Philosphizing about Education & Teacher Caroline
I want to teach art as a profession because I would like to create a safe space for our youth to grow up in and challenge them to communicate ideas through the creation of visual art. As a teacher, I will share the fundamentals and basics of art to give students the foundation to grow with their art. Within my classroom, the main goal will be emphasizing the benefits of art through projects and practices that lead students to be better communicators, more socially aware, connected to their community, and using art as a therapeutic tool.
My ClassroomWhen learning fundamental art techniques and theories such as color, line, space, and context, a student can focus on experimenting with different methods beyond the basics and find ways to express themselves more clearly as their artistic skills naturally mature simultaneously. Additionally, I would integrate world and art history into my classroom, focusing on their influences, relationship, and significance for society and how art is viewed and created.
Furthermore, I wish to correlate modern art and societal attentiveness of our micro & macro communities into relatable lessons, connecting the students with a viewpoint they are more familiar with. I will focus on the possibilities of using art as an expression of personal narrative in order to open students to tolerance and help them recognize their own voices, which in turn becomes therapeutic. Through critiquing each others art work within our micro-community of a classroom, students will learn the vocabulary and respectfully challenging mindset of having a productive prompted conversation about whatever a topic may be through listening and observing each other as well to excel with improved communication skills. |
Why MeI have a creative, engaging way of sharing information with students and as such, I feel confident in presenting things that will be relatable for all individuals. I am observant, respectful and sensitive to the social and emotional wellness of students with their unique learning styles. I wish to create a stable, yet exciting rhythm for my classes through using a variety of teaching practices.
I began studying and practicing the basics of art at the age of five and as I matured, my techniques grew and expanded, this continued well into the college level. While focusing with each individual art material, I created a connection to what personalities each medium brings to a visual depiction. Due to this experience, I am familiar with the various stages and levels a student will be at throughout their artistic career. I also have a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies where I studied a multitude of different subjects. I graduated understanding the Self, and the nature of culture and community into the larger world. The knowledge I acquired in my college years has given me the tools and perspectives to be a strong teacher in today’s world. The unique varieties of educators I have worked along side with thus far have helped form and expand my perception of teaching. My field experience has enriched me with different perspectives of teaching styles, pedagogies, and understanding of the various communities each school is a part of. |
Why ArtI became familiar with the process of creating art being therapeutic when my mom passed away in my early teenage years. After finding it hard to communicate my feelings to others because I could barely understand them myself, painting became my breath of fresh air and I want to help others breathe as well. Art stirs up a conversation within oneself and their environment, which helps them grow as an individual and their relationship with their surroundings.
The inspiration I’ve been fortunate enough to witness has furthered my passion for teaching art at a school to where education can go beyond the four walls of the classroom. The study of art not only helps you understand yourself, it also defines your relationship to other people, your community, and environment. The culmination of my field experience, current educational background and vast understanding of art will only be strengthened by further accreditation through this credential program. |
Educational Philosophy:
Inclusion is not an Illusion
The time dedicated to the process of creating art within a classroom allows individuals to gain power through their growing sense of self. I believe the main goal of an educator in any subject is to help students improve their communication skills and social awareness, in order to create a more just society. I strongly hold to the idea that art is a powerful therapeutic tool that acts as an intermediate object for students to grow and communicate their ideas through. As an art educator, it is my job to create a safe space for youth to develop their own agency. My goal as a teacher will be to strive to challenge students to communicate well and expand their personal aesthetic through a mastery of the language of visual art.
I became familiar with the process of creating art being therapeutic when my mom passed away in my early teenage years. After finding it hard to communicate my feelings to others because I could barely understand them myself, painting became my breath of fresh air and I want to help others breathe as well. Art stirs up a conversation within oneself and their environment, which helps them grow as an individual and their relationship with their surroundings.
Access
As an art teacher, I would like to create an inclusive safe space for our youth to grow in and to be challenged to communicate ideas through the creation of visual art. I wish to have an environment that supports and allows access for students to experience individual success such as posted lesson goals, assignment options, flexible work space, regular feedback, and a variety of ways to share and access information such as using digital media. I will create opportunities for students to succeed by having options and ranging varieties within my teaching methods, with flexibility reflecting in the techniques, materials, and strategies. I will help support student success through clear instructions with a care for the aspect of time for individuals. In order to keep a class engaged, it is to my benefit and to the benefit of the class to keep lessons valid in consideration to the interests of students and their connection to a real reason to the why to the what they are learning. I will guide connections of an engaging purpose, with expectations suitable for ranges of learning abilities with appropriate challenges.
Inclusion
I have a creative, engaging way of sharing information with students and as such, I feel confident in presenting universal themes that will be relatable for all individuals. I would entice engagement through creative delivery of instruction with consideration of not only ability, but with cultural aspects as well. I am observant, respectful and sensitive to the social and emotional wellness of students with their unique learning styles. I wish to create a stable, yet exciting rhythm for my classes through using a variety of teaching practices. I wish to have an environment that supports and allows access for students to experience individual success. I find being present and listening whole-heartedly, and really hearing what an individual is saying and how they say it, can make a difference to each student and to the class as a group. Since classes are diverse with varying abilities and backgrounds, lessons should be just as diverse and comfortable.
My Responsibilities
Some goals with my professional growth as a teacher is to be always learning and searching to acquire new perspectives and more knowledge in such topics as adolescent development and education, in addition to openness and support to student diversity and staying current with all students, the arts, and world events. I will be able to establish relationships to my students on a better level and have the knowledge to help them shine through knowing what’s physically and mentally possible for them as individuals. Also, communicating and involving the parental figures and family members of these adolescent students is an important variable of supporting the community of the students. Communicating with other staff members, such as RSP staff and the special education department, helps individuals with disabilities get the most out of their educational life and more opportunities for understanding from the classroom teacher. Lastly, the students’ health awareness does affect school and class life. Physical movement within the classroom for students and teachers is incredibly beneficial towards the creative process. Physical activity assists the mind from sitting still, where thoughts may become stale and the body feels trapped.
Resources
As an art educator, I will share the fundamentals and basics of art to give students the foundation to grow with their art. When learning fundamental art techniques and theories such as color, line, space, and context, a student can focus on experimenting with challenging methods beyond the basics and find different ways to convey themselves more clearly as their artistic skills naturally mature simultaneously. While growing with the base of any of the elements and principles of art, a student will flex their goal setting and self-management skills. The process of creativity also activates students to practice decision-making and problem solving skills. Additionally, I would integrate world and art history into my classroom; focusing on history’s influences, relationship, and significance to society and how this historical art is viewed and created. Furthermore, I wish to correlate modern art and societal attentiveness of our micro and macro communities into relevant lessons, connecting the students with viewpoints they are more familiar with and support their interest to be successfully proactive within the classroom and outside school. Lessons will focus on the possibilities for students to use art as an expression of personal narrative in order to open students to tolerance and help them recognize their own voices, which, in turn becomes therapeutic.
Integrated topics can help a student use art to understand other academic studies, see the art within any subject, and life outside of school. I believe art can be used as an enlightening connecting tool. As a subject, art has the unique ability to bridge the multiple facets of any and all subjects of study and the challenges of life. Art has been a method of advertisement and communication for generations; therefore integrating art into academia would result in a heightened intuition, generating a curious interest for the subject. Curiosity has the ability to turn into passion and motivation, giving a reason to educate oneself and owning your own education. Harmonizing art within any subject creates an opportunity to acknowledge education as more than just memorizing theories and facts, but a more accessible grasp on the relationship between modern education and the daily life of the present and possible future.
Future Classroom
Through critiquing each others art work within our micro-community of a classroom, students will practice the vocabulary and a respectfully challenging mindset of having productive prompted conversations that reflect art related topics through demonstrating the listening and observing necessities of discussions with each other, as well to excel with improved communication skills. Exploring history and even modern events integrated with art allows minds to open up to be more socially aware of the events that have brought society to where it is now. Discussions of modern art and its relation to present day events allow connections of the students with various communities in life. Offering a platform for sharing opinions and ideas create empowerment for individuals to practice self-control of active listening and reflective listening skills. These listening skills allow pathways for development of empathy, advocacy, and relationship building of the students’ community to be used within and outside the classroom. All forms of communication support the resilience and success of the students. Creating time and space for students to self-reflect and self-evaluate is important for this cognitive level of this adolescent range because to successfully work well with others and see others perspectives, a person would benefit from being self-aware and connecting themselves first.
I began studying and practicing the basics of art at a young age and as I matured, my techniques grew and expanded well into the college level. While focusing with each individual art material, I created a connection to what personalities each medium brings to a visual depiction. Due to this experience, I am familiar with the various stages and levels a student will be at throughout their artistic career. I have a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies where I studied a multitude of different subjects. I graduated understanding the Self, and the nature of culture and community into the larger world. The knowledge I acquired in my college years has given me the tools and perspectives to be a strong teacher in today’s world. The unique varieties of educators I have worked along side with thus far have helped form and expand my perception of teaching. My field experience has enriched me with different perspectives of teaching styles, pedagogies, and understanding of the various communities each school is a part of.
The inspiration I have been fortunate enough to witness has furthered my passion for teaching art at a school to where education can go beyond the four walls of the classroom. The study of art not only helps you understand yourself, it also defines your relationship to other people, your community, and environment.
I became familiar with the process of creating art being therapeutic when my mom passed away in my early teenage years. After finding it hard to communicate my feelings to others because I could barely understand them myself, painting became my breath of fresh air and I want to help others breathe as well. Art stirs up a conversation within oneself and their environment, which helps them grow as an individual and their relationship with their surroundings.
Access
As an art teacher, I would like to create an inclusive safe space for our youth to grow in and to be challenged to communicate ideas through the creation of visual art. I wish to have an environment that supports and allows access for students to experience individual success such as posted lesson goals, assignment options, flexible work space, regular feedback, and a variety of ways to share and access information such as using digital media. I will create opportunities for students to succeed by having options and ranging varieties within my teaching methods, with flexibility reflecting in the techniques, materials, and strategies. I will help support student success through clear instructions with a care for the aspect of time for individuals. In order to keep a class engaged, it is to my benefit and to the benefit of the class to keep lessons valid in consideration to the interests of students and their connection to a real reason to the why to the what they are learning. I will guide connections of an engaging purpose, with expectations suitable for ranges of learning abilities with appropriate challenges.
Inclusion
I have a creative, engaging way of sharing information with students and as such, I feel confident in presenting universal themes that will be relatable for all individuals. I would entice engagement through creative delivery of instruction with consideration of not only ability, but with cultural aspects as well. I am observant, respectful and sensitive to the social and emotional wellness of students with their unique learning styles. I wish to create a stable, yet exciting rhythm for my classes through using a variety of teaching practices. I wish to have an environment that supports and allows access for students to experience individual success. I find being present and listening whole-heartedly, and really hearing what an individual is saying and how they say it, can make a difference to each student and to the class as a group. Since classes are diverse with varying abilities and backgrounds, lessons should be just as diverse and comfortable.
My Responsibilities
Some goals with my professional growth as a teacher is to be always learning and searching to acquire new perspectives and more knowledge in such topics as adolescent development and education, in addition to openness and support to student diversity and staying current with all students, the arts, and world events. I will be able to establish relationships to my students on a better level and have the knowledge to help them shine through knowing what’s physically and mentally possible for them as individuals. Also, communicating and involving the parental figures and family members of these adolescent students is an important variable of supporting the community of the students. Communicating with other staff members, such as RSP staff and the special education department, helps individuals with disabilities get the most out of their educational life and more opportunities for understanding from the classroom teacher. Lastly, the students’ health awareness does affect school and class life. Physical movement within the classroom for students and teachers is incredibly beneficial towards the creative process. Physical activity assists the mind from sitting still, where thoughts may become stale and the body feels trapped.
Resources
As an art educator, I will share the fundamentals and basics of art to give students the foundation to grow with their art. When learning fundamental art techniques and theories such as color, line, space, and context, a student can focus on experimenting with challenging methods beyond the basics and find different ways to convey themselves more clearly as their artistic skills naturally mature simultaneously. While growing with the base of any of the elements and principles of art, a student will flex their goal setting and self-management skills. The process of creativity also activates students to practice decision-making and problem solving skills. Additionally, I would integrate world and art history into my classroom; focusing on history’s influences, relationship, and significance to society and how this historical art is viewed and created. Furthermore, I wish to correlate modern art and societal attentiveness of our micro and macro communities into relevant lessons, connecting the students with viewpoints they are more familiar with and support their interest to be successfully proactive within the classroom and outside school. Lessons will focus on the possibilities for students to use art as an expression of personal narrative in order to open students to tolerance and help them recognize their own voices, which, in turn becomes therapeutic.
Integrated topics can help a student use art to understand other academic studies, see the art within any subject, and life outside of school. I believe art can be used as an enlightening connecting tool. As a subject, art has the unique ability to bridge the multiple facets of any and all subjects of study and the challenges of life. Art has been a method of advertisement and communication for generations; therefore integrating art into academia would result in a heightened intuition, generating a curious interest for the subject. Curiosity has the ability to turn into passion and motivation, giving a reason to educate oneself and owning your own education. Harmonizing art within any subject creates an opportunity to acknowledge education as more than just memorizing theories and facts, but a more accessible grasp on the relationship between modern education and the daily life of the present and possible future.
Future Classroom
Through critiquing each others art work within our micro-community of a classroom, students will practice the vocabulary and a respectfully challenging mindset of having productive prompted conversations that reflect art related topics through demonstrating the listening and observing necessities of discussions with each other, as well to excel with improved communication skills. Exploring history and even modern events integrated with art allows minds to open up to be more socially aware of the events that have brought society to where it is now. Discussions of modern art and its relation to present day events allow connections of the students with various communities in life. Offering a platform for sharing opinions and ideas create empowerment for individuals to practice self-control of active listening and reflective listening skills. These listening skills allow pathways for development of empathy, advocacy, and relationship building of the students’ community to be used within and outside the classroom. All forms of communication support the resilience and success of the students. Creating time and space for students to self-reflect and self-evaluate is important for this cognitive level of this adolescent range because to successfully work well with others and see others perspectives, a person would benefit from being self-aware and connecting themselves first.
I began studying and practicing the basics of art at a young age and as I matured, my techniques grew and expanded well into the college level. While focusing with each individual art material, I created a connection to what personalities each medium brings to a visual depiction. Due to this experience, I am familiar with the various stages and levels a student will be at throughout their artistic career. I have a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies where I studied a multitude of different subjects. I graduated understanding the Self, and the nature of culture and community into the larger world. The knowledge I acquired in my college years has given me the tools and perspectives to be a strong teacher in today’s world. The unique varieties of educators I have worked along side with thus far have helped form and expand my perception of teaching. My field experience has enriched me with different perspectives of teaching styles, pedagogies, and understanding of the various communities each school is a part of.
The inspiration I have been fortunate enough to witness has furthered my passion for teaching art at a school to where education can go beyond the four walls of the classroom. The study of art not only helps you understand yourself, it also defines your relationship to other people, your community, and environment.
Reflections on Teaching
5/10/19
I feel confident in my abilities to accommodate for students with disabilities within my future art class. Art can be used at a visual language and is universal which enables opportunities for all students to have their voice heard and be included. I will be flexible and patient with all students and repeat directions and modeling as much as needed. By keeping responsibilities and expectations high for them according to their abilities, will help them develop a strong sense of autonomy. Within my classroom, there will be multiple ways to access information such as behavior and assignment expectations. I plan to have an online class portal for such open access communication abilities, posted references in the classroom, paper handouts for specific information, and of course use my voice as a tool for communication as well. I like to speak as clearly as possible with tonal inflection and a rhythm to help emphasize main points and highlighted ideas. I also will be using gestures and my hands to point and hold items I am referring to for all students to understand what I am talking about. For instance, I would hold up a specific art tool when I am asking them to use a specific tool for a project and point to areas of an art piece when discussing certain art elements. I would like to help create a connection between the words used and the visual representation of that word. I plan to be aware of any physical accommodations of the classroom setting to make sure everyone is comfortable and included. I also will help create opportunities for social moments for students with disabilities such as having them help me set up a project, pass out supplies, help others clean up, and work in groups. When the year starts for them, I would want to find several students in my art class (with the help of a paraprofessional/ classroom aid) that are willing to set an example and be peer helpers to these students to help strengthen the inclusive experience and the social support they need. Having certain tools available such as pencil grips and stress balls will benefit students to stay engaged with their productivity. Listening whole-heartedly and being mindfully present for my students is important for a respectful and trustworthy student-teacher relationship to grow. Communication with all parents, special education teachers and paraprofessionals, and staff (like school councilors) will give me the tools I need to support students with disabilities. I know how important it is for me to ask for help when I need it and I am not afraid or embarrassed to ever ask for assistance. No one should ever feel that they have to accomplish something alone.
Including students of any range of abilities within my future classroom gives these students an opportunity to have a social educational experience on a larger and more diverse scale due to the class size being bigger than what they may be accustomed to and giving them a chance to feel the self-empowerment that comes with this additional upscaled responsibility. Also, incorporating different learning abilities amongst a class benefits the class as a whole to create positive influences of understanding diversity, creating new relationships because of a changed social environment, and within an art class- opening up creative inspirational avenues for all students. I plan to create and maintain a positive and safe environment for my class to act as a micro-community; like another form of a family where everyone is always welcome.
In my future classroom, I look forward to collaborating with special education teachers and paraprofessionals. I enjoy collaborating with others, especially teachers of a different subject or concentration than myself, and I appreciate diverse learners because of all the positive possibilities they bring to the class at large and develop as individuals. I find it important to create a clear communicational relationship with the special education support through making sure there’s a mutual understanding of a lesson’s expectations specifically modified for individuals and a general comprehension from the support staff of a lesson’s concept in order to translate that information to the student. Another benefit I appreciate with help in the classroom is that the paraprofessional can scope out the class to help lead the student with disability into a good peer social group and/or a supportive classroom group. I also plan to collaborate with the special education teachers to not only benefit the students and their environment, but also learn from the teacher, as well as respect them for the strong individual they are. As an art teacher, I am excited to know that I will have special education collaborative support within the classroom for our students with varying learning modalities. I find it important to reach out and acknowledge an individual that you work with. Within my future educational experience, I will communicate and listen well with the aid provided. I aim to support them to help them maintain being a great asset to the educational community and we grow as educators to learn from each other. Furthermore, I hope to gain perspectives and diverse teaching methods from my experience with special education professionals. A collaborative relationship can improve a learning environment and stimulate diversified mindsets to flourish.
I found that being more exposed to specific knowledge about students with disabilities and the large range of different kinds of disabilities created better awareness of the diversity within that demographic. I also came to a conclusion that even though I will be flexible and changing aspects of the classroom, lessons, and my teaching around to accommodate students with disabilities, much of the teaching aspects of being aware and sensitive to these students discussed in this class can be used across the board for all students. All students will benefit from UDL teaching and classroom management because these methods develops a platform for me as a teacher to deliver and engage quality information in respect to all students’ social, emotional, and physical well-being. I feel confident and prepared to work with all ranges and characteristics of students to be welcomed into my classroom and be a part of a community I aim to help develop within my art class.
I feel confident in my abilities to accommodate for students with disabilities within my future art class. Art can be used at a visual language and is universal which enables opportunities for all students to have their voice heard and be included. I will be flexible and patient with all students and repeat directions and modeling as much as needed. By keeping responsibilities and expectations high for them according to their abilities, will help them develop a strong sense of autonomy. Within my classroom, there will be multiple ways to access information such as behavior and assignment expectations. I plan to have an online class portal for such open access communication abilities, posted references in the classroom, paper handouts for specific information, and of course use my voice as a tool for communication as well. I like to speak as clearly as possible with tonal inflection and a rhythm to help emphasize main points and highlighted ideas. I also will be using gestures and my hands to point and hold items I am referring to for all students to understand what I am talking about. For instance, I would hold up a specific art tool when I am asking them to use a specific tool for a project and point to areas of an art piece when discussing certain art elements. I would like to help create a connection between the words used and the visual representation of that word. I plan to be aware of any physical accommodations of the classroom setting to make sure everyone is comfortable and included. I also will help create opportunities for social moments for students with disabilities such as having them help me set up a project, pass out supplies, help others clean up, and work in groups. When the year starts for them, I would want to find several students in my art class (with the help of a paraprofessional/ classroom aid) that are willing to set an example and be peer helpers to these students to help strengthen the inclusive experience and the social support they need. Having certain tools available such as pencil grips and stress balls will benefit students to stay engaged with their productivity. Listening whole-heartedly and being mindfully present for my students is important for a respectful and trustworthy student-teacher relationship to grow. Communication with all parents, special education teachers and paraprofessionals, and staff (like school councilors) will give me the tools I need to support students with disabilities. I know how important it is for me to ask for help when I need it and I am not afraid or embarrassed to ever ask for assistance. No one should ever feel that they have to accomplish something alone.
Including students of any range of abilities within my future classroom gives these students an opportunity to have a social educational experience on a larger and more diverse scale due to the class size being bigger than what they may be accustomed to and giving them a chance to feel the self-empowerment that comes with this additional upscaled responsibility. Also, incorporating different learning abilities amongst a class benefits the class as a whole to create positive influences of understanding diversity, creating new relationships because of a changed social environment, and within an art class- opening up creative inspirational avenues for all students. I plan to create and maintain a positive and safe environment for my class to act as a micro-community; like another form of a family where everyone is always welcome.
In my future classroom, I look forward to collaborating with special education teachers and paraprofessionals. I enjoy collaborating with others, especially teachers of a different subject or concentration than myself, and I appreciate diverse learners because of all the positive possibilities they bring to the class at large and develop as individuals. I find it important to create a clear communicational relationship with the special education support through making sure there’s a mutual understanding of a lesson’s expectations specifically modified for individuals and a general comprehension from the support staff of a lesson’s concept in order to translate that information to the student. Another benefit I appreciate with help in the classroom is that the paraprofessional can scope out the class to help lead the student with disability into a good peer social group and/or a supportive classroom group. I also plan to collaborate with the special education teachers to not only benefit the students and their environment, but also learn from the teacher, as well as respect them for the strong individual they are. As an art teacher, I am excited to know that I will have special education collaborative support within the classroom for our students with varying learning modalities. I find it important to reach out and acknowledge an individual that you work with. Within my future educational experience, I will communicate and listen well with the aid provided. I aim to support them to help them maintain being a great asset to the educational community and we grow as educators to learn from each other. Furthermore, I hope to gain perspectives and diverse teaching methods from my experience with special education professionals. A collaborative relationship can improve a learning environment and stimulate diversified mindsets to flourish.
I found that being more exposed to specific knowledge about students with disabilities and the large range of different kinds of disabilities created better awareness of the diversity within that demographic. I also came to a conclusion that even though I will be flexible and changing aspects of the classroom, lessons, and my teaching around to accommodate students with disabilities, much of the teaching aspects of being aware and sensitive to these students discussed in this class can be used across the board for all students. All students will benefit from UDL teaching and classroom management because these methods develops a platform for me as a teacher to deliver and engage quality information in respect to all students’ social, emotional, and physical well-being. I feel confident and prepared to work with all ranges and characteristics of students to be welcomed into my classroom and be a part of a community I aim to help develop within my art class.
Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Art Classes
Observation Project
Adolescent Development: A Cross-Cultural Perspective
May 10, 2019
Developmentally Appropriate Practices
Academic Expectation and Opportunities
An art teacher can uphold a variety of ways to engage an adolescent student like Abby with challenging academia. Through a teacher’s encouragement of exploration with medium usage and thematic contexts conveyed may influence Abby to think more abstractly and problem solve her design and creative process through trial and error. Problem solving art projects will help her develop an advantage of thinking differently and trying unique ways to investigate rather than only thinking linearly.
By writing reflection responses of her creation process and the meaning behind her artwork creates a different way of thinking that affects the relationship to the curriculum of the assignment and the finished art piece. Class discussion opportunities such as critical analysis of student artwork can be guided successfully through strategically prompted questions. She will be asked to describe the piece and explain what she sees which will be flexing her observational skills to recognize art elements seen within an artwork and vocally demonstrate subject oriented vocabulary knowledge but also will learn additional key terms and concepts from teachers and peers. Abby will be asked to analyze the artwork to describe how it is organized and interpret the work to share what she thinks is happening which are good ways to practice critical thinking. She will also be asked to judge the art piece and explain what she thinks of the work. As an adolescent, Abby would benefit from participating in analyzing artwork because it will further develop her active listening and communication skills. The art teacher should model positive ways to communicate so that through organized discussions Abby and her classmates will engage with respectful and intellectually stimulating expression of their points of view.
Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) is a class activity that is very similar to student work critiques, but the focus is on the analyzation of historical and modern artwork. These art examples should be used to tie in themes relating to the curriculum within the lesson. VTS can inspire Abby to think about an art concept with new views and open her to different demographics and backgrounds represented outside of her school and community. Abby would benefit from the connection of using art terms to describes what she sees within these professional art works because these pieces will give more relatable concrete examples of the different personalities that art elements and art principles share. Studying professional work helps her to recognize a larger variety of the different attributes that make up artwork. Also, hearing her fellow classmates’ perspectives to the same artwork creates an opportunity to connect to the community within a classroom and opens her up to the different depictions of a scenario and/ or image.
An art teaching method that ties in great opportunities for relatable conversations within the adolescent population is asking essential questions when introducing a new art concept. These questions are thought provoking and are largely open ended to be taken in many directions by various student participation. These questions begin class discussions with such big ideas such as “What is an image?” or “How do life experiences influence the way you relate to art?”. Essential questions may engage Abby to connect a purpose behind the learning of any art concept. Through these discussions, she will hear different perspectives from her peers which may open her to a more diverse way of thinking and give her a platform to express her views as well.
Abby will benefit from cooperative and collaborative learning as an adolescent that does not participate in social face-to-face settings as much as she should with fellow adolescents. By interacting with other adolescents on such activities as art production techniques and exploration of perspectives of thematic concepts, Abby’s social and communication skills with blossom. Her comfort level with group collaboration in multiple settings will heighten and she will gain confidence as she participates and engages over time.
Integration of other academic subject matters into an art class helps a student see the relationships between the curriculum and how they support one another. Combining subjects can create more validity of the purpose of an artistic idea and a different way to connect to the material of the integrated subject. For instance, through integrating a mathematic concept relatable to the age range in the class can help create a better understanding of that mathematic concept by looking at it with an abstract artistic lens. Furthermore, playing with a mathematic concept such as geometry through an artistic lens gives more logical connection to a reason behind the practice and the importance of the knowledge of an artistic element such as form and shape. Creating these connections between these separated subjects matters, can help Abby understand how the many aspects of her education is built off one another and how subjects can support each other. Integrating subjects will provide Abby an opportunity to understand other curriculum on a deeper level of critical thinking verses just memorizing facts and theories to survive testing.
Communicate Course Expectations
One of many good teaching habits is the ability to maintain consistent communication of course goals, expectations, and requirements accessible in multiple ways. Visual and vocal reminders and announcements of class assignments, due dates, and rubrics help guide a student like Abby with expectations for a class. A teacher can give multiple vocal announcements and reminders throughout a class period for a number of chances to be heard or questioned. This prompts opportunities for Abby to self-check and make sure she is completing the correct steps to meet a goal. Visual postings can be conveniently displayed on a wall in an organized chronological grid fashion to help Abby take initiative and use as references to maintain productiveness. She will prosper by having her rubrics and lesson objectives attainable in paper handout form and on an online class website portal. Having multiple ways for Abby to obtain information caters towards supporting her choices of different learning methods she may lean towards for an assignment.
A class portal will create opportunities for Abby to self-regulate and be organized with due dates and expectations through open accessibility to information. Instruction for each lesson and assignment will be provided for review if needed and to stay current if not present for a class. Other aspects of a website to be used as an additional communication tool such as a discussion page will allows for more chances of questions and concerns about the class to be asked and answered by peers or the teacher. As an adolescent participating in a career driven curriculum program at her school, Abby is busy with a higher level of expectations and responsibilities. Her access to the multiple forms of all the information needed for an art class gives her the structure and scaffolding to build towards her individualized success. Having open access to information will help her own her responsibilities as a student and exercise her organizational and planning skills as a person. As a true representation of an adolescent in her generation, Abby has a close connection to computer literacy; in turn, this electronic accessibility will give her the tools to thrive.
Furthermore, this class portal is an available communication tool for parents and/or guardians to access class information. This constructs possibilities for families to participate and support their adolescent’s education. Abby’s family will also have the same access that she has to the class goals and lessons, requirements and expectations, and grading criteria and rubrics. Even though Abby and her parents have good communication skills, some information may still get lost in the business of their lives. By providing a communication connection to her family, her parents are able to see her academic progress and participate more in her education through this accessed knowledge. This will create an opportunity for them to have increased interest in her education and creative life as well, which can translate into better connection, communication, and support from home life.
This use of a platform for communicating class announcements for students and their family can help further strengthen a class community through engaging announcements of class projects, art shows, and museum field trips to entice excitement and conversations. Another website capability that would help a teacher would be to automatically email the families new class announcement updates because many parents may not participate in consistent visits to the class website. This form of reaching out to parents develops further opportunities for inclusivity with families that are very busy and/or are English language learners or do not speak English at all. Through use of technology for instance, Google translate, a teacher can open more doors of communication across a diverse classes’ demographic. Individually emailing to check-in privately with a parent about their child’s work or behavior is still a necessary action if needed. Calling the parents if email does not work as a communication device for that family is an option as well.
This class website would also benefit Abby if a teacher were to use this platform as a student gallery and individual portfolio as well. Displaying artwork in a classroom benefits all students at a school through seeing visually representations of peers’ perspectives. Displaying student work on a website as a portfolio that expands over time can connect Abby to be an active participant in reviewing her own artistic growth and skill development. This portfolio allows a greater chance for her family to see her artwork and gain more interest in their child’s work and education. In addition, a site could be a form of creative communication as an effective inoffensive strategy to entice students’ families for support of art materials for the class or for volunteers to participate in the community art related endeavors. Displaying Abby’s artwork in multiple environments grants spaces for reflection on her artwork and others. This can help expand her confidence and pride in finished products when displayed in such a professional fashion. A teacher displaying students’ work shows their encouraged support of their artistic integrity. Such support for Abby could ignite her further development of the multiple facets that create her confidence and sense of self-worth. This form of active encouragement is also a nonaggressive way to challenge her art to grow with her.
Real Life Connections
An educator should guide students like Abby to understand the connections between curriculum and life after high school. Any classroom could integrate the practice of life skills to be practiced before being utilized within scenarios outside of high school. Challenging Abby with critical thinking and problem-solving activities within a social learning environment such as an art class creates an opportunity to witness fellow peers’ thinking processes as well as her own. She can learn from fellow peers in this inspirational space of exchanging of ideas and perspectives. For example, within a classroom setting, she can experience different avenues to get an end result that reflects different personal goals from her classmates of a particular assignment. Trying out different ways to get an answer is great experiential practice for life beyond high school because there is no one way to accomplish a goal. By creating awareness of having multiple methods to reach a goal, Abby can weigh out her options and be comfortable with trying and maybe even failing. This can help with her outlook on failure not being so negatively damaging but seen as an opportunity to learn and chance to try again. As an adolescent, Abby needs to experience the grounding reality that no one is perfect and a progressive way to learn is to keeping trying her best. Experiencing failure or unwanted outcomes through the creative process of visual art helps prepare the emotional reactions that occur which can translate into to future adult experiences as well. This class experience can help grow Abby’s productive mindset to be used as a tool when unpredictable occurrences in life happen.
The creation of visual art can also support social and individual emotional development. When Abby creates and critiques work in a social environment, she is exposed to interactions with peers’ diverse ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives. Providing this artistic school communal space can influence her to develop a better understanding of her surroundings and the people in it. It is a popular choice for the special education population of a school to participate particularly with visual art classes. Therefore, Abby and her peers will have chances of sharing a creative space with adolescents that process ideas and see concepts in different ways than them. Being exposed to a more unique way of artistically problem solving and expressing ideas is an opportunity for Abby to learn in a different perspective.
An opportunistic platform for openness to the diverse forms of applications for communication can be established in an art class. Critical analysis of artwork will enable Abby to learn and practice the vocabulary and respectfully challenging mindset of having a productive prompted conversation about the various thematic topics shared. These class discussions can help her presently and in the future through listening and observing to her peers which will excel her communication skills. After all, art is a universal form of language. Communication skills obtained in an art class will be useful in classes of other academic subjects such as a reading reflection in an English class. Also, Abby might build skills to advocate for herself when she doesn’t understand a mathematic concept, to respectfully communicate her issues with her teacher. For Abby and many other adolescents, active listening and communication skills are beneficial to master for the use within a work place in a successful and respectful manner such as with customers, fellow employees, and bosses or any other social setting outside of school such as home life and time with friends.
Creation and the study of art helps an individual understand themselves; it also defines their relationship to other people, their community, and environment. Art stirs up a conversation within oneself and their environment, which helps them grow as an individual and builds relationships with their surroundings. During the adolescent age they are growing their self-awareness, so it is important for them to spend time reflecting about themselves and their place in this world. Using visual art as a therapeutic tool to communicate such ideas could help Abby’s emotional development. Sketches and art journals are means of independent contemplation and finished art pieces are vehicles to share these thoughts with others. Reflecting on her individual growth and personal narration can help Abby gain a stronger sense of self through meditation on her feelings and the ranges of changes she is experiencing. This artistic expression would benefit her because there is no wrong way to express how you see yourself. This tool can help her not succumb to watching Netflix as a form of escapism or boredom and she could engage in her own abstract thoughts and experience the artistic release of pressure or frustrations she may be experiencing at this emotional age. In addition, she can develop the ability to successfully work better with others in any environment because of a closer connection to the self. This experience allows her to empathize with others. With artistically expressing her inner dialogue, Abby will be able to see how she works and why she is as a person which will also help develop her interpersonal skills.
An art class would benefit from integration of world history and the study of modern and historical art into the curriculum. A teacher may guide discussions on the focus of historical influences and relationships with society then and now. They could connect arts significance for society and how it is viewed. Furthermore, correlating modern art and societal attentiveness of micro and macro communities into relatable lessons can connect Abby to viewpoints she may more familiar with because it is more current. Art throughout history and currently share stories of what happened in society at that time. These communicated stories will help her understand historical and current affairs which gives her broader perspectives to process how they relate to her micro and macro communities of today. Studying historical and present societal perspectives of art exposes Abby to a more diverse perspective of thinking for her to advance and grow to a higher level of thinking.
Through the process of creation and appreciation of visual art, Abby will be prepared to think abstractly to accomplish goals, communicate successfully in the social world, and see the world through an artistic lens. For a bigger picture, she will be influenced to appreciate and engage in all the creativity that humans display through inventing and developing new ideas that keep our society growing and flourishing.
Consequences of Academic Choices
Any teacher should create a dialogue with their high school students about the meaning behind their present academic and life choices in relation to their future careers, schools, and life options. By a teacher providing guided discussions on the purpose of obtaining knowledge from the curriculum, Abby can gain autonomous power to understand the meaning behind her choices for her future. Art, as a visual language, can assist with meditating about these heavy choices. Morphing internal thoughts into visual imagery is like a mirror but instead of looking at physical characteristics, one is studying what can’t be seen by the naked eye. Abby participating in the process of her visual narratives and class discussions about these topics organizes her thoughts and creates a supportive community within the art class for exchange of ideas and reflections. Peer to peer sharing of different ways to obtain these set goals and how to build steps for success creates a different weight and connection to the information for adolescents verses when an adult is relaying information. By being opened to other students’ ideas of pathways to take, Abby may see other options that were not in mind prior to these class experiences. Acknowledging the purpose behind an academic choice can shape an understanding of the bigger picture and a gain of more personal responsibility with choices. A teacher can guide adolescents like Abby with goal-oriented activities that promote the steps to successfully get to college and maintain a good relationship with her education. A teacher can help her with looking at career options and the connection to how the academic choices she has made and will make can affect that outcome. Within art class, Abby can make art projects out of these themes such as creating web diagrams that breakdown various action-reactions through application of hierarchy, color, and design.
As an educator, promoting student health is vital to these adolescents. Exposure to significant consequences of such influences Abby will be approached with currently and in the future helps give further perspective for reasons not to engage in such things as alcohol abuse, substance abuse, nutritious habits, and being physically and mentally active. It is wise for teachers to give students examples of ways to have healthy behaviors and maintain these choices for a promising future. Sharing outside school resources can help students like Abby see the available help in her community.
Behavior
A teacher can form an environment with student opportunities to demonstrate their increasing responsibility for learning. Announcements and reminders about assignments and expectations should be age appropriate and sensitive to various learning abilities. Expectations of students with the cognitive level similar to Abby, should be encouraged to take their education in their own hands and stay on track with their goals. A teacher may create a platform for accessibility to all class information with an online class website portal. Also, having visual reminders as references in the classroom can create more chances for them to control the outcome of their choices. Abby, like many of her peers, will flourish with these different accessibilities to class information as a result of less uncertainty about expectations and accessible reviews of taught concepts. Open access to this tool may influence Abby to willfully learn at a more responsible level because she is conquering tasks and meeting goals on her own accord. This drive can build a more powerful and deeper connection to her finished product because Abby, like many adolescents, are striving for a chance to prove their independence. By gaining more responsibility with her learning, Abby will gain more pride in her work.
In connection to giving student space for autonomy of their education, teachers should find ways to incorporate promotion of behaviors that will be beneficial to know and practice for current and future jobs. Using class discussions of essential questions as a median with these topics for Abby can bring up her concerns and relationship to the world thus far. An educator can create connections to skills that naturally may happen through guidance within a classroom to eventually be used within a workplace. The practice of following directions in a class with assignments and behavioral expectations will give Abby the skill sets to help her with future careers. This skill is reflected in a workplace through the ability to take directions from a boss or lead, carry out the instruction to completion, and being responsible for these actions. Taking direction well relates to the ability to listen sufficiently and communicate successfully with others. In an art class, Abby is discussing and critiquing art with fellow peers which can further develop her language choices to help her work well with others and alleviate most confusion and anxiety that comes from lack of communication in most settings. Knowing how to communicate well with others associates with the practice of patience, respect, and acceptance of others. These behavior expectations are reflected within any classroom, and also with interactions in the workplace with fellow employees, customers, and bosses. Art analyzing exercises can assist with understanding of socially acceptable communication respectful of a broader range of diversity and age that are represented within the artists being studied. In an art class, Abby will experience trial and error with her creation process, which prepares the inevitable learning process from experiencing failure within the workplace and life beyond high school. This can relate to Abby possibly experiencing being criticized or fired and help her to take these more intense forms of failure not so harshly on herself. Creative thinking that happens within an art class will help her with the ability to think abstractly and non-linearly. This form of thinking will benefit her currently and, in the future, because she will be able to problem solve a situation in unique ways, come up with solutions that might be different and more productive, and think quickly and efficiently in improvised scenarios.
Student Individuality
An art class is a great space for encouragement and support of students’ individuality and diverse identities. Through self-reflective art assignments, Abby can further develop her connection to who she is as an individual and experiment with her evolving identity in relationship to the world. It is imperative for an art teacher to establish a safe place for self-expression so Abby can feel comfortable in this space and play with her growing confidence. Also, setting a foundation for this art class to be a community, helps individuals to be respectful and understanding with one another and in turn creates a feeling of belonging to something- like a form of a family. An educator should be aware and sensitive towards adolescent social pressures and can address these relatable topics by using them as themes for art lessons.
Such personal topics can be healthy to be put out in the open to be heard. Seeing the feelings and perspectives of others creates more empathy within the environment. Introducing such conversations can help Abby gain more support systems within her adolescent peer groups to grow in confidence with her individuality and see and experience others’ uniqueness as well. Within an art class, such themes have the power to be visually shared to create awareness school-wide and spark conversations that are relatable to the majority of this age range. If Abby were to participate in an art project that has a theme of expressing the forms of social peer pressures she experiences, she could allow herself to reflect on how they affect her and her relationship to her environment differently. In result, her self-awareness could grow, and therefore she will view others in a different light to how pressures may affect them too.
It would benefit an art class to be shown a diverse variety of professional artists’ work and share their personal stories open students to possible influential figures to admire. Showing the diversity represented within the art community such as LGBTQ individuals, people of color, female artists, and physically and mentally differently abled individuals, can create an inner dialogue and class discussions relating to personal connections to these positive role models. When Abby sees someone else succeeding in life that looks like her or has similar interests like her- representing her; it may boost her confidence and create a larger connection of pride to their own identity. When Abby is exposed to artists that are different from how she identifies, this creates more understanding towards the various attributes that create this diverse world and perspectives. A teacher can use this as a tool of encouragement for Abby to reflect on her own identity, respect other peoples’ identity, and open her to knowing that no one is alone in their struggles.
Acknowledging students’ social and emotional well-being and practicing sensitivity as an adult figure towards what being different means to adolescent students, forges a chance for trust and a healthy student-teacher relationship to form which constructs a safe space for students to feel comfortable with themselves. Within this environment, as Abby feels at ease and welcomed in a classroom, she will hopefully develop more confidence to vocalize her ideas or needs to others within additional environments. Because confidence develops at different rates for people, Abby might not feel as comfortable as she could at this point in her life until older with experience and time. Abby is as comfortable with herself as she can be as an adolescent in her environments. Experiencing seeking understanding of her identity motivates her experience life in settings beyond high school such as a job and in the near future, college. She seems ready to change her environment so she can place herself in a new space to see how that relationship supports and benefits her in different ways than what her high school can provide at this time.
Adolescent Development: A Cross-Cultural Perspective
May 10, 2019
Developmentally Appropriate Practices
Academic Expectation and Opportunities
An art teacher can uphold a variety of ways to engage an adolescent student like Abby with challenging academia. Through a teacher’s encouragement of exploration with medium usage and thematic contexts conveyed may influence Abby to think more abstractly and problem solve her design and creative process through trial and error. Problem solving art projects will help her develop an advantage of thinking differently and trying unique ways to investigate rather than only thinking linearly.
By writing reflection responses of her creation process and the meaning behind her artwork creates a different way of thinking that affects the relationship to the curriculum of the assignment and the finished art piece. Class discussion opportunities such as critical analysis of student artwork can be guided successfully through strategically prompted questions. She will be asked to describe the piece and explain what she sees which will be flexing her observational skills to recognize art elements seen within an artwork and vocally demonstrate subject oriented vocabulary knowledge but also will learn additional key terms and concepts from teachers and peers. Abby will be asked to analyze the artwork to describe how it is organized and interpret the work to share what she thinks is happening which are good ways to practice critical thinking. She will also be asked to judge the art piece and explain what she thinks of the work. As an adolescent, Abby would benefit from participating in analyzing artwork because it will further develop her active listening and communication skills. The art teacher should model positive ways to communicate so that through organized discussions Abby and her classmates will engage with respectful and intellectually stimulating expression of their points of view.
Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) is a class activity that is very similar to student work critiques, but the focus is on the analyzation of historical and modern artwork. These art examples should be used to tie in themes relating to the curriculum within the lesson. VTS can inspire Abby to think about an art concept with new views and open her to different demographics and backgrounds represented outside of her school and community. Abby would benefit from the connection of using art terms to describes what she sees within these professional art works because these pieces will give more relatable concrete examples of the different personalities that art elements and art principles share. Studying professional work helps her to recognize a larger variety of the different attributes that make up artwork. Also, hearing her fellow classmates’ perspectives to the same artwork creates an opportunity to connect to the community within a classroom and opens her up to the different depictions of a scenario and/ or image.
An art teaching method that ties in great opportunities for relatable conversations within the adolescent population is asking essential questions when introducing a new art concept. These questions are thought provoking and are largely open ended to be taken in many directions by various student participation. These questions begin class discussions with such big ideas such as “What is an image?” or “How do life experiences influence the way you relate to art?”. Essential questions may engage Abby to connect a purpose behind the learning of any art concept. Through these discussions, she will hear different perspectives from her peers which may open her to a more diverse way of thinking and give her a platform to express her views as well.
Abby will benefit from cooperative and collaborative learning as an adolescent that does not participate in social face-to-face settings as much as she should with fellow adolescents. By interacting with other adolescents on such activities as art production techniques and exploration of perspectives of thematic concepts, Abby’s social and communication skills with blossom. Her comfort level with group collaboration in multiple settings will heighten and she will gain confidence as she participates and engages over time.
Integration of other academic subject matters into an art class helps a student see the relationships between the curriculum and how they support one another. Combining subjects can create more validity of the purpose of an artistic idea and a different way to connect to the material of the integrated subject. For instance, through integrating a mathematic concept relatable to the age range in the class can help create a better understanding of that mathematic concept by looking at it with an abstract artistic lens. Furthermore, playing with a mathematic concept such as geometry through an artistic lens gives more logical connection to a reason behind the practice and the importance of the knowledge of an artistic element such as form and shape. Creating these connections between these separated subjects matters, can help Abby understand how the many aspects of her education is built off one another and how subjects can support each other. Integrating subjects will provide Abby an opportunity to understand other curriculum on a deeper level of critical thinking verses just memorizing facts and theories to survive testing.
Communicate Course Expectations
One of many good teaching habits is the ability to maintain consistent communication of course goals, expectations, and requirements accessible in multiple ways. Visual and vocal reminders and announcements of class assignments, due dates, and rubrics help guide a student like Abby with expectations for a class. A teacher can give multiple vocal announcements and reminders throughout a class period for a number of chances to be heard or questioned. This prompts opportunities for Abby to self-check and make sure she is completing the correct steps to meet a goal. Visual postings can be conveniently displayed on a wall in an organized chronological grid fashion to help Abby take initiative and use as references to maintain productiveness. She will prosper by having her rubrics and lesson objectives attainable in paper handout form and on an online class website portal. Having multiple ways for Abby to obtain information caters towards supporting her choices of different learning methods she may lean towards for an assignment.
A class portal will create opportunities for Abby to self-regulate and be organized with due dates and expectations through open accessibility to information. Instruction for each lesson and assignment will be provided for review if needed and to stay current if not present for a class. Other aspects of a website to be used as an additional communication tool such as a discussion page will allows for more chances of questions and concerns about the class to be asked and answered by peers or the teacher. As an adolescent participating in a career driven curriculum program at her school, Abby is busy with a higher level of expectations and responsibilities. Her access to the multiple forms of all the information needed for an art class gives her the structure and scaffolding to build towards her individualized success. Having open access to information will help her own her responsibilities as a student and exercise her organizational and planning skills as a person. As a true representation of an adolescent in her generation, Abby has a close connection to computer literacy; in turn, this electronic accessibility will give her the tools to thrive.
Furthermore, this class portal is an available communication tool for parents and/or guardians to access class information. This constructs possibilities for families to participate and support their adolescent’s education. Abby’s family will also have the same access that she has to the class goals and lessons, requirements and expectations, and grading criteria and rubrics. Even though Abby and her parents have good communication skills, some information may still get lost in the business of their lives. By providing a communication connection to her family, her parents are able to see her academic progress and participate more in her education through this accessed knowledge. This will create an opportunity for them to have increased interest in her education and creative life as well, which can translate into better connection, communication, and support from home life.
This use of a platform for communicating class announcements for students and their family can help further strengthen a class community through engaging announcements of class projects, art shows, and museum field trips to entice excitement and conversations. Another website capability that would help a teacher would be to automatically email the families new class announcement updates because many parents may not participate in consistent visits to the class website. This form of reaching out to parents develops further opportunities for inclusivity with families that are very busy and/or are English language learners or do not speak English at all. Through use of technology for instance, Google translate, a teacher can open more doors of communication across a diverse classes’ demographic. Individually emailing to check-in privately with a parent about their child’s work or behavior is still a necessary action if needed. Calling the parents if email does not work as a communication device for that family is an option as well.
This class website would also benefit Abby if a teacher were to use this platform as a student gallery and individual portfolio as well. Displaying artwork in a classroom benefits all students at a school through seeing visually representations of peers’ perspectives. Displaying student work on a website as a portfolio that expands over time can connect Abby to be an active participant in reviewing her own artistic growth and skill development. This portfolio allows a greater chance for her family to see her artwork and gain more interest in their child’s work and education. In addition, a site could be a form of creative communication as an effective inoffensive strategy to entice students’ families for support of art materials for the class or for volunteers to participate in the community art related endeavors. Displaying Abby’s artwork in multiple environments grants spaces for reflection on her artwork and others. This can help expand her confidence and pride in finished products when displayed in such a professional fashion. A teacher displaying students’ work shows their encouraged support of their artistic integrity. Such support for Abby could ignite her further development of the multiple facets that create her confidence and sense of self-worth. This form of active encouragement is also a nonaggressive way to challenge her art to grow with her.
Real Life Connections
An educator should guide students like Abby to understand the connections between curriculum and life after high school. Any classroom could integrate the practice of life skills to be practiced before being utilized within scenarios outside of high school. Challenging Abby with critical thinking and problem-solving activities within a social learning environment such as an art class creates an opportunity to witness fellow peers’ thinking processes as well as her own. She can learn from fellow peers in this inspirational space of exchanging of ideas and perspectives. For example, within a classroom setting, she can experience different avenues to get an end result that reflects different personal goals from her classmates of a particular assignment. Trying out different ways to get an answer is great experiential practice for life beyond high school because there is no one way to accomplish a goal. By creating awareness of having multiple methods to reach a goal, Abby can weigh out her options and be comfortable with trying and maybe even failing. This can help with her outlook on failure not being so negatively damaging but seen as an opportunity to learn and chance to try again. As an adolescent, Abby needs to experience the grounding reality that no one is perfect and a progressive way to learn is to keeping trying her best. Experiencing failure or unwanted outcomes through the creative process of visual art helps prepare the emotional reactions that occur which can translate into to future adult experiences as well. This class experience can help grow Abby’s productive mindset to be used as a tool when unpredictable occurrences in life happen.
The creation of visual art can also support social and individual emotional development. When Abby creates and critiques work in a social environment, she is exposed to interactions with peers’ diverse ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives. Providing this artistic school communal space can influence her to develop a better understanding of her surroundings and the people in it. It is a popular choice for the special education population of a school to participate particularly with visual art classes. Therefore, Abby and her peers will have chances of sharing a creative space with adolescents that process ideas and see concepts in different ways than them. Being exposed to a more unique way of artistically problem solving and expressing ideas is an opportunity for Abby to learn in a different perspective.
An opportunistic platform for openness to the diverse forms of applications for communication can be established in an art class. Critical analysis of artwork will enable Abby to learn and practice the vocabulary and respectfully challenging mindset of having a productive prompted conversation about the various thematic topics shared. These class discussions can help her presently and in the future through listening and observing to her peers which will excel her communication skills. After all, art is a universal form of language. Communication skills obtained in an art class will be useful in classes of other academic subjects such as a reading reflection in an English class. Also, Abby might build skills to advocate for herself when she doesn’t understand a mathematic concept, to respectfully communicate her issues with her teacher. For Abby and many other adolescents, active listening and communication skills are beneficial to master for the use within a work place in a successful and respectful manner such as with customers, fellow employees, and bosses or any other social setting outside of school such as home life and time with friends.
Creation and the study of art helps an individual understand themselves; it also defines their relationship to other people, their community, and environment. Art stirs up a conversation within oneself and their environment, which helps them grow as an individual and builds relationships with their surroundings. During the adolescent age they are growing their self-awareness, so it is important for them to spend time reflecting about themselves and their place in this world. Using visual art as a therapeutic tool to communicate such ideas could help Abby’s emotional development. Sketches and art journals are means of independent contemplation and finished art pieces are vehicles to share these thoughts with others. Reflecting on her individual growth and personal narration can help Abby gain a stronger sense of self through meditation on her feelings and the ranges of changes she is experiencing. This artistic expression would benefit her because there is no wrong way to express how you see yourself. This tool can help her not succumb to watching Netflix as a form of escapism or boredom and she could engage in her own abstract thoughts and experience the artistic release of pressure or frustrations she may be experiencing at this emotional age. In addition, she can develop the ability to successfully work better with others in any environment because of a closer connection to the self. This experience allows her to empathize with others. With artistically expressing her inner dialogue, Abby will be able to see how she works and why she is as a person which will also help develop her interpersonal skills.
An art class would benefit from integration of world history and the study of modern and historical art into the curriculum. A teacher may guide discussions on the focus of historical influences and relationships with society then and now. They could connect arts significance for society and how it is viewed. Furthermore, correlating modern art and societal attentiveness of micro and macro communities into relatable lessons can connect Abby to viewpoints she may more familiar with because it is more current. Art throughout history and currently share stories of what happened in society at that time. These communicated stories will help her understand historical and current affairs which gives her broader perspectives to process how they relate to her micro and macro communities of today. Studying historical and present societal perspectives of art exposes Abby to a more diverse perspective of thinking for her to advance and grow to a higher level of thinking.
Through the process of creation and appreciation of visual art, Abby will be prepared to think abstractly to accomplish goals, communicate successfully in the social world, and see the world through an artistic lens. For a bigger picture, she will be influenced to appreciate and engage in all the creativity that humans display through inventing and developing new ideas that keep our society growing and flourishing.
Consequences of Academic Choices
Any teacher should create a dialogue with their high school students about the meaning behind their present academic and life choices in relation to their future careers, schools, and life options. By a teacher providing guided discussions on the purpose of obtaining knowledge from the curriculum, Abby can gain autonomous power to understand the meaning behind her choices for her future. Art, as a visual language, can assist with meditating about these heavy choices. Morphing internal thoughts into visual imagery is like a mirror but instead of looking at physical characteristics, one is studying what can’t be seen by the naked eye. Abby participating in the process of her visual narratives and class discussions about these topics organizes her thoughts and creates a supportive community within the art class for exchange of ideas and reflections. Peer to peer sharing of different ways to obtain these set goals and how to build steps for success creates a different weight and connection to the information for adolescents verses when an adult is relaying information. By being opened to other students’ ideas of pathways to take, Abby may see other options that were not in mind prior to these class experiences. Acknowledging the purpose behind an academic choice can shape an understanding of the bigger picture and a gain of more personal responsibility with choices. A teacher can guide adolescents like Abby with goal-oriented activities that promote the steps to successfully get to college and maintain a good relationship with her education. A teacher can help her with looking at career options and the connection to how the academic choices she has made and will make can affect that outcome. Within art class, Abby can make art projects out of these themes such as creating web diagrams that breakdown various action-reactions through application of hierarchy, color, and design.
As an educator, promoting student health is vital to these adolescents. Exposure to significant consequences of such influences Abby will be approached with currently and in the future helps give further perspective for reasons not to engage in such things as alcohol abuse, substance abuse, nutritious habits, and being physically and mentally active. It is wise for teachers to give students examples of ways to have healthy behaviors and maintain these choices for a promising future. Sharing outside school resources can help students like Abby see the available help in her community.
Behavior
A teacher can form an environment with student opportunities to demonstrate their increasing responsibility for learning. Announcements and reminders about assignments and expectations should be age appropriate and sensitive to various learning abilities. Expectations of students with the cognitive level similar to Abby, should be encouraged to take their education in their own hands and stay on track with their goals. A teacher may create a platform for accessibility to all class information with an online class website portal. Also, having visual reminders as references in the classroom can create more chances for them to control the outcome of their choices. Abby, like many of her peers, will flourish with these different accessibilities to class information as a result of less uncertainty about expectations and accessible reviews of taught concepts. Open access to this tool may influence Abby to willfully learn at a more responsible level because she is conquering tasks and meeting goals on her own accord. This drive can build a more powerful and deeper connection to her finished product because Abby, like many adolescents, are striving for a chance to prove their independence. By gaining more responsibility with her learning, Abby will gain more pride in her work.
In connection to giving student space for autonomy of their education, teachers should find ways to incorporate promotion of behaviors that will be beneficial to know and practice for current and future jobs. Using class discussions of essential questions as a median with these topics for Abby can bring up her concerns and relationship to the world thus far. An educator can create connections to skills that naturally may happen through guidance within a classroom to eventually be used within a workplace. The practice of following directions in a class with assignments and behavioral expectations will give Abby the skill sets to help her with future careers. This skill is reflected in a workplace through the ability to take directions from a boss or lead, carry out the instruction to completion, and being responsible for these actions. Taking direction well relates to the ability to listen sufficiently and communicate successfully with others. In an art class, Abby is discussing and critiquing art with fellow peers which can further develop her language choices to help her work well with others and alleviate most confusion and anxiety that comes from lack of communication in most settings. Knowing how to communicate well with others associates with the practice of patience, respect, and acceptance of others. These behavior expectations are reflected within any classroom, and also with interactions in the workplace with fellow employees, customers, and bosses. Art analyzing exercises can assist with understanding of socially acceptable communication respectful of a broader range of diversity and age that are represented within the artists being studied. In an art class, Abby will experience trial and error with her creation process, which prepares the inevitable learning process from experiencing failure within the workplace and life beyond high school. This can relate to Abby possibly experiencing being criticized or fired and help her to take these more intense forms of failure not so harshly on herself. Creative thinking that happens within an art class will help her with the ability to think abstractly and non-linearly. This form of thinking will benefit her currently and, in the future, because she will be able to problem solve a situation in unique ways, come up with solutions that might be different and more productive, and think quickly and efficiently in improvised scenarios.
Student Individuality
An art class is a great space for encouragement and support of students’ individuality and diverse identities. Through self-reflective art assignments, Abby can further develop her connection to who she is as an individual and experiment with her evolving identity in relationship to the world. It is imperative for an art teacher to establish a safe place for self-expression so Abby can feel comfortable in this space and play with her growing confidence. Also, setting a foundation for this art class to be a community, helps individuals to be respectful and understanding with one another and in turn creates a feeling of belonging to something- like a form of a family. An educator should be aware and sensitive towards adolescent social pressures and can address these relatable topics by using them as themes for art lessons.
Such personal topics can be healthy to be put out in the open to be heard. Seeing the feelings and perspectives of others creates more empathy within the environment. Introducing such conversations can help Abby gain more support systems within her adolescent peer groups to grow in confidence with her individuality and see and experience others’ uniqueness as well. Within an art class, such themes have the power to be visually shared to create awareness school-wide and spark conversations that are relatable to the majority of this age range. If Abby were to participate in an art project that has a theme of expressing the forms of social peer pressures she experiences, she could allow herself to reflect on how they affect her and her relationship to her environment differently. In result, her self-awareness could grow, and therefore she will view others in a different light to how pressures may affect them too.
It would benefit an art class to be shown a diverse variety of professional artists’ work and share their personal stories open students to possible influential figures to admire. Showing the diversity represented within the art community such as LGBTQ individuals, people of color, female artists, and physically and mentally differently abled individuals, can create an inner dialogue and class discussions relating to personal connections to these positive role models. When Abby sees someone else succeeding in life that looks like her or has similar interests like her- representing her; it may boost her confidence and create a larger connection of pride to their own identity. When Abby is exposed to artists that are different from how she identifies, this creates more understanding towards the various attributes that create this diverse world and perspectives. A teacher can use this as a tool of encouragement for Abby to reflect on her own identity, respect other peoples’ identity, and open her to knowing that no one is alone in their struggles.
Acknowledging students’ social and emotional well-being and practicing sensitivity as an adult figure towards what being different means to adolescent students, forges a chance for trust and a healthy student-teacher relationship to form which constructs a safe space for students to feel comfortable with themselves. Within this environment, as Abby feels at ease and welcomed in a classroom, she will hopefully develop more confidence to vocalize her ideas or needs to others within additional environments. Because confidence develops at different rates for people, Abby might not feel as comfortable as she could at this point in her life until older with experience and time. Abby is as comfortable with herself as she can be as an adolescent in her environments. Experiencing seeking understanding of her identity motivates her experience life in settings beyond high school such as a job and in the near future, college. She seems ready to change her environment so she can place herself in a new space to see how that relationship supports and benefits her in different ways than what her high school can provide at this time.
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Reflective Narrative: Literacy
To read more about this topic, the essay is in the file below.
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