Yes, we just got over AIMS and now we are finishing up three Wednesdays of Lions Quest - drugs, tobacco and alcohol education. I predict we will see zero substance abuse experimentation on campus because the kids get it that it's not cool, and what I do see is a rise in physical misbehavior. The incident of dumping kids in trash cans is on the rise.
14 1/2 days to the last day of school, less one day for a Jillians field trip/celebration, the 1/2 day is graduation and clean up, the day before that is finishing up, clearing out projects, signing Yearbooks, so for real teaching days - 12.
The kids will just finish their painting assignment, (It's just studio trimming off art history and other understandings) others will have worked through their printmaking assignment and the whistles will have the final firing. I settle for a lot less at this stage since the students do not receive in depth preparation for their paintings. Perhaps I need to reconsider what and how I teach in the last two weeks of school.
This school year has been wonderful:
Middle School Lead art teacher, mentor to student teacher two semesters, beginning teacher coach all year, in charge of the schools internet permission slips, spear head the PTO wish list for teachers, set up the arts walk, inspire art teachers to create artwork for a gallery exhibit, write an $8000 grant for photographer artist in residence for next year, be nominated as outstanding art teacher, and graduate with Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Friday, April 13, 2007
Outstanding Art Teacher
Today I received word I have been nominated by our principal for Outstanding Art Teacher of the year award for the Arts in Ed Council. I just finished writing a $8000 grant (actually a sum of two different grants, one used as a matching grant for the other) and it was intense. The photographer is working with our kids to create a permanent photographic collage on metal on campus and cyanotype journal books to be used in writing classes.
Here's to a great weekend after a truly hectic week of collecting signatures, writing endless letters, and late night perculating of yet more writing. No wonder I'm a little behind in my Master's writing homework - I'm all written out. Next week I have it that I can finally focus on guess what - writing for my Masters and doing the reading for that. The two grants have been huge for me and the school and being done gives me mental space to take on the next big giant.
Two weeks of intense data gathering, then analyzing. I am pumped.
Here's to a great weekend after a truly hectic week of collecting signatures, writing endless letters, and late night perculating of yet more writing. No wonder I'm a little behind in my Master's writing homework - I'm all written out. Next week I have it that I can finally focus on guess what - writing for my Masters and doing the reading for that. The two grants have been huge for me and the school and being done gives me mental space to take on the next big giant.
Two weeks of intense data gathering, then analyzing. I am pumped.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
AIMS Week
This week has been a nice break from routine. I am proctoring my Advisory (think Homeroom) kids in AIMS, and then we have alternating 3 period schedules for the remainder of the day. There are teachers showing movies all week long and basically resigned themselves to zero instruction. Some are bringing in popcorn, chips, and games to add to their mix, slipping this under admin radar. I wonder if this is also a contributing factor in complaints that students have already "checked out" after AIMS and are on summer holidays in their minds; or is it perhaps AIMS is scheduled in April instead of marking the end of the school year?
My students, walking in, take out their work and carry on working, and it seems as though many of them are truly happy to be involved in doing something concrete, and mind engaging, except for Ryan who wanted to check out, be in the next hour class and watch movies. The student teacher walked around giving them candy while they were working.
I enjoy the mix up of schedules, routines, different faces and classes switched brings a freshness to the day and it's interesting how I feel towards classes because of how they are staggered. I noticed this in the last class where 2nd hour walked in rambunctious, lively, and highly social x10. They had a whole different energy and were still highly functional.
Next week we are less AIMs and I pick up 2 of classes. The student teacher has 3 weeks left and is already interviewing for jobs in our District. I am looking forward to being back in the rhythm of teaching and directly working with students. Life is good.
My students, walking in, take out their work and carry on working, and it seems as though many of them are truly happy to be involved in doing something concrete, and mind engaging, except for Ryan who wanted to check out, be in the next hour class and watch movies. The student teacher walked around giving them candy while they were working.
I enjoy the mix up of schedules, routines, different faces and classes switched brings a freshness to the day and it's interesting how I feel towards classes because of how they are staggered. I noticed this in the last class where 2nd hour walked in rambunctious, lively, and highly social x10. They had a whole different energy and were still highly functional.
Next week we are less AIMs and I pick up 2 of classes. The student teacher has 3 weeks left and is already interviewing for jobs in our District. I am looking forward to being back in the rhythm of teaching and directly working with students. Life is good.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
The Real Research
My real research is about Ian, smart, gifted, fast working, likely quick start, attention needy, leader, born with opportunities, who finishes 2 weeks in advance of everyone else. He epitomizes my gifted, advanced student who can go two ways in his behavior and pull the class along with him. I also have a difficult time getting into the head of the bright 8th grader and knowing what will best motivate this artist. Ian is vocal and happy to be the focus of a paper. I trust he is also able to be reflective and share his feelings and thinkings about the way he works. This paper will give me an insight into how the student approaches art and based on my findings I will better prepare and plan meaningful and appropriate interim lessons.
The research question is: What don't I know about how this student I approaches art?
Collecting data: have interviewed him initially and discovered he loves art and draws/doodles at home, and now am observing how he works with his painting project. On Monday I will request he records his reflections (via tape) about why he is making the choices he is making in painting, and how he feels about his process, or perhaps ease him into the process with a reflections check list approach. There will be a month's worth of data collection and analysis.
The process: I have already documented his progress in terms of the interim assignment: blind, 1/2 blind, and contour line drawing, and now I will compare that to how he approaches his regular classroom assignment: painting the Major Impact on my Life. The readings related to the paper will be Viktor Lowenfeld, Michael Day, Betty Edwards, Pamela Taylor and multiple drawing process books.
Time Frame: The paper is due May 5th ready for editing and handed in complete on May 17th. Journal entries are continuous, initial interview is done, then one when Ian picks up the interim project again, and the final one when he is complete. I have copies of his work sample.
The research question is: What don't I know about how this student I approaches art?
Collecting data: have interviewed him initially and discovered he loves art and draws/doodles at home, and now am observing how he works with his painting project. On Monday I will request he records his reflections (via tape) about why he is making the choices he is making in painting, and how he feels about his process, or perhaps ease him into the process with a reflections check list approach. There will be a month's worth of data collection and analysis.
The process: I have already documented his progress in terms of the interim assignment: blind, 1/2 blind, and contour line drawing, and now I will compare that to how he approaches his regular classroom assignment: painting the Major Impact on my Life. The readings related to the paper will be Viktor Lowenfeld, Michael Day, Betty Edwards, Pamela Taylor and multiple drawing process books.
Time Frame: The paper is due May 5th ready for editing and handed in complete on May 17th. Journal entries are continuous, initial interview is done, then one when Ian picks up the interim project again, and the final one when he is complete. I have copies of his work sample.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Scan and Rotate
My intervention strategy for the student teacher was to ask her to focus only on increasing her scan and table rotation time. I mapped her rotations with a different color pencil for each rotation, wrote the number of seconds for each scan, and documented when she stopped at a student if it was for instruction or feedback.
Where she scanned within a range of 10 to 20 seconds, she managed to catch just about every kind of behavior and intercept, redirect, or answer a need. Her worst scan was 56 seconds, where it was tunnel vision, missing a raised tiring hand held for 28 seconds during which time she serviced two other turn jumping students. The student became off task and pulled other students off task during the latter part of the 28 seconds.
Mapping her rotations evidenced a pattern where two tables were continuously visited, one only twice and the others three times. The two tables have students with high learning and attention needs. This was 5th period. I briefly went over the results and asked her to share the impact of her new exercise.
She improved her scan and rotation rate in 6th period with terrific results where off task behavior was non-existent. The student teacher was far more proficient at addressing student needs. This class is her most difficult class and it was evidently far more enjoyable, her energy level was up, she had more smiles as she walked around the classroom speaking to student needs during their multi-level transition into 3 different ongoing activities.
Where she scanned within a range of 10 to 20 seconds, she managed to catch just about every kind of behavior and intercept, redirect, or answer a need. Her worst scan was 56 seconds, where it was tunnel vision, missing a raised tiring hand held for 28 seconds during which time she serviced two other turn jumping students. The student became off task and pulled other students off task during the latter part of the 28 seconds.
Mapping her rotations evidenced a pattern where two tables were continuously visited, one only twice and the others three times. The two tables have students with high learning and attention needs. This was 5th period. I briefly went over the results and asked her to share the impact of her new exercise.
She improved her scan and rotation rate in 6th period with terrific results where off task behavior was non-existent. The student teacher was far more proficient at addressing student needs. This class is her most difficult class and it was evidently far more enjoyable, her energy level was up, she had more smiles as she walked around the classroom speaking to student needs during their multi-level transition into 3 different ongoing activities.
Providing Structure
Today, 7th hour was terrific. Students collaboratively created their edible color wheels, reviewed color relationships, color schemes and names in preparation for their oral evaluation before being allowed to eat the end result. It was fun, structured, social, concrete, and the results were immediate with lots of laughter and sense making. I rotated through the tables at least six times checking and making sure everyone was working, mixing colors so they were obviously different to each other, and catching students as they were finishing up and directing them to the next stage. Testing the students was fun, and I had to walk away from one table three times because students needed to teach each other resulting in 100% success. Giggles and finality came as cookies were eaten.
Thereafter, I showed examples of students' paintings depicting a major event or person who had an impact on their lives, and I read safe and moving excerpts describing symbols utilized so they could understand where they were heading and the relevance of working on the color wheel. The paintings are based on a color scheme and integrate color gradation. Students were 100% engaged. They sat, listened, and watched. They returned to their seats and completed a journal entry describing their favorite photograph using sensory words in preparation for confronting personal emotional content.
Upon reflection, in today's lesson students had collaborated, listened to a demonstration (moved to a different location), switched their minds to reflection (returned to their seats). Everyone was 100% on task, engaged, and they emotionally went from an all time high of social fun and laughter to quiet reflection and independent writing. It was Friday, and the best meaningful lesson for the end of a short week.
Thereafter, I showed examples of students' paintings depicting a major event or person who had an impact on their lives, and I read safe and moving excerpts describing symbols utilized so they could understand where they were heading and the relevance of working on the color wheel. The paintings are based on a color scheme and integrate color gradation. Students were 100% engaged. They sat, listened, and watched. They returned to their seats and completed a journal entry describing their favorite photograph using sensory words in preparation for confronting personal emotional content.
Upon reflection, in today's lesson students had collaborated, listened to a demonstration (moved to a different location), switched their minds to reflection (returned to their seats). Everyone was 100% on task, engaged, and they emotionally went from an all time high of social fun and laughter to quiet reflection and independent writing. It was Friday, and the best meaningful lesson for the end of a short week.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Difficult Class
Taking over all the classes I realize that period 6 is the most difficult class of the day, that period 7 has overt challenges while period 6 is more about subversive behavior. It's about identifying who the students who monitor the teacher to see where she is in the room so they can opt out of working, or play the game of looking like they are working. As soon as the student teacher took back her classes today, the students went back to their old patterns of being off task, minimal committment to producing anything significant. I really thought they would follow through with the environment created on Thursday and Friday - part of me wants these kids for another whole week.
When I compare how the student teacher interacts with this class and how I did it, I think the biggest difference is in providing structure, immediate feedback, and clearly defining expectations and consequences. The rest of the classes are fine with the lighter approach.
My greatest frustration source is allowing her to take over the class completely, sitting on my hands is truly difficult. Today, we had a talk about picking up the pace of rotating through the class, spending time only with students in need, identifying students who will be in need, pre-empting behaviors, scanning the room often (6x more than now) and stepping into the rhythm of needs which is high right now because of lesson transition.
There are many projects going on right now in class: lesson completion, selecting and matting work, completing self-evaluations, interviewing and grading students immediately, self-regulation in terms of applying the transition assignment (checking on these). It is a hectic class time, and will remain so until the end of this week when the majority is working on the transition project, ready to start fresh on Monday. Where the teacher stands, scans, nails behaviors, applauds is critical to keeping it a smooth running engine.
Today, period 7 "I" worked through his blind, 1/2 blind, contour line drawing of hands, three times, saying: "this is boring" which I translated for him as it's hard, and difficult, and because looking good is important for him, it's hard to want to do. He heard me and took on giving it his best because I promised there would be something astounding for him at its end. Literally, by lesson end, after aligning angles and measurements - he could clearly see the growth he had in drawing his hand compared to his original drawing. He was beaming. Success. He is excited for tomorrow.
When I compare how the student teacher interacts with this class and how I did it, I think the biggest difference is in providing structure, immediate feedback, and clearly defining expectations and consequences. The rest of the classes are fine with the lighter approach.
My greatest frustration source is allowing her to take over the class completely, sitting on my hands is truly difficult. Today, we had a talk about picking up the pace of rotating through the class, spending time only with students in need, identifying students who will be in need, pre-empting behaviors, scanning the room often (6x more than now) and stepping into the rhythm of needs which is high right now because of lesson transition.
There are many projects going on right now in class: lesson completion, selecting and matting work, completing self-evaluations, interviewing and grading students immediately, self-regulation in terms of applying the transition assignment (checking on these). It is a hectic class time, and will remain so until the end of this week when the majority is working on the transition project, ready to start fresh on Monday. Where the teacher stands, scans, nails behaviors, applauds is critical to keeping it a smooth running engine.
Today, period 7 "I" worked through his blind, 1/2 blind, contour line drawing of hands, three times, saying: "this is boring" which I translated for him as it's hard, and difficult, and because looking good is important for him, it's hard to want to do. He heard me and took on giving it his best because I promised there would be something astounding for him at its end. Literally, by lesson end, after aligning angles and measurements - he could clearly see the growth he had in drawing his hand compared to his original drawing. He was beaming. Success. He is excited for tomorrow.
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