27 FEB 2015

[visit #7]

After the last class, Connie and I were talking in the hall--a time that I found is fantastic to reflect on the past lesson and brainstorm for the next class period--and we decided to begin the transition to creating their own presentations both as an artistic practice and as a reading/writing learning practice.

Normally, when I arrive Mrs. Stone asks the students to sit in their "learning positions" on the floor at the front of the room. While this has certain advantages in that it gives the kids opportunities to get out of their seats and experience some variety (I mean, who really wants to sit still in the same spot all day? Not me!), as you can see in the picture below, I would sometimes have my back turned toward the class. I felt a disconnect between me paying attention to the students' responses.

I decided to try something different today: have the students stay at their desks and break things into even smaller chunks. This was mostly in an effort to reduce the amount that I spent speaking and increase the time the students were interacting with the technology and processes. I recognize that this was not the most artistic of class periods, but it allowed the students to connect all of the reading and writing into a cohesive final project.

Here are some of the tips that Connie recommended that I try in this new situation:

You  need to have ALL their attention when you are talking. When the computer is in front of them, it is a big temptation.  They will touch it and do things that they don't suppose to.  You will need to say, "I am waiting for Hayden's eyes, I need Aspen's eyes on me, I am still waiting..."  Until all eyes are on you, then you give the instructions.

Do the model "I DO, you watch; you DO, I help; You Do, I watch."

These helped me and the students have a working relationship where the questions helped advance the learning, not just backtrack what I thought I had 'taught' already. There were still plenty of good questions but they were not the same question repeated over and over! To me, this meant that the teaching was more effective.

One thing that I have realized since doing this presentation is that I was unclear on what the presentation should cover. I had originally thought only of using the presentations as mainly a way to exhibit the art that the students made. But as Connie and I spoke, she helped me realize that many of the students needed more direction and even smaller portions to be able to successfully meet and/or surpass the core standards. Connie suggested having the presentations cover subheadings such as "Characters," "Problem," "Solution," and "Setting." These support guidelines will direct the content of the presentations and allow for artistic solutions to visual problems.

Keith really seemed to enjoy illustrating this slide in his slideshow presentation.