Updates on my learning process... I remembered to have the kids at S. Beaver make name tags for themselves-- it helped me to be more comfortable with the kids. I had a really frustrating time with getting the kids to sit still and pay attention this time (3-4 graders). Once they started the activity, they were amazingly chill, but before that, yeeesh. I need to learn some serious discipline skills and maybe take an assertiveness course!!! :)

I feel like I'm on the verge of a lightbulb going off-- Pam's definition of "the best questions to ask" on the first quiz post really helped me. It seems almost too easy, but I get it. Focus on the meaning of the work of art. You can talk about how materials, subject matter, elements and principles, etc. all contribute to the meaning. Then have the production activity be something where the kids are supposed to express a similar meaning or intent. I feel like this concept is helping me to make the leap from production and technique-based art lessons to something bigger and cooler that could help the kids to actually understand the reason people make art, and to learn the language that art communicates in!

I feel frustrated by the fact that it is difficult to get my hands on large-scale reproductions of the works of art I would like to use in the classroom.

Tweaking

I'm starting to get a feel for what works and doesn't work in the classroom. I feel like I'm pretty good at assessing what to improve the next time I teach a particular lesson, but am finding it difficult to always implement the changes. For example, I meant to introduce myself this time to establish a better rapport with the kids, but completely forgot again! I feel a bit awkward when giving "classroom management orders" to the kids. Part of this is that I don't know their names, so I don't know how to address them. I think I'll have them make name tags for my next lessons. I'm starting to feel more confident with lesson planning, but I feel like my lessons so far have been pretty simple, safe, and not especially dynamic. I want to do something that will really get the kids fired up about what they're doing!