Subject Knowledge

The impact that subject knowledge has on teaching is like a beautiful house full of valuable treasure. Proverbs 24: 21 says that "by wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." Enthusiasm for one's subject matter and learning in general will bring about a search for more knowledge in this area. The lessons that have always gone the best for me personally are those that I put lots of time into learning about. Being well prepared with knowledge increases my own confidence in teaching the subject matter and allows me to be enthusiastic instead of nervous about how they will receive it. One of my favorite lesson planning websites is Incredible Art Department (http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/high/highlessons.html). It is the only one I have found that has unique lesson plans that are interesting and detailed. The lesson plans on this page were definitely crafted with passion and enthusiasm. Another book I like is "From Ordinary to Extraordinary" by Ken Vieth.

Rules in the Classroom

Respect is definitely number one for rules that create a positive learning environment. Students must respect themselves and one another for learning to occur. This means that abusive language is not permitted since it breaks down community. I've never thought I would really use rules, when I've considered myself teaching, but now that I've been doing my student teaching, I think they would be more helpful than hurtful. I don't see myself being super strict about them, but making sure kids are aware of what's acceptable and what is not. Especially for the elementary kids, simple rules like not being able to get out of their seats will make a huge difference and are therefore absolutely necessary. It is a little bit more tricky with highschool kids. I know for sure that I am going to be a stickler about making kids clean up after themselves. It takes up other classes time when I have to clean up from the last class to begin the next classes project. There is no reason why highschool kids can't clean up their own work. To create my own positive learning environment I plan to have a well organized classroom that is clean and inviting. I think atmosphere can make a huge difference. Painting the walls and room is something I look foreword to in teaching. Also, music can work to calm kids down. If you keep a calm atmosphere and are well organized and prepared, allot of disciplinary problems cease to exist. Also, caring for the kids is number one in stopping discipline problems. Research has shown that genuine care prevents misbehavior more than anything else. Also, kids usually start misbehaving when they are bored. If I keep them engaged, I think I will have to focus less on rules and more on making art. Setting rules for safety's sake is definitely necessary with certain art materials, but I'm still not sure, if I teach high school, that I would make a list of rules or not. I'll have to ask Mr. Demory about this now to see what he does...

Feb 8th Blog: Diverse Learners

Honestly, I have not put a tremendous amount of time into this since Regina, unlike City High etc, is less diverse. I have one African American student and four Korean students but the rest are American. I do suppose though I have thought about this in terms of artistic ability. Some students are farther along than others in this area. To accommodate for this, I'll spend some extra time assisting those students who are struggling and try my best to encourage them in their work. All the projects I have chosen involve students picking their own images to work with, and this creates opportunity for variation in skill level. More advanced students can pick more difficult images, or do another image if they finish their first project. I also make sure to teach simple skills like color theory and focal point, etc, even though some students may already have this knowledge, to make sure everyone is on the same playing field.

Feb 1st Blog

Thinking back to influential classes I have taken, it was always the classes where it was more the teacher's connection with the students, rather than the teaching style, that made the class successful. Just the arrangement of expectations alone didn't have as big an impact on me overall but when the two went together, I was really impacted. I can think back to middle school and my English teacher Mr. Priest. He always had really interesting projects and would also set the expectations by showing lots of examples and spending a day just going over the projects themselves before we began. His enthusiasm in the projects and the time he put into explaining them made a big difference. It was also evident that he wanted you to succeed, so he did the most he could to make that happen by setting clear guidelines. He also had great relationships with the students and took an interest in them individually, always keeping a great sense of humor.

At my placement, a strong sense of community can be felt in the classroom and it is obvious my teacher really cares about the students. He takes interest in their personal lives and always has a good time with them in class. He holds his students to high expectations by taking time to know them individually and know what they are capable of. He can get the kids to work but also not be overbearing or demanding. In my own teaching, I have learned a few things about setting up clear guidelines. I noticed one student in our 7th period, which is late in the day, was having a hard time working. He did not seem to care too much about finishing his project but when I showed him the rubric and mentioned that time spent working was a big part of his grade, his work ethic improved tremendously. I just mentioned it to him as a fact, so he would be aware that his behavior would affect his grade, and now he works for most of the period. Some students need different incentives to get them motivated but I noticed that all of them need and appreciate, especially in art, clear guidelines with detailed instruction and examples of work. For my painting class, I always do a demo before each major step of the painting, like under-painting etc. and this helps them allot.