Capital City Upper School

Briefly......because my last experience was so different from my other experiences.

9th graders are a whole different experience. I was excited and totally out of my comfort zone in this class. The little kids are not always as verbal and are still developing their brains, but by the age of 11 or 12, the adolescent mind is fully formed. This made it exciting for me to think about art lessons that could take on bigger questions about self-identity, values, social issues....At the same time, adolescents are characteristically unenthusiastic and distant from adults. I was not cool and had no idea how to approach students or how a teacher would foster an authentic and influencial role in the students life. I would go back. Ingrid smartly pointed out that the students are teachers too. It would certainly be a learning experience for me and teenagers could benefit from smart and innovative opportunities. Maybe Roger will take care of that.

Final Project & Thanks

I thought everyones final projects were great!  I loved seeing everyones personalities shine in the little extras that they added to their project.  I really enjoyed working with Laurie and getting to know her better!  I found we collaborated very well for the project.  Thanks to the teachers and everyone for helping to coordinate everything and making this experience so fun! 

The Art League at Alexandria was a good choice I think for me to attend, very different from anywhere else I had been to just because of the age difference, this being an adult education program for people who were mostly taking classes for fun and leisure. 

Looking at all these different schools, classroom environments, and classroom populations, and student motivation for taking the class,  it made me realize about all the many MANY things that go into planning for teaching an art class. So many things effect it that I never really thought about. 

It was enjoyable, rewarding, and insightful experience. I am eager to see what happens this summer (as I am looking for a summer internship to do outside of school, not for credit, maybe if I am lucky for pay? lol) and with my student teaching next year. Through the last 9 months since entering the program the field experience class has thusfar had the most impact on turning around my thinking and outlook on this program and got me thinking more positively about my future after the program and more hopeful about the kinds of things I will be able to do. 

Hey, Jude

Sorry, couldn't help but make the cheesy posting title. Anyways, I've heard a lot about this site this semester and didn't quite know what to expect. I was pretty pleasantly surprised. Actually, I really loved this site. First things first. The classroom is cluttered, yes. But in one of those magical cluttered but you can find what you are looking for ways. There are really unending art materials in there. I probably can't go into more detail without talking about Jude. Mr. Jude seems to have this whole crazy space organized and filled with materials. I was pretty sure I was going to like this site in the first 5 minutes we were there. Here's what happened: student needs canvas, Jude pulls out a canvas of a student who is no longer in the program and says to recycle it, student scoffs, Jude proceeds to give mini-lecture on the fact that you should not come to expect a pristine canvas in art or in life- that's simply not how it works. Beautiful. It is apparent to me that Jude has a wealth of materials in his classroom not because he has an enormous budget or mystery donors, but because he is smart and resourceful with what materials he does have. He was smart with his students, encouraging them to follow their own projects and ideas, all of which blanketed under the unit theme of beauty (for the upcoming gallery presentation). He also went on a rather large rant about American Indians- which he laughed and said we'd call him an eccentric in our follow ups for this class- but in all fairness they are making murals about the American west and the native populations.
I liked the mix of students. They were excited about making art, and using their creativity to head in their own directions. I also liked their relationship with Jude, asking questions about materials or procedures and cracking jokes.
All in all, once again this semester it all comes back to- the teacher makes the classroom.

WVSA

WVSA turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. Elana and I visited Jude's class and helped out for the day. Jude is a very laid back teacher who really knows his stuff and treats his students according to their age. This is something I have not seen in a while and it is very refreshing to see. I have a feeling that many in the education field might frown on some of his practices and mannerisms while teaching. He was a great example of how to teach art by my standards. His personality and teaching style was very successful in his context and is something that is usually not taken into account in the field of education. He gave demos and started students paintings and made very stern yet joking digs at students from time to time which were effective and acceptable due to the relationship he and his students have formed. Jude was not plagued with the level of fear or tenderness that can often be seen in many teachers or just education in general. He presented himself and interacted with his class in a comfortable and honest way. Because of this behavior he was able to build effective relationships with students that I have not seen much of in DC so far. His dry sense of humor and relaxed demeanor really allows him to interact with his students on a more productive level. He did not only focus on art and started educational discussions on other subjects such as history and culture. This really gave me hope since I hope to go beyond art in my classroom as well. Instead of getting caught up in many of the educational standards and rules he appeared to be having a good time and getting his students to have fun while pursuing the creation of quality art. The art was being produced for the real world (CVS) and was not catering to school system standards, curriculum, and grades. This reminded me of how my extremely successful underfunded high school art class was conducted. We all focused on getting projects done that were for shows, contests, public spaces, and commissions. There were no textbooks, DBAE, or VTS but just straight proactive creation of art with a purpose beyond ourselves. The fact that Jude had set something up with an outside source such as CVS caused me to remember such successful art education. The students came in and really practiced art instead of talking and doing little gimmick exercises like CR's at Wilson High. The students can clearly see CR's and other exercises for what they are and become offended and give up. However if there is someone who really knows their subject, practices it, pushes their students to create art without a lot of strings attached the students will respond. I see this in Jude just as I did in my high school teacher. Of course this is a lot of things to draw out of one visit but this class was very noticeably different form what I have been used to over the past two semesters. The students were amazingly well behaved and mature and this I feel is directly related to Jude's respect for them. While many of the students had disabilities he treated them with more respect and with more normalcy than many teachers observed so far with non disabled students. Overall the students and the teacher were exceptional and a breath of fresh air.

Peabody 2

I can't remember who described Peabody as a looking like a fairy house but there are certainly several fantastical elements to the room.  I really enjoy the environment the teacher has created!  All of the classrooms there have unique and fun environments.  The teacher is clearly comfortable with a lot of activity and background noise.  Most of the students are very independent and will take the given materials and project and experiment with it to push it to their own unique creations.  

She was very knowledgeable about teaching methods and dealing with different types of students learning styles.  She also told us a lot about the Reggio Emilia and how it wasn't a specific method like Montessori but a way of life an ongoing process. You don't get certified for Reggio Emilia it is an ongoing process.

Peabody

My first day at Peabody was not typical.  The teacher was preparing the children for a field trip at the American Visionary Art Museum.  She was explaining a pamphlet she had prepared for them to do there.  She was also reminding them about what to expect: bring a bag lunch, what they would be doing, what the museum looked like, where it was, what sort of things to expect to see.  

The Art League in Old Town ALexandria

I went to a couple classes that are taught by the Art League in Old Town ALexandria. They hold most their classes in the Torpedo Factory on the Waterfront but the classes I went to were held at Springwater Studio, about half a mile from King Street. 

The classes I went to were called Design and Composition Fundamentals and Design and Composition Applications (basically a follow  up to the first class).  I really liked the instructors style of teaching. The students are mostly middle aged women and are mostly taking the classes for fun, to learn a new hobby, or as a social activity with friends. They are all very interested and eager to learn, with an almost childlike excitement with some of them. Most of them have no background in art at all. 

The instructor was careful in her choosing of words to discuss and critique the classes' assignments. She has a very thoughtful and methodical approach to teaching as well as she is very good with words and articulating her thoughts. 

She teaches what is (academically) considered to be good design. Things like the golden rectangle/golden ratio, the rule of thirds, "sweet spots". In critiquing the assignments if something doesn't really look quite right one way she rotates the paper so you can "read" the same design in a different format and often opens up the eyes of the class as to a better orientation for the composition. She uses this opportunity to explain different things about how the eyes see and "read" compositions, what is typically visually pleasing and what is not. 

Her homework assignments are interesting, they seem simple enough but I know after watching the critiques that the students take a lot of time and effort to complete these things which sound so simple. For example the homework they were assigned last week was this:

Using 4 black squares (any size) in a white 5X5 square illustrate these words; bold, tension, happy, congested, and increase. And from watching the critiques I am sure the students are learning a lot about design and composition through these exercises. 

SAIL take 2

I went back to SAIL today kind of expecting the worst. Last week had been pretty crazy and the kids off the wall. In the first class today the kids were "red hot" (that means good). They are finishing up their inventions to go on display and they really buckled down and got to work. The teacher was also much less sarcastic and the student teacher did a lot of the talking. It was also not as hot in the room so I didn't feel like I was going to pass out the entire time.

The second group was not as smooth. The kids were much rowdier and we had a hard time keeping them on task. There were some emotional meltdowns but it was all dealt with fairly well. These kids did have some interesting inventions but not a good grasp of structural integrity. A lot of the pieces were falling apart and we did some emergency surgery via super glue.

Like I said before, this is just a normal art class. It has a lot of energy and the teacher has a sense of humor, but it is not exactly what I would envision for my own room. I hope to have fresh air and/or windows, less yelling, and I will very much try not to sharpen my verbal claws on my kids.

Capital City #3

Today I observed a 5th/6th grade class, a Kindergarten and a Pre-K class. What was most interesting about this visit was my conversations with Ms. Stroman about Capital City and the Expeditionary Learning culture. There were four things that stood out to me: the concept of culture, commitment to service, student assessment, and an expeditionary learning project.

In the entry of the school their is a Green Building project. It was not a project that I observed in the making but a final product displayed at the school. What is unique about the expeditionary learning is that projects last for long periods of time and encourages students to apply subjects like math, environmental studies, and/or art to real world projects. In this particular projects students were to work with Green concepts to design a single floor of Capital City. They drew preliminary blueprints, researched green school buildings and then proposed their own design for green improvements. These designs were to include 5 improvements (solar paneling, recycled materials, dual flush toilets, etc.) with the possibility of being presented the CCCS Board. To complete their projects, students had to increase the size of their blueprints to scale, and create a 3-D model of their proposal. It was an indepth project and had kids working with relevant material.

Projects at CCCS encourage service to the community. Some of the projects that students make are sold and the proceeds donated to the cause of the students choice. Usually they give to an organization related to the project they were working on. For example, there will be an upcoming unit on the Chesapeake Bay and students will donate the money they raise to the a local oranization that does DC watershed clean-up.

Assessment is different too. There are no A,B,C,D grades. From pre-K thru grade 4, students receive either an E, an M, or a B, plus a narrative description of the child progress. These letters correspond to whether the child is exceeding, meeting or falling below the expected range of performance. In 5th grade, students are assessed on a scale of 1-4 plus a narrative. Teacher make these assessments based on student Progress, Social Responsibility, and Effort.

And finally, Ms. Stroman talked a little about the culture of caring. A pre-K student has a serious emotional meltdown when he was not able to play today because he had other work to do. He was not being punished but was very upset and could not catch his breath because he was crying. Ms. Stroman encouraged him to breath like her, slow and deep. Then she asked the class if they could help. The whole class breathed slow and deep with Ms. Stroman and the distressed boy. Eventually he calmned down, and Ms. Stroman asked another student to tell him why everything would be okay. A classmate explained that he could play another day. They will be back to play. This is an example of how students are taught to care and have compassion for the members of the group.

Expeditionay Learning is talked about in An Ethics of Excellence by Ron Berger.

Capital City #2

My first visit at Capital City was to observe Kindergarten. For my second visit I went to see 4th and 5th grade. This class was coming from testing and was not completely focused. The boys were particularly figety, but the teacher was calm and steady.

After class the teacher talked with me about disciple, and some of the tools she uses to encourage good classroom behavior. The school provides teachers with a form for serious offenses like fighting or swearing, but Ms. Stromberg uses something called a Reflection sheet for minor issues. Students learn early in the year that if a student has to fill out 3 of these sheets, the teacher will call home. These sheets ask the child why they are being asked to fill out the sheet, what the event was, what they did, how they could respond differently, etc. Ms. S made it clear that it is important to stick to your word when presenting a child with disciplinary structure. If she has to call home, she has the child in the room next to her so there are no surprises and after she is done talking to the parent, she hands the phone to the child.

Capital City also has a code of protocol of sorts for teachers to address recurring behaviors. This seems to involve a the child engaging in a dialog about how the teacher can help them. Ms. S said that this technique is not successful with all students and told me about a particular student for whom this kind of introspection was simply not happening. She said is up to the teacher to identify the childs needs and to understand that different unbringings and personalities may require different strategies. In the case she told me about, this meant calling grandma and telling (not engaging the child in a conversation) the child that his behavior would simply not be tolerated. Good to recognize different approaches, but I am not sure how effective that sounds in creating lasting change.

It was nice of Ms. Stromberg to share these stories and offer some practical tools for a beginning teacher. We also decided that some stretching or peer to peer activity before class could have helped reduce some of the built up energy from morning testing.

field experiences

I think the thing that has surprised me the most about field experiences this semester is that I really enjoy teaching the pre-k students. Coming into this program I thought that the youngest students I would want to teach would be in high school. I've now come to realize that is not the case. I honestly did not expect to enjoy teaching the little ones as much as I have, but the more I think about it the more I enjoy their activities and the experience of watching them discover art making and their surroundings for the first time.
It has also been a great learning experience to see the variety of ways art is being taught in this city. There is a great difference in attitudes, access to materials, physical space, and group dynamics that are really at the heart of every academic institution, formal and informal. I will be sure to keep this in mind when looking for internships in the next coming months. Though I am not planning on doing the K-12 certification, I think that knowing the dynamic of the system you are entering is important for keeping appropriate expectations of what can and cannot be accomplished in certain spaces.

Re: SAIL

I was with Malki at SAIL on Tuesday and I agree that the physical space makes it challenging. I am claustrophobic, so not a fan of small spaces to begin with, and the lack of windows and the sheer number of people in the room made it uncomfortable for me. I was impressed by the thought that the students had put into their inventions and the vast majority seemed to be taking a lot of care in painting and decorating them. The second class we worked with had just returned from getting free ice cream so their sugar high was definitely a factor in making the situation seem chaotic. This is my second time at SAIL, in this space, and I find that I have a difficult time separating my own physical discomfort with the space from what is going on in the classroom. I agree with Malki it seems like a normal, everyday art class. Some children are engaged, some are not, and there is a lot of noise and activity. I appreciate getting to experience different settings. I think it really makes me consider what environments I would feel comfortable in and be able to be an effective teacher in.

SAIL Away!

Today was my first real visit to SAIL (we visited as a class once before). It was interesting. The kids were making inventions for their "invention convention". They really got into it and thought about what they were making. They were mostly painting today and finished up their projects which would be displayed. I had a hard time physically being in the classroom which is in a cramped basement and had poor ventilation so the fumes kind of got to me.

The truth is that the kids are not an easy group and the teacher handled them well, especially since a lot of them came in sugar high from free ice cream. She does border on the sarcastic at times and I think some of her harsher comments aren't helpful to the learning disabled/special ed student body she has. She also pretends to kick the kids but her daughter is in one of the classes and she actually kicked her in the behind. Not cool. The materials made it a little difficult to work with because the paint was clumpy and didn't squeeze out well.

To me, it was a normal art class. Nothing special, nothing that particularly exciting. They painted, they glued, they puttered around. There was a lot of chaos at clean up but no more than can be expected. So it was nice, just not impressive.

assigned reading response

The reading MaryAnn handed out last week detailed the different ways to begin a lesson. I think this reading was interesting but perhaps would have been more useful earlier in the semester. From it we can gain awareness of particular styles of teaching to be watching for. It would have made for interesting class discussion to bring up how the teachers at each respective site began their discussions and introductions of their lesson to the class. I think this introduction also effects the direction in which the lesson follows.

In the example, the teacher was encouraging his students to think it through out loud, then following up with the inclusion of the rest of the class and a follow up activity. When I was reading it seemed as if the two students involved in the discussion really began to understand the information, but when he called on another student, she had not grasped the concept as thoroughly. I got sidetracked thinking of the classroom dynamic that was following this discussion as well. Were the two students he involved faster learners than the rest, or had he chosen them because they tended to lose focus? If there is one thing that I have learned through these field experiences, it is that classroom dynamic plays a huge part in how a lesson can and is directed and delivered.

Last class at WSVA

My time with Jude was interesting, and I liked the fact that he is a working artist. This lets me know that it is possible to be an artist and make a living. Again the only issue I had was the lack of curriculum structure within the class. The goals setting should be a bit higher, but of course taking into consideration the student's disabilities. I really like SAIL/WSVA. I'm sure there are some ups as well as downs like any workplace, but overall the people seem very pleasant and what their doing for these kids is a great thing.

Eddy

ARTiculate @ WVSA

Today I spent my last day at WVSA with Jude. Today there was a couple students there that we had never met. Some of the students continued to work on the theme for the new show in the gallery "Beauty as in the eye of the beholder". 2 students worked on commissioned work and the rest were working on fish and other sea creatures. They were working on those by drawing them out and then projecting them onto . . . some kind of cloth, I forgot what it was, and drawing them large. They were going to then paint them and piece them together to make a mural in the staircase that leads down to Jude's basement. 

Like every other week the students worked well by themselves with just little guidance and pointers from Jude. They worked diligently and Jude had a lot of time to talk with us about this and that. I enjoyed talking with him about all kinds of things and appreciated his rare perspective, I'm sure the others did too. 

For my next rotation I will be doing my choice sight which is classes with the Arts League that are held in the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA. I look forward to it and will start later this week. 

Chapter 8-I apologize for consistently writing too much.

The classroom that I visited today was a real life example of the impact of teacher presence, and instructional variety can have on a class. These two elements alone were postive contributions to student behavior and engagement with the lesson (today anyway). I can only imagine what would happen if a teacher asked interesting questions, rewarded students, and encouraged their involvement in discussion.

I don't think that great teachers are necessarily born, but practiced and developed through trial and error. This article offers valueable teaching tools and suggests some constructive ways to observe the classroom so that we can become effective instructors. However, I agree with Roger that students/teachers then need to practice the theories set out and studied from books.

I will reiterate what I wrote in my most recent reflection. I think the teachers presence is a huge part of setting the climate within the classroom. Body language accounts for something like 80 percent of all communication. That means 20% is acutally what is said. The rest of our communication is how it is said, body posture, facial expression, and energy level.

In my opinion, the foundation of the classroom is a teacher with a stable, engaging presence. Emotional needs play a large role in how people at any age choose to interact. By setting a tone and establishing the classroom as a place of inclusion, and valuing student contribution, students may be more likely to participate, to take risks, and to learn. Some positive things that I observe teacher doing are not talking to fast, articulating words and thoughts, being aware of the tone of voice, and taking time to be and feel grounded and centered in their own bodies.

This is the foundation of the classroom, and it requires the teacher to be able to cultivate alot of awareness. But in order to do the things this article suggests, a teacher has to be aware of many things. A teacher must be able to identify student needs, to observe student behavior, to listen to students, and to be aware of themselves. Being a teacher is demanding and in order to actualize the ideas of educational theorists, the teacher has to be steady, and they have to build a toolbox of ways to repond to the fluctuations of human needs and the varieties that they may come in.

Creating a variety of activies, asking probes and questions, finding different rewards and reinforces, apply to that toolbox, but, again, a teachers ability to do these things may depend on practice and be strengthened by the tone the teacher sets.

Capital City Charter School

I visited Capital City Charter School in preparation for possibly student teaching here in the fall, and it was a lovely class to observe. Capital City is an Expeditionary Learning school and uses Responsive Classroom techniques. It is a remarkably diverse school, with brightly colored walls.

The teacher was warm, grounded and centered. This was great to see, because, one, it was a well-managed elementary school class, but also, it exemplified the importance of teacher "energy," voice quality and body language. I am aware of the importance of these qualities in the yoga classroom, and have assumed that these are significant teachers in the art room, but this was the first really good example of how a teacher can anchor and contain the classroom.

Judy was clear to say that not all days are so perfect, but she has an elegance to her classroom management. She has learned in her 15 years of teaching to follow her gut and maintain her center (her word). When something in the classroom feels off or like it is moving out of control, she does not hesitate to pause to address the offsetting issue.

She also does not take on more than she can handle. For example, today's class, began with all 14 students meeting on the floor. She gave them a clear outline of what they would be doing. She then called students, individually, to the table where there work was set up. Seven students continued work on still life paintings. Seven students worked with "centers," which looked like a free choice play. As students finished with their paintings, the children would switch activities. She breaks the classroom into groups in order to manage the classroom and specifically said that this is to address the issues that arise from transitions. She also does this because the small groups allow her to better focus her time and energy.

The students worked well within this system and seem to benefit from the reponsive classroom. There were small issues that came up during class, but with minimal teacher interaction, students self-regulated and carried on. One incident, between a young girl and boy, was particularly impressive. The girl started crying, and in following with the responsive classroom, the teacher encouraged her to use her words to work through issue. They did and the class carried on with little to no interruption.

This school was a million miles from my experience teaching at Amidon Bowen. At Amidon Bowen the emotional and energetic peaks and valleys can be quite steep, but I think the teacher, and a model like this one, are immensely helpful in evening out social and emotional challenges of classroom learning. I look forward to going back.

MLK

I had a wonderful time at MLK last week!  Brian was very informative and gave us an inside look at teaching in a DCPS!  There was a police officer at the door which is something that I have heard of but not seen.  However the over all feel of the school was not too hectic and had a cretin comfort level to it.  Comparing it to Cook elementary school it appeared much more organized.  I remember being concerned and surprised at the number of children constantly wandering the halls.  For the most part the children knew where they were supposed to be and gave the teacher a great deal of respect.  Brian pointed out that he was one of I believe 3 male teachers in the school which changed the dynamic of his relationship with the children.  He also talked about how as the art teacher you see every student.  So developing a personal relationship with students is harder.  Even simple tasks he pointed out such as remembering everyones names were more difficult because it was not a mater of one classroom, but rather the entire school. 

The week prior I unfortunately spent 3 hours driving around SE and Anacostia lost!  The second time around I found it better and was unfortunately very close at one point an remembered getting nervous and turning around.  Not sure how many of you drive in the last group...  But keep a close eye on your map quest because it gets tricky around 395! 

chap 8

The article this week worked well as a reminder of the many things we must look out for during our observations. It was a bit basic in the information it relayed. Most of the suggestions seemed to be common sense. Of course the argument can be made that far too often many of these suggestions don't show up in many teacher's actual practice. From what I have been able to observe from my teachers throughout my time in school is that if they are not following these suggestions it is because they are burnt out and don't care, not because they are ignorant of the importance of such suggestions. The heavy reliance on filling out little charts to help teachers acknowledge every little aspect of the classroom experience is becoming to be something I see as a problem in the field of education. Luckily good teachers that I have observed are not so married to this practice. It is good to use some of these tools as a teacher but the overuse is common and detrimental to the classroom teacher. This problem is beginning to reinforce my view of there being a major split between actual classroom teaching and the field of education. If the field of education wanted to produce more effective classroom teachers it would work towards becoming more of a apprentice type path of education than a research driven operation. The over abundance of forms in in the education field works great for for its pursuit of research but at the same time can cloud the vision of aspiring teachers to effectively advance towards their goals of working with a group of complex human beings. Teacher preparation could stand to gain with more emphasis on field placement and student teaching. If these two entities became the pillar of teacher prep then information in articles like chapter 8 would become something that is picked up in a more natural way.

Classroom variety for little kids?

I found this week's article (AKA Chapter 8 "Verifying Instructional Variety") to be very interesting. If makes sense, of course, that employing a variety of project types, teaching styles, et cetera will keep students alert and on their proverbial toes. Additionally, the more variety in teaching methods a teacher uses the more likely he is to hit on the different learning styles of his students, even if accidentally. However, I would bet that the variety called for in the article is harder to achieve than one would predict.

Over the last couple months in this course, I have observed multiple classes of young children (3rd grade and below). Some of these classes incorporate variety deep in their design, like SEEC and SWS. Specifically, SEEC is rooted in learning through 'choice time' when student gets to choose from stations of activities to help them learn tactically, visually, kinesthetically, etc. Each day the student gets to participate in a variety of learning-inspired activities. Yet, as I mentioned in my previous blog entries, there was much misbehavior during the varied activity times.

Of course, multiple factors contribute to students' behavior, and the open-learning style cannot be blamed for the pandemonium. My point is more that, contradictory to the article, variety in learning activities does not necessarily eliminate misbehavior. I believe the problem at SEEC lies lies in a misnomer; the children get to choose from a variety of activities each day, and because it happens each day, the various activities actually prevent the instructional variety called for in this article. Simply put, the same format every day, even if disguised, isn't variety. The SEEC students were used to choice time. The novelty had worn off, and now that block of time was just another place to goof around.

Does this mean a teacher must plan for variety within their variety? SEEC instructors should mix choice time with choice-free days so that students learn to appreciate both? I do agree with the ideas presented in this article, but I think they are a lot more to expect from a elementary teacher than a high school teacher. Is there an easier way for elementary school instructors?

Peabody week 2

Peabody is an experience. This is the second week I have gone there and I have very mixed feelings. I know we just came at a bad time but I feel very let down. On one hand, the environment is insanely incredible. Materials are everywhere and the kids can really explore and grow. The have a bird cage!!! (OK, random, but it gets me excited). The school is beautiful/decorated/full of stuff and the kids are really cute. In short, there should be so much to learn from here.

BUT we didn't get to see any teaching in action. We were asked to help scan in some notebook drawings of the kids, which I don't mind so much but I was under the impression we are supposed to be observing teaching. Also, there is a school auction coming up and the kids were asked to make ornaments for a lamp that will be sold off to raise money for the school. So the kids were handed a ready-to-make project with little creativity or thought involved and then were given free time, again. Grrrr. I wanted to see some Reggio in action but like I said I guess our timing is off. What was impressive was that the kids hammered their own holes into bottle caps with an awl and hammer, not s/t I would let a kindergartner do but they managed quite well. I guess I will just have to have nice little memories of the birds and turtles.

My time so far with Jude at WVSA

Hey folks, Eddy here.
I've been observing Jude at WVSA for the past two weeks and I must say that I enjoy the environment as well as the students. The environment is really lax and there is room too really help each student develop their individual techniques. My only concern is the lack of structure with regard to a curriculum and the like. This might be due to the fact that the art works that are created in Jude's class are works created to sell, which is the main goal of the students from my talks with Jude. Another reason is for the learning disabilities and other issues that may limit goal setting. I feel as though something is missing. I know the students have learning disabilities, but they have been able to learn how to draw, paint etc. I think it would be more productive to have the students learn more about what they do as well as better techniques in order to enhance their products. If in fact the art work is made in order to garner income then it makes sense to enhance the artwork in order to solicit better prices for the work.

Eddy

Wilson High - the environment

This week I started my shift at Wilson High in NW. I found it to be a very enjoyable place that I would not mind doing my student teaching at. It is probably one of the most diverse schools I have seen in the district so far. It is located in NW yet it sounds like they bring in students from all over the city. The student body is about 1,500 but is in quite a beautiful large old building. There is a definite advantage to having such an old building for a school. It provides an interesting environment that one can be proud of walking into everyday. The tall ceilings, old oak mill work and furniture, and large windows are just a few things that help a student bodies pride that come along with an old building. Yes the new high schools are supposedly less dingy since they are newer but often this is only true in our minds. The new schools are often windowless and uninspiring to be in. They even end up being just as dilapidated and sometimes more so since the materials used end up being so cheap. My teacher Ms. Huberman mentioned a renovation was in store for next year but hopefully this will not throw out many of the old beautiful craftsmanship and architectural details that exist in the building today. Unfortunately if you look at renovations of other schools like Wilson the outcome is usually negative due to lack of funding. Goodbye 12 ft. ceilings and inspiring old light fixtures hello office ceiling board and and cheap plastic office lights. Ms. Huberman who used to be a architectural preservationist has taken advantage of her luck of being in an old school and appreciates the fact. She proudly showed off her heavy oak chest of map drawers for the kids work and many other beautiful old oak pieces of furniture such as a piece form the library that double as a chest of drawers and magazine display shelf. He also pointed out the amount of natural light the room received thanks to it large windows. Ms. Huberman's enthusiasm about her surroundings reminded me of how lucky i was to be in a similar era high school when i was a student and how much it affected me. (especially in the art room)

Roger

2 Weeks at Peabody

Yesterday, I finished my second week at Peabody. I know that others have commented on this, but really the environment is such an overwhelming part of the program! I was just blown away entering the school's space and, in particular, the art room. Literally everything in the school stimulates creativity and imagination in some way. There were amazing things to look at, cool books laying out for the students to pick up, musical instruments, animals, etc.
I can see how for some teachers and students this could be chaotic and I don't think this approach is for everyone. However, for me it was amazing-it made me want to teach and/or have my son learn in a place like this. Not only did I feel like I took away tips and ideas for my future classroom but I also feel like I left with a head full of ideas for my own parenting. I loved how the materials were out and available to the students. I also really appreciated the fact that nothing was too precious; including the students' own artwork. Completed and in-progress projects were laying around on the tables- not sequestered in display cases or put off limits to prying fingers. I feel like this atmosphere encourages experimentation and autonomy-if nothing is too precious then you are not afraid to use different or unknown materials and explore your ideas.
The other thing I loved was the wide variety of materials the Peabody students had access to. Not limiting art to simply standard art materials and incorporating found and recycled materials, encourages students to be aware of art in their environment. Not to mention it instills an ethic of recycling and conservation. If bottle tops, lids, packages can be reused for art projects then things cease being considered just one time disposable objects.
The other thing I really liked (which I think speaks to my own learning style)is the project-based nature of the art curriculum. I am not good at thinking quickly and really like having time to develop and revise my ideas. The fact that the students worked on their ideas over a period of time and in a number of forms (sketches, plans, etc.) really appealed to me.
I definitely left Peabody feeling excited about what was possible in an art room and art program.

Articulate 2

This weeks observations made me think the purpose of the art room. The Corcorans Art Ed program encourages a broad and considered use of the arts that include studio, art history, art criticism, and aesthetics. The Corcoran program also encourages using art to teach subjects or issues such as character development, math, science, etc.

In all except one of my observations, studio is all that has been attended to. This is not a criticism. I have not spent much time in any of these places and a large portion of my observations were with Kindergarteners who were not ready for a full discussion on aesthetics. It is an observation that makes me wonder if studio is the basis of most school art programs. (I would like to add that Ms. Dorothy, at WVSA, was the only teacher who taught an art history lesson or present anything.)

The Articulate classroom is unique from other classes, and it may be that studio work is the most suited for the purpose of this program, but here is a another classroom to observe. As a teaching style, Jude seems to have a running philosophic narrative about art and life that his students may or may not relate to. The classes have an organic flow. Jude seems to teach one on one versus giving group instruction. Today that individualized attention included drawing on a students work.

For Jude technique is important. Showing a student how to develop observation skills and how to create an accurate visual representation is a part of students artistic development. But, I don't know about drawing on someone's work. Maybe as a teacher you learn which students this is a effective for, maybe you ask first, but personally I remember being very uncomfortable when teachers would do this to my work. I will reflect more.

From one perspective, the studio art room can focus on mastery of skill, from an alternate perspective, the expression and comprehension of visual language may have more emphasis. I agree with the Corcoran philosophy: exploit art for all it is capable of, and if time and energy permit, I agree with designing lessons with purpose. Not all students will be fine representational artists, or artists at all, but nevertheless students can learn from or take pleasure in the arts when education is made available and the classroom experiences are more encouraging than discouraging.

Choice week 2

I spent choice site two watching one of the other teachers at Sitar. Yeah, yeah- it seems like a cop out being that I teach there as well- but with no word from the center for the aging, I decided this was a pretty good alternative choice. I watched the ages 10-18 illustration class which proved to be a pretty interesting dynamic. The range of ages could prove to be a difficult group to handle- without factoring that this is an after school program and the kids have already pushed through an entire day.
The kids were quiet, focused, and intent on creating good representations of the blocks on the tables in front of them. I remember being in an illustration class at age 10- my drawings mostly looked like cave paintings and I would have been bored to tears trying to render the perfect shadow on a wooden cube. In fact, I remember being bored to tears, which is perhaps why I am not very good at drawing. I will attribute their attentiveness to a few things, 1) that they chose to sign up for this course as opposed to others, 2) that the older students guide the younger ones by displaying appropriate behavior, and 3) that the teacher has excellent classroom management skills.
The older students are well into high school and are clearly there to practice their arts seriously. The students take the class assignments quite seriously, not treating the course as if it were just a way to pass the time after school until dinner. The younger students then fall in line with the behavior of the older ones. It's not to say that they are not having fun, its just that they are quiet, focused, and try their best to complete the assignment before the class ends. I attribute this as much to the self-guided study as to their teacher's management. She steps in for more guidance with the younger ones, but generally hangs back and allows her students to create. Stepping in when they need help, or offering advice, but really allowing them to take in the experience. A part of the class that I really enjoyed was at the end she had all of the students stand behind their chairs and circle the room single file. The students then got to look at the work that everyone had done with a certain degree of anonymity. It freed the students from the pressure of speaking about there work, but still allowed everyone to see the progress and ideas that had come out of the assignment. I thought this was a great idea, but the more that I think about it, it seems like the most practical way to share work in a group of students that has such a large range of age and experience.

WVSA

I apparently was in the wrong place last week ? I don't know. I went to WVSA and told them I was from the Corcoran and they took me to Jude's classroom and the Articulate program. So that is where I spent my afternoon.

They have their studio in a basement room that was sorta cramped. They had 2 (?) macs available for the students and previous work hung everywhere and piles and piles of books and works in progress. It was quite the storehouse. 

The mood in the room was relaxing and welcoming. The ARTiculate program is a program for special needs kids to young adults, I think it was ages 15-25. A big drive for the art work they produce is the gallery in the school which of course is trying to sell the works. The gallery gives them themes and they have to work on that theme and produce things for the gallery. The theme they are working on right now is "beauty as in the eye of the beholder". They had images printed off the computer of different ideas of beauty from different cultures. The students were using the images that appealed to them and reinterpreting them in their works.

Jude takes a backseat in the program and seems to be more of someone who is guiding them and available for them when they need, he does not hang over everyone's shoulder. And the students work well on their own and get right to things as they come in. They know when it is time for them to stop and clean up and they do so in time to catch their various rides to wherever they are going. 

Art within a School Within a School

Before starting my blog entry for the day, I browsed what other people have said thus far this week. I started to laugh to myself when I read Malkie's. We were at the same site on Tuesday and apparently placed great importance on the same thing: the room.

When I walked into the art room at SWS I was blown away. I was surprised enough to chuckle a little as I took the environment in. There was pictures and sketches and posters all over the walls. Every horizontal surface area was buried in art, art supplies, knick-knacks, or all of the above. There were paint-stained tables and textiles hanging everywhere. There were even huge sculptures of a pegasus and a butterfly hanging from the ceiling. I was temporarily overwhelmed. But, in a opposite reaction from Malkie, I laughed because I loved the decor. In fact, that classroom looks just like my bedroom, right down the collection of trite plastic snowglobes from around the world.

Somehow, I never thought my bedroom full of junk and art bits would make a good learning environment. However, the SWS's art room did. Sure, things were confusing and hard to find, but the teacher seemed to navigate her endless plastic bins of supplies well. Even the students knew where things were, and recognized areas like the "Ask Me" supply section. The biggest obstacle in organization I saw was us three ladies sitting and blocking off access the bins.

What I appreciated most about the environment was that, true to Reggio form, it was the "third teacher." Everything in the room reinforced creative learning. I also greatly enjoyed the paradox that everything in the room was both precious and non-precious. Every bottle cap, Styrofoam meat tray, sketch, and fairy house was appreciated for its creative potential or creativeness. Yet, the tables, tools, sinks, et cetera weren't treated as precious objects. Of course, everyone in the room respected the items, but the instructor did not fret a drop of paint her or some glue stick goop there. I think that's a good perspective. All too often art classrooms become stressful over a need to keep the tables pristine. They're art tables. If you do it right, they'll get (a little) dirty.

I'll be interested to see what Malkie and I notice next time, after we're over the shock of the super-packed room.

MLK Elementary 4/2/2009

Since last week was Spring Break for DCPS and the prior week was Spring Break for the Corcoran, I have not posted an entry for a while.  This week was my first week at MLK elementary.  It was interesting on many levels.  First, in contrast to Amadon-Bowen:  Simply put, there is a very different energy at MLK.  Perhaps my impression will change next week,  but the school seems much more orderly and calm than A/B.  Perhaps it is because it is an established community.  The hallways were calm and quiet and there seemed to be a positive energy to the place.  Second, of course Bryan Hill has a dedicated art classroom.  The room is set up with supplies around the perimeter of the room with tables in a "U" formation in the center of the room.  Mr Hill seems to have plenty of storage space and utilizes the classroom well.  He does not have a sink and brings in water in tubs on a cart when he has painting projects.  

On Tuesday Bryan was giving a lesson using Miro paintings as an opportunity for the children to develop their visual attention to detail.  I observed a first grade class as well as a fifth grade class.   In the first grade class Bryan gave specific instructions on what elements needed to be in the work and gave them blue and yellow construction paper, glue sticks, scissors and crayons to finish the project.   In the fifth grade class Bryan just asked them to make the work.  These less specific instructions were in hopes that the children would be using their observations to identify what elements were in the painting and replicate these to complete the assignment.

The children were eager to be in this room and do their work.  Only two or three children in each class needed support to complete the assignment.  It was clear that some children struggled with the independent nature of the assignment and wanted step-by-step instructions but Bryan resisted this and encouraged their independent problem solving.

I was impressed with the balance of clear rules and warmth that Bryan maintains.  He can clearly "speak the language" with these kids so that they know he is serious with his expectations but he seems to know how to do this while still joking with the kids and making them feel valued.  He has authority in his classroom (one boy was not allowed to participate in the project because of misbehavior in the hallway), and he also provides a place of learning and fun for the children.  The children's works are displayed beautifully in the hallway, again allowing the children an opportunity to be honored for their artistic contributions.  

Keys to Bryan's success seem to be preparation, assignments that ensure artistic success for the children, consistency with rules and discipline, and celebration of the children's accomplishments.  

Peabody

Wow, this was different. I have never seen a set up or a classroom quite like this one. I will do my best not to sound judgemental but I know that I could never survive in a setting like this. The classroom is fairly small and long. The teacher had it decorated to the hilt and it gave it an enchanted forest kind of feel. But literally every space was taken up. This woman is the queen of the plastic box. She had hundreds of kinds of materials each in their own little Tupperware that the kids could use. She also had a light projector, music station, and a bathroom (public bathroom, kids were going in and out all the time) and much of the students old projects lying around. There was no space to move or to put any other works. Clutter was everywhere and since the students don't take home their work that often, they were storing a lot of pieces everywhere. I need space so this could not work for me.

The students come in rotations and never more than 6 at a time. We were told to be "a fly on the wall" and not to interact so much as to observe. The kids were finishing up a project based on recycling materials and turning them into structures and objects. They had been working on them for a month and had begun the process by sketching about it. It was also being talked about in all of their classes so they get a lot of cross reinforcement. Most of the kids were really done and had little to do so they had about an hour of free time. This meant that they could leave the classroom and wander into the center play area where there are structures are play toys. Again, not being able to see my kids would freak me out. The kids know that the teachers expect them to follow the rules. However, one boy constantly was making a mess at the water table and splashing others. Of course he was, he was a five year old not being watched! So he got a warning and when he did it again he was sent back to his classroom. We were later told that he always has trouble this time of day and the teachers think he needs a nap. Maybe he does or maybe he needs supervision.

The amazing thing is how independent the kids are. They ask for materials and help and have great ideas. However, I do feel like the teacher did guide them and told them what to do in some cases. She really pushed for things and a particular way of doing something if it was what she thought would be best. That is fine, as teachers we will all give advice to our students. But I didn't think that that was part of the Reggio approach. Who knows?

In short, I could never live with this chaos, but it works for her and her students are happy so I can not say that it is a good way or a bad way, just a different way.

Articulate

Students participating in the Articulate program are between the ages of 14-25, and the studio is a place for them to develop artistic, social/life, and job skills.

Students are beginning work on paintings that will be exhibited as a part of the VSA exhibit Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder. The theme of this exhibit was selected for Jude and his class. Students will have two months to complete their work, after which it will be displayed in the gallery with the intent of being sold. Jude assists in guiding students work based on their artistic strengths and his artistic interpretation of the designated project. When developing ideas for this project, students are to explore two things: students personal notions of beauty, and cross-cultural ideals of beauty.

My first impression of Jude and his classroom was positive. As other people have observed, he has an easy-going manner and seems to genuinely care for his students. The students mostly kept to their work, but, from time to time, would joke with their teacher.

An interesting difference about this class is the emphasis on production. When we first arrived, Jude shared his critical-artistic musings on how to approach a topic so broad as Beauty and he also discussed the challenges of producing work that will have market appeal. For these students, neither the process nor the artists fullest sense of self-expression are the focus of the work. Instead, this program presents some real life challenges to working as a artist whose intent is to sell their product.

Arts and the Aging

My last field observation was at the IONA Center for the Aging in Tenleytown. The center provides adult day health care including, fitness and computer classes, Alzheimer's care, counseling and support groups. Depending on the day, the center brings in different activity leaders which include art activities and art lectures. In addition to these lectures and activities the center also has a full-time art therapist. On the day I visited, I observed an art history lecture. It was interesting to see the varying factors in participation. The first was that it was nearing the end of the day and many of the seniors in the lecture were quite tired. The second was that it was a group of mixed functionalities, some were quite coherent and involved in the conversation, while others I was later told, were further progressed into Alzheimer's and dementia. The third was that the topic was clearly one of interest to some members while other were merely there to pass some time before being picked up by their families for the day. I personally thought that this would be a very difficult task, managing to teach adults of varying abilities of comprehension, let alone teaching to people who have had 60+ years of experience and learning prior to that class. I hope to be able to go back to the center to observe an art therapy course and expand my horizons of what's out there in arts education.

Corcoran Docent training

Today I met Linda in the Education Department to do observation on the Corcoran docent training program.
I had the pleasure of watching the Corocoran Docents perform their final test in front of their peers before passing their training. Docents met in the main building and where allowed fifteen minutes to cover three rooms in the gallery. Even though they where covering the same material it was fascinating to see how each of them has there own style and managed not to reiterate any facts. The main galleries where closed so there where no people and things being worked on which was a little disruptive and I hoe not to nerve racking to the docents but from what i was able to observe things went smoothly and I have no doubt that they will receive a pass! It was nice to see how supportive the teem was of each other and how they all were working together for the benefit of the team as a whole.
The Gallery is filled with objects and it is the docents job to make them come alive and coming to the training program made me realize that it is only through each unique educators ability that the context and information is conveyed. I look forward to next week where we will go on a tour of the malls Vietnamese memorial for a field trip

Last day at SEEC

Thus far in this course, I have blogged directly after each session of observing. This time, I thought I would give it a little distance between observation and articulation. So, two weeks and one Spring Break later, I'm thinking back to my time at SEEC.


I would like to preface this analysis by say I only saw very brief, restricted, infrequent windows of life and learning at SEEC. The program involves many more lessons, themes, activities, hours, and years than I have been able to witness during my time there. Therefore, the following generalizations and sweeping summation of the program is admittedly very ignorant.


SEEC appears to be a program that is far more activity-based than object-based, and more play-based than creation-based. During my time there I watched different classes, one of four-year-old and one of fives. I activity observed about 20 kids and a rotating batch of instructors. I could never really decipher who was the lead teacher, the co-teachers, the assistants, or the drop-in museum educator/story teller/substitute teacher.

I am not sure is the student knew who the lead teachers are, or even if there are consistent lead teachers. Though I did notice an inconsistent lack of enforcement of safe-play. The students seemed to get away with a lot of negative behavior. On one occasion, three different kids were crying between two unrelated events. From what I could tell as I watched it all culminate, the crying students were victims to aggressiveness and light-weight bullying. But how did it escalate that far?

It seems bad behavior like bullying, gentle hitting, yelling, and supply stealing fell through the disciplinary cracks. Many teacher-figures noticed the behavior, but did not act. It seemed like each was assuming the next 'authority figure' would intervene. They didn't. Crying, flushed-faces, and pandemonium reigned. Without a clear lead teacher or authority figure, who is ultimately responsible for the welfare of the students?

On a (hopefully) related note, I did notice almost of the instructors (let's call them adults) were consistently stressed and frazzled over the three Tuesdays. My first day at SEEC the director told me the a sickness was going around, but I was surprised to see the children recover so quickly while the adults were slow-moving for weeks.

Another interesting aspect of SEEC is it's play/activity-based learning structure. I have seen similar structures in other classes and schools before, but SEEC did not seem to run as smoothly as the others. Generally, I would say SEEC is unregulated and therefore chaotic. Students are dismissed to "choices" without any instruction, that I witnessed. They were not reminded of rules before going (which became particularly disturbing during the Olympic Games activities and caused the crying hysteria).

At previous play-based sites, I saw the children selected for activities based on good behavior and how many kids could fit at each station. The instructors also avoided social problems by separating trouble students. At SEEC, one instructor said that they let the trouble students group together because "it's not like they're going to behave [well], anyway." Such reasoning makes me uncomfortable, but for all I know the staff there has already tried everything else to tame those wild children. I just do not know enough to judge.

After the pandemonium of SEEC, I am incredibly excited to go to Peabody next week. I hear the difference is like day and night. I could really use a session where there are no crying children or rug burns.

Re: Make-up Field Experience

Last week I went to WVSA to make-up the field experience I has missed the week before. For the past couple of weeks I have been working with Jude and his students. I have really enjoyed it. It is clearly a very special environment where the teacher and students know each other very well. I have been amazed by how responsible and self-directed the students are. Unfortunately, this week Jude had a family emergency so when I got there his class was canceled.

The SAIL staff was really helpful and placed me with Ms. Dorothy's class. The second and third graders were painting projects that they had started with Amanda last week. The students were really into painting. As an adult, I sometimes forget how cool it is to mix colors and watch the paints change. Working at Amidon, I have seen this same kind of wonder when the students discover they can create their own colors.

Ms. Dorothy's students did a great job painting their projects. They used a lot of different colors and patterns. You could tell that they were very invested in the project by the care they took in painting them. 2nd and 3rd graders have a lot of energy! I had come expecting to work in the fairly low-key environment of WVSA and left feeling really tired, but good, after working with two classes of kids. This was my first field experience with elementary students, so far I have just been observing adults and teens, and I am really looking forward to seeing more elementary teaching situations. This week I will be at Peabody so I think it is great that I was able to get a little taste of a different elementary classroom for comparison.

4th time the charm at JCC

This is the 4th time I went to the JCC to observe ( I had to do an extra to make up for a class I will be missing). I am finding that it is harder and harder to stay away, I really like these people! In fact, I missed going last week and the students were upset so I got a great welcome this time.
The project this week was making a Seder Plate for Passover (for those who don't know, Passover is a holiday coming up in about 3 weeks. We hold a ceremony/dinner for the first two nights called a Seder. At the Seder, we have symbolic foods which we display on a plate to use for the story telling. Hence, a Seder plate is a popular craft idea for students).

They way we made it was really neat if smelly. Each student was given a paper plate (actually, two together to hold up more) and we mixed up this plaster stuff. It was like paper mache meets fiber glass in texture and was lumpy and gross. We then helped them smear it on the plate and tried to get them to coat it evenly across the surface. Once that was done, we used our fingers to scoop out 6 holes from the plaster, one hole for every symbolic food that they will put on the plate. It should dry and next week they will paint them.

It worked out alright, though most people needed help with getting the surface smooth. And they really couldn't get their minds around getting 6 evenly spaced holes that were bigger than a finger print (although one guy had the cutest idea! He made his holes into a smiley face :) The upside of this was it took relatively little fine motor skills so everyone could participate with a bit of help.

We had 30 minutes left so we took the ceramics they made 2 weeks ago and painted them. I was actually shocked by something that happened. Usually when the students paint something it will all be one color and it will be the color that was put in front of them randomly. Rarely is there a student who will request a color and do more than one. Well there is one gentleman who in the past basically just sat there. When we made the ceramic bowls, his lump of clay remained untouched until someone noticed it at the end. Well his bowl was painted beautifully! He used at least four colors, asking for more. And it wasn't just splattered and gobbed on but very deliberately done. I was shocked and said so, complimenting him on it. Moral of the story: Never decide what a person can or can not do, they might just surprise you.

One nice thing happened, they offered my the lead teaching position for this program for next year. The woman who does it now was promoted to director and she asked if I could do it. I told her I don't know what my plans are for next year yet but if I can I would. Second moral of the story: It is VERY GOOD to make connections now. You never know when it could be beneficial.

SAIL, Second visit.

Behavior problems:

In a class with so many kids I guess is difficult to keep up with the working plan when some of them have behavior problems and attempt to bring the whole class attention over to him or her instead the planned activity. What is the right thing to do in this case? Is the kid trying to tell us something that is upsetting him or her from school or home? Is it a game of power between the kid and the teacher?

I am thinking about this because in my second visit to SAIL the teacher had a situation with one of the kids in her second class. We they arrived two kids tried to sit on the same chair in one of the tables and the teacher separated them and said: please move away from the chair and sit in another one. One of the kids moved away and sat in another chair but the other kid involved in the conflict ran outside the class. The teacher continued introducing the activity to the class when the kid came back, got two flashlights, and was reflecting the light over the class matter. It was bothering some of the kids in the class and the teacher asked the kids not to allow him to spoil their time of learning new things and put attention on the activity. Ms Dorothy called another teacher through the phone to come to pick that kid up. Five minutes after the teacher came and took him with her out of the class.

At the end of class, I asked Ms Dorothy about this situation and we discussed the methodology that in general the school applies. Personally, I think the situation was well managed by the teacher but I still think that it has to be a better solution to be applied in similar situation. Because, this one only recovered the control in the class but it did not allowed the kid to communicate the real issue behind this miss behavior. As a result, he could not get over his personal problem or profit from the class.

SAIL first visit

The School for ARTs in Learning (SAIL) is a K-7 public charter school.

According to their web site: “SAIL works to address the needs of students with learning differences by providing creative learning environments” We have developed a specialized curriculum using the arts to help children learn in ways that match their learning styles, paying special attention to individual learning styles and specific need. Our focus is on developing the whole child, intellectually, emotionally, physically, and socially.”

The class had about 12 kids, between 7-9 years old; the ethnicity background was 95% African-American 5% Latin-American. The first thing that caught my attention was the setting where the class was taking place. It was in a basement with artificial light, no windows and no very bright color in the walls. There were a couple of shelves and tables against the walls to story the art supplies. There were also three different size tables to accommodate the kids (small 4 kids, medium, 6 kids and large 8 kids) in the middle of the room. I did not ask the teacher about the reason for the different sizes of the tables but I think that it might have some relationship to social behavior, sense of belonging to a group within a group. I guess it is part of human nature and it is something that is part of us from kindergarten until the end of our life.

As soon as I arrived at the class, I introduced myself to the teacher Ms. Dorothy she was very nice and polite. After welcoming me, she introduced me to the activity: Collage.I was preparing to participate in the activity and one of the four girls of the group at the small table invited me to work with them. I sat and started to cut pieces of magazines and fabrics to create my collage as an excuse to know the kids better and observe their behavior.
They were working and talking about different subjects (TV shows, the images that they selected for the collage, Michelle Obama, etc) we talked about our collage projects and they showed a clear interest in making me feel good and part of the group. It was remarkable the way that they communicated with each other, sharing the material and personal space in the table. For instance to ask for a scissors they said: “excuses are you using this scissors? May I take it?” “Thank you”. A couple minutes after a kid from another table came and took something from the table with out asking and one of the girls said: “this is not nice, you have to ask for things” and the girls next to her said: “yes, she is right. Apologize and you can have it“. I was amazed for this kind of reaction and the sense of self-managed individuals and in the group.

The class was about to end and it got a little loud and the kids were moving from table to table, some of the kids were completely disengaged with the activity wondering around. The teacher raised her voice and made noises with her hands that the kids responded in the same way in order to take the class under control. At the same time another teacher in the class helped to keep the order. Nevertheless, it was difficult to make these kids, finish the activity, clean up and get ready to go back to the next class in an organized way.

After my first visit finished, I was thinking about the differences between SAIL and Peabody. I concluded, that there are important factors that cannot be overlooked in order to make a fair judgment. The differences in the two programs are based on the needs of the learning group and the community focusing on the use art to achieve different goals. However, settings (classroom with natural light and windows/ basement), programs requirements(individual project development / learning social behavior and self-control), size of the class (4/13) and student’s background (middle class / social disadvantages) are very important characteristics to put under consideration in order to seriously evaluate the pros and cons of any art program and reach a positive and constructive conclusion.

Last week @ SAIL

Sorry, this post is so late, I thought I had published it to the blog but turns out I just saved it as a draft. Apologies !

This past week at SAIL was a little different. Amanda (second year MAT) taught the class as part of her thesis project. It was really interesting seeing how different a class could in relation to a different instructor. 

Amanda stopped the class at the door and let them know first that this week would be different. She let them know that they were to come in and sit on the floor to listen to a story which would introduce the day's activity. She asked them to be quiet as they come in. The students came in and sat themselves on the floor as Hernan, Ingrid, Mrs. Dorothy, and I sat in the background and watched. Storytime began. Amanda used a very intersting book I have never seen called "Salvador Dali and the Path to Dreams" The book spoke of Dali as a kid who had all these crazy dreams and later when he grew up he painted the images he saw in his dreams. The book was beautifully illustrated. The illustration showed all kinds of people, places, and objects that were imaginary and extraordinary. 

The materials for the activity were already set and laid out on the center of each table. When the story ended she explained this to the kids and explained they would be making their own imaginary people, places, or things out of these materials and Model Magic Clay (this stuff is great and comes in different colors, never had seen it before myself).  The kids were called on to go to a table of their choosing based on who was sitting quietly. 

Amanda did a great job keeping the kids in the story as she told it. She asked the questions, let them ask theirs and was good about recognizing kids with their hands up and not acting up. She kept the kids engaged in the story this way. Kids who spoke out of turn or were going "oo OO !" as they waved their hand were told something like "I only call on friends who raise their hands quietly" by Amanda, and then she moved on to a student who did just that. After once or twice this got the misbehaving kids to behave. I thought this was a good way to keep the kids in check, by not really reacting in a big way to their ruckus making but just recognizing it as unacceptable behavior and moving on, showing no emotion or much of a reaction at all. 

The project was a good one for the kids who seemed to really enjoy it. They worked well with their hands and as far as I could tell had friendly conversation as they worked. 

One thing I was surprised with was the glue gun. There were two glue guns available for the kids. When the two kids at my table needed to use the glue gun I went with them to the station to help. I was surprised that for the most part though the kids were allowed to use it without supervision. I am not sure if Amanda planned this or not, maybe it just got a little crazy with all the kids who wanted to use the glue gun and she wasn't able to control them from getting up and going to use it ? Or maybe she intended for them to get up and use it by  themselves ? 

If they were my kids at home, the same age, I wouldn't let them use it by themselves. And the one time I let a kid use it themselves while just watching, my hand got burned! 

All in all my time at SAIL was an informative one. Also as I already noted, it was interesting to see a different instructor with the same class. Time to see what post-spring break has in store for us!

Pictures of some of the kids pieces from the last class (sorry, not the greatest photographer)

Peabody Esteem and Perserverance

I am going to reflect on the role of art education in promoting self-esteem and perserverance. To some extent I will repeat what I said in Tuesday's meeting. I hope, however, that at some point someone will provide Maryanne with a more critical perspective on the Peabody or the Reggio Amelia system, nothing is perfect. (and VSA has had its share of criticism-from me as well as others)

Several of the students in Ms. Mclean class have developmental issues. Several students have or will repeat Kindergarten for second and third times, some have visual issues, some have processing issues. (This relates to the brains ability to translate information. i.e. copy from a board, verbalize answers, etc.) For these students, having the chance to succeed in non-academic ways is a way for students to feel a sense of pride and self-worth. This is not a new idea, but it is a significant argument for art education. Even when students do thrive academically, the art room is a place where individual difference and talents can be celebrated. This is particularly important when working with adolescents.

Self-esteem is a hugely significant feeling for a human being to own. Without it, a felt sense of joy, and/or material success is impossible. As an art educator, in my conceptual teaching world, there are real opportunities to identify and to reach students who need support in this way.

Perserverance is something that Ms. Mclean takes pride in teaching her students. She said that when the children first come to her classroom, the work is hard, they give up more easily, and they will ask her to finish. By the time they get mid way through Kindergarten, students show more determination. The students learn to take risks, to trust in their own ability to meet a challenge (esteem building), and they develop resolve that will serve them in pursuits much further than the art room. Again, not new ideas, but valuable things to keep in the back of the mind.

Continuing at WVSA

I unfortunately missed this week of field experience due to the stomach flu but prior to that I have been having a really good time at WVSA. It is clear that it is a really special program. There seems to be a high level of warmth and connection between the students and the teacher. The small class size really helps; giving both the teacher and students time to interact with each other.

I am impressed with the level of self-motivation on the part of the students. For the past two weeks they have been busily working towards their show which opened last Thursday. Each student seems really focused on his piece. They are given a lot of freedom to talk, move around, listen to music but nobody seems to abuse the privileges. They seem to be really connected to their teacher laughing and joking around with him but everyone seems to know what the boundaries are and they alway return to their work.

I have to say it is pretty impressive. At first glance the physical environment seems chaotic. Supplies and artwork are everywhere. The students are frequently laughing, singing or joking but underneath the surface this classroom seems to have a very organic structure that keeps it together. My best assessment at this point is that it stems from the mutual respect between teacher and students. The students in this program are treated like working artists and, as such, they seem to assume the responsibilities that go along with it. This program has made an impression on me and there are definitly things that I would like to try to incorporate into my own future classroom.

SEEC

The Seec Program is a preschool program with an object based model for learning. The classroom was tucked away around the American History Museum and enjoyed a most arresting view of the Mall and the Washington Monument. The space is probably not as a ideal as the program had to accommodate it as opposed to the other way around and there was plenty of room for the children but not partitioned in any fashion. There where three teachers per class and the classes are coordinated so that they are usually coming and going from the museums to avoid overcrowding. There was plenty of opportunities for different modes of learning and choices and they all looked thought out and inviting. the unit that was being discussed was dinosaurs and the teachers used different areas to give children to learn in the mode which appealed to them. The Table-top activities had plastic dinosaurs and a water pond for the children to play in and the reading area had several books on the subject, and the children would get to visit the natural history museum! The circle time was enjoyable and it was educational to watch the teachers weave different learning experiences such as practicing and sounding out letters into the discussion. The language that the teachers used encouraged children to make the right choices and they were quick to redirect children that where disruptive or needed support. SEEC is a great program and is a wonderful addition to the mall and the community.

Open-Option Class #2

After a 3 hours of action-packed fun with 6-9 year old art-lovers on Saturday, I was pumped for 3 more hours with 10-13 year olds. However, they were not as excited as I. The second class, for slightly older artists, was a version of the class for the 6-9 year olds. Theoretcially, the gallery conversations would be more eloquent and thoughtful and the project would be more elaborate and innovative. However, this was not the case.

The preteen class was quiet, unconfident, unpassionate, and unenthused. Only a few comments were made or questions answered during the gallery talk, and most of the respondent were the same few kids. They were inexplicably more inhibited, both conversationally and artistically. Perhaps their shyness is because this age group is slightly more inclined to thinking things have to be right and good. That is, they are realizing that if one cannot do something well in school (i.e. answer a question in Social Studies), he could not try it at all. Whatever the reason, the tweens were quiet as mice.

Once in the ArtLab, they opened up a little. They began to speak to one another. Still, they were more concerned on (what they thought was) social success than artistic growth. They were fairly reserved when we came around asking about their concepts and processes. Overall, their projects were good. However, there was a larger range in effort and 'goodness' than with the younger class. Some students tried harder, some tried noticeably less hard, and some were in the middle. I must admit, I expect this class' results to stand out more from the previous class', even if only because of the differences in motor skills. I should emphasize that the projects were still very good.

Another difference between the classes was Mary. Her enthusiasm and efforts dropped slightly by the time the second class started. She expended a lot of energy with the young group, and I do not see how she could sustain those efforts for 6 straight hours of teaching. Also, I think people assume that the young the students, the harder they are to teach. I believe that difficulty peaks with adolescents, and the 6-9 class would be (and is) easier to finesse than the tweens.


I am very excited to go to the next classes in April and see what new lesson Mary has. Also, I would like to see if the behavior/enthusiasm of the age groups parallels that of last week. I'll let you know what I discover.

Open-Option Class #1

For my open observation experiences I have been going to see the Hirshhorn's Artist at Work with Youth classes. These classes are taught by Artist-in-Residence Mary Colbe. Each semester Mary teaches 6 Saturday classes based on one of the Hirshhorn's large shows. This spring the classes are inspired by the Louise Bourgeoise show and concern fears, families, and dwellings.

The first class I observed was for 26 kids (age 6-9) and their parents, who tag along. Mary and two colleagues started the session by taking the crew through the Bourgeoise exhibit. They stopped at 3 or 4 pieces and discussed the significance as a group. Mary would open by asking questions to the class about what they thought the piece was and meant, and then spoke about the piece in relation to tackling fear and embracing family. Mary and the students were equally enthusiastic, and many positive comments were made in the galleries.

Next, the group went to the ArtLab. Mary reiterated Bourgeoise's major themes. She then showed a project she made that was a home/box/cell that housed her fears. She explained that, like Bourgeoise, she could get a handle of her fears by examining them. She asked the kids to go make similar projects. They had a wide variety of materials and tools and an endless supply of creativity. We spent about two hours walking around to help the students and ask them about their projects. At the end of class, Mary had the students display their projects at the front of the room and let volunteers explain them.

The project were incredible. Each was more innovative and emotionally significant than the last. No two projects looked alike. The students worked as long as they could on the projects and many said they were going to do more at home.

To be quite honest, I was very afraid the prompt of 'your greatest fears' would end badly. I feared that those negative thoughts would upset the kids and make them dwell on negative things. However, the children all embraced the concept and all felt empowered. I believe the key to this empowerment was a direct result of Mary's incredible teaching style. She was incredibly genuine and enthusiastic and the students really fed off of her. Additionally, the young students whose parents would know about, register for, and drive them to an early Saturday morning class at the Hirshhorn presumably already feel the importance of art. Each of those students because they love art and love making art (as were the other ~60 kids on the waiting list for the class). They did not have to be convinced that what they were doing was fun. They came because they knew it would fun.

However, I wonder know how much that enthusiasm is related to their ages.

To be continued...

Round three at the JCC

Once again I went to the JCC to observe their art class for special ed adults. It was so different from last week when everyone came in late. This time we had two new people and everyone seemed to be on fire. They finished the projects before we were ready for them. The first activity was clay pinch pots. Everyone loves clay and they use the kind that needs to be fired as it is softer and many lack the dexterity for air dry clay. I worked with one guy in particular and he usually never does much of the work. He was very excited with the pot and would jab his finger at it every so often and would show it off to everyone who would look. It was cute and frustrating at the same time because I really did most of it. But it didn't matter to him so I guess it didn't matter so much because he enjoyed himself.

The second project was decorating paper masks. There is a Jewish holiday called Purim on Monday night and Tuesday. We dress up in costumes, have carnivals, and read from the book of Ester so making masks was right on cue. They were all excited about the holiday and we talked about what they were going to dress up as. They put out all sorts of materials like mesh fabric, feathers, gems, sequin, markers, puff balls, and a whole bunch of great things. The guy I worked with was very into the color red (at least he said it was red, I think he meant orange) so I would put materials in front of him, ask him which ones he wanted. He would pick it out, I would give it to him, and then I would ask him where on the mask he wanted it. He would point, I would put the glue down, and he would place it there. It worked out very well. The lead teacher then glued sticks on the back to hold and cut eye holes.

What really upset me was the lack of people to help out. I noticed that one of the new fellows kind of fell between the cracks and sat there with the lump of clay in front of him for 20 minutes. there is such a difference of ability. While my fellow was unable to use the glue himself, another girl created a delicately patterned mask which was really lovely and complex. She was actually enlisted to help another student but that doesn't happen often. I wish they had more helpers and could get some socialization going. Oh well, if wishes were horses....But the students love the clay and they love the holiday so all left in good spirits. We will see next week how they do coming of the holiday buzz.

2nd Week @ SAIL

Another fun filled day at SAIL. I am going to go with my original thoughts on this class from my first visit and say that the first visit last week was not an isolated case where the kids were just a little rowdy. This seems to be an ongoing behavior in the class. 

Once again we were invited to interact with the kids and participate with them in the art making. This was the 2nd and last week they had to work on their landscape collages. It became apparent in their art making that the intro given to the activity a couple weeks ago, was not sufficient. The kids did not seem to fully understand what a "landscape" was (or cityscape, or seascape), or very few children did. Nor did they understand what it was to make a collage. The children repeatedly came up to Mrs. Dorothy to show her their finish products at which point in 90% of the cases the children were sent back to work because "all the yellow space was not covered" (the paper given to work on was yellow). 

I thought it might have been helpful if the children had a little bit more of an explanation of what these collages and landscapes were, maybe be shown some examples from real life artists. It almost seemed like it was a task given that just had to be seen to completion. 

Another thing I found odd was at least 2-3 times I saw Mrs. Dorothy explaining to the kids how to use Modge Podge. Why did her explanation not work before? It had already been 1 week since they started the project. Not that she didn't explain it the first time but apparently it did not sink in to some of the students because they were using the modge podge as regular glue. They probably didn't understand it because the class was being rowdy when it was explained. 

Also at the table I was sitting at I had to tell the kids (at least once each and a couple of them I had to tell more than once) that they were not to swing their hands around in animated gestures while holding scissors or run/walk around the classroom with their scissors pointed out. Granted the scissors were kid's scissors and pretty dull. I just would think that when you have a group of young kids (even old kids) that you would stress in the beginning that the scissors are to be handled in a specific way. This was not mentioned once to the class as a whole.

I know I sound very critical of this classroom and the instructor and I am not trying to be that way but these are just my observations. I will say that this week was a little less rowdy and loud than last week. Amanda suggested to Mrs. Dorothy (after the first class and before the second) that instead of having all the materials out on the floor for the kids to come after that the materials be passed out by the teachers instead so the kids never got up from their seats. This seemed to work well. Such a simple idea that nobody had thought of before  I guess and with three adults in the room (not including Ingrid, Hernan, and I) this was not a hard task. 

One last but important thing happened at the beginning of the second class. Two of the kids were fighting for a seat, eventually the seat was taken away and both children were told to find a new seat. So one of the boys goes for one seat and the other goes for the one across the table but then last second decides he wants the same seat the other kid chose (odd?). And they fight again.  One of the children starts to act up slamming his body against a wall and saying things about the other boy. The other boy gave up his seat without being told to and went to another chair (yes, there were a lot of empty chairs). But by this time the other boy was already being very disruptive and probably didn't even notice that his friend had given up the seat to him. 

Basically, Mrs. Dorothy told the class to ignore him, he began to play with the flashlights he had found at which point Mrs. Dorothy called his main teacher down to come and get him. In the mean time Mrs. Dorothy and everyone else ignored the boy. Another teacher came to get him, of course he didn't want to go and the teacher grabbed him by his upper arm and pulled him out of the room. He got out of her grip and I saw him run up the stairs and away from her as she ran after him.

It was an unsettling experience for me. I am not sure how I would have handled such a difficult situation but I am pretty sure I didn't like the way it was handled. At the same time I can't offer an alternative option. I wonder what I would have done had I been in Mrs. Dorothy's situation. You can't let the boy go on disturbing the class and ruin the experience of the other kids. But at the same time I wouldn't want to take away art making time away from the boy either. Obviously this kid is a troubled kid who probably has had discipline problems before. I think next week I will ask more about how they handle things like that and kids like that, both in the classroom and in the art room. 

EDIT @ 11:30 p.m.

To go back and try to  make this sound a little less critical as all the above I will say that Mrs. Dorothy does have amazing patience with the level of noise and commotion in the room. I would probably break down and cry.  And to go back and comment on what I wrote above, I did read Michelle's past reflection on her first day at SAIL during the last rotation and learned that Mrs. Dorothy has in fact presented some artists who work in collage prior to the students beginning their own. Just goes to show me I don't always know the full story!