My presentation of learning Above is a link to a youtube video in which I screen cast through a 20 slide powerpoint and speak 20 seconds to each slide on the learning that took place over the course of this semester and in my time at Polaris. This format is a Pecha Kucha presentation. In this video I explore assignments I had this semester as a student, as well as assignments I created and gave as an instructor. I speak about lesson planning, unit planning, studio habits, student work, and the art exhibition at the end of the semester among other things.
What went well: Classroom Management was always a strong suite for use and while this sometimes takes the backseat, I found out that classroom management can really make or break a class. There was one day that we struggled with transitions and I quickly learned how that can eat away at productive class time. Engagement was are saving grace in this class. Our most successful lesson was without a doubt our second lesson "bugs in a jar" and I attribute a great deal of that success to the engaging materials that students were using; metallic paint on black paper. Structuring our unit in the way that we did, front-loading observational drawing, slow looking, and intentional decision making and then transitioning into more freedom, creativity, and imagination I think really made decision-making more intentional. Ideation and planning also developed a ton over the course of the semester. I commented on this on the assessment page but this is the criteria in which students showed the most growth. If you look at preliminary sketches and end products from lesson 4 "creatures in space" you can see the thinking and process students put into their work. What did you learn and what would you do differently: It's a personal goal of mine to really work on reflections moving forward. Our students reflections were hit or miss depending on the lesson and I think this has a great deal to do with how we structured them. One of my favorite reflections was actually our last one-lesson 4 "creatures in space" where it was a critical component of the assignment as a whole rather than an after thought. In that reflection, students took on the role of a museum tour guide and walked their peers through their exhibit. And then often the things that didn't go well were specific or circumstantial. There was one day where Clarissa and I brought brushes but didn't consider the size of the brush enough and our students made these beautiful detailed drawing that were then covered in messy brushwork because the brushes were too big. One of the overarching take-aways that I will consider more walking away from this is the art exhibition and how important it is to collect process shots as you go to demonstrate process and growth. I will also, in the future, have students help me prepare for the end-of-year art show as we go. i.e. matting, cutting things out, being sure to write names on work as well as titles.
Newsletter for Art Exhibition
This experience has been of the most meaningful and informative of my college career. In terms of content two of my biggest areas of growth were planning and classroom management. Planning and all that entails were a huge learning curve for me this semester. While I had created a unit and lesson plan before for 350, it had been over a year and I was definitely rusty but I felt a lot better about it by the end of peer teaching; particularly about unpacking objectives and aligning them to standards. While I think I walked into a highly productive classroom community and I had an awesome co-teach, I still feel I contributed to the seamless classroom management we experienced the whole semester. And my biggest areas to work on are preparation and assessment. I feel like you can never prepare enough for lessons-there are always more resources to take advantage of. And I wrote and rewrote and revised lessons this semester. And lastly, it is a personal goal of mine make assessment more relevant and to really make an effort to track growth. I want to continue to take photos throughout my teaching to show process as well. And last but not least, it's a personal goal of mine to get more involved in the culture of my schools for student teaching and get involved in clubs and sports.