Archives: motivation

Teaching an Elective vs a Required Course

Over the course of my practicum, I had to deal with many students who did not want to be in art class but were simply there because they had no other choice due to schedule conflicts and/or the need to fit in an extra elective.  There are a couple of concerns regarding teaching an elective course such as art.

1. Only a small number of students in a regular public school are actually really interested in art and art making. 

This concern is something I’m sure all teachers have to deal with whether they teach an “academic” or “non academic” course.  I am the first to admit that pain of sitting through math courses that made me doze off.  If the teacher wasn’t particularly engaging or was not making sense to my ears, I can easily wander off in my own little world.  In English, I remember reading a book that was not interesting and trying to grind through those pages in class.  How does one find the motivation to keep going and get through these seemingly, “boring” classes?  We must!  Passing these “academic” courses are a requirement to graduate and to go to university.  Luckily, I never gave up and just put my “good student” hat on whenever I needed to.  I always did well in my classes but what about those students who lack the motivation to succeed?

Art class is often thought of as a “slack” course.  I never treated my art class in high school as such but many students do.  I create art projects that are conceptually geared and require some effort into producing a “good” piece of art.  I expect my course to be treated and seen as an academic course like any other.  The problem is convincing the students.  I have several students who are habitual skippers.  I can’t help but wonder if it’s because they don’t like my academic approach to art (where they are required to do concept sheets and artist statements and presentations) or because they just think that skipping art is “no biggie”.  I’ve tried my best to encourage them but I can only push them so far.  For the most part, I can say that the majority of my students have warmed up to me and my teaching style.

2. Keeping the numbers up. 

I’ve heard this a lot before I started my practicum.  It is crucial that we have enough students enroll in art classes so that there are enough blocks for the art teacher to teach!  I feel like this will require a bit of balance.  I do not want to have an art class that is “too easy” and all “crafty” with no thinking involved.  Neither do I want the art class to be as rigid and serious as a post-secondary art class.  What needs to happen is a fine balance between creative art making within the parameters of the materials available to them.  My biggest fear is that my academic style will turn off the students and they refuse to take art because it is “not easy”.  I don’t want to compromise my passion for teaching art as a tool for personal and social exploration.  At the same time, I do not want to deter students from pursuing art because the art projects are too challenging.  I have modified my expectations and assessment strategies as a result but will need to continue refining these as I gain more experience.

3. Promoting a “non-academic” course.

How can we get students and parents to see high school art class as an “academic” subject?  I think it is safe to say that far too many parents view art as an add-on course on top of their regular and more important English, Math, and Science courses.  As a teacher, I take the work and effort of my students very seriously.  I believe that they should put as much effort into their art projects as they do into writing their English essays or studying for their Math unit test.  When students put art lower on their priority list, I will undoubtedly receive second-rate work.  This is not to say that all students do this, but I have already experienced this during my practicum.  While in conversation with a fellow English teacher candidate, she mentions a particular student who does very well in her class.  This student is also in my art class but fails to do any work for me.  Instead, all I receive from him are excuses as to why he does not have the time or interest to do my art projects.  I am not offended.  Instead, I am more curious than anything, about how some students can be such stupendous students in other subjects but failing in a class that is deemed to be “unimportant”.  The narrowing of this  discrepancy between marks in different subject areas is something which I hope to explore and reduce in the future…if possible!

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Elements of Comics

Today I taught two of the same class back to back.  It was the second to last lecture on comics and social justice.  I knew that they were getting impatient to start so I figured I better speed things up. I can’t wait until the students begin actually working on their projects!  I find that “lecturing” day after day is really exhausting.

After I presented, I found it interesting that the TOC said that all the material I presented could have been done over a span of many days.  This is true.  I absolutely believe each and every one of these comic elements could have been expanded on.  What I felt pressed for was the time.  The time I have to teach this class, the time I have to present my information, and the time they need to actually START their comic.  It’s a delicate balancing act between choosing the most relevant material, finding when to introduce information to the students, and when they can begin their art project.  This is probably the most challenging part about teaching.

I was aware of the fact that teachers face the pressures of having a decent class enrollment so that the course would not be cancelled.  At this rate, if I were to teach any art classes, they would probably be cancelled!  I feel that I come off as being “too stern”, “not fun”, and that my projects and assignments are boring/lame.  My goal has always been to inspire my students to think critically about life and to understand that art is more than just craft making.  Will they ever come to see this or am I fighting a losing battle?  It is no wonder that so many teachers end up conforming to what the students/administrators desire for class curriculum.

Communicating with ELL students proved to be one the most difficult tasks that I face.  I found that the best way for me to do this is to find a translator in class or to use Google Translator.  Yes it is useful!  I used plenty of gestures, pictures, and examples.  It seems to be working!

Everyday I deal with students that are resistant to the project and my authority.  I do find it easier to deal with as time goes on but I don’t know if I am actually motivating them.  The lack of intrinsic motivation in my class is very apparent.  Many are there because they think it is an “easy” course so when I make them work, they suddenly feel like banging their heads against the table.  As a former high school student, I know that there are courses and projects that I absolutely loathed.  I couldn’t see the point in learning what I thought was irrelevant material.  When will I ever need to balance chemical equations in my life?  I knew I was poor at chemistry so I my interest in the subject was low.  I can understand that many students will see my project as being silly, but unlike balancing chemical equations, talking about social issues is completely relevant to the well being of our lives.  I will continue to stick to my guns and show that I believe in what I am teaching.  I will not let the students bring me down.  So why did I title this, “Elements of Comics”?  Well, in addition to teaching the actual elements that make up comics, I also learned to find laughter in everyday life.  I can’t take the student’s supposed negative attitude towards me too seriously.  I realize that as a teacher, it is my job to discipline and set boundaries.

 

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What is Art Class Supposed to be like…?

Today I presented a brief lesson on the history of comics and manga.  My FA came to observe me but I wasn’t nervous.  I just did my best to ignore the fact that she was there and continued on teaching.

My two blocks today consisted of teaching the same course material.  I guess you can see it as a chance to improve my delivery the second time around. The beginning was a lecture and the second half of the class consisted of group work.  The lecture went a bit faster than I thought it would (mostly because it was not a question and answer discussion) but more a presentation on information.  The first class was very excited about the comic examples I was showing while the second class had difficulty engaging.  There were those that did engage but one particular group of friends lacked the attention and focus I needed.

Today was a sick day for my SA so the TOC came in to help with covering the photography class and the studio classes which I taught.  It proved to be a pretty easy day for him.  He got to observe my teaching and said I did a good job with the flow of the class.

For some reason, I felt anxious from the beginning to the start.  I wasn’t nervous and shaky…just stressed.  I felt stressed about the idea of continuing on with what seemed to be mundane lectures that should be saved for a social studies or guidance class.  I believed in my ideas and the need for discussion, student engagement, and critical thinking.  I did not want the blank look on students’ faces to make me think otherwise.  Art education IS important in learning about all facets of life on top of the field of art studies itself.  My experience with the process of art making has proven to be fundamental in my development as an artist and as an educator.  I began to feel worried that my students weren’t going to enjoy my lessons.  I worry that I will have to be too stringent when the students refuse to pay attention or stay motivated.  I worry how I will mark them for participation and effort.  There are many concerns because I want to be a good teacher that educates.

I feel that there are many obstacles to overcome.  The beginning of each unit will be full of front-loading information.  The middle to the end of the project will be their own time to explore their own ideas.  I don’t want to be the mean teacher but I also want to be stern.  This is something I will need to learn.  As a student teacher, I feel that gaining their trust in me will be difficult.  I step in as a stranger and give them assignments that they must complete and that will also affect their grade.  It’s a strange situation to be in, especially with my goals for an art classroom.  I don’t feel comfortable in commanding the students around because I don’t yet know them.  In my mind I wish I could, but I am afraid they will think “well who’s she to tell us what to do?”  Perhaps I need to let go of these fears and act as if the class IS my own.  In any case, I want my students to learn about life and art.  I hope that by the end of my practicum, they would come away feeling like I’ve made a positive impact in their life.

 

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Icebreaking the Group

Today was my first official day of teaching.  I was nervous at the thought of teaching to strangers so I figured I would spend the first day getting to know one another.  I came up with the human pictionary game and thought it would be fun if the students got up and moved around the class.  I paired them  up by splitting compound words into two cards.  The partners must find each other with the other half of their compound word.

I met resistance right from the beginning.  Many thought it was a pointless exercise and felt that the relation to art was not there.  Many disliked getting off their seats to walk around.  It seemed to me that physical movement was nonexistent in all their classes except PE.  The idea of moving around the classroom to mingle with others is a foreign concept.  Many felt that matching the compound words was pointless.  I had to explain to them that my intention is to get them to talk to others in the class.  I then had the pairs draw three things  about themselves.  Their partner was to introduce them by interpreting their drawings.  The most common answer I received was that they enjoyed “sleeping”.  Surprise surprise!  Most of the students were very shy and used extremely quiet voices when talking about their partner.

After the icebreaker, I proceeded to outline my classroom expectations and the upcoming projects.  One class was extremely enthusiastic and the other was very low energy or uninterested.  My challenge will be to motivate all my students.  I fear that they will find my style of teaching to be mundane, too conceptual based, and too boring.  I want them to think.  Art in high school consisted of projects that talked around concepts without delving into them.  Often times, these projects were very surface based.  The assignments and activities that I present to them are meant to challenge their preconceived notions of art education.  I strive for meaningful art education.

I did make a few mistakes.  The icebreaker was missing a card by the time I facilitated it with my second class.  I also wasn’t sure how to handle students who did not want to participate.  Some refused to listen and several were falling asleep.  Several admitted they disliked school in general.  How do I talk to these students without pushing them away?  I really hope that with my passion for art and life, I can break down these walls.

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