Archives: concept

A Shoe for a Raver

Today I worked with the same TOC from yesterday.  She was supremely helpful in the classroom.  She stepped in when she could sense that the students were feeling restless or bored.  I really appreciated her suggestions and her attentiveness to the class I taught.  I knew that my teaching still needs work.

I taught a special needs art class this morning.  The more that I work with them, the more fond of them I become.  They are so sweet and genuine.  I find it a refreshing change from regular students.  The non-special needs students seem to be more capable of trickery while the special needs students tell you directly what is on their mind.  They continued working on their pinata project from weeks ago.  I’m surprised at the amount of time it takes for them to complete certain projects!  I need to take this into account when I start my unit with them.

The second class I taught was the ceramics class.  This class was filled with Grade 10s who enjoyed talking and not necessarily about the things we were learning about.  I had a quick presentation on shoes and engaged them in group discussions about different types of shoes.  They had to discuss the nature of the shoe and who could possibly wear them.  They struggled with the more conceptual and abstract shoes because they were looking at shoes as if they were meant to be literally worn.  I walked around to help them expand their range of thinking.  Think about the type of shoe that is depicted, the way it’s made, how it’s shaped, the designs and colours.  They weren’t used to thinking conceptually.

After the discussion activity was over, I had the students choose a number between 1-30.  The number they chose would determine the type of shoe they would need to design and hand in at the end of class.  Some of these shoes that they had to design include “raver shoes”, “a bad driver’s shoes”, “a librarian’s shoes”, and “a philosopher’s shoes”.  When they started to work, I could see that they began to think conceptually.  The group discussion we had I think, really helped prompt them to design their shoes.  I don’t think that without this scaffolding, their shoe designs would be much more plain and literal.  Although I did have one student who seemed rather eager to get started on the actual ceramic project, I feel confident that the presentations that I am doing will allow them to produce a richer and better art piece.

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Am I Doing This Right?

After two weeks into my practicum, I started to wonder if I am doing things right.  I wonder if my front-end loading is too much.  Is it “normal” to provide so much background information to art students before their project?  I feel like I have gone to excessive lengths to inspire them but I am only met with stares of boredom.

Should my daily speech only be a welcome and “get to work”?  I don’t know how teachers do it.  Art teachers are known for facilitating studio work in a relaxed environment.  Why do I feel that mine is so stiff?  Maybe it is too early to tell because I also picked up 2 new classes this week.  With the icebreakers and the introduction to the projects, it is making me feel dry in the mouth.

The kids WANT to start making art NOW.  I can sense their anticipation.  They don’t want to do concept sheets or sketchbook planning.  They just want to tackle the project on the spot.  I thought my goal is to show them different ways to approach a topic and inspire them to think beyond the normal realm of art making.  Why do I feel such an urge to just drop everything and let them go wild with art materials?  I think this is a sense of discomfort they feel towards this new approach.  I like discipline, hard work, and creative thought.  I want to view their process.  I don’t know if I have conveyed that thoroughly.

This front end loading seems radical to many students.  I’m putting art into the realm of academic subjects with my approach.  I want art to have the respect it deserves as a school subject.  It’s difficult for me to step into a classroom that has been well set up and to do a 180 with a different set of rules and expectations.  I want them to succeed but I also do not want them to be bored.  I realize that learning patience is a virtue but I myself, cannot wait for them to get started on their projects.

At the end of the day, I believe in my teaching approach for art.  I am doing my best to inspire them with related concepts and artists.  My hope is that they will learn so much more from doing these projects than they ever imagined.

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Library & Art

Who ever thought that going to Art class meant going to the library as well?  This was an issue that was recently brought up by some of my students.  I explained to them that the library is full of valuable information that can be used to inspire ideas and foster creativity.

The concept of making art without making the art is new to these students.  In fact, it is new to most people who are not familiar with the study of contemporary art or art education.  I want to instill in them that artistic ideas do not come out of nowhere.  In fact, they often arise from looking elsewhere.  That’s what so fantastic about this subject.  Art can be extremely interdisciplinary.  Most of the students have this preconceived notion that art is about craft making where making pretty things is the most important goal.  Because thinking about concepts and doing research involves more thinking than they’re used to in art class, I am encountering resistance.  It is not “fun” and can be “boring” if they don’t find something of interest.  I must reassure them that they will have plenty of time to work on their projects once I am done feeding them information.  All in all, I think the library proved to be a useful resource they can tap into when they need.

My other challenge I had today was dealing with students who are struggling to understand English.  The option was given to them that they may write their concept sheet and comic in Chinese.  I think this will make them feel more comfortable and possibly, be able to express themselves better in their native tongue.   We had a round table session where we brought in students who could speak both English and Chinese to translate what I was saying.  This helped tremendously but I am still encountering difficulties in my other block of art class.  I spoke to this student’s ELL teacher and she recommended that I give him an actual topic to write the comic on and to simplify the overall outlook of the project.  Perhaps I could find another student in a different class to help in the translation process as well.  In any case, communicating with ELL students will prove to be a huge challenge for me during my practicum.

 

 

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First Day Jitters

When September started, I knew that I had a challenging road ahead of me.  Plenty of coursework to prepare us for this big performance.  Nothing can ever really prepare you to perform as a teacher though.  Despite the tremendous amount of readings and assignments, nothing could prepare me for the mental toughness I needed to go teach.  Resilience and patience is what I had to get through the busy semester before and I needed it here.

I met some of my fellow teacher candidates and we shared stories about our fears, lesson plans, and extra curriculars we wanted to participate in.  I was happy we were there to support each other.

The first block I went to see my SA.  She was teaching the students how to make pinatas.  They were beautiful and I was very impressed.  I would soon be taking over this class and working with these wonderful children.  There were many familiar faces.  I got a chance to speak to my SA about my lessons and received positive feedback.  I was going to try inquiry in the classroom and will attempt this by giving them concept worksheets.  I’m a bit weary as to how they will react to the idea of “researching” for their ideas, but I believe this is a smart group.  I am hopeful that my lessons will be a success.  I am especially excited about the social justice comic that I will be introducing to one of the classes.  Promoting social justice has always been a passion of mine.

I was lucky enough to be given a demo on how to use the photocopier and booking library sessions.  I booked my class in for a research day in the library to explore their social justice topic further.  I also had the chance to visit the Special Needs teacher.  I expressed my interest in helping out with this group of students and she was very receptive.

Despite my fears of starting practicum, it started off on the right track.  I had plenty of support from my SA, student teachers, and I hope, the students.

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