• Element a: Teachers foster a predictable learning environment characterized by acceptable student behavior and efficient use of time in which each student has a positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults and peers.

​     The art rooms looks different everyday. Some days are more explaining and demoing and other days are mostly the students working on their projects. Projects are constantly being completed and students move on to the next thing. In an environment that can be so complex, I think it’s important to have some routine and predictability. In the elementary level. Students would walk in the artroom and they knew that everyday we start class by sitting on the carpet. I would introduce the lesson in the beginning of the week and every time they came in we would sit at the carpet and very briefly talk about what we were working on to jog their memories and give them important reminders or new instruction for the next part of the project. In addition to starting every class on the carpet, I used Class Dojo witch is a website where you can add and keep track of points. Everyday, the class had the opportunity to earn seven points by doing things like fully cleaning up, entering the room calmly, etc. If students meet their goal for points, they get to have Ketchup, Mustard, Pickle day. This happens every Friday. Students “catch up” on anything they need to finish, they “must” upload their work on Artsonia, do a self grading backslip, and if they earned enough points they get free time or “pickle time”. If they did not earn enough points they all work together to complete needed chores around the art room. They have a clean slate every week to earn their points and get free time. There are more routines like rotating class jobs and picking popsicle sticks. If the student is on task when I draw their name they get to pick a prize. These standard class routines foster a predictable learning environment even as they projects are at different stages of completion and changing every week they have class.​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Element b: Teachers demonstrate an awareness of, a commitment to, and a respect for multiple aspects of diversity, while working toward common goals as a community of learners.

     At Timnath Middle High School I created the Design Foundation classes unit on markers and colored pencils. For our summative project, I had the students plan out a poster relating to the theme of social justice. Each student picked an aspect of social justice that they are passionate about. I believe that having the broad theme of social justice gave students the opportunity to express themselves by picking a topic that they truly care about. I showed respect for multiple aspects of diversity by defining social justice and showing examples of  posters covering multiple aspects of social justice like gender, race, food access, animal rights, environmental rights, and more. I encouraged students to do their poster on something that they were passionate about to express their beliefs though art.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Element c: Teachers engage students as individuals, including those with diverse needs and interests, across a range of ability levels by adapting their teaching for the benefit of all students.

     At Olander Elementary, there were several students who had cognitive and physical disabilities that affected their motor functions. While planning a collaborative Van Gogh painting of Starry Night, I thought about how some students don't have the ability to control and hold a paintbrush. I looked through a bin with adaptive supplies and found paint doppers in the perfect colors for Van Gogh's Starry Night. The paint doppers were much easier for some students to handle because they had a wider base that was easier to grip than a thin paintbrush handle. The color was already in the bottle and only needed a light amount of pressure to disperse the paint. This took away the need to constantly wash brushes and dip them in new colors. I believe this small adaptation made the experience a lot easier for some students and a facilitated participation in the collaborative painting.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Element d: Teachers work collaboratively with the families and/or significant adults for the benefit of students.

     I think that working with students families is a great way to support their academics and social and emotional learning. While I was only at my student teaching placemats for a short time, I wanted to make sure I communicated with students families. Olander elementary sends out a monthly newsletter to parents talking about what's going on in the classroom. I wrote a bit about me as a teacher and what we have been working on in the classroom in the month of November. I also put in some pictures of the classroom and my mentor teacher added a few things as well. I think it’s so important for families to know whats going on in class so they can talk with their kids about it and maybe further their learning or just be excited to talk about and know what their child is doing and leaning during the day. At the highschool level, I feel like a lot of parent communication is about concerns regarding the students' behavior or academics and I think it’s important to build a positive relationship with families and recognize positive behavior and hard work as well. I picked about 15 students to write positive emails home about who I felt like were working really hard during my time at Timnath Middle High school.

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