Guest speaker: Ms. Oberding

Today, we had middle school art teacher, Ms. Oberding, come in and speak about her experiences in teaching art. Something that she said that really stood out to me was the necessity to be with your students in order to know them. This does not mean merely spending time with them in the classroom as a teacher addressing their students, but really seeking to know them as a person in order to help them along in their education and their pursuits. This can be achieved by being active within the school community, as well as the community outside the school's walls in order to really get to know the students and their needs. By being an active part of the school community, Ms. Oberding has been able to help her students in more ways than just educating them about art.

Another thing Ms. Oberding brought up was the importance of being a catalyst in encouraging interaction between staff and students. When a staff member peeks into the classroom to see what is taking place, she takes the time to invite the staff member in and have the students greet them. By doing so, the staff member feels welcomed within the classroom, and the students get to interact with a staff member that they may not usually get to interact with. I feel that this was a very good point to bring up, because I feel that it is a good step in better establishing a community within the school. I am a person who is passionate about community, so to establish a community within the school in which students can open up and engage with each other as well as staff members is important to me.

These two insights she brought up were really good points, and I want to incorporate them into my classroom and life as a teacher in the years to come. I'm glad that she was able to come and speak to my class about such topics, and it was awesome to see her enthusiasm for art and her students.

Assessing My Students' Artwork

I assess student artwork by doing both a formative and summative assessment. For the formative assessment, I hold a critique once the project is done. I do this to see whether or not they have grasped the concepts taught to them in the unit including vocabulary and craft, and whether or not they achieved the objectives and expectations set in place for the project, as judged by themselves and each other. They have the opportunity to decide whether or not they have understood the purpose for the project by  looking critically at the product they have created.

For the summative assessment, I look at their work to see whether they have grasped the concepts through what they have included into their work, whether they have met all of the objectives, and then also factoring in their behavior in class, how well they followed instructions, how much effort they put into the project, and their overall attitude.

Ultimately, my main objective in assessing my students' work is to ensure that they have learned: that they have learned how to properly use the materials used to create the artwork, learned the vocabulary that goes along with the lesson, learned how to create artwork that lines up with objectives given, and that they have built upon their prior knowledge about the style of art, having more knowledge about it leaving the unit than they had coming in. 

Which is more important?

Today I was faced with the question about what was more important to me as an art teacher, art or teaching? I've come to realize that teaching is more important to me as an art teacher than art itself. While I think that art is important, art is not able to impact in the same ways teaching is able. A teacher has the ability to impact a student's life on a personal basis by providing support, guidance, and compassion. Art cannot do that. Plus, teachers have the ability to teach students how to create art; art cannot teach students how to create. While it can provide itself as an example, it cannot teach a student how to create what it is.

A follow-up question was involved, which asked, "do you need to be an artist to be an art teacher?"
I believe that in order to be an art teacher one must be an artist. My reasoning for why I believe this to be true is this: you cannot properly teach a child how to create a work of art if you are incapable of producing that art form yourself. By being an artist, you will have a good grasp on the tools and processes that are necessary to produce art. Plus, by being an artist, an art teacher can help their students pass through bouts of confusion when they reach a point in the process of creating art that they do not quite understand.

What is a first day like in your classroom?

On the first day, we would begin with a "get to know each other" kind of ice breaker that is appropriate to whichever grade level I teach. Afterword, I would explain the rules of the classroom and what my expectations are to my students. I would also give them a tour of the classroom. If I am teaching art to primary school students, I would play a sort of game with them to review the rules in order to make sure they understand. Little prizes would be involved (candy more than likely). If I am teaching art at a secondary school, I would begin a brief activity with them to see where their skill level lies. At the end, I would give them a brief overview of things they can expect to learn through use of pictures (depending on the grade level).

The journey continues: where I am now, and where I hope to be....

As I begin a new semester, I am reminded that this will be my second year in the Art Education program. With that reminder, I have reflected on how far I have come since then, and I think ahead to where I want to be.

In the beginning, I went into the program not knowing much about art education and what it entailed. Did I have some ideas? Of course. But those ideas have changed drastically since I jumped both feet first into this realm of education. I have learned so much, from learning the standards of teaching to knowing how to successfully manage a classroom, and far more in between. I can confidently say that everything I have learned has prepared me for this time in my life; a time in which I begin to observe and teach at a high school for my next practicum (an entirely new ball game for me!), and as I prepare for the next year to come, when I will be student teaching. I feel that I have a far better grasp on the art education system than I ever have before, and I am beginning to feel more comfortable with it as the time progresses. I have grown to love art education more than ever, and my appreciation for it has grown stronger as well.

As I reflect on how far I have come since the beginning of my journey, I also question where I want to be after this semester comes to a close. I know for sure that, upon exiting this semester, I would like to become much more knowledgeable of art processes and teaching it, especially considering that I have not had to deal with high school students at this time. While I have had experience in teaching and demonstrating art to elementary students, as well as some middle school students, high school is something I have not yet been exposed to. Having barely taken any art classes myself in high school, I have little knowledge regarding how to handle a high school classroom as an art teacher. I am sure that I will come to catch on quickly, but there is some nervousness, I must admit, especially when I think about the fact that I am not necessarily the greatest artist (particularly with 2-D art forms). However, while I know this about myself, I know that unless I wield this art form with confidence, the high school students will walk all over me. This has also brought me to the realization that I need to further my skills in these areas, or rather, it motivates me to do so, because I want to teach with confidence and proper knowledge.

While I am nervous about starting this new part of my journey, I am excited to be able to take all of my prior knowledge of teaching art and apply it to a completely different age group. It will be challenging, but I'm excited to face the challenge. It will also allow me to really reflect on how effectively I can teach higher grade levels, which I believe is crucial to my growth as a future art educator. While I am nervous about arranging a lesson for a teenage age group, I am also excited to see what they think and hopefully really get them to engage in the lesson.

Best attributes of an art teacher...one I hope to be.

In any event, time to begin another adventure! One filled with a lot of hard work and joy. Time to see how I stand up to a totally different age group, and see how they take to me. Hopefully, they can see the best art teacher in me, as the previous grades I've taught have seen.