Be Your Best FOR the World

My mom has influenced me to be my own person and to do what I truly love. She has always encouraged me to do my best and to be proud of who I am and what I do. To this day, my mom is my biggest supporter with everything I do and I am so thankful for her encouragement and support. She has seen me through many ups and downs in my life and always seems to know exactly what to say at exactly the right time. I am thankful for her influence on my life and I am so happy to have the opportunity to pass these gifts along to my students.

My mom has taught me how to respect, and to truly know the importance of being respectful of all of the people around me, no matter what the situation.  Most importantly, I think, is that she has taught me patience.  My patience has helped me more than I ever thought it would as a [middle school] teacher and I am so thankful for this guidance.  My mom has also taught me the importance of humor in our lives.  This is a quality that I use consistently in my life, both in and out of the classroom.  Laughing is so good for the soul and it has been a great lesson learn as I continue to grow and learn as a teacher.

Three qualities that I can use to be the best for the world:

Quality: Patience

How I can use it: When I think about the quality of patience, I often think about my classroom and my students.  I use patience with my students on a daily basis.  This is not the only area of my life that I can use this quality.  Within the school walls I need to have patience with students, co-workers and myself.  I can really tell a difference in my own attitude when I have patience with those around me.

Quality: Respect  

How I can use it: Respect is a quality that I admire in people.  Everyone knows what it feels like to be disrespected and, simply put, it doesn’t feel good.  One of my main expectations in my classroom is respect for others (and their artwork).  In the art classroom, I know it not easy for every single student to create works, whether it is a drawing, painting, sculpture, etc.  so I make it very clear to my students that we must respect one another and the work we create.  This is a difficult lesson to teach, but I feel is an extremely important one.

Quality: Humor  

How I can use it: Humor gets me through the day!  I love to laugh with my students, co-workers, friends, family, anyone!  I feel like it eases the mood of my classroom and helps my students and I relax.  I feel that this is an important quality for the art room; if students are tense and stressed, they will not be able to create their best work.    

Spring Conference Implementation

Today I used brain break activities with my fifth and sixth grade students.  Both classes are beginning new units in class, and I wanted to try to break up all of my talking with an activity that would get students up out of their seats and moving around a little bit!

I tried the Palm Tapping Energizing Brain Break with my fifth grade students.  When I got to the "brain break" portion of my PowerPoint, I had asked students if they had heard of or tried brain break activities, they had not, so I explained quickly what they are.  Students seemed eager to get up out of their seats, so I thought that was a good sign, as far as timing in the presentation.  I had them follow along with the video and they did very well watching the students and repeating what they were doing.  I thought it was kind of funny because this activity did take some thinking (remember the steps) and it had a few students wondering, "How is this a brain break?  We're still thinking!".

Before I started the video, I told students that when the video ended, we would be done with the activity, and that worked really well.  Once the video came to an end, students were back in their seats and ready to listen for next steps in the unit plan.  I really enjoyed using the brain breaks with my students; I can see how this would be extremely beneficial for longer class periods as well.  Having activities that are fairly short, really makes these possible in any classroom setting.  I will be implementing brain breaks into my introductory unit plans specifically because these class periods require students to sit and listen for longer periods of time.

The other brain break I tried was the Nose and Ear Switch.  The class loved trying to switch back and forth from their ear to their nose.  I had a blast watching them and trying it myself!  As soon as the video was done, students went right back to their seats and were ready to hear their assignments.  I think implementing brain breaks into my classroom will be a really beneficial activity for students and myself :-)

2015 Spring Conference

We recently presented our Action Research at the SMU 2015 Spring Conference.  We could not resist a quick picture before lunch as we each presented in the morning!  Such a wonderful learning experience!

This week we have been asked to implement something that we learned at the conference.  I learned some very valuable information from the sessions I attended, and I will be incorporating many of these ideas into my classroom.  I am looking forward to working in many of these things over the summer months!

One of the sessions that I attended was focused on Brain-Based Learning, specifically how the use of brain breaks can be beneficial for our students.  The session presenter provided a lot of useful information about brain breaks, including multiple resources where we can find brain break ideas.  One of the main resources she shared with us is from a math teacher in Illinois.  David Sladkey has graciously shared many of his brain break ideas on his website and blog.  Hes has created a book as well that contains his brain break ideas as well as links to videos that he has created of his students showing what each brain break activity looks like.  Our session presenter also gave us some good team building ideas to use to get students to know one another better.  Some of the brain breaks are done individually, some with a partner and some with groups.  It is really important that students feel comfortable with each other to complete the tasks during the brain breaks.

My plan is to implement more brain breaks into my classroom.  This week I will be introducing new lessons in my fifth and sixth grade classes, and this usually involves more listening on the students behalf.  I plan to use some of Sladkey's videos to introduce a brain break activity with each of these four classes.  My initial concern with brain breaks, prior to attending this session at the conference, was that they would take too long.  Our session presenter had us practicing some brain breaks by following some of the videos that Sladkey has made.  Many were two minutes or less, and we followed right along with the video.  It was a great way to introduce the activity and get everyone moving, and when the video was over, we were ready to move on.  I know middle school students may not be ready to move on as quickly, so setting very clear expectations with my classes will be key.  I am excited to see how my students respond to these brain break activities, as well as have some fun with them trying to complete the activities myself!

Take Yourself to the Edge

It seems so fitting that we would be asked to blog about taking ourselves to the edge this week.  My husband and I made an impromptu trip to Chicago, IL. last week during my Spring Break.  The picture above shows us as the Sky Deck of the Willis Tower, the worlds tallest structure!  We have definitely taken ourselves to the edge physically, from stepping into a glass box over 1,300 feet above ground, or hiking to the top of Cloud Peak at 13,167 feet!

Now, what does that look like for our jobs as teachers?  This week, we have been asked to "take ourselves to the edge" and explain what that is like in our professions.  We have been asked to answer the following questions:

We usually think of "going to the edge" in terms of athletic endeavors. How might this concept apply to your job?  Personally, I think of taking my students work outside of the school.  I want to provide them with audiences that will make them really think about the work they are creating.  I would really like to push it even further and provide an opportunity for this outside audience to reflect of the student work that they are seeing - ask questions, provide feedback… I think this experience would be very beneficial for my students.

What I gain even if my efforts fall short: I think that even when I fall short, I learn valuable lessons about myself and my students.  When this happens, and it does and it will, I think it is important to push through it.  Reflect on what went wrong and how I can change it the next time I tackle something similar.  I also share these shortcomings with my students - any time I make a mistake, I make sure my students know it.  I then have the opportunity to show my students how I can work through it to turn my mistake into something great (or start over with something new if that what it takes)!  This is a valuable real-world lesson that students will need to learn sooner or later (if they haven’t already) and schools have to be a place where they feel comfortable to try and experiment.

Do you think that you always need to take yourself to your edge?  I do not think we always need to push ourselves to the edge.  I feel like there are times when doing the “safe” thing works and I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing.  I think when we get into a rut of doing the same “safe” things over and over and over again, is where we can come into some trouble, for both ourselves and our students.

Are there times when "good enough" really is good enough? I have certainly been there; I have thought “this is as good as it’s going to get...I’m done.” however I do try to push myself and my students to go beyond that “good enough” point.  There are many aspects working against us at times for this to happen perfectly every time, however.  We do not have time on our side.  We have a certain amount of material to cover in an already too short amount of time, and it can be very difficult to manage that.  Even saying that now, I know I have allowed more time for some projects and had to cut others short because I wanted students (and myself) push it a little bit more!  Money and materials is another thing that can definitely hinder moving beyond “good enough”.  I have had to tell students on multiple occasions that they cannot do something because we didn't have the materials or the means to purchase them.  It is definitely a tough situation to work through, however I feel that it is a great lesson for students to understand as well.  They are then challenged to find something within the art room, the school, their homes or the community that they could use to make their ideas work - it is an awesome challenge for them and can be very rewarding when they succeed!

Reflection

AR - RoL - Backward Design

Reflect back on your Review of Literature, Action Research write-up, and your Curriculum Units you have been working on for your final learning requirements. 

I have learned so much through the action research and review of literature processes.  I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to conduct this research and implement new activities and processes with my middle school visual arts classes, specifically my eighth grade classes.  My data collection has shown me that my students are benefiting from the changes I have made, and I could not be happier with the knowledge I have gained.  

This process has helped me to identify the most important concepts for my students to know and understand.  I will be able to use this process as a guide to help me create more meaningful lessons for my classes.  I found it very interesting that this process is applicable to any subject and grade level; specifically that the Enduring Understandings can be used for multiple age levels.  I really like that the end result created more detailed concepts leading to the use of most state standards.  Any time I can create a strong connection to  what I am doing in my classroom with the state and/or national standards is great!

I feel that by utilizing this process, I will be able to better prepare myself for teaching each unit of study, but also that I will help to better prepare my students for what they are expected to know, understand and be able to do.  By focusing on 3-5 abstract concepts for each unit, I am able to choose what is the most important for my students to learn.  The backward design process has enhanced my instruction by making me reflect on my learner outcomes and enduring understandings which in turn will help students to better connect with the material I am teaching.  Any time my focus can be more connected to student learning is great, and I feel that this process will help me to do that with every unit I teach.

SMU Readings

This week we have been asked to read "The Flexible Teacher" by Leila Christenbury.  In this reading, Christenbury shares about a time when she changed her plans when her students were not meeting her expectations.  We were then asked to answering the following questions.  What do you do when your students are not meeting your expectations?

Have you ever found yourself in a situation like Christenbury's? This year, I began teaching 8th grade art - we hadn't had this class for about 15 years.  I found out fast that it was difficult to get students engaged at this level and I knew I needed to do something to change that!

How did you respond? Throughout my action research and review of literature writing, I learned a lot about the power of providing choice for students.  Because I was struggling a bit to motivate my eighth grade students, I decided to give them more control over what they were doing in the art classroom.  Results of this process have been great!  Students have been more interested in the work they are creating because they have more control over what they are doing.  I am still teaching what I need to teach them and they are learning the art processes that they should be at this level, however, they have more choice in the projects.  I also encourage students of all ages to experiment.  When they ask me questions about certain materials or processes, I tell them to try it.  They learn so much when they have an opportunity to try something rather than having a teacher tell them the answer.

How can educators adapt their plans to their students' needs and abilities without lowering standards? I question why it’s not okay for teachers to lower their standards, if necessary.  Every student is different and unique and, like it or not, they will not all be at the same level (or standard) all the time.  I think it is important for teachers to get to know their students and push them to the best of their individual ability, and hopefully beyond that. 

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We were also asked to read "Evaluations That Help Teachers Learn" by Charlotte Danielson. In this article Danielson describes a five-step evaluation process that promotes self-reflection and professional conversation.  We were asked to answer the following questions in response to the reading:

How does this process compare to the process in place at your school? We have recently begun using a new teacher evaluation process in our school district.  The process that we follow is very similar to the five-step process that is outlined in Danielson’s writing.  Our principal sets up a day/time to observe in the classroom, we provide information about our classroom, students and lesson or unit prior to the observation.  During the observation, our principal keeps notes while observing our teaching and talking to the students.  A post-observation conference is then set up after the principal and teacher have had time to reflect on the lesson taught.  I enjoy our current evaluation process, although learning the website has proven to be confusing at times, the process has been very beneficial.

How would a system like Danielson's work at your school? I believe it is working in our school district and I think it would work for many school districts!

What adjustments might you make to your evaluation system to foster teacher improvement? I agree that it is crucially important that everyone involved in the evaluation process must have shared understanding of the evaluation process and what it encompasses.  I believe that our district is making this a priority and it has been very helpful for the evaluation process.

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Continuous Improvement

There are two areas in my profession that I would like to improve upon.  One area I feel that I can improve upon is with student art exhibits.  I currently show artwork often, however, I create the shows (or typically have my student assistant help with this process).  I would like to involve my students in the display/show process much more than I currently do.  I would also like to create opportunities for students to show their artwork outside of the school walls.  I feel that this will give students more of a real-world connection to the work they are creating.  Another experience that I would like to offer my students at the middle school is an Art Club.  This is something I have been thinking about a lot and I think the middle school students would really enjoy this opportunity at their school.  This will be my summer project :-)

Pop Art!

POP ART!!

Eighth grade students have been flying through third quarter!  This week they started their final project...Pop Art!!  Students studied the works of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Keith Haring. I asked students to think about the popular images they see today; my example above showcases some of our art supplies.  Students are working on using thick, dark outlines and vibrant, solid colors.  I was able to sneak a few pictures today of some in-progress works!  I cannot wait to see how these all turn out....more to come next week!!!