A recent post from an Art Ed colleague still in the teacher-prep program highlights a theme for the week at this school. Dedication. She posted her frustration at others for their attitudes toward the job: teach the content, not the student. Your job ends when the lesson plan is done, or the chapter is complete.
I understand her frustration - as there are plenty of teachers who just teach the content, only teach the book, and have no involvement with their colleagues, students, or school leaders, further than that. My only encouragement to her is that when her student teaching is up, her dedication to the students and to the school make her a more desirable candidate when she goes for the job interview - and it will possibly be considered if further budget cuts come up in the following academic years.
Other things I can mention to her is that the students also will see the involvement and dedication - and they will also notice the lack thereof. We all understand family obligations, and the need for a disconnect from the profession. However, a connection on your own terms, (dedication, involvement) can bring a good perspective of how important you are to a student or two, how much you personally impact the school, and a reminder of how much the parents are glad that you are teaching their children. The job can be stressful and isolating enough: why would you miss out on an opportunity to get that positive feedback?
Friday, October 30, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
linking up and linking in
I've updated the Twitter account, and posted another tweet. I realize it will take time before I really get-into the Twitter, but I've got a start for now. I'm also a big fan of Alyson Stanfield's Art Biz Coach podcasts. I've gotta confess, I really dig being able to think ahead about my own art, and envision selling my creations again. For when I'm ready to begin, I went to buy a pack of canvases - and the easel is up and waiting.
The focus has been on teaching over the past five years. It's good to envision what got me into teaching Art in the first place - making art.
Also a good addition to getting back into the Art community is offering some of my services up to the grad students at my Uni. I have some skills that they may not yet, and likewise.
In the meantime, I have works to grade, grades to enter, and a day off to get some chores done. My students are going to approach Art Criticism this week, then begin another project. Time is flying so fast in a condensed semester-long course.
The focus has been on teaching over the past five years. It's good to envision what got me into teaching Art in the first place - making art.
Also a good addition to getting back into the Art community is offering some of my services up to the grad students at my Uni. I have some skills that they may not yet, and likewise.
In the meantime, I have works to grade, grades to enter, and a day off to get some chores done. My students are going to approach Art Criticism this week, then begin another project. Time is flying so fast in a condensed semester-long course.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
the Hunter debate
The thought occurred to me personally in a recent 8-hour meeting on lesson planning. Madeline Hunter was once again touted as the goddess of all lesson planning. From all I recall in Art Education, Madeline Hunter's format is of the devil. I can see the value for linear planning, and addressing standards that are so conceptually deconstructed that anyone could walk in and teach the prescribed standard; check, got it, you've shown your proving behavior, now let's move on to the next to-do item. However, does demonstrating a trite proving behavior actually prove learning? So, because Hunter's format is "of the devil" in ArtEd., we avoided it.
At this meeting, though - with our WASC process beginning this year, I asked myself "why?" ... "Why does Hunter break everything down to the millionth iota of information?" "Why are other content standards written like checklists?" and the most dangerous one from the Art Ed perspective... "Why doesn't Madeline Hunter's format fit for Art Ed?" I feel like I'm painting myself in a corner with questions. Here comes the great debate over the Art lesson plan - lessons plans are supposed to be for a say/week - this is for a unit of instruction, you're teaching too many things at once: color theory and how to hold a paintbrush should be different lessons." All these thoughts and questions... and the great Hunter debate has not yet an answer for me.
At this meeting, though - with our WASC process beginning this year, I asked myself "why?" ... "Why does Hunter break everything down to the millionth iota of information?" "Why are other content standards written like checklists?" and the most dangerous one from the Art Ed perspective... "Why doesn't Madeline Hunter's format fit for Art Ed?" I feel like I'm painting myself in a corner with questions. Here comes the great debate over the Art lesson plan - lessons plans are supposed to be for a say/week - this is for a unit of instruction, you're teaching too many things at once: color theory and how to hold a paintbrush should be different lessons." All these thoughts and questions... and the great Hunter debate has not yet an answer for me.
teach me to think
I've discovered that most of my students share my disdain for being 'told' by an authority what is good, and what isn't - what's good art, what's not. Mine is not the voice of approval for style, or legitimacy of an image as art in the classroom. Excellent! We begin with a victory, a grand neo-post-modern victory.
Now, to get the fourteen-year-olds to say what's what, and back it up.While teaching people to make and support a judgement, often younger ones will want to take the lazy way out; "I just like it more than the other one, I don't know why." I adore using Visual Thinking Strategies to assist in creating narratives and risk-taking without judgement. A few good rounds of VTS will usually break the ice in beginning to recover imaginative thinking skills and evidence gathering. Now, to take that and bring it to the next level of creating an argument and backing it up.
I'm hoping that my new strategy of collaborative blogging will help inspire the students to really drum up some good discussions and thoughts about how we value what we see, and experience.
Now, to get the fourteen-year-olds to say what's what, and back it up.While teaching people to make and support a judgement, often younger ones will want to take the lazy way out; "I just like it more than the other one, I don't know why." I adore using Visual Thinking Strategies to assist in creating narratives and risk-taking without judgement. A few good rounds of VTS will usually break the ice in beginning to recover imaginative thinking skills and evidence gathering. Now, to take that and bring it to the next level of creating an argument and backing it up.
I'm hoping that my new strategy of collaborative blogging will help inspire the students to really drum up some good discussions and thoughts about how we value what we see, and experience.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
resources, resources
I love collaborating with my colleagues.
Google Docs is a widely used tool for us in this arena. It makes so little work of having to form documents as a committee, take presentation notes, work on a policy with many people all at once, and also to share resources. The process eliminates so much wasted time. It's almost like a work-based chat room, but with the focus on creating and refining the document smoothly and efficiently. Kudos again to google!
Another resource shared today from our Science guy is Thinkfinity! We received an introductory training session, and two hours later, we're still playing with the applications on our SMARTboards. While the Art content was directed toward inclusion of Art education in other content areas :( the information is relevant, helpful, and timely.
Google Docs is a widely used tool for us in this arena. It makes so little work of having to form documents as a committee, take presentation notes, work on a policy with many people all at once, and also to share resources. The process eliminates so much wasted time. It's almost like a work-based chat room, but with the focus on creating and refining the document smoothly and efficiently. Kudos again to google!
Another resource shared today from our Science guy is Thinkfinity! We received an introductory training session, and two hours later, we're still playing with the applications on our SMARTboards. While the Art content was directed toward inclusion of Art education in other content areas :( the information is relevant, helpful, and timely.
legal documents and gMail
For those of us whom have multiple e-mail accounts; hotmail, work, professional society accounts, etc. Most e-mail services are now allowing you to import your e-mail from other accounts, and to send from your original account too!
This is probably old news for many people, but it became a great help for me today. I have 100mb available on my work account. Inbox, Sent Mail, and anything sent to the Deleted folder - it can all only total 100mb. E-mails from parents and/or students can be legal documents - and you never know when they will be necessary!
I signed up for a gMail account from google. This is the e-mail google offers, and you no longer need to be invited to join. My hotmail accounts, and work accounts are now forwarded to there, where e-mail isn't deleted, but archived! I also have 8000mb for use with all my e-mails. At the end of each semester, I can archive the work e-mail and burn a back-up disk, whereas I did not have the ability to do that from our work e-mail system.
Of course, of course, all this is limited in most schools by a very strict firewall and highly limited access to the internet. However, if you do have the access and ability, make it easier on yourself!
This is probably old news for many people, but it became a great help for me today. I have 100mb available on my work account. Inbox, Sent Mail, and anything sent to the Deleted folder - it can all only total 100mb. E-mails from parents and/or students can be legal documents - and you never know when they will be necessary!
I signed up for a gMail account from google. This is the e-mail google offers, and you no longer need to be invited to join. My hotmail accounts, and work accounts are now forwarded to there, where e-mail isn't deleted, but archived! I also have 8000mb for use with all my e-mails. At the end of each semester, I can archive the work e-mail and burn a back-up disk, whereas I did not have the ability to do that from our work e-mail system.
Of course, of course, all this is limited in most schools by a very strict firewall and highly limited access to the internet. However, if you do have the access and ability, make it easier on yourself!
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