Art of Reflective Teaching (ART) - Week 1: Education Tree

3.Create your lineage/genealogy education tree. * You will find as the weeks progress you will add to this tree, enriching it with memories and new perspectives. Post (this initial version) to your blog and reflect on the following questions:

• What surprised you about your educational history?
• What patterns do you notice emerging? 

I first did an inventory of my education, thinking specifically of teachers and events that propelled me. I find I have a very optimistic outlook on things (made much more obvious by my cynic of a husband - who is also a teacher.) I didn't have very many negative learning experiences. I was a kid who loved school, was sad at the end of every year to have to leave my teachers and afraid I wouldn't like the next one as much ( I always did.) I have a mom who was a teacher, has patience in spades, and is incredibly encouraging. Her passion was in English and reading (she has a great story about what inspired her to teach, but I'll save that since this is about me.) My Dad is very engineer minded, strict and had high expectations. I would say my most negative learning experiences came from his pressure to be good in areas I was the weakest (math) and struggled with the way he thought he was helping (drill and kill :P) I realized thinking back on elementary school, most of my meaningful, memorable learning experiences happened in the gifted program. We were able to explore more issues in science, geography, languages, and the social sciences that kept me interested in school and fostered my natural curiosity. It was fun.  I wonder how many of my classmates could have used this approach to keep up their interest in school. Same goes for junior high. My Spectra class was a drop in program so any time my regular class had down time, I could go explore something I wanted to learn about on my own and I was encouraged to do so. I will admit I spent way too  much time playing the original Sim City, but I would argue that had an effect on my planning, design, and systems skills and interests (and we did other stuff too.) 

    I think I was definitely influenced by my english teachers in high school. They were some crazy ladies! One was a former nun and one taught in Australia for a while. They both had the best stories and were very enthusiastic about teaching and students. They made personal connections, had engaging lessons, and were willing to meet you where you were to get you to learn. They fostered creativity and I definitely thrived on that. My art teachers were also very influential. To this day I have a photo of my senior year self and my art teacher on my desk. Again, someone who was enthusiastic, funny, creative, smart and willing to share that with students. I will say that coming back to my high school after some education classes was pretty enlightening. One of my favorite teachers at the time I was in school (b/c he was cool! and let us did whatever we wanted!) seemed to be a pretty awful teacher when I stood back and observed his class without being a student. I realized I hadn't learned much, because we did whatever with not a lot of structure, and classroom management was almost nil. 

    I would say the most common characteristics of teachers that made an impact on me were the teachers who made connections with their students, whether that was through sharing personal experiences or cultivating a common community in the room, and took the time to get to know me (as a person and/or as a learner); they were smart, shared what they knew and admitted when they didn't know something -showing some humility; they were encouraging and enthusiastic, showing happiness in what they did every day as well as encouraging me to do better than I had before. 

    So much comes flooding back to me about school when I think about it. It will be interesting to see what else comes to the surface as we progress through this semester.

Art of Reflective Teaching: Week 1 Read & Reflect

Week 1 Assignment: 1. Set up Blog: Introductions, 2. qualities Of the 21st Century, post modern educator, 3. Lineage/genealogy tree. 
Read Washington Post Article: "The 12 Qualities Great Teachers Share"  

2. Read & Reflect on your Blog: Washington Post Article. “12 Qualities great teachers share”

-Would you include any additional traits, or
change some of what is there?
Do a self inventory of these 12 traits. Use the following simple rubric to reflect on these traits. Comment briefly on this rating as you read through.

1- Excelling, have strategies in place to maintain this level 
2- Good, developing strategies
3- Fair, about half the time

4- Need support

What makes a great teacher? By Chris Lehmann
1) Passion for teaching. - 1

2) Love of kids. - 1

3) Love of their subject. - 1

4) Understanding of the role of a school in a child’s life. - 2

5) A willingness to change. - 2

6) A work ethic that doesn’t quit. - 2

7) A willingness to reflect. - 1

8) Organization. - 2

9) Understanding that being a “great teacher” is a constant struggle to always improve. - 1

10) Enough ego to survive the hard days. - 2

11) Enough humility to remember it’s not about you. - 2

12) A willingness to work collaboratively. - 2

I think this is a wonderful list. Teaching is one of those things where it is both an art and a science. There are tricks to know about classroom management, and techniques and strategies to help kids learn (the science) but there is also just something sort of intrinsic about the way you choose to apply what you know (the art.)  Its the magic elixir of the above things with a certain personality in combination with knowledge about pedagogy. Some people don't have to have gone to school to learn the pedagogy part, some come to it naturally through instinct. Kind of like art. You can be naturally gifted at it, or you can work really hard to train yourself at it, learning and sharpening your skills. 
I'm not saying I am a great teacher (although I do like to hope I am at least a good one),  but I found teaching to be easier, more stress-free, and more enjoyable when I mastered or adopted the things on this list. Students learned more it seemed, the classes more fluid and creative, and the environment much more cheerful and productive. Now that I observe teachers informally, I take a balcony view and watch how they implement curriculum (and when I say curriculum I mean the official one, and the un-official one that teachers choose to teach in addition to "what is required".) The teachers I see who often complain or who appear not to enjoy teaching are indeed lacking the items on this list. Good teachers I see have many of these traits and when they get better, I see an additional trait coming out more often. It is funny because I just put together a team of 6 teachers to revise our high school Intro curriculum and I chose them based on strengths they have in the skills and traits listed above. Knock on wood, so far so good! 

Something else I found interesting about this article were the comments about it. It seemed like a couple of people were quite upset about the idea that he was describing teachers of school age children and not all learners. With the exception of #2 and #4, I am pretty sure that each of these would apply to any learning situation. Maybe some more than others at different levels. 

I couldn't help but also think about how teaching has changed over the years as I read. Since I deal with teaching teachers, or at least work with them as a facilitator, I can't help but hear (over and over and over) how "back in the day" teaching was so different, but also at the same time how they are being asked to do the same thing, that "what goes around, comes back around." Would the great teachers from 30 years ago still have the idea that you always try to improve or have a willingness to collaborate? I notice most of the newer teachers, with the exception of a few teachers, have the attitude that they will be lifelong learners, that they are constantly learning about their craft. Now maybe that is because the closer you are to university, the more you feel you still have to learn. Those teachers that self-identify as "not having taught that long" (yet may be in 10+ years) seem to have the attitude that they can always improve, they are more collaborative, and in my opinion are the better teachers for it. Those that close their doors, refuse to share, and are offended if anyone asks what is going on in their class in an attempt to, <gasp!>, converse or bond over work, are the poorer teacher for it. Is it a generational thing or is it the mark of good teaching? Without having a time machine or actually read people's minds, I guess I won't really be able to know for sure.

Art of Reflective Teaching: Introductions

Hey Everyone!
Real excited about this class this semester. I'm taking this and the Human Psychology required class (don't tell my non-art ed teachers I'm way more excited about this class than psychology - or my husband who teaches psych!) I'm hoping an interesting class like this will keep  my brain buzzing and help me keep chugging along in the other.

A little about myself... I teach in a suburban school district outside St. Louis. It is a large district with 4 high schools, 5 middle, and 10 elementary. I have been there for 13 years. This year, although I am not in the classroom, I have been teaching adult learners as the district K-12 Fine Arts Curriculum Content Leader. I design and lead professional development workshops, I oversee teacher teams and facilitate the curriculum writing process, I am an arts advocate, and I am constantly thinking about how to make learning about the arts more engaging and enriching for our students. (Arts meaning I oversee Visual Art, Music, and Theatre at each level) Before moving into this role full time, I taught at two of the high schools and two of the middle schools (not all at the same time!) I was at my last building for 9 years and taught Introduction to Art, Printmaking I, and Printmaking II. I loved teaching middle school and also loved high school students. I could never teach elementary, mostly because I would want to pinch cheeks and play too much (although, maybe that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world!) I received my National Boards in 2011 and that was some of the best professional development I have ever been through. I'm still adjusting to moving out of the classroom this year and miss my students terribly!

I should also add a little about my involvement in the MU program. I started in the summer of '12 with the research in art ed class. I have really enjoyed all of my classes tailored to Art teachers. It has made a big difference to my practice in the classroom. My plan is to finish in the fall of '14, but we will see how it goes! I will be sad to finish, but super glad to get the bump in pay! (Hey, gotta be honest!) I'm hoping at some point to work on my PhD, because I am either a masochist or addicted to learning. Either way, I just can't get enough! What a difference course work tailored to your interests and interesting, dedicated classmates can make!

IPP: Week 13 - Gradebook Tasks #1 & #2 (Awesomeness)

Week 13: Gradebook Task #1

“The CHALLENGE for this task is to CREATE something that works BETTER, is closer to MEANINGFUL DATA, is EASY to use, and can be adapted to other artworks.  I realize that this could be a very difficult task, but use the Beattie text to show you what has been done, but then IMPROVE upon it. 

Are rubrics the only way to go about this? I don’t know!  I have used a multitude of different rubrics and I’m not sure that they are the ONLY way to go about grading, then again, if they are the best way, maybe we just need to make some grounded and justifiable decisions on what goes on them…

Create a WORD document, import the image at the top of the document, then show the grading devise with the grades on it, include the summative score, then write a paragraph or two about the choices that you made to create the scoring devise. “

To be truthful, I have been thinking about grades and grading for many years, looking for a way to get my students to stop working for the letter grade and instead throw themselves into the meaning of the task. To enjoy the act of creating for the sake of creating (that flow!), and to start thinking about how we use art in our daily lives. Through this quest  I’ve discovered a few things. Students need to be motivated intrinsically if I want them to stop being motivated by the extrinsic (letter grades). I’ve found a few key ingredients to develop motivation in my students. 

First, it is very important to build relationships in the art room from the very beginning. Students need to feel supported, respected, and valued. They need to establish a safe space for creating and experimenting without feeling judged. Students need to know that we talk about art and thoughts behind the art, so establishing an environment that encourages discussion and exploration is essential. To build this environment, students need to know each other and need to build a community together in order to feel free to try new things. The community and the collective becomes a part of the feeling of motivation, the reward for trying new things and sharing with others is becoming part of another’s learning experience. 

Second, as the teacher I need to structure the learning so that it is relevant to my students. I allow for the art they create to be personal and not formulaic. We discuss topics that mean something to them and their take on the world around them. Building relationships with them, I am privy to parts of their lives that they might not share with others. Because they feel connected to their environment, invested in relationships created in the art room, they are more likely to investigate issues of personal importance and share what they uncover. 

Third, I have to challenge them. I challenge my students to take a topic and make it their own, to interpret it and re-invent it in an artwork of their own design. I can not expect them to invest time and energy into something they find meaningless and simplistic. I need to challenge their skills in order to see them improve, building trust in our mentorship and what is possible. I need to challenge their idea of what can be seen as art and what can be seen as valuable in order for them to challenge their own perceptions. They build not just hand skills, but conceptual skills. Everything has to be scaffolded so that they see marked improvement, not just failure to improve. They need to hear frequent feedback, they need to be questioned, and they need to see results. They need to be asked to reflect on their own thoughts, so that they start to see themselves as experts holding the key to their success and not just the teacher. 

I need to stop using language that places emphasis on their grade, but places emphasis on what they learned (or haven’t learned yet or need to learn) and how to use it in the future. I need to stop marking their papers with their grades, so they change their habits of flipping just to see what they got and throwing away the hours of work that went into it. I have physically separated the work from the grade (that is what an online grade book is for anyway.)

Because I am trying to allow students to behave and learn like life-long artists, students help craft their own assignments. We look at skills not outlined in the state GLE’s. The new NCCAS standards are getting closer to the work habits of artists, but I think they still fall short of getting students to think like artists. How do we craft our message? How do use visual imagery to communicate our ideas? How do we explore our selves and make a place to belong in an ever changing, ever expanding world? And there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong answer to these questions begging to be marked with a grade. I tend to evaluate the individuals quest for their own answers to their own artistic questions, their perseverance, their drive to blaze their own trail. And how they share it with others. 

So what I decided to do was look through some past assignments I have given to my students, including the self-evals / reflections / grading sheets and tweak them with an update. Since I no longer have these students (or any students), I can’t pull up what they wrote on the reflection sheets, but I do have electronic reflections from online portfolios. 

At the beginning of the year, I ease them into this transition of self as grade determiner with some more concrete assignments, until eventually at the end of the year they should be helping me to create the rubric and what should determine a grade. This is an example of a beginning project and self-reflection:

Symbol Project

Self-Reflection

Can you communicate deep meaning through the use of symbols?   Y   or   N

Which word did you choose to inspire your project? 

What is your artwork saying about that word? (Be descriptive about your message – what should I walk away thinking about?)

Are your shapes & symbols well designed and easy to see?    Y   or   N

What symbols did you use? What does each one represent?

What did you learn about how artists communicate?

Which art medium did you choose? 

What did you learn about using that medium?

What grade do you think you earned & WHY?

Haring Symbol Project

Teacher Assessment

1= needs major improvement; 

2= some Improvements needed;
3= little changes would help improve; 

4= everything I’m looking for, no improvement needed; 

+ = above and beyond what was expected.

Content: There is an interesting and complex message behind the images that can be read from your choice of symbols.
Composition: Imagery fills the picture plane, makes good use of negative space (not too much, not too little), and feels energetic.
Shapes & Symbols are well designed, have clear meaning and are easily read.
Effort: You stayed on task during studio time, working hard on your project to challenge yourself, pushing through any obstacles or difficulties.
There was clear evidence of preplanning (sketching) and thought behind the development of an idea for your project (teacher conference).
Art Media was handled in a neat and artistic manner, showing effort to develop skill and eventual mastery.
Overall, the end result is a good representation of your artistic potential.

Additional Comments: Grade: 

(This is where I would write specific comments to the student about the end results of their project. Usually explaining why I gave them the grade I did and what to work on for next time. While working, students and I would discuss the work in a formative manner.)

From the Student:

“I created this picture to reflect fear. To the right, there are things that scare the person in the middle. So the left symbolizes fear or being afraid. The person on the left is running toward the day and into the house. The daylight and house symbolizes being at a peaceful  state of mind/feeling safe. For this person, the house is where he/she isn't afraid.”

And then towards the middle of the class we had a pop-art project applying some of the conceptual skills they had learned: 

As part of the assignment, students had to use their sketchbooks to “think” about their pop culture. They brainstormed, they made lists, they categorized, we discussed as a large group and then they planned their project.  They planned their print, they played with pattern & repetition & rhythm (those pesky GLE’s snuck in through the back door), and they plotted out what they wanted to say about pop culture today. Here is one of them and the digital portfolio reflection done as part of the sketchbook “pre-” work: 

“ 1) fast food is how families eat together 2) regular rhythm to show it is getting boring 3) I used the McDonald's sign because it is the most popular 4) it is the same Golden Arches to show how McDonald's is consumed too many times 5) Golden Arches represent popular fast food 6) if I use a t-shirt it acts as a way of protesting advertisement, sort of like ironically. Or as if people are always on the go so there is no more table.”

Pop Art Project

Reflection & Self-Assessment

What motif did you choose to use from today’s pop culture for your print? Why did you choose it?

What does it tell us about today’s culture and what we will remember?

Explain what type of rhythm & how you used it to set up your composition: 

How does it make your viewer’s eye move around your images?

What mixed media did you use? Why did you pick it? 

What did you learn about printmaking and creating a mixed media piece?

Did you feel like you had a lot of artistic freedom with this project where you were able to make your own decisions? In what way?

Do you prefer more options and the time to play with the materials first or fewer options and more rigid directions?

What kind of options would you like more of as you create?

If there was not a grade attached, how would you have approached this project differently?

Overall Grade: A B C D F

Why would you give yourself that grade? 

Pop Art Project

Reflection & Self-Assessment

Name:  Hour:   Date:

Circle one box in each row that best describes your work and process in this project.

1 Little to no understanding	2 Partial understanding	3 Considerable understanding	4 Complete understanding	+ Advanced understanding
Composition      •  arrangement  •  content
Weak composition arrangement that lacks evidence of intent or consideration. May be haphazard. No evidence of rhythm or movement.	Composition arrangement is awkward but shows some purpose. An attempt to depict rhythm or movement is apparent.	Composition arrangement clearly shows intention to convey idea. Rhythm and/or Movement is seen in your work with clear intention to use it to enhance the layout of the composition.	Strong composition arrangement that addresses complex idea. Repetition is utilized to the highest degree creating rhythm and/or movement that leads the viewer around the composition in an interesting and profound way.	Took steps to go above and beyond in constructing deeper meaning with a complex composition. The printed motif was used with intention to create a rhythm and sense of movement through the composition that added to the content of the piece.
Your print does not record subject matter of today that represents popular culture. The composition has little to no thought about its relation to today’s pop culture.	Your print uses a simple but clichéd image that does not entirely capture the spirit of today’s pop culture, but is getting there. You need to take advantage of size and space to create a more energetic and exciting layout The composition may or may not contribute to the meaning of the print.	Your composition uses today’s pop culture for its subject in a way that has energy and excitement. Your print composition is dynamic but you may be able to create a more interesting and complex sense of depth by investigating the use of space by overlapping, change of placement or size, as well as breaking the picture plane.	Your print image is dynamic and exciting, full of energy and movement. You have filled and maybe even broken through the picture plane, used overlapping, size and/or placement to create a sense of depth and space as well as interest.  Your composition takes advantage of the pop culture image you referenced in your print and builds from it, creating an interesting image for the viewer to explore.	Your composition is filled with rich visual imagery that gives an exceptional representation of today’s popular culture. The viewer has a thoroughly developed and interesting image to explore that can be clearly interpreted. The use of depth and space adds to the energy and meaning of the piece with the entire composition being constructed to bring the separate pieces together in a larger statement about today’s pop culture.
Printmaking & Collage Procedures      •  relief carving & printing  •  media techniques  •  craftsmanship
Poor or wasteful use of media / equipment.  Printmaking procedures not followed.	Normal use of process with some mistakes in printing technique.	Reasonable use of materials and processes. Followed demonstrated procedures with few omissions.	Excellent procedural processes. Exhibits technical excellence, closely followed demonstrated procedures.	Pushed the limits of the procedural process in an innovative and original way showing creativity and ingenuity beyond just what was assigned.
Print Ink was handled haphazardly with more attention needed to create a smooth, even application.	Ink was applied in such a way that some areas printed with solid, even, smooth coverage.	Ink was applied in such a way that most areas printed with solid, even, smooth coverage.  A few areas need more work.	Ink was consistently applied and printed so that coverage is even, solid and has accurate or expressive color.	Took extra care to execute a clean, clear readable print with even, opaque ink application.
Skill Development & Work Ethic         •  application of effort  •  depicting rhythm and movement
Work was not completed with honest application and effort to gain understanding or improve skills as demonstrated by a habitual lack of initiative and work ethic.	An attempt to understand and apply skills was minimal, as seen through teacher initiated conferences and reminders to stay on task.	Work was approached with an open mind and a desire to improve as shown by student driven questions and good work habits that stayed on task.	Understanding and Skills were advanced through the student‘s on-task application and development of technique. Demonstrated by student led investigations and progressive work habits.	Not afraid to take risks. Open mindedness and honest effort to learn something new was apparent in each and every step of the way, benefiting the student with an enhanced creative experience.
Unfinished and/or poor application of printmaking techniques and composition construction with the use of rhythm and movement.	Shows some area of printmaking skill with little application of rhythm and movement to the limited composition construction.	Printmaking skills are used and enhanced by the use of rhythm and / or movement with some thought to the overall composition.	Excellent. Good execution of rhythm and movement within a planned composition as well as an excellent grasp of the relief printmaking media.	Excellent problem solving. Took extra care to add enhancements or make corrections when faced with complications.

Pop Art Rhythmic Relief Print

Instructor Feedback

1 Little to no understanding	2 Partial understanding	3 Considerable understanding	4 Complete understanding	+ Advanced understanding
Composition      •  arrangement  •  content
Weak composition arrangement that lacks evidence of intent or consideration. May be haphazard. No evidence of rhythm or movement.	Composition arrangement is awkward but shows some purpose. An attempt to depict rhythm or movement is apparent.	Composition arrangement clearly shows intention to convey idea. Rhythm and/or Movement is seen in your work with clear intention to use it to enhance the layout of the composition.	Strong composition arrangement that addresses complex idea. Repetition is utilized to the highest degree creating rhythm and/or movement that leads the viewer around the composition in an interesting and profound way.	Took steps to go above and beyond in constructing deeper meaning with a complex composition. The printed motif was used with intention to create a rhythm and sense of movement through the composition that added to the content of the piece.
Your print does not record subject matter of today that represents popular culture. The composition has little to no thought about its relation to today’s pop culture.	Your print uses a simple but clichéd image that does not entirely capture the spirit of today’s pop culture, but is getting there. You need to take advantage of size and space to create a more energetic and exciting layout The composition may or may not contribute to the meaning of the print.	Your composition uses today’s pop culture for its subject in a way that has energy and excitement. Your print composition is dynamic but you may be able to create a more interesting and complex sense of depth by investigating the use of space by overlapping, change of placement or size, as well as breaking the picture plane.	Your print image is dynamic and exciting, full of energy and movement. You have filled and maybe even broken through the picture plane, used overlapping, size and/or placement to create a sense of depth and space as well as interest.  Your composition takes advantage of the pop culture image you referenced in your print and builds from it, creating an interesting image for the viewer to explore.	Your composition is filled with rich visual imagery that gives an exceptional representation of today’s popular culture. The viewer has a thoroughly developed and interesting image to explore that can be clearly interpreted. The use of depth and space adds to the energy and meaning of the piece with the entire composition being constructed to bring the separate pieces together in a larger statement about today’s pop culture.
Printmaking & Collage Procedures      •  relief carving & printing  •  media techniques  •  craftsmanship
Poor or wasteful use of media / equipment.  Printmaking procedures not followed.	Normal use of process with some mistakes in printing technique.	Reasonable use of materials and processes. Followed demonstrated procedures with few omissions.	Excellent procedural processes. Exhibits technical excellence, closely followed demonstrated procedures.	Pushed the limits of the procedural process in an innovative and original way showing creativity and ingenuity beyond just what was assigned.
Print Ink was handled haphazardly with more attention needed to create a smooth, even application.	Ink was applied in such a way that some areas printed with solid, even, smooth coverage.	Ink was applied in such a way that most areas printed with solid, even, smooth coverage.  A few areas need more work.	Ink was consistently applied and printed so that coverage is even, solid and has accurate or expressive color.	Took extra care to execute a clean, clear readable print with even, opaque ink application.
Skill Development & Work Ethic         •  application of effort  •  depicting rhythm and movement
Work was not completed with honest application and effort to gain understanding or improve skills as demonstrated by a habitual lack of initiative and work ethic.	An attempt to understand and apply skills was minimal, as seen through teacher initiated conferences and reminders to stay on task.	Work was approached with an open mind and a desire to improve as shown by student driven questions and good work habits that stayed on task.	Understanding and Skills were advanced through the student‘s on-task application and development of technique. Demonstrated by student led investigations and progressive work habits.	Not afraid to take risks. Open mindedness and honest effort to learn something new was apparent in each and every step of the way, benefiting the student with an enhanced creative experience.
Unfinished and/or poor application of printmaking techniques and composition construction with the use of rhythm and movement.	Shows some area of printmaking skill with little application of rhythm and movement to the limited composition construction.	Printmaking skills are used and enhanced by the use of rhythm and / or movement with some thought to the overall composition.	Excellent. Good execution of rhythm and movement within a planned composition as well as an excellent grasp of the relief printmaking media.	Excellent problem solving. Took extra care to add enhancements or make corrections when faced with complications.

Comments:

    I have struggled through all of this because I think it is important for students to experience and see growth in their skills. Not just their performance / production skills with art media, but also to see development in their creativity, their critical thinking, and their communication skills. The way classes like Intro to Art are currently set up do not allow for growth in these mulittude of areas within a year. We bounce from media to media and nothing connects them with the elements and principles to a higher cause. No singular objective. 

     So I would like to connect them together with a big idea of art as culture’s tool for communication. It is a way that humanity is connected over decades, between cultures, and amongst each other. And because I like to involve my students in developing projects and how we evauate them, I would ask them this, “How would you like to leave your mark? What is it you have to say?” and we would explore that topic through the creation of art, through examining how other artists are leaving their mark, and whether or not we are leaving a mark. “What criteria should we use to determine the worth of these endeavors? What would you like your work to be judged on?”  And that is what I would use to determine grades for my students. Without having a class to pary back and forth, it is hard to give tangibles here. From past experience, I would hear from students items such as, a) Did I finish it in time; b) Did I listen to advice and modify based on feedback from my audience; c)Did I try my best; d) Did I say anything? But I have a feeling the longer we did this, the more they broke free from the traditional mold of grades and school expectations, the different the answers might be. 

      A year can be a mighty long time and can be ripe with experiences, or it can be droll and drag on. I love to think of this quote from Peter Pan when I plan a lesson, “Would you like an adventure now, or shall we have our tea first?” Shall we play and try new things and see what we can see? Or shall we take a minute and enjoy the stillness, reflect, converse, and get our wits about us? Both are very important activities and both have their place. I also think it is important to let students change the way they see their grades and grading, this is part of their growth. If we were to start right out with me telling them how we should see grades, would they believe me? Or do they need to experience the change as it happens in order to see the difference? I believe they do. So I would have them write their own scoring guide, develop, either as individuals or as a class, their rubric and we would post it as we work, making modifications as we go. Yes, if I were to do this now that is what I would do. I would like to see how experience changes what they value and how they evaluate themselves. I do wish I was able to try this out!

Gradebook task #2:
Ideal tracking device:

So I am struggling with this non-traditional grading system assignment.

In my mind it is either a scale, or a series of check points marking when criteria have been met or not met. Not having numbers associated with it is definitely hard for my brain! However, if we are thinking of numbers as being used to define grades (percentages right or wrong) than I can totally skip that. I am much more comfortable thinking of it terms of a sliding scale with a little or a lot.

Okay, so although still hazy, what I am thinking is having students monitor their own progress in certain areas such as expertise; imaginative thinking skills; adventuresome spirit & tenacity; motivation, effort, and perseverance; collaboration & contribution to the overall creative environment of the studio; and ability to reflect on the experience being able to articulate what was learned. Each of these areas fits within the new NCCAS and i think reflects what is important to learn in an art class. 

For each project they would mark where they feel they lie on a radar type chart such as the one below.  And I as the teacher would also monitor their progress like this.  Displaying their development like this would allow them to see all at once how they have demonstrated creative thinking, collaboration, critical thinking, and then I would want them to reflect on what patterns they are seeing and reasons for why they think certain projects allowed for growth or regression in each area.

IPP: Week 12 - Development of Authentic Assessment Models

Create a Formative Assessment Strategy that relates to your discussion board posts.

1. Objective:

      - The student will be able to articulate his or her thoughts about the assigned readings, posing and inviting questions to challenge or re-enforce his/her own and fellow classmates thinking about the topic(s). Posting these reflections on a digital discussion board, the student will encourage, invite, and participate in on-line dialogue.

      - The student will create visual representations in response to the readings in order to synthesize thoughts and reflect upon his/her position on presented topics.

     - Overall, the student will monitor and record his/her own thinking, growth and development in the area of art assessment.

2. Question:

      What have you learned about assessment in art that you did not previously know?

3. Feedback Strategy: 

      "Note-card" Reflection with these questions: 

      What question(s) do you still have about assessment in art?

      How did your feelings about assessment in art change during the time in this class?

4. Introduction of Strategy:

Reading back through my discussion posts to inform my thinking, I will reflect on any growth or change in disposition highlighted and discussed holistically. Looking at where I started compared to where I am, I will have the opportunity to reflect on my own thinking and see what impact has been made by the thinking prompted by fellow classmates and the authors. It will be interesting to see what change or growth has occurred.

5. Applying the Strategy:

• What question(s) do you still have about assessment in art? 

How do we convince administrators, parents, and ourselves that assessment may look different in different types of classes, but is not necessarily more or less valid? How do we stop jumping through hoops and think of assessment as a valuable instructional tool and worthy of our time?  

• How did your feelings about assessment in art change during the time in this class?  

I have been a proponent of using assessment in art since I began teaching. Although, I have changed my idea of what a formal assessment can look like, and what types of assessment are most valuable in art, my feelings about assessments in art, in general, have stayed the same during this class. What I do have now, is a better understanding of standardized assessments and how they do not really fit with what we are trying to get students to learn in a creative environment. There will have to be some major change in the construction and development of these tests in order to really evaluate the type of learning that goes on in an art room; and still it will only be able to capture a fraction of what is really learned. ( I just reread my answer above and am thinking, "But I kind of already knew that." Standardized testing just does NOT fit with what we are attempting to teach our students. It is not a 21st century method for assessing our students.)

6. Interpreting the Feedback:

     The longer I teach, the more important I am finding it to ask students to share their thoughts. Too often we jump to conclusions about what it is we think students are learning, or gaining in skill, and if we just asked we would see / hear a whole different story. 

     In reading my posts, I think I sound a little preachy, but I hope not. I can't help but think through the lens of my experience and interactions I have had with colleagues both as peers, as well as as an assessment leader in the district. I think some of my frustrations and annoyances came out, both at the system and those not willing to work to make things better. 

7. Responding to the Results: