Week 4

Summary Chapters 3 & 4

Who and how an educator perceives them self has a direct correlation to their practice as an educator. For the reflective educator, this relationship is malleable. Viewing one’s practical theories through the framework of Handal and Lauvas (“… the intermingling of personal experiences, transmitted knowledge, and core values” (p 26) in association to one’s work environment provides insight into the motivation behind theory.

While cut and dried theory fosters understanding for reflective practice, this understanding must be viewed through the disordered lens of emotion. The practice of considering feelings, memories, experiences and the images through which they are viewed has the potential to uncover “our deepest values”. (p 47) Bringing these values to light facilitates their inspection and opens the door for growth and change.

Reflection
What motivates the impulse to teach?

First of all, how can I possibly stop thinking about my experiences, knowledge, and values long enough to even begin considering this question? Furthermore, my best friends have described me as a “detail oriented story teller”. How can I possibly articulate a concise answer to that question in less than a million words?! It’s truly mind-boggling and more than a little messy to ponder. I’ll attempt brevity, and I suspect I’ll need to let this introspection simmer for a while.

Earlier this year I was reviewing the standard required emergency procedures with all of my students, I think I had third grade at the time. I had finished the review and, as always, to stave off the “But what if an earthquake, fire, and tornado all happened at the same time AND there was an intruder in the building?” questions. (It’s an elementary school, someone ALWAYS asks!) I stressed that if an emergency happens that we aren’t prepared for that students should remain calm and quiet and trust the adult that is with them to make the best decisions for their safety. As I went on to add, “When you are at school, you are like my own kids to me” my voice cracked with the realization that what I said was TRUE.  I’ve always known that I love my students, but this was a new revelation to me. My kids are a big chaotic family to me. Seeing them as such changes everything! I’m motivated to give them the best that I can, to send them out into the world to be strong and prepared to encounter life’s challenges. I want to give them the tools they need to resolve differences and to be flexible. I’m not sure what a deep-rooted psychoanalysis of this, seeing my kids as my family would reveal, and, what is more, I don’t really care!

The text brings up “… appreciation for wonder in a child’s eye” (p 49). I think this is also a great motivator behind my desire to teach. It’s that sense of wonder that continually refreshes my own way of seeing the world. Picasso said “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” To me, it’s a child’s wonder that washes the dust away. I’ve mentioned before that I’ve toyed with the notion of moving to a different grade level of teaching, but, I strongly suspect that I’d miss the wonder.

Not really last, but last for now, and it’s ever-so-hard for me to wrap these thoughts into words - more than anything, anything, anything else, I’m motivated by the need to plant the seeds for my kids to be resilient. I want to give them a shield against anyone and anything that would erode away or steal their right to their own uniqueness, not matter how quirky. The world can be a big, mean place, but only if YOU let it be. It’s another reason I have to stay with the little ones, in these days of testing, and data, and endless programs, I’m afraid that individuality is tossed to the wayside. I’m on a one woman mission to preserve and nurture it!

Week 3 ~ Reflecting on Reflection to Ashley

From "we are educators first, realists second, and dreamers third" to the end of your post I noted that we highlighted the exact same passages this week. Reading through I kept saying, me too, me too. That initial passage made me consider the way I would rate myself.  I think I'm a dreamer first, an educator second, and a realist last. I read these chapters while soaking in a bubble bath, and actually pondered how this difference in perception of self-shaped my teaching and my life. I thought about it until the water turned cold and the realist in me had to crank on the hot water again.

You are definitely NOT the only teacher who gets bogged down by the staff lounge or in my case, the hallway conversations. The one benefit of six back-to-back classes a day and no passing time is the fact that I’m rarely privy to these discussions. (When you don’t even have time to run to the bathroom, you gotta look hard for the positives!) The elementary art teachers in my district meet four - five times throughout the school year for PLC. At first I was really excited for a chance to collaborate, but they’re mostly bitch and moan sessions addressing "this is the way we do things at our school.". Reading through this book made me wonder if I could interest any of them in a book study on this book. 

Reflection

With every meaningful unit we teach we are essentially asking our students to demonstrate how they perceive themselves, but what if we did it in an overt and profound way? How could that look? Sometimes people tell me that I’m really pushing elementary kids to visualize abstract concepts. I wonder if they’d see beyond the literal and, more importantly, would it really matter? Dreamer first, educator second, realist last…sometimes that realist last part trips me up, but yup, that’s me.

The other elementary art teachers are really a great group of people, I like them a lot. Despite our many differences, the common thread of what we do ties us together. We’re all crunched for time, have to deal with the same issues as far as grading, and lunch duties. We’re frustrated that we don’t have time for our own art-making. Our fine art’s coordinator facilitates the PLC meetings, but how can I reframe the undercurrent of bitching and moaning so that these meetings can be more than a waste of time? I think it’s a case of not seeing the forest for the trees. Any suggestions my fine classmates?

 PS. YOU are my real collaborative group!

 

 

 

Week 3 ~ Reflecting on Reflection to Beth

A few years ago our district tried to mandate that all seven elementary art teachers teach the exact same projects at the exact same time. You can just imagine the furor! In the past I have danced around the curriculum guide, but now that the district has gone to standards based report cards, I feel more responsible for spending more time on the skill I am assessing. Most of the other teachers prefer one day projects which pretty much all end up looking the same. Mine, on the other hand, sometimes take all quarter.

Reflection
Here's a peek at the Standards for fourth grade. I am required to assess them two per quarter, in the order they are listed. It doesn't look as though they should seem all that daunting to teach, and prior to having to assess them, it was not.  If I can, I try to create a meaningful unit that encompasses both standards. I like to have time to work in some VTS, more time for experimentation and play, and plenty of time for the execution of a project. I find that if I spend a long time on the skill, there's no time for meaty investigation. Or, maybe that's just a mindset that I'm comfortable with. I have a great unit for third quarter. Sculpture just happens to be my favorite. Maybe I just need to reframe the dilemma and inspect my assumptions.

Week 3 Reflective Teaching

Series Preface - Chapter Two

Authors Zeichner and Liston stress the fact that education does not occur in a vacuum and that the professional role of an educator goes far beyond that of instruction. They contend that traditional teacher preparation programs fail to prepare teachers for the diverse “social, political, and cultural contexts of schooling.” (p x) They assert that the better understanding a teacher has of their own ideas, opinions, and humanity, the better equipped they will be to confront the broad concerns they will encounter in their profession. Utilizing knowledge gleaned from experience, reflective educators embrace responsibility in terms of improving both their own practice as well as their field.

 Referencing the works of John Dewey and Donald Schon, chapter two introduces the reader to the roots of reflective teaching. Dewey proposed the concept of reflective teaching as being a rounded combination of both intellect and emotion. Dewey defined reflective practitioners as possessing: “open-mindedness, responsibility, and wholeheartedness.”(p 11) Schon’s work presents a clearer picture of the way reflective action actually looks. He describes the practice of reflection as mindful and cyclic in nature - interpret àframe à reinterpret à reframe. Critics of Schon describe the difficulty of individuals reflecting critically on their own performance and suggest that this examination is of greater value as a collaborative experience. In concluding this chapter the authors reiterate that education does not happen in a vacuum. Truly reflective teachers must be aware of outside influences and the ways these influences affect learning.

 Reflection

I found this week’s short amount of reading to be ever-so-dense. I read it at least five times and each time discovered something valuable that I had overlooked before. It got to the point where I felt as though the authors were speaking directly to me when they wrote, “Certainly there is such a thing as too much thinking…” (p14)

Throughout this reading I could not help but be envious of pre-service and brand-new teachers. Reflective Teaching was definitely not a part of my teacher training education, not in any shape or form! Though I think it is human nature to be reflective, I whole-heartedly agree with the authors when they site Osterman & Kamp, “Because of the deeply ingrained nature of our behavioral patterns, it is sometimes difficult to develop a critical perspective on our own behavior.”(p. 19) I think new teachers have an edge here, going into the field armed with the power and knowledge of what it means to be reflective. It’s more of an old dog, new trick situation here…though, by no means do I view reflective teaching as a trick. I sometimes DO find it a challenge to be critical of my own behavior and can easily rationalize away actions that I’d be quick to criticize in others.

Zeicher and Liston speak of the reflective teacher as a “rejection of top down forms of educational reform that involve teachers only as conduits for implementing programs and ideas formulated elsewhere.”(p 4) If that’s the case, I want to make sure to serve myself an extra-large serving of reflectiveness...let me become a glutton of reflection! I’m tired of being slammed in the face with program, after program.  To me this is a classic example of what Dewey described as routine action. My district places a lot of emphasis on programs that are definitely taken for granted, in the “This is the way we do things at our school” mindset. Though there always seems to be an undercurrent from staff that don’t bite-off on these programs, I think there is a tendency to accept them, there’s little effort and NO encouragement to reframe problems. I can’t help but have the impression that often times these programs are all about how good something looks on paper.

Questions I found challenging, difficult, or inspiring:

I took the liberty of combining these two questions because to me, the first leads into the second - When you think about a classroom problem, do you try to see it from different “angles”? If a student comes to you angry with another student or crying and upset, what is your first reaction? What other reactions might you have? Do you ever react on their gender, race, or social class background?

In the middle of a problem happening I think that I often just react to that problem. It depends on the severity of what it is, who it involves, and what I’m doing at the time. My in-action response is typically to remove the student from the situation, unless blood is involved, until I can investigate more deeply. Then, I speak individually to the involved party / parties. My first question is usually, “What’s going on today?” It’s a low-income military neighborhood school. Behavior issues can frequently be attributed to one or both parents being deployed, being hungry, or some other outside influence. My student population is extremely diverse; I think I respond to all students the same. I sometimes contemplate my limited understanding when it comes to social / cultural norms differing from my own. However, I strive to be impartial.
Other reactions I might have - If I know I have a student likely to receive what I perceive as harsh physical punishment from a parent as a result of an office referral, I am less likely to send them to the office. (I typically only send students to the office only in cases where school policy dictates that I must - physical violence, anything of a sexual nature, or bullying.)
Do you think that teachers should play leadership roles in curriculum development, program development, and school reform or just stick to work in the classroom?
If you have ever been a classmate of mine, you know where I stand on this one; it is a cause near and dear to my heart. Teachers should absolutely, without a doubt, play leadership roles in all of these areas! Reading through the five key features of a reflective teacher on pages 6-7 I had to note that it was #5. Takes responsibility for his or her own professional development that motivated me to #4. Take part in curriculum development and is involved in school change efforts. The more I knew, the more involved I became in change.

In a recent staff meeting, a classroom teacher complained that the district should hire outsiders to write grade level assessments instead of requiring teacher committees to do so. There’s no way I can understand the burden that classroom teachers face, but I had a difficult time comprehending how someone could feel this way. There seems to be a fair number of people with the opinion that education should be based on some sort of magic formula. Send in a blank-slate at the age of five and churn out - check in the box, check in the box, a well-rounded, productive member of society thirteen to seventeen years later. Maybe this was an acceptable, though not without fault, model during the industrial age. But, I digress…The burden of work in the classroom is staggering. Certainly, the easiest thing to do would be to stick to that work. However, I argue, surely no one ever entered the field of education thinking it would be easy. I think the bottom line to keep in mind here is doing what is best for kids. There’s always got to be room for flexibility and freedom because dynamics change continually.
Three Attitudes Integral to Reflection Action
Open-mindedness I think I’m decent at this. I jokingly attribute this to the combination of my zodiac sign being Libra and my birth order being that of first born. I weigh all odds to the point that it’s sometimes exhausting. I’m comfortable with others possessing views which differ from my own.
Responsibility Everything keeps circling back around to my curriculum. I struggle each day with the fact that I’m tied to teaching and assessing something that could be so much more than it is. Whine, whine, whine, I know. I’m seriously having difficulties asking myself, “Are the results good? For whom? And in what ways?” (p 12)
Wholeheartedness At the end of the school year last year I tossed file after file of lesson plans and examples. I didn’t want thirteen years’ worth of elements and principle based lessons tempting me to do that which was easy. (I cringed over some of them!) I refused to waste my student’s time with projects that were not meaningful. I’ve had a few days when I’ve regretted this, but not many. It’s definitely been a test of my commitment, I’m far from perfect, but this was the only way I could, in good faith, go on.
Who wrote my curriculum? My current curriculum was written in 2011 by a team consisting of all ten of the district art teachers. I am sad that it bears my name, as I consider it to be very shallow and limiting. I showed up at the first curriculum writing meeting armed with several books and copies of curriculum that I admired. I spouted Gude quotes and proposed that we write a k-12 meaning filled curriculum. The other teachers hemmed and hawed, that would be “nice”, but it would mean changing everything we already did. They were polite, but seriously angled their chairs away from me and hacked together something that “would be easy to teach.” It’s not up for change for another three years, but I’ve got irons in the fire.  Funny, my current curriculum is not much different from the one of my own school experience which, as I’ve said, was a long, long time ago.
Findings from the first two weeks
Since it’s like a thorn in my side, for now I am selecting two goals that pertain to curriculum. First, since I must teach the current curriculum will seek out ways to make it more meaningful. I try to do this already, but I think I can do better. Secondly, I will continue to work towards changing the curriculum. I think part of this goal is going to involve me meeting with the superintendent of curriculum. He’s a very approachable man, but I think I’ll need to have all my ducks in a row.

Reflecting on Relection to Katie

One of my favorites painting ever created in my room. That's me in the blue dress and my student is the "Giant heart, because I love art so much."

I think it takes an elementary art teacher to know an elementary art teacher. While I'm sure that every level of teaching has it's own special challenges, those of us at the elementary level deal with six different grade levels to plan and prep for, we struggle to learn, not only the names of hundreds of students, but we try to establish a personal relationship as well. Word come out of our mouths that we never dreamed we'd say to another human being. (Please remove: your hands from your pants, your finger from your nose, the paper you are chewing from your mouth. Etcetera ad nauseum.) I wouldn't have it any other way though, there's just something about elementary kids that make it worth your while.

You asked for suggestions on ways to effectively use group time more often. I'm not sure how long you have been in the program, or how much you know about Visual Thinking Strategies, but I frequently use VTS to launch new content. The format of VTS reinforces appropriate and respectful group behavior. It facilitates flexible thinking and can give the teacher a quick snapshot in terms of who knows what. Over time, I think it contributes to the formation of the classroom community. If you haven't yet taken the VTS classes, you might want to check into it. :-)

As far as managing movement without it getting out of control, I wish I had a magic answer. I think it's something that you work on continually and that no two groups of students are going to respond the same to any situation. I have long maintained that you can tell a great deal about the classroom management in the regular classroom from the behavior of the children at specials.

I can identify with the problems you describe at the end of your post, our job is not an easy one! Even with many years of experience I struggle with some of the same issues. Hang in there, it does get easier and it sounds like to me that you are already doing a WONDERFUL job.

Reflection
My district employs a total of eleven art teachers. Every few years the opportunity arises that I could move to a different elementary building or different grade level. I have spent quite a bit of time contemplating the challenges and growth potential of a change. I always come to the conclusion that I'll stay where I am. The bottom line is, I enjoy, as Parker Palmer describes, working with the blank slate. I have no aspirations to fill that slate, I want, instead, to instill in my students the tools to deflect their slate being filled by others...especially when it comes to art.

I mentioned Visual Thinking Strategies to Katie. As I assessed myself on Marzano's growth goals, VTS kept coming to mind. Looking back over those goals, VTS has the potential to put a lot of level 4 checks into the boxes: rules and procedures, interaction with new knowledge, practicing and deepening understanding of new knowledge, generating and testing hypotheses about new knowledge, establishing and maintaining student relationships, and communication of high expectations. It's all there, and it's all done with the blank slate in mind. Want more info, check out http://vtshome.org/.

Reflection - Slamme's Response to Erika

I, too, felt overwhelmed when going through the Marzano checklist even though I'm fairly familiar with his work, and have many years experience teaching! I echo what Amy said, be kind to yourself!!! Nothing compares to that first year of teaching - you're trying to figure out EVERYTHING. I cringe at some of the mistakes I made that first year. It sounds to me as though you are already very reflective of your practice, I think that's half the battle! As far as your special ed kids go, let go and breathe! It may not feel as though you are teaching them anything, but I guarantee, they are learning. It may not be the same learning goal that you had for the rest of your students, but just in exploring the media, they are learning. (I spent a year as a houseparent in a group home for mentally disabled men, I feel this qualifies my response, though I am certainly no expert!)

There's so much that goes into being an art teacher, and even more that goes into being a great art teacher. Knowing what it takes to be a 21st century educator and actually putting it into practice are two different things. Hopefully we all aspire to be the best that we can be as a teacher. However, there will be days when you don't feel 100%, days when you jump through hoops that you don't believe in-in the first place, days where you do what you do not because it is the right thing to do, but because it's what you've always done. The reasons could go on forever, but we need to remember from last week's reading, great teachers possess an understanding that being a “great teacher” is a constant struggle to always improve.

Reflecting on my response -
I can't help but think back to that first year of teaching, and oh boy, what a year it was! I had my own son as a student that year for the first time in the classroom. I remember him raising his hand and asking a question that began "Mom,..." One of his fifth grade classmates quipped, "You can't call her that, you have to call her Mrs. Lamme." I quickly put that student in their place, don't mess with the mamma bear. I came unglued on a group of third grade students who didn't get their paint supplies cleaned up quickly enough when it was probably due more to my inexperience and lack of proper procedure than it was to their inability to follow directions. I stayed late, very late every single day and, Lord forbid, having to plan for a sub required more hours of planning and prep than the number of hours I was actually going to be away from the classroom. A seriously crazy parent called and threatened to sue me because as a punishment I kept her child in for five, yes, FIVE whole minutes of recess. I didn't have a lunch break, and my plan period was split into two small chunks of time. It's a miracle not only that I survived, but that I still loved teaching art. Although I tend to view myself as a rule follower, over the years I think I've relaxed. I give myself permission to have bad days, and even, sometimes, a bad week. I've learned to avoid the gossips and negativity, and strive not be BE either of those as well. I celebrate student successes not by the work they create, but by the processes they use to get there, and it's not always some Marzano-like celebration either. Frequently, it's more of a light bulb in my head moment - a WOW, they really GOT that!

It's been a long process, but I can finally be content in the realization that there will always be room for improvement. Not only is that something I can live with, I revel at the opportunity!

Marzano Chapter 3

In this Chapter Marzano presents a rubric that teachers can use to reflect on personal strengths and weaknesses and gives advice on the ways the results should be used to define annual growth goals.

Reflection

My district is a tremendous believer in Robert Marzano. In previous years stipends have been offered to encourage participation in after-school Marzano based professional development led by district instructional coaches. Learning Walk goals are based largely on Marzano practices and the teacher professional library in my building contains multiple copies of the Marzano classroom strategies books. Resting on my desktop is a deck of Marzano based cooperative learning cards. I am well acquainted with the ways of Dr. Robert Marzano, however, despite the fact that I am required annually to submit written personal goals had never taken this self-audit nor was I even aware of its existence.

How I Measured Up
Innovating -16 (4,5,9,11,12,19,23,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41)
Applying - 15 (1,6,8,13,14,15,17,20,22,24,26,27,28,29,30)
Developing -5 (7, 10, 21, 31, 32)
Beginning - 2 (2, 3, 18)
Not Using -1 (25)
I left one space blank. (16)

What Does This Mean?

Highest marks indicate that I see myself as having an orderly, well-organized room, where I know my students. I feel they understand the expectations I have for them and I’m fairly adept at helping them engage with, practice, and understand new knowledge. I think this is to be expected, I’ve been at this a long time. The areas where I see myself as Developing tended to be scattered - 7, 10,21,31,32. Lack of time is one common thread that I see looking through these areas. I see close to 450 elementary students on a three day rotation, teaching six fifty minute class periods per day. Another commonality of these lower marks I attribute to teaching a skill based curriculum that I pretty much loathe. It’s difficult for me to work up a lot of enthusiasm for teaching (and assessing) pure studio skills. I scored low in the areas of helping students track progress and celebrate success. I could improve in this area, but again, I go back to my curriculum. I seldom use games, I do feel there is validity in using them, but I tend to shy away from anything that feels overly contrived. I see this as an area where I could really use improvement. I left homework blank as I do not use formal homework. I may ask students to consider an idea, or come to class prepared for  discussion of a topic, but it’s not a requirement.

In comparing this week’s scale to last,   I either have a highly inflated opinion of myself, or am a relatively strong teacher, probably a little bit of both. As I said earlier, I’ve been at this a long time. Teaching is a difficult job; I don’t think I could do if I did not feel as though I were good at it. I think I need to revisit those areas where I feel I am less than great / developing and determine what steps I could do to improve. I am on my district’s newly formed instructional advisory committee and hope to affect a revision the fine art curriculum.  In the meantime I’m certain that there are ways I could make learning skills more meaningful IF I were willing to invest more time, effort, and energy into doing so.