Write and reflect on the professional qualities of your dream job.

My dream job as an art instructor, up to this point, would be in a middle school. I like the age group best of all, from my limited experience. They are very capable and willing. Most of the students at this age have some confidence as artists, which is one of their greatest assets.

Control over the student projects is a must. I wouldn't mind creating lessons to fit into a curriculum or even teaching a lesson that was popular. However, I need control over the majority of the lessons that I present to students. I want to be able to maximize the students' experience and I don't believe that I would be able to do that if I were teaching lessons that belonged to someone else.

My dream job would have helpful administrators that nurtured the needs of art students and understand the importance of art in a well rounded education. A nice budget and proper facilities with plenty of storage are always welcome. Proper facilities in my eyes, is an art room with many sinks, plenty of room to work with, plenty of natural sunlight, good ventilation, and access to technology. A storage room and a kiln are absolutely necessary at my dream job. An organized area for students to keep their materials and projects would be fantastic as well.

My dream job also requires air conditioning. I love air conditioning.

In what ways do you foresee a necessity for support in your first year of teaching? From where and how do you expect this support to come? i.e. district, school, fellow teachers...

In my personal opinion, I feel that I will receive the majority of support through my fellow teachers. When starting a new position, your fellow teachers can help acclimate you into the your school's culture. They can teach you recognized classroom management strategies that are effective, help you figure out how to motivate tough students, and encourage your efforts.

Special Education teachers are another group of teachers that I foresee lending quite a bit of support. Students in the special education program have several individual strengths and areas of growth that are beneficial to know about before beginning instruction. Knowledge of the adaptations that you might need to make before hand can make instruction run smoother by helping you manage materials and have a variety of approaches to instruct a lesson. This will eliminate wasted time and help the students reach their full potential.

Within the school I can see the principal and a mentoring teacher being a source of support as well. Being observed early in your career, mentors and principals can give you feedback on a variety of behavior issues, lesson planning, and material management. This supporting cast can also serve as a source of positive feedback. Their positive feedback can reinforce your efforts and increase your drive to reach your goals and fulfill your potential.

I believe a successful teacher is primarily a matter of...

I believe that the primary trait that makes a teacher successful is care. Care for the students is the driving force that motivates teachers to continue instructing at an exceptional level. There are several traits that all of the successful teachers I have ever had share, but all of the traits are a product of considering the needs of the students.

Reflection is a necessary trait for any teacher that wants to constantly improve lessons and differentiate instruction for diverse learners. Looking back at lessons and considering what went well and where improvements can be made takes plenty of thought and consideration. More than anything, it takes time. It takes time outside of the classroom to push those lessons to the next level or to figure out a teaching strategy that will benefit a very small portion of the classroom. Without care, the time needed to reflect and shape lessons would be lost.

Ensuring that students are connecting their education with their lives is another trait that I identify with a successful and caring teacher. A teacher that really cares will take the time to create an interest survey or have discussion with students about their values. Gaining insight into what students want to learn and value in order to create instruction that is relevant and meaningful shows a great deal of care. Lessons can become outdated or reflect the instructor's interests, which ultimately leads to decreased student motivation.

One of the best quotes I have ever had the pleasure of hearing came from the University of Iowa Women's Basketball Head Coach, Lisa Bluder. During a visit to my class, she spoke of care and motivation, she told us, "They don't care how much you know, till they know how much you care". It is a quote that has stuck with me for years and I have recently been able to witness how correct that quote is. The toughest students that I have had all seem to respond well and increase productivity when I spend a little time with them, one on one, just talking about them and their work. Letting students know that you care about their development as a student, artist, or successful adult can make all the difference and set them on the right track.

What do you see the role of professional development being in your career?

I view professional development from a very multifaceted approach. There are many different aspects of development to consider as a pre-service art educator. Advances in technology, addressing diverse learners, and a continuation of exploring my own artist expression and content knowledge are several ways that I foresee myself developing as my career advances.

Advances in technology is a never ending area of development. Implementing new technology in the classroom is not only motivating for students, it can also be tremendously useful in running a well maintained classroom. Technology often saves time and opens up instructional opportunities that would not be present without the current advances we enjoy. Keeping yourself up to date on technology is also beneficial for students. Graphic design and other forms of art associated with digital media are constantly evolving and art teachers may need to keep up in order to teach lessons that are relevant in a quickly changing society.

Addressing diverse learners is an area of development that I can see continuing for the entirety of my career. No two students are exactly alike and the diverse learners that we will face will present their own unique challenges. Preparing, adapting, and reflecting upon these challenges will be a never ending process. New research based approaches, RTI and PBIS, will continue to present themselves. In order to develop into better teachers, it is our job to constantly analyze these new approaches in order to elevate our instruction to the next level.

I view my growth as an artist as a very important aspect of professional development. Continuing to stay relevant in the world of art will benefit art educators by exposing them to new types of media, techniques, and styles. The increase in content knowledge will enable us to better differentiate our lessons for each individual while also enabling us to teach a deeper understanding of technical processes.

How is problem solving/critical thinking taught through art? What are some different strategies you have used to promote problem solving critical thinking?

Improving critical thinking skills is a major foundation of my teaching philosophy. I understand that most of the students I teach do not share the same passion for art that I do. The vast majority will not continue taking art courses after graduating high school. Elevating students' ability to use higher order thinking is one way I can make my class beneficial for the students that don't share my passion for the arts.

During my lessons I ask questions that aim to get students evaluating and analyzing different topics. One strategy that I try to use in the course of every lesson is comparing a successful project to a poorly executed example. I ask students to analyze both pieces and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. I ask them to identify how they are different and attempt to connect what they already know with the projects being observed.

When considering iconography, symbolism, and conceptual work, I might ask students to look at artwork. I let them discuss the work with a partner or small groups, focusing on trying to figure out who the artist was and why they incorporated the elements that they did into the artwork. If we're going to view a piece of work that is loaded with symbols, I may introduce the artist in order to provide some background knowledge. In the next step, we look at the art and have a discussion, using what we know about the artist, to try and connect the symbols in the art back to life of the artist.

As I ask students questions, whether it is to analyze their own work, evaluate a range of ideas, or critique the work of others, I try to keep the questions open ended. I believe that this helps students keep an open mind, so that we can bounce ideas back and forth, opening up the possibility of finding several perspectives through which to look at problems and each others work. These different perspectives help me connect the work to the students, making the activity more relevant to their lives.

How have you used technology to enhance your teaching- how do you want to
in the future, what technology is necessary

During my time as a student teacher I have used technology on a daily basis. The technology has been very helpful. It has saved time, created more opportunities to explore ideas, and expanded the ability for students to express themselves.

The most common use of technology in my class has been the use of video projection. On a daily basis, students were presented with videos that served to give demonstrations on new techniques, build interest in new projects, and to present students with information pertaining to artists and art history. Using the video projection at the beginning of class was an effective way to get all the students' attention after the transition period between classes.

Students were able to incorporate technology into the class by using computers and other devices to search for reference materials. The ability to search through an almost endless supply of images gave the students options that they wouldn't have had if we were limited to the classroom resources. Using the internet as a reference tool saves time and expands a student's opportunity to find the image that they feel best fits their project.

A music inspired painting project at the high school level required students to choose songs to paint about in an abstract style. Students were allowed to listen to school appropriate music on their personal electronics. We used the classroom computer to share the students songs with one another.

In the future I will continue to incorporate technology the in the same way that I already have. In addition to that, I am interested in using QR codes in a way that gets students moving around the classroom to and create a stronger classroom community. Using QR codes, students can work together with in small teams to move around a work area or classroom to view hidden images, receive and answer questions, and get new directions or prompts that are engaging.

In what ways do the roles of art teacher and art education advocate overlap? In what ways can advocacy be used as a communication tool? What is your view of the importance of teachers’ relationships with their school community, parents/guardians, and the larger community – include in your discussion the role of professional ethics and school or community projects in which you were involved.

I see many ways in which my role as an art teacher and art education advocate overlap. In an elementary setting, the advocacy starts in the school. Communicating with homeroom teachers to create art lessons that incorporate the material that students are covering is a great start. Lessons that include homeroom material excites students because they can connect and really use the knowledge that they have acquired in a fun and creative way. This is an affective strategy to get people close to you, your fellow teachers, to appreciate the value of art education.

Any time that art teachers put a student exhibition together for the public to see, there is a great opportunity to advocate for the arts. Meeting people and speaking to the benefits at shows or posting literature or brochures that explain the benefits of art education are ways that we can make that information known to the public.

Conferences are another great opportunity pass this information along. While art teachers generally have lower traffic during conferences, at least in my limited experience, we can always send home newsletters and emails that discuss projects, important upcoming dates, and events, all while advocating for art education.

It is extremely important to maintain a professional appearance and demeanor anytime that we deal with parents and the larger community. Anytime we advocate for the art education, we must set a good example and act as responsible role models. Having an unprofessional appearance or behaving inappropriately will instantly strip teachers of their credibility and could create a distraction in the classroom.

What is the role/ importance of assessment in art education? What methods of assessments have you used?

One of the most important tasks that teachers have is assessing students. Assessing students' work gives me the ability to find out what they are having difficulty with, so that I can provide some support and boost their expectations for success. Assessing the students' work and checking back for understanding of terms, important processes, and instructions also informs me what I need to work on. If I assess the students and most do not understand the content or instructions they I have just given, it makes me reflect on and reevaluate the way I presented my lesson.

The most common method of assessment that I use is a quick visual inspection of student work as they're working. This enables me to give very specific help and suggestions to students immediately. It also enables me to encourage students that are doing well, and show students examples when happy accidents occur.

A quick visual assessment of the entire class gives me a bigger picture to consider. I can quickly see where I may not have placed enough emphasis on important procedures of the lesson and allows me to stop the class so that I can get explain a concept from a different angle or refresh the students' memories.

As students begin turning in their work, I like to examine their finished projects. Reflecting on the finished pieces helps guide my instruction for the next class that will encounter the same lesson. I can constantly rework my lesson through this type of assessment so that the students get the best lesson possible.

Scoring rubrics are now an absolute must for the students that I am currently teaching at the high school. I write them so that they are very specific. At the beginning of an assignment, every student receives a copy of the rubric and we review every item on it so that the students can effectively assess themselves. Attached to the rubrics is a schedule that the students can use as general guidelines as to where they should be as far as completion is concerned.

Content Knowledge

The impact that subject knowledge has on teaching. What are some resources you can turn to for support in lesson planning ideas? People, places, websites…

Having a strong foundation of content knowledge has been very beneficial for my student teaching. My first elementary lesson plans that I used focused on my particular specialty, ceramics. My experience and knowledge of hand building gave me confidence going into the lessons. I knew how to answer the questions that my students were asking and I was able to recognize and fix problems before they became major issues.

Another benefit of having good content knowledge is being able to create a variety of projects to suit the level of students that you teach. Differentiating lessons by adapting them to an individual's needs comes with the experience of having worked with the materials before.

Ordering, storing, and managing certain materials is a skill that is hard to come by without experience. My content knowledge has helped me immensely because I have a full understanding of how much material (clay) a student needs, how quickly it can dry without breaking, how to manage the materials (firing kilns & cleaning properly), and how to store materials with little or no loss.

The resources that I have turned to when looking for some lesson plan support are people, websites, and books. My practicum teacher will be retiring at the end of this semester and was kind enough to share several of her lessons with me. I was able to witness several of them being taught, which was very beneficial. During my time with this veteran teacher, I took very detailed notes while observing so that I would have a better understanding of each lesson. She has become a great resource and inspiration for ideas and advice.

I find that websites and books are also useful in my search for ideas. I have found a few that I have used, but most seem to need some modification to fit the students, time constraints, or materials that I have on hand. One website that I have chosen to use, incredibleart.org, has an overwhelming number of lessons. This is one spot that I have found to search for ideas when my mind has gone blank at the end of the day.

What class rules are essential to a positive teaching/learning experience? How do plan to create a positive learning environment when you have your own classroom?

There two rules that I have noticed are becoming more important to me as my time progresses as a student teacher. The first rule that I will enforce without any mercy or hesitation deals with keeping people from touching each others work. Some students have this sense of entitlement or an unusual amount of curiosity and think that they can or should put their hands all over projects that aren't their own! There are several reasons why I become severely irritated and angry when I see this happen.

Reason #1:
This could obviously lead to damage, destruction, or an unwanted alteration to the project.

Reason #2:
Most of the students I see only receive 40 minutes of art per week, which translates to about 30 minutes of actual work time when you include cleanup, transition times, and demonstrations. We don't have time to make projects over again if someone ruins or breaks another persons work.

Reason #3:
I don't want to have to break the bad news to a student that their time was wasted and their project was destroyed.

Reason #4:
I don't want to have to reprimand a student and have them miss out on an opportunity to learn because my rules concerning handling other students' work wasn't clear enough.

Reason #5:
Students should feel that their work environment is safe for not only them, but also their work. How much motivation would anyone have if they felt like their hard work could be destroyed as soon as they left the room?

The second rule concerns students' comments on each others work. Students' will not demean the work of their peers. While I realize that some level of criticism is necessary to grow as an artist, there is a time and place for it in critiques. If students don't believe that someone's work is good, they need to learn to offer advice rather than to make hurtful comments. I have witnessed students of all ages shut down and become unproductive because of negative feedback that was given the wrong way. This rule also deals with creating a safe environment for students to work in. If students can't express themselves without fear of ridicule, they will play it safe in the art room and never take risks that payoff with big rewards.

While I have read through the rules in the student handbook and believe that they are all valuable, these two rules are particularly important for me.

How do you approach planning and teaching to diverse learners? What accommodations have you made for diverse learners?

My approach to teaching to diverse learners is to first and foremost, create a classroom that is safe for everyone to express their views and take risks. I believe that creating this type of environment allows students from different backgrounds to flourish by making them feel like they can ask questions to reach full understanding or experience new activities that they could benefit from. Students will be encouraged in my classroom to openly discuss each others work with care and we will take time to get to know one another.

Part of creating this community and bond, will come from getting to know the hopes, concerns, strengths, and needs of these diverse learners. Digging a little bit to get familiar with a student's culture so that I can develop my understanding of their classroom behavior will be part of this effort. As teachers we should also do everything in our power to get parents and guardians to participate inside and outside of the school.

I will be sure to emphasize that every student has the same high expectations. Along with these expectations, I will be there to provide the support the students need to reach those expectations. If a student comes in behind the rest in a certain area or lacks a specific skill set, they should not receive a watered down lesson that ultimately lowers their standards and self esteem. I want students to know that they can achieve on the same level regardless of their background.

My instruction will acknowledge diversity and use it to form different points of view through which students can learn once the classroom community is strong enough. Effective instruction takes diversity and turns it into an opportunity to build new knowledge and perspective, further developing a diverse learner's connection to the classroom community while building on their abilities.

Think back to influential classes you have taken. How were expectations set to promote student success? Introduce your student teaching setting. How do you view the expectations and classroom community established in your current placement?

In the most influential classes I have taken, expectations were always posted where everyone could see them. Expectations for assignments, entering the room, cleaning up, and school conduct were posted in these classes. They were usually big, bold, and colorful so that they would catch your eye.

For more advanced classes, syllabi were given in hand and online, then discussed to make sure that there was no confusion. Even then, some expectations were posted as reminders!

My current placement has me working in two separate rooms at an elementary school and in a shared high school art classroom. Both rooms are nice and big, with plenty of space to post or project expectations. However, expectations are not posted in any way in either art room.

I think that this has caused some confusion and a little extra work for my instructor during some classes at the elementary school. There are times when students could refer to the expectations associated with the assignment on their own so that they wouldn't have to ask so many questions. It chews up so much time answering the same questions over and over again! There seems to be some management problems in the classroom at the elementary school, particularly with running in the classroom. I believe that clearly posting rules about running would help with this issue. It would be easy to go over the expectations a few times periodically, plus keeping them posted would serve as a permanent reminder that running around the classroom at full speed is unacceptable.

The high school class is really small, only 8 students, and there really hasn't been any issues with behavior. Expectations on what is expected to be done during the course of the class would be beneficial though. The students aren't very productive and they need set goals for each 90 minute block to keep them on task. I don't believe that things should be rushed, but they don't have any posted due dates and they take full advantage of the fact and constantly work on everything but art!

Student Teaching: The First Reflection

The most daunting thing about finishing student teaching is the stress associated with finding a job where I want to live. I really am looking forward to getting a job as a teacher and moving forward with my life, but I am not confident that I will be able to find what I want in the area that my family and I want to live in. However, if I had to sub for a while, I think I could live with that.

When I was in school, throughout high school and college, I had several different art teachers. I can't remember the last semester that I didn't have an art class of some sort. Some of those teachers have been very good, while others were less effective or just plain lazy. The teachers that were good made me excited to be in school and learn. They were inspirational, enthusiastic, and unfortunately, they were outnumbered. They were outnumbered by teachers that gave us due dates and cookie cutter projects. I want to teach so I can help out with the imbalance that I experienced as a student and to create passion for the arts in my students.

Luckily, the student teaching experience hasn't caused a great wardrobe change. I owned most of the clothes that I will need in order to dress to impress and look professional. The big change that really occurred, was a shift in what I wore on a daily basis. Before student teaching I was spending most of my days sculpting in a ceramics studio. It was a dusty, messy business, working with power tools and glorified mud. I went from looking similar to a construction worker some days to looking professional and it's been a very nice change of pace!