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!