-v
v
): Restore to life or consciousness
Dana and I
did not know what to expect when we facilitated our lesson for week #2.
When we introduced alternative materials and techniques to art making, we
did not know how they would react. If I could sum up Saturday's experience I
would say that it was "organized chaos".
When using
alternative materials like soil and grass seed we should have expected and
anticipated a mixed reaction from our students. I think that we were
relatively prepared in providing the best experience possible for our students.
Preparation before class is very important when introducing projects that
involve nontraditional mediums, especially those that are messy. I think
that their skill level was very appropriate for this lesson but I did not
expect them to finish as quickly as they did. In cases like this, I think
that it is very important as a teacher to be receptive and be willing to
adjust the lesson plan to modify the students' needs.
I feel very
rigid when writing the lesson plans during the week, but on Saturdays I feel as
though I need to deviate from the meticulously written lesson plan due to incidences
that I do not anticipate. In some
ways the format of the lesson plans are good in the regard that they prompt you
to think ahead. In my case, I feel
as though sometimes they are restraining to the natural flow of the
classroom.
On Saturday,
Dana was the head instructor and I helped to manage the classroom. I think that this system works very
well, especially with a large class.
Dana can focus on teaching the main pieces of information while I can be
attentive to classroom management and individual needs.
One of the main objectives for our lesson was creating a collaborative learning experience. This objective was reached in many of our groups because of the effectiveness of teamwork and following directions that Dana and I observed. In some groups, there were members that did not participate as cooperatively. This could have become a serious issue such as frustration and impatience from other students. In groups that had uncooperative members, Dana and I would offer assistance.
Larissa, I am still not seeing your blog post here (though I could read it by clicking on the pencil above). What did you do when the students finished the project with time to spare? That's a time when sketchbooks or large sheets of paper (and some of the drawing ideas from the WIlson & Wilson book!) come into play. Think, too, about which parts of the lesson went more quickly than you had anticipated and how that might help you plan in the future. Collaboration is often a tough proposition for kids, for a number of reasons (some of them less relevant to this lesson than others). Being sure that student have a clear sense of what each should do (and working it out so that there are distinct roles) can help (though this is not always effective!)
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you were saying about feeling rigid when writing lesson plans during the week. On Saturday’s unexpected things happen that lead us away from the “meticulously written lesson plans.” I notice when teaching that although we write down a time frame we would like the students to complete projects within, it never seems to work out exactly during that time. Students will either want to work longer on projects or will lose interest quicker than anticipated. I loved your lesson plan for this week. I think using soil and grass seed to make artwork helps the students to realize that art can be made with pretty much anything.
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