Monitor! Monitor! Monitor!

Day 29

How have you changed as an educator since you first started?

One of the big things I would get deducted for on my observations was the monitoring piece. I either was inconsistent or didn't do it at all. It was so easy for me to justify my lack of monitoring by telling myself I only get these kids for 40 minutes once a week and that we have a class packed full of learning so there was no time.

I was WRONG!

I can monitor, and very easily and quickly. TeachThought had a great article on formative assessment a few months ago, and Edutopia had one just a few weeks ago. 

Some of the assessment listed I implemented immediately in my class and I put a very BIG reminder to myself on the walls in the front of the class.

With these visual reminders as prompts, I know am able to use quick and fun formative assessments to monitor my students throughout the lesson.

Example:

Last week we were discussing Empirical Observations versus Inference. A few students were still struggling with the difference. So I picked "Act Out" I had 2 students who understood the difference come to the front and act out each one. Other students in the class had to guess which one they were. I then had the students who were confused come up and act them out. 

It was quick, engaging, FUNNY, and memorable! Best of all I was monitoring them and assessing on the spot in a fun way.

Let me know if you are interesting in hearing other ways I quickly Monitor in my Art Class. Would love to share!

What's a Weekend?

Day 27

What role do weekends and holidays play in your teaching?

I'd like to say I spend my weekends and holidays playing with family and recharging so I can feel refreshed and ready for each new week. I'd love to say that I create wonderful memories with my children on these weekends. But the truth of the matter is that my weekends and holidays typically look like this. 

I took these pic just now.

I've been working on a 9 week unit that incorporates Dali...

Into the "Practice of Science in ART!" Notice my wooden man is always ready to help with the creativity portion of the work. ;-p

I am working on finding more balance in my schedule but it's extremely difficult. As a single mom, my weeks are filled with driving my awesome kids to practices, attending their games or meets, grocery shopping, cleaning (or not), homework help and the list goes on an on as you moms know.

I am going to set a personal goal for myself right now. 

IWBAT (I will be able to), Marzano people you get this lol, find a way to make my schedule more efficient so I can spend the time doing this...

From the Dali Museum in St. Pete

http://thedali.org/

The Dreaded Observation

blessedtobeblog.blogspot.com

Even though I love my principal. (Really I do!) I dread her coming in to observe me.

Even though I have completely embraced Marzano, I dread being evaluated on my implementation.

Even though I spend hours creating interactively dynamic multi media presentations that my students LOVE, I dread having evaluators see them unfold for the class.

Even though I love the feeling I get when I am "on stage" with my students, and they are completely engrossed in the lessons we are learning, where there is no world outside of my art room anymore, and it's just them and me on the most amazing journey towards enlightenment and growth and I know we are going places we have never been, I dread the thought of that intimate moment being observed and recorded.

So when I think... and REFLECT... on the prompt from TeachThought for this, Day 3, of the Blogging Challenge...

Discuss one "observation" area you would like to improve on for your teacher evaluation.

I can now say it is NOT an "observation area" that I wish to improve on for my teacher evaluation, but my ability to let go of the DREAD I feel at the mere thought of the teacher evaluation itself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txqiwrbYGrs

As a mother of three I thought this was a great clip from a great video of David "freaking out" after the dentist. If you haven't seen this in a while you should. And this time as you watch it think about his answers in relation to questions about teaching lol. Just click the link to the youtube video above.

Kids Don't Want To Be a Zero

Why won't my students rate themselves where they truly belong on my scale of understanding! It's so frustrating. "How many of you are a 1?" We say this at the beginning of class and even though most of the class may be a 1 at the beginning of the lesson or unit they refuse to raise their hands.

It really is a waste of time trying to explain to students why they need to be honest with the scale and why being a 1 is ok. We are trying to convince the ego and that usually gets us no where.

Nobody wants to say "I don't know something". It's not good for our ego. Whether the bottom of your scale is a 0 or a 1 is irrelevant. 

How can this issue be resolved for accurate self assessment for the students?

Aha! It's all in the wording. Rather than listing your 1 as an "I don't know" try listing it as "I DO know". Your current standards and learning goals build on your students' previous years of knowledge. So make the bottom of your scale reflect where you students are at currently.

Being a 1 is something they should feel good about. They do know something. And our job is to make them feel excited that after the lesson or unit they are going  to know even more.

Exit Slips in No Time

40 minutes is a short amount of time for any class. And in my art room it seems to be gone in an instant. As soon as we get seated and set up, I feel like it's already time to clean up and line up again. Zoom! Sometimes I feel like these kids are just flying in and out of my room...And don't let the door hit you on the way out!

Seriously though, time is tight. And when you add other things into the mix besides just the art it really puts the pressure on. One simple thing that has really helped with integrating Marzano's Instructional Model into my classroom is the exit slip.



Element 13: What do I typically do to help students reflect on their learning? One strategy suggested for this element is using exit slips at the end of class in an effort to get students to respond to questions about their learning immediately after the teacher is done. Here's how I do it.

I currently use two types of exit slips. One says "Tell me three new things you learned today". The other says "Tell me one thing you liked about class, and one thing you would have liked done to help you understand the lesson".



Depending on the grade I am teaching I mix it up a bit. Obviously I wouldn't have 1st graders write out 3 new things because they would never get it done in time. For them we might write three new words.

Exit slips are a great way to monitor the student's understanding of new knowledge. Try them out in your class. You'd be surprised what some of your students have to say.

What Am I Teaching Them? These art students of mine.

I've been reflecting on my teaching a lot lately. Probably has a lot to do with reading "Becoming a Reflective Teacher" by Marzano. But it also has a lot to do with the underlying theme I am noticing in all of my art lessons. I'm still working this jumbled riddle out in my mind but here's where I'm at now.

I'm not just teaching them art. I'm teaching them the art of THINKING. And we all know this as art teachers but, as I evaluate myself by recording my lessons and watching them multiple times it seems to be so much deeper.

Teaching them to think. To think. To think. Not to memorize. But to think. These are life lessons they are learning in the Art Room. And it's not like teaching them in Math or other disciplines where the pressure is on because the test is coming. It's a relaxed setting where they test themselves by trying to interpret the information they are seeing.

They want to know. They want to learn. They want to open their minds to new things. And it's hard. And it tickles. And they scratch their heads and they FIGURE IT OUT! Because they are given the opportunity to really use their minds and THINK! And it natural and organic and it comes from them.

And they leave this class with their mind a little more open. The machines a little stronger. Their brains functioning a little higher. And every time they come in it's a little more and a little more. And they know they can think. And they know they can figure things out. And they know they art THINKING! Because I have helped them learn what real thinking is. And this is what I am teaching them.

Creativity NOT Conformity!

Beth :-)