Summative+Assessment+II+A

 1. Write a reflection on: Emerging insights about your practice: In the school where I teach, the art room is actually created out of two modified science labs. It is a comfortable environment to teach. It could have been better with sinks positioned in an appropriate position to facilitate student use. Children come to art with expectations of experiencing something new, different and creative. If I'm excited, they're excited. I can see it from the start when a lesson is not stimulating and I'm not happy. The second time I try a project, it often turns out great. I'll have days that are wonderful too. As artists we discuss the richness of culture, co-existence of mankind and the importance of the survival of our planet. Students understand and learn and respect these values. But, there would always be a student or two who would at times get distracted. I have my own personal teaching styles. There is no "one way" to teach art. Art education must be unique to each school, each group of children, and, in fact, each child--every art teacher usually finds his or her own way. Yes, in my art room, the classroom conventions are listed on the wall and reminded to the students when the need arises. I believe in a high amount of individual differentiation, but not a loose environment. Responsibility and respect are important values that creative artists need to have. Students are essentially aware of the nitty-gritty of tasks involved, for smooth operations in the art room. Yet, this can be a challenge due to time constraints. I have given myself a basic for this component, as I still find myself challenged to be able to keep every student, in my mixed classes with a range of grade levels and abilities, really busy. Students are made aware that their priority should be to understand and learn from me, rather than involve me in behavior management. They work in co-operative groups, learning and growing as they create. Lest the need arises with individual students, I try to deal with behavior issues as soon as it is practically possible. My art room is a favorite room for many students in the school, including those who do not take the regular art classes with me. Students come in during their breaks and after school to plan, create and share their projects with their peers. The school has provided me with 7 extra computers for students to research and develop their projects and this is of immense help to me. I have given myself a basic for this one too. The room has not been designed for art activities; the storage, the wash area and the activity centers could surely be better planned and constructed for the sake of the students learning and smooth movement. Domain 3: Instruction I like the process part. I like watching the kids. I like learning while they are learning. Sometimes I feel as if I'm an artist with them instead of the teacher. I really like the relationship better when we're working together. I provide formal instruction, using the smart board as a tool. Websites to be researched, steps to the process, assessment rubric to be used and the self evaluation tool are posted by me on skyward for parents and students to refer to whenever required. We have regular question-answer sessions prior to planning our projects, when we critically evaluate our completed work to make changes if necessary and also during the process as required. ALL children are expected to be involved. We experience the rush of excitement, the unknown, making a significant difference and the joys of interaction are the parts of the assemblage. At the end of which we work on a self and a peer critique and incorporate necessary changes. I can see their developmental skills growing, as I provide verbal feedback through the process. Everyone has an "O" for outstanding in the beginning. Then I look to see if they followed directions. Is there skill development? Are they going beyond the normal means? Are they doing the best they can? I write personal comments. The difference is enormous. I am still trying to help students to make the artwork meaningful and connect it with themselves as much as possible. I also feel that I am between basic and proficient in the use of technological advancements in art. Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities In Art, for most students, it is easier to get involved, be creative and achieve good results, in comparison with many other subjects. With the vast range of resources available, I can assist students explore possibilities of achieving success by helping them use their individual abilities. Yet, I feel that if there were less practical constraints because of availability of resources in Saudi Arabia, I could have offered the students even more opportunities'. The assessment rubric and records are available on skyward for students, parents and me to look at, discuss and work on together, at every step of the process. I provide regular oral and written feedback to students and to parents via skyward. It has not been practically possible to have telephonic conversation with every parent of 250 students, and parents sometimes do not use the electronic media of communication as well as required. In Art, we exhibit every artwork we create. We display proudly during concerts, drama productions, United Nation functions and during the Day with the Arts. We even create the drama sets and backdrops for the school. We help create the artwork for various celebrations, like the health day and MUN. I have completed my IB training last year and am an Assistant Examiner for the IB. Now I am part of the Master's Cohort, trying to use every opportunity to gain pedagogical insight in recent developments in this area of knowledge and technology. Our art department is working towards creating a new curriculum based on meaningful art, rather than technique learning.  ii. Assess the evolution of content in the subjects you teach and determine of your need to bolster mastery in any area Modern and Contemporary Art presents Breaks with or redefines the conventions of the past. It uses experimental techniques. It shows the diversity of society and the blending of cultures, contemporary thought and expression, contemporary art and new trends in current thinking. As an art teacher, I want to be able to help my students experience the dynamism experienced by artists today, which, will be distinguished by their continuous searching through their creativity, their inquiries, and their experimental temperament. Contemporary art in my art room should address issues of originality, innovation, displacement, and identity, among others, and allow for a glance at recent developments in art, influenced by the synergy created by other artists'. The odd and beguiling thing about art is how it should take the artists' to unexpected places -- it should reconnect experiences and observations from the past and serve them up again in a new way. We tend to think of the two as very separate disciplines - the potter at the wheel, hands caked with mud; the designer at the computer fantasizing the groovy shapes a blender might take. Can these two get along? "Art reflects the level of consciousness of the artist." As an art teacher, I try to give the same importance to the students' spiritual development as to their academic development in order to foster evolution, assuming that our purpose of life is to contribute to evolution and not to decadence. Vis ual Art is a language through  which humans can express their consciousness. This ability sets us apart from animals, for example. An artist with a highly evolved consciousness level can potentially (through some academic skills) create works of art that visualize and radiate this high level of energy. This energy is 'contagious', be it on a conscious or subconscious level of the viewer. This means that creating art can foster spiritual growth, which I strive  to see in my students. iii. Survey recent developments in pedagogical research and determine whether there is one that we might investigate further with a view to incorporating it into your everyday practice. The Arts and Crafts movement provided an influential model for students' art education during the twentieth century. New pedagogical influences are providing models for the next century. These visions for future evolutions within studio art education must accommodate current paradigm shifts in the art world, the rise of visual culture and the growing influence of new media technologies. Our age is experiencing a change with cultural history, much faster than previous periods. The social, technological, and cultural changes of the past two centuries have radically destroyed and/or reconstructed the scale and scope of human life. Three forces that are important components of a complex system seem to be particularly responsible for this change in the contemporary art world: our increasing technological (inter)dependence, the impact of social theory, and the rise of globalization. The impact of technology over the past century on individual/collective identities and cultural institutions has been profound. A current mantra heard in the new media industry is "content is king," which signals the importance of meaning over technology. The arts and humanities (the content providers) are therefore imperative to new media production. The growing influence of critical theory during the latter part of this century also raises new challenges for studio art curricula. Many long-held ideological assumptions have been challenged and/or overturned. A curriculum centered on ideas rather than technique is beginning to emerge, owing, in part, to the ideas and concerns that have grown out of critical theory. Contemporary visual art often involves technologies that even a decade ago would have been impossible. The rise of global culture within contemporary society requires us art educators to think of the art world within a wider context and to shape curriculum accordingly. Student artists should be provided with multiple cultural lenses through which to see their world, including their own ethnic, gender, racial, social, and economic identities. We should also be careful about the cultural devastation that many indigenous cultures experience in the wake of globalization. This necessitates a progressive pedagogical response from me as an art educator. New media technologies should ultimately enrich rather than depreciate the quality of our personal and collective lives. Such a goal often means a shift in my primary focus from organizing curricular goals around technique to a concentration on critical content, meaning over means. Since studio art education is organized around the medium rather than the message, this is a significant challenge. Introduction to New Media in the visual arts by integrating critical thinking with visual, media, computer, and verbal literacy is crucial. Technological development seems to have overruled most other advancements. iv. General reflections on your practice By nature, art is a fun activity. It is hands-on. It is playful. We can choose from an array of media to express whatever we want, in whatever style we prefer. We can be creative, imaginative. It can be as simple or as sophisticated as we desire. It is the freedom to imagine and to explore without being judged that makes art so inviting to learners of all levels and interests. Art is a magical power! And now, I am a middle school/high school art teacher, and I get to introduce this sacred power to my young students. The world of art is vast and encompassing. Art is the first language of mankind, used even by cavemen, and it has recorded human civilizations all over the world since. How can we condense thousands of years of human history and world cultures and present them to a small child in a way they can understand? How can we relate the connection of art and science, math, literature, architecture, fashion, religion, and how art affects our everyday living? How can we propose to the students that artists are visionaries and inventors; and that the styles they invented are unique languages for expressing their visions? And that each of us has our unique visions, and we can express them in our own language too? Comparatively speaking, it is easy to teach drawing, painting, and ceramic techniques. But art is more than mixing colors and sketching still life. Like the alphabet and vocabulary in language art, art skills and techniques are the basic building blocks to more ambitious achievements. With art, the practice is for the mind and soul. To create is the ultimate form of cognitive recognition. Art pushes the creator to observe, analyze, evaluate, and respond with a personal solution. Art exercises the soul to cherish, to believe in an idea and to persist until the work is done. To participate in Art – with a capital A – is more than knowing artists and art history. It is character building. It is endurance training. I believe that Art is an essential component in the curriculum and it is critical to the well being of the students academically and affectively. I am blessed with curious students who provide me with countless moments of happy discovery. They are the ones who make this job fun and gratifying. Each year, they unearth the magical power of Art.  2. Reflect on the usefulness of the Self-assessment tool Reflections help make the necessary improvements before teaching the same lesson, project, or unit the next time around, try to determine what the student truly comprehends, what do their eyes tell you? Reflecting on the usefulness of the tool, yes, it did help me pause and think, in the midst of regular work. I do understand and analyze better, the learning and teaching that takes place in my art room, now. I feel good about the components I am distinguished in and the changes I can make for the ones I fall between the basic and proficient. I think I mostly lie between the proficient and distinguished area. I am now looking forward to being observed by a peer and then using the inputs to work towards being a better teacher.<span style="color: rgb(31,73,125);">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri', 'sans-serif';">A. ** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri', 'sans-serif'; color: rgb(23,54,93); font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> **<span style="color: rgb(23,54,93);">Self-assessment and Reflection **