1A: Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy
I have had experience teaching art at all levels of child development from Pre-K through High School, and over the course of ten years of teaching art, I have devoted my career to developing appropriate and exciting visual arts lessons and experiences that build upon each other throughout my students' development. My goal is to create a comprehensive art education curriculum that builds upon the structures and functions of visual arts, but also incorporates interdisciplinary and multicultural aspects, as well as expressive qualities. I use Planbook to organize my lesson plans throughout the year, and I keep detailed curriculum binders. I am constantly referencing and adding to these binders in order to improve upon existing curriculum, as well as develop new and fresh ideas each year. With each lesson I create and implement, I reflect on the process and outcome for my students and determine ways to adjust, correct, or expand in order to improve the overall learning experiences for my students. I also use this reflections to set professional yearly goals for myself, such as incorporating interdisciplinary aspects into each lesson and/or developing new and innovative art techniques and materials to use in my lessons. I also utilize folders to organize my extensive curriculum on my personal laptop, in order to have my resources for lesson plans at my fingertips. I also use state and national curriculum guidelines for planning visual arts units for each grade level.
Ex. Extensive lesson and unit plans in various formats organized by grade level. I use formal lesson plan guidelines, as well as online resources such as Planbook. I thoroughly plan each aspect of the art lesson or unit, including objectives, essential questions, art vocabulary, materials, instructional activities, project descriptions and steps, as well as assessments.
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Ex. I use state and national art education standards and curriculum guidelines for planning and building a comprehensive art lessons and unit plans for each grade level.
1B: Demonstrating Knowledge of Students
Student engagement is heavily reliant on teacher knowledge of their students. Not only do I research and plan lessons based on age appropriate development in regards to visual arts, but I also feel I have a strength in understanding my students on a personal level. Visual arts content allows for much more expression of self, and therefore allows for a thorough understanding of each of my students as individuals, as well as the dynamic of an overall class. I also am dedicated to professional responsibilities such as communication with parents, families, counselors, special education teachers, and administration. This assists in having a comprehensive understanding of my students that can assist with guiding curriculum, instruction, and classroom management. My middle school students receive progress reports and report cards, and I conference with them regularly to communicate transparency in assessment. Finally, I pride myself on developing exciting student-centered art lessons that my student artists are not only engaged in but can also develop and understand important art concepts and techniques.
Ex. Communication with families, including a signed contract between myself, the student, and the parent. I include a class syllabus as well as class policies and expectations.
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Ex. I have various formats and types of student surveys and self-reflections. This helps me to get to know my students on a more personal level. I also begin each school year with a self-portrait project, which always allows for expression of self for my students. The examples I show below are pre-instruction and post-instruction examples (a difference of one day). Each student is featured vertically (pre-instruction is top image, post-instruction is same student, bottom image.
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1C: Selecting Instructional Outcomes
I select and communicate instructional outcomes through lesson planning and curriculum writing. These instructional outcomes are guided by state and national art education standards, as well as the development stage and personal interests of the grade and class for which the lesson or unit is designed. I carefully craft a yearly curriculum guide, as well as a course syllabus for my middle school art class, outlining objectives and expectations. My lessons demonstrate both depth and breadth of knowledge of my students, and are artistically appropriate and rigorous for each stage of development. I incorporate interdisciplinary, multicultural, and art historical concepts in each lesson, as well as rigorous art skills, concepts, and techniques.
Ex. I keep my objectives board up-to-date and use student appropriate language, vocabulary, and concepts to communicate instructional outcomes. The state and national visual arts standards are clearly posted and emphasized as a guide for all art lessons.
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Ex. I develop a yearly curriculum outline based on the standards and the techniques and art concepts that are appropriate for each grade level. I outline my course expectations and instructional outcomes in a syllabus for my middle school art students.
Ex. My lessons demonstrate both depth and breadth of knowledge of my students, and are artistically appropriate and rigorous for each stage of development. I incorporate interdisciplinary, multicultural, and art historical conceptsin each lesson, as well asrigorous art skills, concepts, and techniques. My artistically rigorous lessons, processes, and instructional outcomes are evidenced in my Instagram Gallery. Please click the link below to view my curriculum.
1D: Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources
I utilize a variety of resources, including attending grade level meetings, attending professional development webinars, classes, and conferences, as well as usuing technology-based resources such as Edmodo, web-based virtual art galleries, developing Powerpoint presentations, and applications that support a visual arts education curriculum. I also use my mimeo, projector, and document camera to display exemplars and demonstrate art techniques on a daily ongoing basis.
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1E: Designing Coherent Instruction
I develop coherent instruction through the use of state and national standards to guide lessons, as well as knowledge of students and developmental stages artistically. I plan each lesson to incorporate each component of an effective lesson. My lesson introductions typically involve class discussions on inspirational visuals and exemplars for each lesson. I involve my students in a dialogue that facilitates higher order thinking, questioning, and observations. Because I see each class every six days, reviews and wrap-ups are an integral part of developing coherent instruction that will be reinforced and remembered from week to week. I emphasize a daily objective so the students can focus on the expectations for the 50-minute class period, as well as the over-reaching objective for the lesson. I use verbal, visual, and written explanations as well as different grouping, pairing, and individual activities in order to reach different student learners. I demonstrate each step of each lesson thoroughly. This guided practice serves as a vital part of art instruction. Students see, listen, and practice in order to improve art techniques and throughly understood the concepts being taught. Within my Instagram Gallery there is thorough visual evidence of each components of an effective lesson.
1F: Designing Student Assessments
My goal as an arts educator is to use and implement valid and comprehensive assessments designed to promote reflective practice to improve art planning, outcomes, experiences, knowledge, and abilities. There are a number of qualities within my methods of assessment I use in my classroom. I use ongoing formative assessments that are embedded in the learning and art-making process. Part of this is teacher and peer feedback and critiques. Students also self-assess regularly, both informally through observation and discussion, and also formally through written reflections. As for summative assessments, I design and use common rubrics, along with project and skill specific rubrics for my middle school art students. I also have designed and implemented an Effort and Responsibility Rubric that is now being used as a common rubric for all middle school elective courses.
Ex. Some examples of visual arts assessments that I use in my classroom, including rubrics, exams, written reflections, and self-evaluations.
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