Final Field Reflection

          The K-4 art classroom in which I am stationed is clean and very organized. All of the materials are easily accessible and the students know exactly where to find everything they need. Supplies are stored in cabinets or in plastic containers on shelves in the room. The teacher asks select students to both distribute the supplies to other students and to put them away when class is over. The permission of students to do these distributions is executed in a way that makes the students see it as a privilege because it is presented as a reward for good behavior. This is an incredibly effective strategy that helps the kids appreciate being responsible for the supplies provided for them by the school. If I decide that I want to teach elementary school art I will absolutely make use of what I've learned here.

          The teacher often says "Clap your hands once if you can hear me!", which I think is a clever strategy for getting their attention and keeping them on task. She also frequently thanks "those of you in the class who are keeping your voices at zero!" and sometimes gives verbal recognition to particularly well behaved students. This seems to make the rest of the class seek that same positive attention, at least for a few minutes. If the students are able to keep the noise level at "zero" for an extended period of time, the instructor allows them to move up to a "level one." This means they may speak quietly to each other. However, this usually escalates to a fairly noisy room within minutes, and the teacher usually has to move it back down to level zero.
          The children are initially allowed to sit at their desks, but this sometimes proves to be distracting so the teacher moves them all to "the carpet" if they are not on their best behavior. This large rug is located in the front of the classroom very close to the board and has rows of squares big enough to seat one child per square side by side. The kids know that if they have to sit on the carpet, the teacher means business. It proves to be a very useful device in keeping them focused when the teacher is explaining the lesson. It also allowed them to get an up close look at what is being shown on the board. This doesn't happen very often, but children who are way out of line during class are sometimes sent to sit in one of the carpet squares by themselves away from the rest of the class, sort of like a time-out. After a few minutes, the teacher will ask them if they are ready to sit back in their seat and if she thinks they have calmed down she will let them do so. I have never seen a student be sent to the carpet and not come back minding their P's and Q's.
         In my classroom there is a system in place through which the students can earn or lose stars based upon behavior. If they earn all three stars and keep them until the end of class, they get what is called the class "Braggin' Dragon." If they accumulate enough of these "Dragons," they get special privileges such as candy, pizza parties, or even a walking field trip to Taco Bell. These extrinsic rewards seem to be very encouraging for some students, but because they are not immediate or tangible I think that many of the young kids forget they are supposed to be working together to obtain them. It might be more effective for the teacher to give out small candies or stickers to particularly well behaved students. If the rowdier children see that they could have immediate gratification like their classmates, they might be more inclined to settle down.
From what I have observed, the teacher is the primary rule-maker of the class. Students are most frequently disciplined for repeatedly talking or distracting their neighbor after being asked at least once to stop. Discipline is executed by either moving the problematic child to another table or moving the child to the carpet. If multiple students are misbehaving, the teacher will either ask them to stay at a level zero or take away one star. I have never seen a child sent to the office or removed from the classroom. The classroom management strategies in place seem to be very effective.

          Assessment is primarily based upon whether or not the students do their work. At this age, all of the students have varying levels of ability and I agree with the teacher that to grade them based upon effort at this point would be pointless and probably result in lots of angry parents. The students keep all their assignments in their own hand-made folder and are allowed to take their folders home to their parents at the end of the unit. Feedback occurs almost entirely in class on a personal level between teacher and student. From what I have observed, the students like to explain their art-making decisions aloud to the teacher and her helpers in class. We make sure to point out their strengths and very gently make suggestions in areas in which there is room for improvement. Sometimes other students will chime in and comment on each other’s work. Surprisingly, most of them have only encouraging and positive things to say, which is a beautiful thing in my opinion.

Reflection on Assessment

I am more aware than ever that art assessment needs to be well-rounded and analyze student learning in a plethora of content areas. Assessment needs to be dynamic enough to accurately measure what the students know as well as the specific areas that are proving problematic. The most concrete way to know what your students have successfully learned is to evaluate the progress (and/or lack thereof) made from one assessment to the next. The areas in which progress is slow or non-existent are clear indicators of where changes must be made in teaching strategy.

In assessment, it is important to take into account not only the factual knowledge that students are able to glean from course content, but also the attitudes and motivations within each one of them. Rating scales, when used for student self-assessment, can be very revealing in relation to their own perception of the learning process. I intend to use this technique for my own assessment of student work, as well provide my students with an opportunity for self-assessment. By taking these self-assessments into account, an educator can obtain a better idea of where the students are personally excelling or struggling, rather than just what they observe. They also encourage students to evaluate themselves in a measurable way. These kind of assessments give the teacher the opportunity to give tailored feedback to students on an individual basis, which I believe is vital to student progress. When students respond to that feedback in a way that allows the educator to ascertain measurable improvement in student work and attitude, only then can he or she be sure that their efforts are effective.

My personal philosophy on assessment is that it is less about measuring achievement in terms of set standards than it is about communication and individual progress as a result. Art is probably the only academic subject in which this philosophy can actually be put to effective use because more often than not there are no right or wrong answers. Every child sees the world through unique and precious eyes. Who is to say that ones view is any more accurate or correct than anothers? This is why critiques can be such an invaluable tool to utilize in the classroom. Critiques allow students to learn from each other, and they also provide teachers with valuable opportunities to acquire knowledge as to how and why students learn. I will most likely always practice critique in my classroom, although for sensitive junior high students I have created a specialized critique that I intend to use as formative assessment in my unit plan. I am envisioning a small group critique in which each student contributes a pertinent piece of helpful information they observe in the work of their peers. I will make sure to encourage students to write down observations of what is working well in the artwork being observed as well as where there is room for improvement. Out of the created list, the small groups will pick four of their observations to present to the class, two of them being positive and two being more along the lines of constructive criticism. I feel that this balance will be more likely to prevent students from becoming discouraged and overwhelmed, as I have often experienced in harsher college level critiques.

In my assigned chapter I also read about an assessment strategy called "Measuring Sticks" that I will most likely make use of at some point in my unit plan. In this form of assessment, several very different works by a variety of artists are displayed for the students, though all of them connected by the topic being taught. Students are asked to place their finished works of art next to that of the artist with whom they feel most closely connected, as well as give an explanation of their reasoning. It’s another way all of the students can learn and gain inspiration from each other, and the exposure to a variety of styles further perpetuates the idea that there are no right or wrong answers in art.

Big Idea Book pg. 7 & 8

Art Advocacy Presentation

Ok so maybe I am technologically impaired but I could not figure out how to post this power point presentation any other way, so I took pictures!

Big Idea Guest Artist

My Big Idea guest artist showed me how to look at my project through a fresh lense. Our pairing up was very interesting because key elements from our individual big ideas showed up in each others projects completely by accident. Though my big idea is Love, learning how to love and be loved is heavily influenced by our Identity, which is her big idea. Her use of mirrors, time pieces, sharp objects and a quartz crystal heart paired with the text "Love is patient, love is kind" put a completely new and delightful spin on my perspective. Love is so much more than romance. It is a both a quest and a way of life. We chase it, find it, lose it and rise above to find it again, all in the same lifetime. Love can be quaint and beautiful, as I like to depict it, but it can also be chaotic and dangerous, as we see here in this unique work of art.

Big Idea 3 & 4

Concept Map: Potential Model Artists for My Big Idea "Love"