my CT. This characteristic seemed to be well received by students, however. I occasionally brought in supplemental resources, informed lesson plans, and reviewed materials provided by my CT, but the effort was not consistent enough. This occasionally short changed myself and students in opportunities to learn, it also unnecessarily shifted responsibility over to my CT. I consistently was punctual and attended faculty meetings with appropriate contributions. This effort may seem supplemental, but I view it as a critical aspect that effects broad numbers of students (see journal entry). By the end of our time together there was a more symbiotic efficiency to how my CT and I worked together and this familiarity helped in efficiency of time which is critical for students maximizing learning opportunities. By the end, I was able to run the classes, and provide extra time for my CT to work on supplemental opportunities for students (see journal entry).
I have also been available to assist other teachers in the Art Department at the high school and have created a positive bond with all of them, assisting when I can. This has included working on two different art shows, smaller intangible events, contributing to department meetings and assisting students in their classroom, when they needed an extra hand. I learned a variety of approaches in terms of approaches to classroom organization, student workloads, behavioral management approaches. I think I may select techniques from all the teachers I worked closely with. Any time I assisted a student in another class it helped provide more time for that teacher to help other students.
This relationship has carried over to working with Para Educators, as well. It is my perception this has been a strong support to not only the students they work closely with, but also has been a valuable support for the Para Educators. Through open communication with the Para Educators I was able to provide guidance to the students they were assisting in a more technically proficient way, because I understood the lessons. However, this was made much more affective with the types from the Para Educators. I found as the semester progressed that one Para was spending less and less time in the classroom, with less familiarity and involvement. I am assuming this is because the student was succeeding under the direction I was providing (see journal entry).
I have substitute taught in the Art, History and English Departments this semester, which has been of great value to me and has been a wonderful way to create working relationships with teachers in other departments, as well as, it has been another opportunity for me to improve as an art teacher (see sub sheet, Journal entry). Substituting provided a pure view of teaching. Striped of specialized knowledge, I was learning from instructions set out by the classroom teacher, analyzing their classroom environment and left with my teaching skills striped bare. I confirmed that I am able to carry out the goals of other instructors with a calm, unwavering, problem solving approach. At the end of the day, I felt that the students did not leave with a wasted day and I did find solutions to the issues I faced (see journal entry).
My colleagueship with other teachers, administrators and staff has been greatly informed by experiences in the two committees I have been a part of, the technology committee and ARG, as well as, faculty meeting, special events, bus duties, students with special needs meetings and in service days (see journal entry). The relationships I have built have included front office personnel, the librarian, faculty, guidance counselors, the principle, and the custodial personnel. These interactions informed my understanding of school dynamics, perspectives of educational priorities and discovery of resources available to students. In these meetings we shared students perspectives and determined policy that effected student schedules, resource and educational approaches, much of which will determine educational opportunities for students.
RES
Working with Jeremy Ayers, my CT at RES (see Entry I intro), I felt like I was an appreciated presence in the classroom. My work with Mr. Ayer’s provided an opportunity for more students to be focused on in a short period of time. He helped me quickly learn his system and we worked affectively together which broadened the potential for learning in an environment were every second counts (see Journal Entry). In classes, we taught each student in the elementary school in one 45 minute session per week. The experience gave me an opportunity to see how efficiently a lesson can be carried out, while it provided a luxury of time for Mr. Ayers for a month. Time is the most essential opportunity for learning for students (see Entry I)
Advocacy
MMU
At MMU I worked with a number of gifted students who benefited from communication focused on the relevance of the lessons (see Entry II Case Study II). Marie is a gifted student in the arts who I spoke about with my CT and her guidance consoler about (see Accommodation Matrix). It was in support of her artistic skills and potential in graphic design the guidance consoler thought that I helped instill. In this case, the three of us were helping this student explore practical and still interesting ways to pursue her artistic goals. In a separate conversation with her mother and another art teacher I spoke in support of her gift and in support of the parents desire for this art teacher to help find a summer mentoring program In the arts for Marie.
With Laura, Benjamin, and Saran, I advocated for the arts to remain part of their lives. Each one is a skilled artist, however they are skilled and interested in so many academic area’s they plan to concentrate on other pursuits. I was advocating for them to pursue their instincts, but to try and find ways to incorporate the arts into their future. Each one of these students would be top level art students at any school, and for an artist like myself, I am fully aware that my success in creating a piece of art is dependent on my abilities to gain and incorporate knowledge from outside of the arts. This sort of advocacy for the arts is perhaps the most import work I do on daily basis, because I believe that the arts play specific roles in improving my students, lives in very concrete, practical ways. If I cannot convince the most gifted and engaged students of this, then I have no chance with other students, my colleges and my community.
At a parent teacher conference my CT and I had a conversation with a student, Rebecca’s parents. She has shown a compleing interest and skill the arts in the past and had a “C” in our Drawing II class. Rebecca had been defiant, confrontational, self-deprecating and been acting out for months. She and I had a conversation about assessing were she was and were she wanted to go after she exclaimed that she wanted to quite. In conversation with her parents we discussed a change in her attitude, behavior and motivation. I advocated for a empathetic approach to confronting the issues of her grade. I felt she was on the verge of rejecting her work as an artist, something that to this point had been a significant part of her identity (see Journal Entry).
We had a student, Aris, in our Drawing I, Graphic Design I and Then Graphic Design II classes who had been a dynamic persona in class (see journal entry, lisa’s notes). I also happen to outside of school know a former, but ethical close friend of hers, who informed me of a rumor that was worming regarding Aris (see Journal Entry). I informed my CT and her guidance consoler of the information I had, while keeping my sourse confidential. I was then informed of other information regarding this episode from the guidance consoler. In the end the student had to make some major changes in her home life and reduced her class load which took her out of our class. Through out I advocated for her to remain, because she had shown an ability, an intelligence and a need for our course, despite other behavior disruptions she brought to the class (see journal entry). In her life currently there are few positives, our class was one.
Berkeley Day Camp
When I worked at Berkley Day Camp (see Entry III Berkeley Day Camp) my brother and I were the principle supervisors at bus stop in the toughest neighborhood on the bus rout. We had 10 year old twin brothers that came from a family where they had been abandoned by their parents and now were being raised by their grandmother in a house hold that was still plagued by violence. These two brothers were at each other verbally and physically all day. My brother and I at the bus stop and on the bus would take charge of one of the twins and chat, problem solve and defuse arguments. I also had them in my group during the day and eventually advocated for them to be separated, because of the disruption they would cause all day long. Unfortunately, the twin who left my group was unmanageable for the other group he was put in. Despite my best efforts, he was dismissed from the camp, while his brother had made strides in the camp, but was pulled out by his grandmother. It was disheartening result, because I new the camp was slowly giving the twins a different perspective from their daily struggles.
Vermont Orofacial Pain Associates
I have worked with chronic pain patients since 2003. In working with the patient pool, we see there is daily advocacy at play, generally to the patient themselves. As with students, there are things I advocate for that will improve their lives. I also advocate to our doctor and other practitioners involved in their treatment. I have also advocated to family members who are there to advocate for the patient. We advocate for change that will improve their pain conditions. We advocate for appropriate affective treatment, change in eating habits, reduced chemical dependency, removal from abusive environments, change in occupation of ergonomics, behavioral modification, pursuit of mental health care, spiritual guidance, and seeking of support from law enforcement.
Table of Contense for Entry IV:
Lesson I: “What is Good Design?” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………Page 1
The Context………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 1
The Rational………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 1
The Assessment………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 1
Descriptive Analysis………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 2
Lesson II: Unit 2 Composition……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………..…….……………Page 5
The Context………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 5
The Rational………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 5
The Assessment………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 5
Descriptive Analysis………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 6
My Behavior………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 6
Tyler………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 6
Meghan………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 7
Silas………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 8
My Effect On this Day………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………..…….……………Page 9
Entry IV: Analysis of Two Teaching Episodes
Lesson I: “What is Good Design?”
The Context
“What is Good Design?” is a lesson I developed for a grades 10-12 Graphic Design II class. This is an intermediate level course that is working in Adobe Illustrator primarily and Adobe Photoshop secondarily to create graphic design art. This lesson is designed to build invitation abilities, cognitive development, aesthetic perspectives, problem solving skills, work ethics, visual communication, computer graphic skills, artistic process development, an artistic lexicon, and traditional graphic design principles. The eleven students in this course are taught in a Macintosh Apple Computer Lab with a LCD projector. This lesson or a modified version can be implemented at any point in the process of a classroom project where you have assessed that the majority of students are in need of clarification, motivation and inspiration to improve their final product.
The Rational
Seven out of eleven of my students had proven to be unmotivated in production of a current project designed by my CT, Page Layout & Design, Design Elements and Principles. Each individual student has particular motivational issues, however, students are having difficulty envisioning the creative potential and connecting that with the relevance of this fundamental lesson. To improve ones own work it is part of the artistic process to assess how others have approached similar problems and review what your objectives are. All students of art need review of fundamental concepts in art, such as the elements and principles of design, placed in the context of their current focus. Students in this unit have been working on creating their first page layout for a book in Adobe Illustrator. They have been incorporating, specifically, the elements and principles of design; line, shape, space, value, texture, color, unity, proportion, repetition, movement, emphasis, contrast, and balance. For my supplemental lesson we reviewed the rubric for Unit 1, and I lead a guided discussion and LCD presentation, designed to look at the graphic design and illustrative works that incorporate the principles and elements of design (see fig). Students are also to keep in mind that the artists are reaching for “good design.” This assessment is a critical part of the design processes and required to produce work beyond minimal requirements. We are answering the focused question “What is incorporated into designs to improve communication and aesthetics?”
The Assessment
Assessment in this lesson is conducted through Personal Communication and can be incorporated into the Rubric Assessment of the project, which inspired the implementation of this scaffolded lesson plan. I facilitated a student led verbal review of the Rubric and was attentive to who appeared to be paying attention. To redirect and assess students I would ask questions or prompt them to participate in the discussion focused on the visual that illustrated examples of successful pieces that reflected the goals stated in the rubric. I would help facilitate by asking clarifying questions or follow up questions, as well as, direct students to each part of the visual, “Principle and Elements Chart with Image Examples,” we were focused on. Grading for this assessment is part of their classroom participation grade.
Descriptive Analysis
The class began with, as my supervisor described, a sense of mystery. Students wondered why they had to review the rubric at this point in their project. I was able to successfully connect clearly the defined objectives in the rubric to the visual examples I had assembled and the work they were did well done to this as soon as the discussion was over. I utilized the space navigating effectively between the computers in the back of the room, to be in proximity to the students. If the design of the room had been more conducive, I would have been able to get closer to the LCD screen in order to point to specific aspects of the work. The students developed through the discussion an engaged response to my probing inquiries. As my supervisor noted, my questions drew student in (see (see Supervisor Notes Dated 2/12/2008). Both my CT and supervisor felt my use of sophisticated visuals showed I cared and raised expectations (see Journal Entry Tuesday, February 12, 2008,).
As intended in consort with Vermont Standard 5.4a, students demonstrated formed aesthetic judgments, using appropriate vocabulary and background knowledge to analyze the professional work I was showing them. They also clearly described how they could replicate methods they saw in a different medium, Adobe Illustrator. The vocabulary used could have been better, as my CT pointed out (see CT note). Part of this was because in the moment I two was having difficulty finding the words. With repetition, I expect that will change. The lesson was also aligned with the GE APHS:12 (see GE). The students did analyze the elements and principles. They also articulated formal and expressive principles again with some of the appropriate vocabulary. Conceptually they were very in tune with the rational and seemed ready to incorporate the intended lesson in applying it to their covers and editing their page layouts.
The most enjoyable part of preparation for me is often the creation of a visual, no surprise given my subject focus, Art. Three experiences helped in creating what were unanimously seen as a successful visual: my depth and breadth in knowledge regarding art history and contemporary art trends, my personal graphic design enjoyment and skills, and my years of studying visual communication. I was able to have fun while creating an engaging, varied and clear visual for my students. This knowledge developed during my own art education carried over into the execution, being able to think on my feet, extracting observations and providing my own voice to each part of the visual. This was critical in helping students find applicable relevance to their work and maintaining interest. The funny thing was, despite a Bachelors of fine Art and a Masters of Fine Art I found myself occasionally fumbling for vocabulary, as I mentioned earlier (see supervisor notes). I am not entirely sure the cause of this, perhaps it was nerves and being observed by my supervisor. I do think the solution will be experience.
My supervising teacher noted that it would have been helpful to have the laser pointer from the beginning. My CT mentioned I might want to have some visual aids to help with some of the vocabulary, such as a color wheel. In preparation, I had consciously planned to have students sit up front and I spent a great deal of time researching, extracting and assembling the visual. In hindsight, I think having more materials to aid in the discussion such as the laser pointer and the color wheel would have been great additions to clarify and choreograph the discussion better.
Aris spoke accurately identified the elements and principles, as well as, provided aesthetic opinions that where built on the design of the work. She consistently responded to my inquiries. She would explain why she did not like a piece, such as, the Carl Kock page layout, because of the sketchy line quality. She was able to identify elements and principles that were additional to the principle and element I was looking for, as she did when she pointed out that the color in Rick Heffner’s piece carried you eye around. She was able to identify what emotions immerged from Dan Clowe’s The Funny Pages. She made spontaneous comments, for instance, when she identified that the focus was “drink milk” and all ayes were on the chocolate milk in a Arthur Samoff add. She recalled her lessons from last semesters Drawing I class when she identified atmospheric perspective in The Holocaust Encyclopedia. She noticed subtlety were Seth’s peach lettering created balance. (see Field Notes, and Print of LCD visual)
She was heavily influential in determining the quality of the lesson for all students, because of her motivated verbal involvement and her disruptive behavior. In the written evaluation and in discussion afterwards, my supervising observer commented on the behavior and my reaction to this student. She was concerned that I was not firm enough. Both my CT and I clarified the relationship this student has with her peers, her academics and the two of us as her instructors. It is complex, and is always a test for her and for us. I feel I have a good grasp of how to motivate this student and help her keep within acceptable boundaries. I strongly feel a more forceful hand would only help in spiraling things out of control and negatively influence long-term concerns for the student. That being said, I do establish boundaries with her, but feel I need to finesse due in part to the context of teaching with another teacher who has established her disciplinary expectations for the student. In the context of this course, she both was a valued contributor and the most egregious disciplinary issue. I also feel that in her case it is usually best to be patient and clear so as not to escalate her emotions. Specifically, she responded more than any other student with thoughtful comments. However, we started class with her being the last one seated and she refused to move up to the front where everyone else was seated. To be fair most students wanted to sit farther back at their computers and I was aware of the resistance potential. I specifically had them sit up front, because I had learned from previous experience in this classroom that the computers were a distraction in a critique and the proximity of students disrupted the sense of communal discussion. Due to my established rapport with the student, I knew not to push the issue after I suggested strongly she move up one row. She naturally refused and I let it go. I also gave her a responsibility of holding a laser pointer we acquired in the middle of the discussion. This was intended to build on what had been a strong participation in the communal discussion. However, she eventually lost this responsibility when she pointed the laser pointer at Tyler’s eye. He over dramatized the effect it had, which escalated the event as a disruption. I immediately took the laser pointer way. Both students relatively soon returned to participating positively in the discussion. Despite these issues, I was able to get a student who normally insists on leaving class, not working or being a distraction to be a motivated contributor to the discussion in a productive way. The dynamic personality of these students substantially affected the lesson (see Entry III and Journal Entry and Supervisor notes).
Tyler was one of the few exceptions to attentive and competent interaction. He was having side conversations and was principally involved in the laser incident that involved Aris and the disrupting of class. I did not get more then sarcasm and sophomoric humor in response to my inquiries regarding the elements and principles. His impute included comments like “That’s weird,” when referring to the Ladislav Sutnar piece (see Field Notes, and Print of LCD visual). He was offensive in the way he stated the size of a women in the Norman Rockwell illustration. However, if said in different terms his correct assertion on proportion and shape would have been appropriate. In the Lou Dorfsman piece he was quick to point out the emphasis was the nose, again true, but he seemed to only respond in humor.
Max was more typical of the class as a whole. He was thoughtful with his answers, but I had to ask him specifically to respond. He was attentive through out and his knowledge of the principles and elements was evident. When asked about the principles and elements he would answer correctly, as he did when he identified Carl Kock used line to create unity. He also put forward more insightful points, as he did with The Funny Pages and noticed there was an open panel that breathed (see Field Notes, and Print of LCD visual). With Modern House Three he correctly identified the contrasting colors red and green. That was all he contributed and on each he was thoughtful, but only when asked by name.
As mentioned earlier initially, most of the students, including Max, Aris and Tyler were resistant to moving closer to the LCD screen. There were side conversations that I interrupted by addressing questions to participants by name. My CT noted “most students seemed very interested and engaged with the examples.” I felt the comments and the atmosphere was engaged and spirited. I would ask leading questions, but students did tend to elaborate. My supervisor noted she would like for me to have them explain more why they do not like a piece of art. I would agree that this is an important part of the process and felt it was not part of the discussion in balance. The students were successful in describing how they might take the techniques of the art they were seeing and create this in Adobe Illustrator. This is critical so we can all know how they can return to their projects and implement practically this lesson.
By the end I became concerned about time management. My CT spent a great deal of her evaluation focused on this issue (see). When you are implementing a lesson designed to motivate students you do not want to go beyond the limits of their attention span. It becomes counter productive to the intent. I did not modify beyond expediting the process by shortening focused discussion on individual pieces. I think this was modestly successful. With experience I will be able to reduce the use of “like” and stream line the discussion for better attention. My CT also wanted me to focus more on how’s and why’s and less on the literal. I will have to learn how to better balance this with concerns for time management. She also was concerned with side conversations, however she also noted that with the intent of motivating and mating interest this can be a hard balance. The side conversations can be useful tools in illuminating relevance and maintaining interest.
Closure intentionally connected to their Adobe Illustrator page layout project in process. I redirected them to apply the discussion we were ending directly to their page layouts. Most of the examples were covers and most students were about to start their covers. Students would be working on their projects directly after the discussion. I directed the students to the common file where they could find the rubric and the visual we had just gone over for guidance and inspiration while they edited and completed their page layouts.
With the intent of this lesson being to redirect, motivate and clarify for students their production of a project, much of the final analysis truly took place in the context of my CT’s page layout assignment. However, what we do know from this discussion is that students now have a clearer understanding of what is intended in the project they working on (see Field Notes, and Print of LCD visual). In the way things were carried out, students seemed to be engaged and I predict will have found this exercise fruitful in helping produce “good design.” In hindsight, after the lesson, one of the students who most motivated me to develop the assignment, Tyler, continued his stubborn and jovial manner through the rest of my CT’s unit (see supervisor notes). The rest of the class seem to be producing improved pieces and have utilized the visual, the rubric, myself, my CT and each other in creating work that I feel would not have been accomplished without this lesson.
Lesson II: Unit 2 Composition
The Context
Unit 2 Composition is a curriculum designed by my CT, Dodi Gomez. My role was in designing the still life and in teaching the lesson during my solo week. The teaching episode I am analyzing is at a point when some students have finished working on the still life and this is the last day before I introduce a self-portrait assignment. The grade levels in this class are 9-12. This Drawing II class is filled to capacity with 22 students (see Entry I, also see Entry I for Classroom Description). We have a full range of ability in this class. We have students who I assess as being artistically gifted, one is also in the AP Art class. We also have students who struggle to focus long enough on the assignment to finish their work at a minimally aesthetic level (see Accommodations Matrix, Evidence Entry I, tab 1; students Rose, Rebekah, Andrew, Phoebe, David, Zoe, Tyler, Casey, Noah, and Silas).
The Rational
This unit sets out to contribute to students learning Vermont Standards 5.24 Students solve visual, spatial, kinesthetic, aural and other problems in the arts, and 2.6 Student apply prior knowledge, curiosity, imagination, and creativity to solve problems (see Composition Lesson Plan, Evidence Entry IV, tab). Students are activating prior knowledge from Drawing I; exhibiting drawing skills and reviewing elements and principles of design. There is a specific effort for students to choose an aesthetically designed composition by choosing how to crop the still life. While still drawing what they see, students make artistic and imaginative choices by selecting mark making techniques and color choices. The objectives state that students were to use observational skills, consider negative space, the five principles of shading, select objects that overlap to create emphasis, movement and depth (see handout).
When communicating visually composition helps determine what the audience receives in terms of information. It both limits what or how clearly they see, as well as, determines in what pattern their eye travels the page. This dictates the order and emotions communicated. The color choices also help communicate emotions. Color along with mark making clue the audiences into the texture, which also communicates a feeling. The conversation is effected by the audiences personal responses based on their experiences and psychology. A still life allows for students to work specifically on these decisions one step at a time. As when you write, when you draw you are also learning a better understanding of the mechanics so when you read or see you can more fully understand what is being communicated. All art making is an exercise in visual literacy.
The Assessment
During this unit, students have used viewfinders to determine composition they will render on their drawings. They have drawn on newsprint an outline of their composition and then used transfer paper to transfer the drawing to pastel paper. They then took Nu Pestels and rendered the still life from observation, while using their imagination to determine color choices and texture. Students then fill out a self-evaluation (see). Four things are considered when assessing; previous performance, process, finished product and self-evaluation. The finished product is the primary concern for the grade, but the previous performance helps determine accommodations during the process, process helps determine student’s work ethic and understanding of objectives and self-evaluation clarifies student’s perspective on the process and finished product.
For this assignment, student work when assessed fell into four results. A few students did exceptional work though out, this was the work of students who are both gifted and hardworking. The largest number of students worked diligently resulting in quality work, or work that reflected a high standard for the individual. The smallest number of students were distracted at times, but buckled down when necessary and the result was adequate and did show some effort. The second largest number of students were distracted, distracting or struggled bellow their individual expectations through the process. The result was a lower quality work then what would have resulted if they had worked diligently and/or up to the level of skill they had in past assignments.
Descriptive Analysis
My Behavior
Typically, when a class is working on art I facilitate a positive learning environment simply by calmly circulating and helping were needed (see Lisa B. Harvey’s notes). With the Drawing II class I have created relationships with students that is built out of my artistic skill, even-tempered, friendly, and sincere domineer. I have learned that the relationship with a class as a whole is built on individual relationships. Drawing II is one of my favorite classes to teach. This fact comes as a shock to some students, because this is the most dynamic, and to be honest loudest most distracted class I have taught this semester. I am open about this feeling, because I have had teachers that have been openly bias in enjoying a group of students and regardless of how well I was doing in that class, I felt I learned more about the subject in a large part because I knew the instructor liked the class as a whole. This facilitated relevance for me. If it is genuine, I will not shy away from stating a positive feeling like this, as I have done with Drawing II. On this particular day, the environment was dynamic, but a good class (see Lisa B. Harvey’s notes).
As I walked around the class and responded to requests for materials, provide guidance, conduct individualized demonstrations and negotiate terms with students, I am assessing student’s progress and process. In this Drawing II class, some students respond best to having check-ins that provide an objective set of eyes, some students request consistent problem solving assistance, some students need a consistent push to keep working, and some students learn from the working alone and you simply observe their progress. To assess, I must observe. For some students this is awkward, because I may not say anything, just look. I have not yet found a solution to this, because some students require needles chatter to distract them from their progress. (See Video Analysis, Lisa’s notes)
Tyler
Tyler is a self-motivated student, with a gift for drawing (see Accommodations Matrix). He can be annoyed and distracted when others in the class are to disruptive. On this day, he was working diligently on his still life (see fig 2). His still-life was the most accomplished of the class (see grade sheet). I only once hovered over him working (see video analysis). He occasionally chatters with other students at his table, but primarily he is focused on finishing his work this day.
If this were a smaller class, I am not sure how different my approach would be with Tyler. He thrives when left to his own resources. He benefits from working, being self-critical. He tends to be a man of few words, and in analysis does not delve deeply into the describing his process (see Self-Eval). However, if his work is not purposeful, it certainly influenced by strong instincts and technical artisanship. I am still learning on how to teach gifted students. I certainly believe that you should not just leave them to their own creative process. With Tyler, I am not sure if peer-to-peer mentoring would be beneficial to his artistic development. I could use differentiated instruction, which could serve to inform his work at a higher intellectual plane as well as serve to improve his learning in other academic areas. I think this second idea speaks to a more basic need for him. With Tyler, I think the value of the process and the quality of the reflection afterwards is most effectively influenced by the challenges you are able to place in the lesson plan. He needs challenges imbedded in the curriculum that are specific and designed to build on his technical skills, but even more so challenge the intellectual content of his work. This assignment on this day, did not take that additional step.
Tyler applied prior knowledge and skill in solving visual and spatial problems in his still life. He used his imagination and creativity in choosing non-local colors and march making that both accurately and aesthetically presented his composition. The compositional components to the design had a nice balance of positive and negative space. The angle and precession from the upper left frame and head of the statue through the bone and frames towards the right made for a natural eye movement that is caught back only because of the bright color of the apple in the statues arms back on the left. The non-local colors provide a detailed subtlety that creates a subtle representational rendering (see fig.2). He successfully worked towards goals of the standards and achieved every objective (see drawing 2 handout).
Meghan
Meghan on this assignment worked very quickly through the process, she was the first to finish (see fig 3). She can be self critical and if the assignment evolves depicting herself she is effected psychologically and it can take a great deal of effort on her part and the part of the instructor to get her to finish (see Journal entry).
On this assignment, she had a number of technical problem solving issues, but with mine and Mr. Gomez advise she was able to work through them. On this day, well beyond any technical issues, she finished her drawing and worked in her handmade sketchbook on the drawing a crinkled paper bag assignment (see video analysis).
In assessing her still life, I found she worked diligently resulting in quality work (see grade sheet). Her self evaluation reviled that she had a number of criticisms of her work that I felt were overly critical. She did not fully communicate a clear understanding of composition, the primary objective, but her piece was successful compositionally.
Meghan solved visual and spatial problems with her still life. She had a struggled early on in depicting the facial features of the Indian women. In the end the women had a more round feature, which is likely a projection from the shape of Meghan’s own face. The features are symmetrical to this change, however. Prior Knowledge was applied through out the process and resulted in a well drawn depiction on the still life. The fruits, vegetables, frame, and drapery were all stylistically, but equally accurately depicted. She used her imagination and creativity to achieve this balance. Compositionally she used the bone as the entry point for eye movement and it directs you through to the mushroom and then across the table you scan until you fallow the onion thirds up and you are re looped into the bone. An effective composition uses the rule of three.
On this day, I had only to give Meghan the supplies necessary for her to accomplish the assignment. However, I have over the course of the semester worked a great deal with her. I have provide encouragement, helped her work through psychological roadblocks by helping her look objectively not subjectively. I have shown her technical approaches and given verbal direction in solving drawing problems (see journal entry).
Silas
Silas in the end produced a work that is typical of his aesthetic style, but also typical of his effort. His style is not unusual in a global aesthetic context, but is quite different from his classmates in Drawing II. There is much more emphasis on a color fluidity then on accurate detailed depiction (see fig. 1, Entry I, tab III). In some ways in enables his level of effort. My critical concern with Silas is that he is distracted and disrupts others constantly in class. He also has a tendency to become defensive and argumentative when you attempt to redirect him. This is not unusual in the context of this class, there are a few who are so insistently disruptive.
On this last day of the assignment, Silas worked significantly more diligently then was typical. Under pressure of the deadline he was able to produce work that lived up to what I assume is his aesthetic standard. I did not get a self-evaluation from him, so I was not able to know what his thoughts were when I was grading him (see grade sheet).
Compositionally, Silas did not solve all spatial and visual problems. He had a large unidentifiable form on the left of the page, even from a right-to-left reading of the art your eye either skips over or stops dead at this discernable mass. There is limited overlapping to create some depth. The composition is vertically oriented and has trouble carrying the eye around because of this.
Silas had one assignment in our class drawing his hand. Prior to that I have not seen any other work of his. He transferred to the school this semester after being home schooled and being taught at the Waldorf School before that. I was acquainted with Silas before this class and know he has a passion for art. However, I did not have enough information to see what prior knowledge was being applied. He is creative and imaginative in his approach.
Through applying considerable time on my part, I was able to help Silas eventually focus long enough to complete the project. I was helped by the deadline we had set. On this day he did not require a great deal of attention from me. I did try and give Silas specific guidance technically, however, he was resistant and I am not entirely unpleased with the aesthetics of the result. It just was not the right approach for this approach. Silas will need to learn how to take his style and bend it to better facilitate the lessons of future assignments (see journal entry).
My Effect On this Day
Lisa Harvey pointed out in her notes that I did not speak assertively enough when speaking to the entire class (see lisa’s notes). I was not able to command attention. This has been a habit, in part because it is contrary to my over all approach. There were times were I should have taken the time to announce something to the entire class to be more efficient. I should have notified all the students were to get the paper bags and how to crinkle them up for the homework assignment. I did this individually to many times (see Video Anlysis). I do announce at the beginning of class that students who are finished should work on their sketchbooks (see Video Anlysis). . This was effective.
My flow was efficient and resulted in serving most students requested needs (see Anylis, Notes). I was able to verbally explain, direct with body language and skillfully demonstrate to help students problem solve (see video). I overlooked a few students who could have been redirected more effectively. I had two student who were wasting time setting up their paper bags, instead of drawing them (see Lisa Notes, Video Analyis). In retrospect what bothered me the most is I never returned to help one student after I was called away to get a paer bag by another student (see video anyisis). In the end she did return to work after I left her (see lisa’s notes).
In terms of attendance I was neglectful and did not check it until late into the class (see video anylsis).
As is my normal habit I announce how much time is left in class, beginning with 15 minutes left (see Lisa’s notes). At the end some work to the last minute and some clean and some prepare to leave 9see lisa’s notes). I am conscious of how setting up beginning and end of class procedures is critical at the beginning of the semester. I wish we had implemented some set up and clean up requirements for students. In this class being so sort, it would help (see Entry I).
Table of Contents for Entry V:
Entry V: Teaching Over Time
Classroom Environment:
(Refer to Art Classroom description in Entry I for physical context of teaching environment).
Academic Context:
This unit taught to a Painting I class with seven students. Each student had taken the prerequisite, Drawing I. The students had finished Unit I on non-objective painting and had begun a unit on color when my CT and I decided, in consideration of limited time, it would be best to postpone the color Unit to introduce and proceed with my unit “Get Out of Dodge!” the road trip paintings. The Unit, with its six lessons, conducted over 11, 1hr and 30min classes.
Design
As a cartoonist, I am use to taking a variety of inspired elements and designing them together to form a sequential outcome. This fun puzzle building is how I see designing curriculum. If I have a wide variety of desired results dictated by standards, student relevance, interdisciplinary goals, accommodations, artistic qualities, artistic fundamentals and my own interest I have found that I can create a curriculum that incorporates all through an inspired and purposeful process.
As a professional artist, I view each artistic process in a way that integrates most standards and principles. It can be challenging to create curriculum and have it be distilled down to one or two focused Standard or GE. For this unit I chose a standard and a GE that are broad and are representational of my philosophies (see philosophy, see unit matrix):
2.7 Information: Students respond to new information by reflecting on experience and reconsidering their opinions and sources of information.
APHS:16 Making Connections : Students make connections between/among the arts and disciplines outside the arts by… Explaining how elements, artistic processes, and/or organizational principles are used in similar and distinctive ways (e.g., form, tone color, balance, unity and verity, texture, harmony, ect.). Creating art work to show understanding of a discipline (e.g., show understanding of music through history, show understanding of dance through anatomy, show understanding of theater through literature).
I began, but never finished my sample painting (see student feedback, example I). If I were to have planed this Unit during a summer I would have taken the time to create an example that showed my process. This Unit is very much an exercise in exploring an artistic process that allows fro learning through out. TO show students my learning by example would have been another learning opportunity for my students. Even more importantly, it helps to have student examples, which I now have.
I also did not present my introduction story as well as I had hoped, with all the visuals, I had intended. I would have preferred to set up a power point of my artistic process and my road trip photos. By doing this Forrest would have realized the need for more sources in his research and he would have seen how to incorporate the research more into his final painting (see forest research, se fig 1). On the day, I did the introduction my verbal storytelling was not up to the standard I hold. I feel that I should have rehearsed the story more then I did.
Time was the primary challenge to both design and implementation of this unit. I could see this challenge as being both one that will be a constant through my carrier to some degree or another. Particularly if I want to keep my lessons fresh and evolving. I do think that some of the issues with time will lesson with both experience and development of a system that streamlines the process.
It was reassuring to constantly see that the intentions of relevance, interdisciplinary opportunities, inspiration and challenge imbedded on the design of the curriculum were evident through most student work. Katherine had taken to the research and really delved into a number of sources, from a variety of mediums and found informative inspiration in this process(see Katherine research notes and fig). Peter had taken the curriculums focus on process and fallowed it through to result in a painting that reflected his lessons and a critique that informed others (see fig, see field notes). I have been designing the artistic process I would like to implement and this trial helped greatly in providing a reality check on my design instinct.
Atmosphere
I tended to rotate thought class answer questions, asking questions, making suggestions, demonstrating, solving technical issues, familiarizing students with resources, motivating, discussing topics with students, providing time management. The classroom atmosphere was divided into five student created environments that were connected by inconstant communication sharing of space and resources. Four of these were individual students who primarily worked solitarily. Gretchen was social with me and Nick a bit, but she was primarily focused on her work. Nick was not a member of the Painting class, but was in an Independent Art Drawing I curriculum. Socially he was a member of the class and communicated some with Gretchen, I primarily. He was equally focused as Gretchen. Even more intensely working was Rebecca, who would often express her thoughts and feelings through heavy sighs and perplexed looks. The quietest member of the class was the virtually silent Katherine, who worked diligently in a manner that I at times was depressed, but I think in the end was just what her work mood looks like. The last and most influential on the learning environment was the group of four males in the Painting class. They sat together and discussed respectfully anecdotally reflections of their already established friendship and subjects ranging from music to politics to the assignment.
Implementation and Results
Overview
Evidence of student learning was found in the painting, reflections, critiques, thumbnails/color theory, research evidence, and brainstorming in journal/sketchbook. Working towards Vermont Standard 2.7, students will determine their initial ideas in brainstorming assignment. They then will inform this initial idea through a research process. They then will produce a poignant that communicates this informed view. As a class, we will reflect on this process in critique and individually students will reflect on their process working again in their sketchbook. Working towards GE’s for Vermont Standard APHS:16 Students go through a creative artistic process that includes research focused on an interdisciplinary topic. This process results in a piece of work that shows a better understanding of the discipline.
Students for this unit worked the majority of the time with traditional and found materials, however an important part of the process to attain information prudent to the standards was spent working with internet research software, word processing, library research software and minimally transferring of files through digital means including network file sharing, external hard drives and email file sharing.
Students gathered their thoughts, researched to inform their thoughts, communicated their informed thoughts and reflected on the process, all as part of an artistic process. Everyone went through these steps, and all had a learning experience that contributed to learning the standard: Students respond to new information by reflecting on experience and reconsidering their opinions and sources of information.
I introduced students to Lesson I and II initially. They were to freely brainstorm, journaling and sketching in their recycled sketchbooks about Road Trips, their common broad subjects as a point of relevant access to the unit (see Lesson I). Then if the would like they could begin researching a place they would visit on their road trip as it relates to one of the four interdisciplinary focuses, using their journaling as jumping off point. In the next class we sent to the library and students continued or began their research which they documented in a digital file. On the next class students began Lesson III by creating in their sketchbooks their thumbnail drawings and color palettes (see Lesson III. Then began the culminating Lesson IV in which they integrated their visual and intellectual process into a Road Trip painting made on old recycled Road Maps (see Lesson IV). Lessons V and VI were reverse scaffolding for the culminating Lesson IV. Once completed with the paintings the students had a critique and jigsaw for Lesson V and in Lesson VI they return full circle to their sketchbooks and freely reflect on the artistic process and how their perceptions of their subject have changed through this process.
The origin of this lesson was an idea that I would choose a subject matter that was relevant to the students. The risk in this is that I did not seek student opinion in picking this subject. In hindsight I did chose a subject that was relevant and of interest to the students in my class (see student feedback examples).
In part, I was able to come to this idea through reflection on my past, observation of student interest and pulling from my own interest. However, given a different timetable of developing a unit I would prefer to have student impute from the beginning to create better investment, interest, and relevance from the students. The results found through the process of the culminating assignment is that relevance and interest were maintained through out.
Lesson I
Implementing lesson I did require clarification, in that students needed to understand they were writing and drawing about Road Trips from any perspective they wished to take. They needed to understand that this was an opportunity to connect to the subject and should be fun. The only critical requirement was that they had to do so in their sketchbooks.
These sketchbooks are part of a broader curriculum goal set out by my CT, Dodi Gomez. She had received the books from another colleague, we are having the students gesso the pages together to prepare them for painting exercises. I am utilizing this tool for this unit plan. I will likely incorporate a modified version of this in the future.
All students were successful, because the lesson was designed to interest them and begin the process of thinking from a personal and independent perspective (see Rebecca fig, Peter fig and Jesse fig). I think I intrigued the students in this introduction, but the atmosphere I facilitated was not as clear as I would have liked. All students were had initiated the process of working on Vermont Standard 2.7, by activating prior knowledge.
Lesson II
Most students after working on Lesson I had not researched over the winter brake so we proceeded to the library, which I had reserved. After brief review of what we were doing and students had clearly stated what their interdisciplinary focus and road trip location was, students were set free to delve into materials to inform their artistic thought process. The atmosphere in the library was mostly quite, light and fun, with some sharing of information found and a lot of guided discussion between students and me individually.
Katherine was particularly independently successful in this. She both took books and recorded images in her sketchbook and found a variety of online resources to have a well-rounded set of perspectives to draw from (see fig and digital research page). When approach she was not very forthcoming with how things were progressing, which is consistent with her persona.
Jolton actively need assistance, as did most students. I would circulate, inquire, and respond to questions. With Jolten there were a number of clarifying questions he had regarding procedure and source materials. As was typical he did not document fully all he looked at. I had seen him look at multiple sources, but the evidence he provided was singular (see research). What is interesting in his approach is that he used this source to help determine his location and focus. He had an idea, but the research brought him through a journey to his final focuses. To me this informational journey was an important part of the process.
More singularly, Forrest focused on two web sights designed to confirm what he already new did not take the journey I had hoped (see dated field notes). He did look into other locations, but I felt this was to confirm his intentions to study Seattle music. Not to solve a dilemma of ware to go like Jolton. So I felt when grading him he did not fully embrace the learning intentions of this assignment.
I should have in the end, referred more directly to the checklist (see checklist), because students would have more concretely and systematically been able to thoroughly and efficiently researched. The goal is into necessarily to become an expert in the context of this process. It is more important to find were your interest are and delve deeply into this so you art is informed and not a form of conjecture.
In transferring the files through the schools network, having each student have a file, was the most efficient luxury. Some students like Rebecca and Forrest transferring files via email or flash drive and this was also a convenient way. I had suggested CD as a last alternative, but I would eliminate that option in the future, because of the environmental impact. It is my hope that this conscientious step was an effective lesson or review for students how it is small steps, which help with improving the environment.
Students now had information to inform their opinions and reconsider their initial ideas per the objective of Vermont Standard 2.7. They had also established their interdisciplinary focus and attained information they would use to communicate it visual for GE APHS:16.
Lesson III
After my initial introduction imperfect delivery (see Design above), there was a point of clarifying that had to take place during Lesson III. I had not clearly stated the point and requirements of the thumbnail drawings. So two students failed to create thumbnails that incorporated all the elements required. Instead, they created three studies of three separate elements. I had both students go back and redraw the thumbnails. I was challenged by time and with the miscommunication likely being my fault I should have just let it go and had them incorporate the separate drawings on the canvas. With Rebecca I should have especially considered this, but in the end she produced two sub par thumbnails, and then one of which was a great design (see accommodations matrix and fig). This was taken into consideration when grading
The other five students understood the requirements of the thumbnails. Forrest did incorporate parts of the human figure and transportation into his thumbnail. However, he did not incorporate the regional focus of his trip or his interdisciplinary focus into his thumbnails (see fig, see checklist). This substantially affected his final painting and reduced his grade for lessons III and IV. If I had addressed this during the thumbnail, perhaps the results for both would have been different. In analyzing this after the grades have been turned in, I see now that my lack of attention to this certainly played a role in this missed opportunity for him to learn.
Jesse had three strong thumbnail drawings (see fig) that were built out of initial sketches (see fig). This work was well beyond the requirement, but allowed for him to plan out the complex designs that reflected the Mexican art influence on his design at an early stage. It was very easy fro him to move onto the painting step with this clear and detailed layout.
Planning of the color palette brought an organization of emotional tone and a set of boundaries, which could keep your final painting in harmony. However, I never fully clarified this possibility. In the end a number of approaches were taken.
In Forest case he had a nice palette which was not done in his sketchbook (see fig). Somehow, through the painting process, he steered away from it and it hurt his final result (see fig). I think this is because he had issues mixing the same colors after the first day.
The majority of students came up with a color scheme placed in their sketchbook. For example, Rebecca had a complex color scheme that was more personal, then based in solid color theory (see fig). She did not waver from this plan and her instinct was correct. This is case were I am glad I did not fallow my initial reaction and trusted my students aesthetic plan (see fig).
Risk and diversion from plan can be important and is actually a vital lesson learned in art as it leads to innovation and freedom of thought. Katherine had a nice even tone in her analogous/complimentary color scheme (see fig). However, she rightfully chose to go with a less earthy tone and picked brighter more pastel colors in the end (see fig).
This part of the process is so quick I had little to do with it other then initiate the activity. The lessons payout, even if they do only revel themselves in the critique. This is part of the risk. I think I would have reviewed color theory briefly and the psychology of color schemes, so the students would be better prepared. The mane reason this was an issue was in interest of time we actually moved the Unit up interrupting my CT Unit on Color Theory. It would have been better if I had considered more during Lesson III.
In working towards Vermont Standard 2.7 students have communicate visually their revised idea in the form of their thumbnails and color palette. Students also have incorporated their interdisciplinary focus into their thumbnails as part of their process working towards GE APHS:16.
Lesson IV
The culminating assignment for “Get Out of Dodge!” occurred at the apex of the Units process. It consisted of an acrylic painting on a road map that reflected student’s artistic vision as formed by the interdisciplinary research and artistic process (see examples Forrest 5, Peter 5, Gretchen 5).
I found that I was able to respond well to student and other faculty’s suggestions, implementing easily what is best for student’s process. (see student feedback, journal entry). My CT had suggested I allow students to use other mediums to expedite the production process, since this was our students second painting and we both were beginning to see there was not enough time to finish even with more experienced painters. I suggest to the class that they consider using collage as a supplementary medium. This worked very well with Gretchen’s painting. She was able to cover a significant, but not dominate piece of the painting with a collage of the Swedish flag and was able to add ski tickets as well (see fig). This accommodation helped the quality and the completion of her painting. She is the only student to head this advice and some students could have improved their pieces, like Forrest, who had large patches of his painting unfinished and detracting from the paintings communication (see fig). Again, I should have been more attentive to Forrest and shown him what Gretchen was accomplishing with collage. Not all students needed this element. Peter who generally works quickly had a simple enough deign that communicated well to not integrate supplemental mediums other then four movement lines with pencil between the hand and the covered wagons (see fig). This is because of the strength of his planning during the Thumbnail stage.
In Peter’s The Oregon Trail, he was able to draw from the research, family history, points of relevance designed by me and his own brain storming that resulted in a successful painting (see example Peter 5). In work towards Vermont Standard 2.7, Peter, was guided and informed by his research (see research). It took him away from his original location to another and his research was actively seeking specific new information (see field notes). He was able to communicate not just new information, but a new focus based on new information. Peter was visually communicating in his painting manifest destiny and the hand of western expansion is a way that reflected slandered 2.7 and also incorporated the history required to work towards GE APHS: 16.
Peter’s openness to where the process took him continued when he reacted to mistakes he made with his thumbnails (see example Peter 4). He had accidentally drawn the inside of a car with the steering wheel on the right. His driver was not in Europe; they were on the Oregon Trail. In his culminating piece the arm he drew was of a right hand, sunburned from driving. This incorporated the European migration west in juxtaposition with modern day European car orientation. Even the sunburn was an embraced “happy accident” he had issues mixing colors (see Forrest Lesson III).
With Gretchen’s “Ski Trip,” (see example Gretchen 5) you saw both strong design decisions and unfinished, or muted communications. This reflected her lack of depth into her research, which confirmed, but did not inform what she already new on a subject she had great interest in (see Lesson V). Without retrieving new information she can not work towards the standard of reconsidering her opinion. Perhaps all the information was just a confirmation of what she already knew. If so she probably should have chosen a different Road Trip. She was also affected by an apparent miscommunication on my part (see Lesson III), which would have improved the effectiveness of her thumbnails. She benefited from the accommodations I made with adding collage as an option to speed up time. However, she still had to work outside of class. This is something I was trying to avoid, it goes contrary to my assessment that students are currently overworked and over scheduled and need more time to have fun and be a kid.
Like Gretchen, Forrest had already circumvented the possibility of truly attaining the objective of Vermont Standard 2.7 when he did not find new information during Lesson II (see lesson II). With regards to GE APHS:16 he was attempting to take interdisciplinary knowledge in the form of the cultural music scene of Seattle. However, in his painting (see fig) there is not iconic landmark, representation of music, depiction of any principle participants. You are left with an image of a non-descript inverted city. Part of a face, which may represent the artist. A road, a sun, and a number of areas of colors, that are aesthetically muddied and muted. It is unclear from the painting what is being communicated and it appears unfinished. I would not put this to the student is such stark terms, but this is the reality. Forrest is a good worker, a valued contributor to the classroom, and an intelligent, likable young man. Who also has some unique and strong opinions of which I often agree with and admire. These wonderful qualities however have nothing to do with the quality of his performance during this Unit and this culminating project. As I have mentioned I take some responsibility for this, because I did not actively intervene at many opportune moments. I will also state that painting thus far is not a strong ability of his, for the moment. However, I do know if I had taken a more active role in advising and demonstrating, he would not have had this result. Because of the quality of his persona, I let him slide reliant on his own ability, because he is so competent I thought he would seek help.
Lesson IV was the most time consuming portion of the Unit, as it should be. However I would have minimally preferred to have had 12 days instead of 11 for the entire Unit. That extra day would have been added to Lesson IV. With the exception of a few who made wise choices throughout the process like Peter all were under a time crunch that either resulted in working outside class time or producing a poor product for it, like Forrest.
Lesson V
There are two portions to the Lesson V the critique and the jigsaw. As we discussed each piece we had both elements play a part. In sharing with the class lessons learned about their interdisciplinary focus students would be asked to discus what they learned and how it reflected in painting. This went towards Vermont Standard 2.7, by working on their 4th objective (see Alignment Matrix). Some revaluations were expected to emerge from this reflecting connections in the artistic process that communicated about these disciplines as part of their 3rd objective for GE APHS: 16 (see Alignment matrix).
Katherine who had done well on the Unit thus far (see grade sheet), was virtually silent during the critique, as she is normally in class (see Atmosphere). She had one critique, after I asked her to respond. It was a suggestion to change something and it was both obvious and did not provide a answer how to effectively change 9see field notes). She was the last to be critiqued, because of a sequential order, not because of her lack of interest. So we were pressed for time and the class was growing restless. She was able to identify an area that she thought there could be improvement when others were having issues. In Vermont Standard 2.7 she had been influenced by her research and it was evident through the process, but was not made clear in this critique. The GE suffered the same fate.
Gretchen responded when called on (see field notes). She was the first to present and she was able to share information that might have been new to the class, but it was not information that she learned during the process (see Lesson II). For GE APHS: 16 she was making connections for us in the piece and her sharing of information verbally (see fig, see field notes). So there was no reflection on how things changed for standard 2.7 (see Alignment Matrix). She openly found issue with her own piece when no one else stepped up (see field notes). She found positives in others work, like with Forrest and the way the sky graduates red towards the building (see fig, see field notes). This level of performance was typical of the class (see journal entry).
Peter who had been enthusiastic through the entire Unit was no different on during the critique. He made insightful observations on Forest’s painting. He particularly shined when sharing his painting. Using terminology that raised the level of discussion intellectually, such as manifest destiny (see field notes). He truly shared regarding APHS: 16 and the historical implications of the Oregon Trail.
This critique was at a time when students were tired and had issues focusing. It was also not directly after the paintings were done, because I was at RES by this point as well. Therefore, in the end I felt the timing of it may have improved the level of conversation, but a great deal had to do with the quality of the work through out of which there was some. It also had to do with personalities in the class. I think I would have benefit personally from it occurring closer to the end Lesson IV.
Lesson VI
My final closing assignment was intended to be final personal reflection on the heels of Lesson IV and V. It was postponed by my obligations to RES and the over all scheduling issues. To make matters worse I simply forgot to remind students to show it to me weeks after I introduced it. I was able to track down three students in the twilight of my internship and have them show it to me briefly. I gave them full credit for this, but was not able to reflect on their thoughts. I also left zeros in the grade book for those who did not show it to me. I regret doing this (see grade book.) If done properly it would have completed the intentions of the Unit in a nice circular way. I also would have had another opportunity to learn from this experience, beyond this clear lesson of time management.
Entry VI
I alluded earlier to eclectic experiences. I gain experience through two ways typically. A third might be through consuming media arts, but personal interaction will always be more effective. So the two I will mention here are through my own experience and through the verbal stories I encounter with family, friends and acquaintances. I come from a family of storytellers. I am steeped in the lessons of the Caucasian Oklahoman experience and the Chicago Jewish experience through my parents and family. In addition my parents have lived in Georgia, Wisconsin and Colorado where I was born. My personal experiences are dictated by five vastly different worlds, at least from an American perspective. My younger years I grew up in poor yet intellectually eclectic Berkeley, CA. My adolescence was spent in the small affluent liberal mountain town Mill Valley, CA. My first adult steps were taken in the international city of San Francisco. My late College and Postgraduate years were spent in the morally complex, historically eclectic yet conservative hostess city of the south Savannah, GA. All four of these places stand in contrast to the less culturally diverse Vermont that I now call home .
On the issue of discrimination, I have not witnessed much in the classroom I am currently assisting and I hope this continues. There has been talk of issues with gay rights and gender identification discrimination. In my experience sharing stories in public and in private are the most effective ways of addressing discrimination. It is a learning process to disarm discrimination and to build appropriate defenses to discrimination. I feel confident in this area I am well equipped to help students .
Some areas I need to focus on include: I can be two focused and not hear someone. I can feel I have the answer, but then I find out through my curiosity that I was mistaken on concern of the student . I can also become impassioned about an aspect of a project that a student would like to edit out. My jokes can lack humor. My questions can be received as meddlesome. I can occasionally push the obscure when a more reliable example is available. Perhaps that is a little self-deprecating, I am uncomfortable with or have trouble navigating the line between confidence and boasting. Generally these flaws are balanced by reading people well enough, acceptance of being wrong, curiosity of how other are perceiving things and my sense of fairness. My biggest challenges are found in my learning disabilities, which have to do with spelling and grammar. There will be a student someday who will challenge me on my competence, but my other strengths should help in changing that opportunity into a learning experience for both of us .
I have learned that I would need to take the time to organize a different system and environment then my CT, for my students and I to function. In terms of the physical environment, I have a clear sketch in my mind of how it would appear. If the space has four walls one would be covered in classic/traditional art picked to show masters approach to projects found in the classroom curriculum. Another wall, would with the same purpose contain examples of art from less traditional, more accessible traditions (comics, illustration, film, graphic design), as well as, my own work. A third wall would contain examples of student work. The fourth wall would be designed to be a presentation space, for assignments, lectures and most importantly critiques of current student work. The first three walls would also have a systematic clear organization of materials for students . I would set up the tables or desks in a “u” with the opening facing the critique wall. My desk would be modest and at the doorway preferably, but must be in a place were I can visually see the students well. In the center of the room would be a standard presentation block, that would serve as a focus for students by either having what they are drawing or work that will be presented. Of course I would love the luxury of computers, light tables, matting tables, smart boards, LCD projectors, magnetic critique boards, scanners and printers. I would require all non-art project writing and hand-outs be transferred digitally, to reduce environmental impact and improve efficiency. The students would be instructed on how the system works and this system would be incorporated into their learning opportunities.
I see my role as to assessing and facilitating learning opportunities both specific and abstract for all my students. My strength in this area comes from my personality, personal experience and the stories I have been exposed to. As I gain more experiences and hear more stories, I expect I will only improve in facilitating productive learning opportunities for my students.
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