Ch. 3 in What works - exercises 

Question - How is an art class differentiated for all students to meet their needs?How or Why do students respond differently in art?

>What sources so I know already that I might consult?
Course books form special education courses I've taken at MU


>What people might I ask or contact as resources?
Dr Kathy Unrath, Jo Stealey, Dr. Cathy Thomas, Dr. Virginia Pfannenstiel


>Where would I go to find out more?
website - www.southernct.edu - Special Education & the Arts
website - www.arteducators.org - National Art Education Association
website - www. maea.net - Missouri Art Education Association

Google-ography - key words - differentiated insruction lesson plans art
art lesson differentiation - paulcarneyarts.com/differentiation.html

TES > the largest network of teachers in the world
- community.tes.co.uk/forums/t/70815.aspx


Vpfannen@columbia.k12.mo.com - Dr. Gennie's Email important not to loose
Gennie was a Special Education Teacher for years before she got her doctorate and started teaching art.


http://sycamoreartschool.com/PDF/Independent-Project_DeborahGustlin.pdf
Curriculum Based Integrated Art:
Improving Learning & Social Skills for Autistic Spectrum Students
February 22, 2011


http://www.units.muohio.edu/aisorg/pubs/issues/26_Watson.pdf
ISSUES IN INTEGRATIVE STUDIES


http://artsforlearning.wordpress.com/





http://www.aeideas.com/text/articles/integratewithintegrity.cfm
Integrate With Integrity: Music Across the Curriculum

by Dr. Susan Snyder April, 1999

http://www.neiu.edu/~middle/Modules/science%20mods/amazon%20components/AmazonComponents3.html
Arts integration is not a substitute for teaching the arts for their own sake. We are champions of art specialists in the schools, and recognize the need to add to their forces in cities across the country. 

Working Bibliography

Need to look for books, current books, and not from ten or twenty years ago. Some of the sources I've looked up were interesting but not really helpful in terms of the study I want to create.  Like: the TES website, which is for all teachers, the MAEA is much more specific for what I would be teaching.  I need to talk with Gennie about her experiences with changing lesson plans and the different ways students respond to subjects, like;  if students preform poorly in math, science, reading but get all A in art.  There was an article I read in SPED 7020 last semester about students performance in different subjects and the possible causes of drastic changes in students abilities in art, Need to find that article. 

Explore Trial Questions - After class and questions we came up with in the small groups I want to think about these questions:
What is causing the drop in satisfaction among teachers,
why are new teachers and seasoned teachers alike having feeling unhappy,
what do art teachers identify themselves as first, artists, teachers, teachers artists,
is there a separation between the selves of a teacher, just as a woman can be a professional and a mother can art teachers also be practicing artist and good teachers at the same time.  Or is there a constant fight over time, there is only 24 hours in a day.  Do teachers also get a day of rest.
What if any benefit will these questions being asked have for students.  Is there an easy answer to why a 20% drop in job satisfaction has occurred in the last 4 years among teachers.  Are the students also feeling increasingly unhappy with their school environment, more so than the normal adolescent melodrama. 
Can finding a balance in the lives of teacher artist, and artist teachers make a impact on students cross the board.  What I mean is would this research be worthwhile to anyone but me. 

Asking Tougher questions -
Ethical issues - I don't foresee any ethical issues with these questions but I honestly don't how my peers might see it
Who best served by this study - I would hope in the end the students and teachers alike will benefit.  When there is balance one place it should spread to another. 
Who affected or hurt and how - one way I see people getting hurt by this study is if the process of reassessing a life's work and practice shows the flaws that were always there undermines what good might come out of the assessment.  If that makes any sense.  
What hidden biases and assumptions - For me I feel like I am continually struggling with myself for time.  Time to clean, time to sleep, time to draw, time to see friends, time to see my cat for goodness sake and she lives in my house, I feel like I have no balance between being a student and future professional, someone trying to pay the bills, and an artist.  The artist is what seems to suffer and it sucks. If  I were to do some kind of research about this and in the end only find balance for my own life, I would still want to do it. 
To change or not to change - With the right questions asked in the right way this could be a valuable research project, I hope. 
Do art teachers feel a balance in the work lives, a lack of self-efficacy in personal life negatively affects professional life and vice versa.


Why do a job if you don't get any satisfaction out of it?  What causes a lack of satisfaction, and can it be changed.  Can teachers be satisfied if they are always making concessions of their needs?

So I must apologize to everyone I don't know what happened with my post, but for some unfortunate reason it was empty.  I am going to recreate what I wrote the first time around and hope it still makes sense.

To begin I don't have a class of my own yet, I'm a little unsure how to approach this process.  I am going to reference situations form my field experiences of the last year and conversations I've had with my field teacher

Situations which cause tension in the classroom - perceived support vs. actual support from administration and faculty, undermining the authority of a teacher from a superior, being unsure of boundaries - i.e. when/how do you get involved in a student's home life situation if it spills over into the classroom environment

Research Questions that interest me -

How is integration being used in art education?

How are integrated arts being used in schools?

What makes integrated arts curriculum effective?

What do I know about this topic vs. what I want to find out - 

I've been reading the journals; Journal of Special Education Technology, National Art Education Association, Teacher Education and Special Education, Visual Art Research, and Studies in Art Education, for a Research project from my Special Education course last semester.  These journals have more information than I personally have been able to sort through, what I need is a way to weed out what information is useful or not for my study.  Building upon the proven research techniques of previous teachers will help guide my own research.  

Prepwork for legwork - 

Seeings as how I don't have my own class yet if I make a habit of writing in a journal every night or daily writing down my thinking process now I will already have a routine established from which I will be able to build on when I do have a class. 

Problem solving in my daily life - 

Persistence and perseverance, if I don't know how to fix something I call my dad, if I don't know how to fix a problem in my artwork I make it up till I figure it out, if I don't know who to do something at work I consult my boss.  Trial and error, short term fixes until I learn a better more permanent solution.

Outcome of my research - 

I would hope the outcome would be a better learning environment for my student and more confidence in myself as a teacher.  AND I want to get my masters :)

Strengths vs Weaknesses - 

One of the biggest strengths I can think of is that I am have amazing faculty at MU and contacts I have made in the Columbia area that I can turn to (AMAZING!)

On the weaknesses side the list is pretty long.  I feel completely out of my depth even hypothesizing about any research I will someday be conducting.  

Giving up would be a truly disastrous outcome.

My potential as a working researcher - 

Before I can really sit down to right a paper I have to have my desk, room, apartment in order.  Some might call it OCD but I have to know where things are before long before I anticipate needing them so that when I do need them I don't have to get sidetracked in looking something.  I would hope that my classroom is the same.  Organized chaos if need be but organized all the same.  

I like to make list or tasks to be accomplished so that once they are done I can physically check them off and move onto something else.   

I know from past experiences I procrastinate, I also know I can form new habits to over come my shortcomings.  If I can quit smoking than I can make myself get out of bed every day an hour earlier and have more time to plan out my day to accomplish my tasks and achieve my goals. 

Prepwork for homework - 

I don't have a writing process, not really.  I know it doesn't come easy to me the way artwork does.  I have really only written papers for my teachers never for a publication or any kind of formal genre.   I have am million questions about research writing.  from where to start down to how to end and everything in the middle.  As far as what to do with my research once the whole project is done, if it's any good at all I want to be able to share it with my future collages.  If this project helps me become a better teacher than I want to be able to pass that knowledge onto others who might need it.  

Material Culture in Contemporary Art and Design,
by Nancy House from Matter Matters

synthesis

Field Review

I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot over the last couple weeks talking about my field placement, but I can’t stress enough how much I appreciate being placed with Dr. Gennie.  Things in life always happen for a reason and maybe working with Dr. Gennie was a necessary part my education.  Not every teacher has it easy, but I feel like Dr. G has it pretty rough.  I fully aware of the diversity among the Columbia Public School District, and I feel it was beneficial to see just how different schools can be ten blocks apart. 

Throughout my time with Dr. Gennie I was continually impressed with her efforts to have juicy lesson plans; lessons that enriched the students learning experience and tied in with their other subjects.  Even though the work produced might have been simple there was meaning behind it.  At Benton someone had asked that all the students make bowties to wear for the Christmas celebrations coming up next week.  Instead of cutting out 200 some odd paper bowties and having each class color them, Dr. G used whatever design motif the kids were working on at the time.  For students doing units on weaving the bowties have construction paper woven into the sides, the students doing mosaics their bowties have hundreds of tiny colored paper squares glued on then, and a dozen other varieties.  Each class produced different bowties relating to their other activities.

I find it overwhelming the amount of time and effort Dr. G puts into planning for six different grades levels and two schools.  Her years and level of experience makes seem so easy for her to juggle the constant change or at least that is what I have observed.  Even so she said several times over the last two months that she feels worn out.  Last semester she said all she ever did was yell at the kids because of the issues at Benton.  With the addition of a student teacher and my service hours Dr. Gennie was smiling again and for the first time in months she laughed about something in class.  No matter how fabulous a teacher you are her schedule takes a toll. 

One issue I have is really more with the school district, but even then I don’t think anything can be done to fix it.  Throughout the city schools have added trailers to provide more space for the growing population of Columbia.  The trailers are not a good solution.  The teachers who work in them are cut off from the rest of the school.  In the case of an art room, the trailers are just not equipped to hand clean up.  You can’t always have kids running back into the main building to use a bathroom.  Dr. G luges water out to them in gallon judges, but there are still plenty of complications which prevent a quick and efficient clean up.  As I said to start there is no simple solution because the district could never afford to do away with the trailers but Dr. G teachers in a trailer at both schools and has to limit what she teaches at times because of it.  Even if just some sort of plumbing could be done in the art trailers maybe it would provide a better learning experience of the students and teachers. 

Overall I wish I could have spent more time with Dr. G.  I have a better appreciation for the effort and work put into an art teacher's day.

Viewing and Responding

Probably every other student in our class said the same but the VTS was amazing.  I have taken 7 or 8 art history classes at MU and not one was as awesome as Mary’s VTS.  I have had one or two very good classes where I came away from it with a great appreciation and understanding of the art covered, but most were nothing more than Name, Date, and Artistic Classification, images memorized for the test and forgotten the next day.  I need to know more about contemporary artist so that when it is my turn to plan and execute a lesson I will be able to incorporate art current and past. 

Developing Art Curriculum

For my education this area needs the largest amount of growth.  I come from an artistic background so I have lots of experience with a variety of art mediums.  What I don’t have is any experience developing a curriculum.  I found the reading materials for the class most helpful.  If I am to be successful as an art teacher I need to build my own library of resources and good books are key.  Almost every class this semester has left me feeling overwhelmed.  The visit to Rockbridge high school was no different.  To have the opportunity to be a part of the MU Art Ed program is crucial for the teachers of tomorrow. Meeting some of the people responsible (Kathy Unrath to mention) is irreplaceable.  My own art education from high school pales in comparison to the work being done at Rockbridge.  The prospect of helping the next generation have a better experience that I did is part of why I’ve been pursuing a teaching degree for 8 years.  

Teaching Art

The tiger artist experience was so much fun.  I really enjoyed working all my classmates and professionals who helped.  It was really good to work with kids again.  I’ve been away from children for several years.  My job puts me in contact with the public when they are most often drunk and stupid, and it is emotionally draining.  Working with kids is rejuvenating.  It was also helpful to hear feedback on my interactions with the students.  The last thing I ever imagined was that my vocabulary was beyond what the students might have understood.  In the past teachers like Joe Johnson made me feel stupid when I didn’t understand a word or phrase he used.  He was not trying to so do he’s just a very educated man. The last thing I was to do is make anyone feel that way.

Peer Unit Review & Unit Self Evaluation

I think Lisa said it first but I have never worked so hard on a paper as I did for my unit plan.  It might be that I had more invested with the Unit plan.  I am passionate about teaching so I want to do the best work I can, and it’s not that I have never worked on a long paper before.  I don’t have the emotional connection to English Lit that I do with Art.  Now the Tiger Artist Lesson planning felt easy in comparison. My team worked really well together and before I realized it we were done.  The kids all seemed to understand and like the class so I think it was a success.

I really like have 17 separate Units that I can refer back to in the future.  I hope I get to someday teach them all. 

Journey Book

Journey Book  -  Esther McCune  

For my Journey Book I wanted to create a sketch of my life through my art work.  I started drawing at very young age and for some reason I've kept a lot of the work.  Over years I have bought more sketch books than I can count and only used the first half, then they get thrown in a box or a drawer never to be used again.  For the J.B. I think I finally finished one.  The image on the cover is a drawing of me at age 7 done by my first art teacher Amy Hiebert.

In the fall of 2008 I started my BFA at MU.  The color images in the J.B. are of my Post MU work and the drawings and transfers are Pre MU.  I find it interesting to see the growth and similarities in my work over the last 20 some years.  The work that I did in high school, I was so proud of at the time, is vastly different from what I am capable of now.   

 

my father and my roommate.  Pastel on Sandpaper

The first place I go when beginning any piece of art it what is happening in my life at the time.  Family is always at the forefront of my life.  I may not always have the time and money it takes to be with my family but everything I do in school aids in my journey to get back home.  I moved to Columbia in '06 to go to school. It has definitely taken longer than I thought it would but I'm still trying to move forward and someday I will get there.

The image of the bridge is a pen and ink drawing in did in Italy '07, at the end of a month long study abroad with the A&S Department.  Life changing.  I changed my major to Art six months later

I spent two and a half years working with this image.  Originally drawn out as a commemorative tattoo for my sister, brother-in-law, cousin and best friend who have all died in car crashes. 

Another series of images of family done with printmaking.  My roommate for three years moved to Missouri because I asked her to.  She had never even been outside New England before she moved.  Even though she is not blood family she is my sister and part of who I am today.

Since moving here she meet and married her husband

 Again my roommate provided the inspiration for my work by asking me to do pieces about Maine.  From there I found Edna St. Vincent Millay and with her poetry about the countryside New England I did this series of Illustrations.

 Illustration was another identity shaping course taken at MU.  With out Illustration I would never have discovered how much I love to work in Ink.  In high school I detested it.  Having to draw still life after still life in ink was the bane of my existence back then. 

the Car Crash was a self portrait done in ceramics which took a closer look at the two crashes that changed my life.

Color, I will never be able to get away from color

Fibers work of the last year.  I'm not sure I will ever be the same after taking fibers.

Some of the first self portraits I ever did of myself

 

the Journey Book is not finished, I have more to put in it throughout my Educational tutelage.

  

Side Note!  I am very sorry to have taken so long to get this info on the cite.  I lost my log in email, password, and account information back in September when I reformatted my hard drive I only found where I had written it down in November.    I am not a computer savvy person and without a computer that works at home it makes it much more complicated to figure out how everything works.  I HATE BLOGGING WITH A FIERY PASSION!  I have had to start and restart and re-restart working on this numerous times.  People usually think you're crazy when they see you yelling at the computer screen in a lab.  On the other hand it is right before finals so maybe no one would notice. 

Art Advocacy

Why Teach Art?  Better question why in the world would you not teach art?  Teaching Art takes more than a textbook and teacher explaining it.  I realize that is a generalization and simplification of the three R’s.  Each subject taught has its strengths and weaknesses, but Art takes money to fuel it and with Education getting cut in state and national budgests. art programs are taking a beating.  Art is every bit as important as Math or English.  Not every student is going to have natural talent or become world famous but then again not every student will become a mathematician or scientist.  Art education aids in every other aspect of learning.  The NAEP found that students receiving classroom arts instruction outperformed other students and that that instruction increased all of their artistic abilities, including the ability to create works of quality that communicated complex ideas and feelings - a fundamental communication skill in contemporary society.  Students who have had arts education have higher SAT scores than those without.  http://www.menc.org/information/advocate/sat.html  "Brain research is showing that the stimuli provided by the arts - pictures, song, movement, play acting -are essential for the young child to develop to the fullest potential. These activities are the "languages" of the child, the multiple ways in which he or she understands and interprets the world. Active use of these forms also paves the way for the child to use verbal language, to read and to write.”   http://www.brenhamchildrenschorus.org/1999benefits.htm.  And the list goes on.  There are so many people who learn in a visual manor and Cheryl Hamilton said it best:

            I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand

Our educational system  has been built on deep rooted traditions that are not easy to challenge let alone change, but the need for improvement has been staring us in the face for a long time.   Asia and Europe score higher in Mathmatics, Science, and Reading.  If we changed our approach to the educational system and gave Art as high an importance as M. S. and R. maybe the youth of our nation would outshine Europe or Asia. 

  -  Support funding of Access Missouri in the 2013 budget proposal. Keep informed about the efforts to protect need-based financial aid in Missouri through the Keep Me In College Coalition, send Governor Nixon a message.