Fourth day with Mr. H

General Art:
I am always surprised to see students enter the room and begin working without Mr. H having to address them. These students were continuing their box project that they were working on last Thursday. I spoke to a number of students and asked what they were etching into their clay. Many students were drawing their friends, pets, and sports team emblems, along with objects of personal significance. They were asked to finish etching by the end of the next class period.

Prep hour:
The physics teacher was absent today, so Mr. H and I monitored the class as the students worked on an assignment for the hour.
During this time Mr. H and I spoke about his lessons and how he had to restructure the art classes when he began working at this middle/high school. There originally was no prerequisite to take any course, meaning Mr. H was forced to review basic concepts in every course because there were always students who hadn't built up the necessary vocabulary/knowledge. He created an intro to art course to help establish behavior and introduce basic skills to students. Mr. H told me that as a new teacher you have a year to get to know the town and figure out purchasing supplies. He also really recommended that as a teacher you let students challenge each other and let them question. We also spoke about the integration of technology as a form of communication into education. We discussed the affects this had on students, both negative and positive. Mr. H then went on to tell me about a course that he created to teach students about history and the construction of imagery. Students are taught to think about the affects an image can have and social constructs through art history, cultural exploration, and science.
Mr. H is mostly concerned with validating student learning rather than focusing on art history or culture. He gives them the context or additional information when students need it.
He gives students three questions for each project: What does the artist do that new/innovative? Why/what are the influences? What is the root of the traditional work from their time?

This was a really great experience for me; speaking with Mr. H was very informative and made me really excited about becoming a teacher. I believe that he really understands the significance of teaching comprehensive art content to students and I really admire him for that.

3rd hour:
This week is WKCE testing; Mr. H and I spent the hour monitoring students working/talking in groups since this group did not have testing. We spent some time talking about ceramics and speaking with students.

Seventh grade:
This is the first and only time that I will be able to work with this class. These students were working on a bridge lesson with the art, reading, and technology teacher. In this class, students are responsible for designing a bridge using thin rectangles of colored paper and attempting to incorporate the elements of design. This class also prepared for parent/teacher conferences coming up by organizing some of their work and filling out a paper for their parents to look at. It was interesting to see a new class and I was able to work one on one with a student due to her absence when the project was introduced. This allowed me to become familiar with the expectations of the class and look through the PowerPoint with her.