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TEACHER QUALITY STANDARD #3
Teachers plan and deliver effective instruction and create an environment that facilitates learning for their students.
Giving feedback is one of the most valuable parts of teaching. Every person is on a journey of learning and growth, and feedback is what helps to allow for that growth to happen. Whether that feedback be internal, or whether it be from a mentor, teacher, friend, or family member. Instructional practices are not effective unless feedback is consistently and thoughtfully given. This to me is truly at the core of facilitating learning. Throughout my student teaching experiences, I worked to create a system that allowed for students to truly grow throughout the semester. Through rubrics, assignment feedback, and in-progress feedback, students are able to work towards growth, and get better each and every step of the way. I created rubrics that students were given at the beginning of the project. At the end of the project, students graded themselves and I graded them, using the same rubric. This allows for students to see from many perspectives where they are and how they can continue to improve.
ELEMENT A: Teachers demonstrate knowledge about the ways in which learning takes place, including the levels of intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of their students.
During student teaching, I had a variety of opportunities to think through and begin to understand the best practices for that particular age of students. In elementary school every class period, we started off with Brain Gym. This practice allowed for students to prepare their brains to make art for the day. It is also a helpful practice in that students calm their bodies and minds, and are ready to listen to instruction right off the bat. Emotional development of students is really important as well, especially during the pandemic. In the Kindergarten class, I read a story called "What do you do with a problem?" by Kobi Yamada. This story and drawing project allowed for students to think through a time in their lives when they were faced with a problem, and how they worked through that. This is valuable for them to start thinking through at a young age, because it helps them to develop techniques for working through tough situations in their lives. I included an image from a book my mentor teacher shared with me, that became our Brain Gym activity at the beginning of each class. I also included a few important pages from the story "What do you do with a problem?"
ELEMENT B: Teachers use formal and informal methods to assess student learning, provide feedback, and use results to inform planning and instruction.
While I was student teaching, I created a variety of rubrics to assess where students are at. During my high school placement, I focused on creating rubrics that were related to specific projects. This allows for students to truly understand how they will be graded. Students were given the rubric at the start of the project. This allows for a deep understanding of what is expected, and how they can take their art to the next level. Students were given the opportunity to grade themselves, and I graded them. This allows for a more well-rounded perspective of where the student is at with their learning. In my elementary school placement, I developed a rubric that allowed for a well-rounded grade of the students learning in art. It wasn't based on a specific project, but instead it was based on the work students had done throughout the semester. I believe that this allows for an understanding of the whole student, and how their creative endeavours have evolved. Throughout the semester, I also used informal assessment to check in with students for understanding of concepts and where they were at with their learning. This is mostly through discussions with the students on what they are working on. I used SeeSaw to record interviews with students, as well as took pictures and notes about what they said about their work. This allows for me to gain an understanding of what students are learning, where they are at, and where we can possibly go next. For my artifact, I have included two of the rubrics I created, for high school and elementary school. I also included an image from a Kindergarten student, and a quote that she shared about her learning.
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"When I'm mixing colors I see that there are colors that overpower other colors. When I mix the same amount of black and purple, the black overpowers the purple. If I add in enough purple though, it turns a dark purple."
ELEMENT C: Teachers integrate and utilize appropriate available technology to engage students in authentic learning experiences.
Technology has become a major part of our lives and our students lives since March of 2020. This semester, I have created assignments that allow students to connect with technology while also engaging with traditional media in the art world. In high school, I had photography students create a flipgrid video about what they saw in one of their peers photographs, and some interpretations based on what they saw. This allowed for engagement through technology whilst talking and interacting with artwork. I also had photography students create a response on Padlet, that had them think through the year 2020, and the emotions and feelings that came up throughout that year. In elementary school, we used See-Saw to engage with students, ask them questions, take images of their artwork, interview them, etc. This allowed for the learning to be recorded using technology. For my artifact, I included images of these technology examples that I utilized throughout my placements.
ELEMENT D: Teachers establish and communicate high expectations and use processes to support the development of critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.
In elementary school, it is valuable to have students think about the ways they, as artists, can solve problems and critically think about the work they are creating. This is developed through the questions I ask students, and the learning targets I develop. Throughout the semester, I have focused on the Studio Habits of Mind, and how they can be integrated into the discussions I have with students. I asked questions that had students think through how they were engaging and persisting and how they were stretching and exploring. This allows for them to think through their artistic practice while also engaging with the studio habits and learning targets. For this artifact, I have included the learning targets and questions given to students for the Mystery Bag Project.
ELEMENT E: Teachers provide students with opportunities to work in teams and develop leadership.
Although COVID-19 made it so that students weren't able to collaborate as much as I would have imagined, students were still collaborating through discussions about art and art making. In order to allow for this collaboration while still social distancing, I had students turn their desks to face each other. They had to stay on their side of the table, however, this allowed for discussion and collaboration in a slightly different way. When I taught a technique to a specific student, I also had them become leaders and teach classmates that were ready for the next step. This was important in giving students the opportunity to become a leader, and collaborate with their peers. Towards the beginning of my placement, students also each made a rectangle for a quilt. Although students couldn't collaborate to put it together, students were given the opportunity to think about collaboration and how their rectangle would contribute to the whole. For my artifacts, I have included images of these opportunities for collaboration between students.
ELEMENT F: Teachers model and promote effective communication.
Giving written feedback to students truly allows for students to develop a better understanding of where they are at, and how they can continue to grow. Through this written feedback, I am communicating with students, and giving them specific feedback on areas they can grow, and areas they are excelling in. This also opens up a conversation with students, which allows for them to ask me questions, and therefore develop their artistic practice. I also communicated with students through emails, comments on their work, etc. This allows for them to truly take control of their learning, and have open communication between the student and the teacher. For this element, I have included written feedback I gave one student on her project. I wrote specific information about what was done well, and what she can improve upon in the future.
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