Strategies
Differentiation
Art class should be full of differentiation. Individual student needs can be met through differentiated instruction to ensure progress for all. Not all students are on the same level in art, some being more advanced or have more “natural talent”, some being fearful or inexperienced. Being proactive to address the needs of students on different levels to help them be more proficient no matter where they are in their learning or experience is the true meaning of differentiation. Teachers can differentiate in four ways: content, process, product, and environment. Content in the art room is not always meant to be information to be memorized. The goal in art is to learn to think creatively, learn to use methods and techniques, and then learn to use those methods and techniques creatively, this is differentiation of content as all students will experience these things on their own levels to reach their learning goal. Students learn to work independently, with others, as a whole class, and learn to support each other as they work. This allows for differentiation of process that allows student to take in the content and then make sense of it. In art, students should not be all be producing the same piece of art. Giving students freedom to show what they can do is differentiation of product. Students should not be producing the same piece because even at the beginning of planning and understanding content each student should be thinking independently and creatively. Finally, every art room has a tone all its own. This tone comes from the room, the music, and from teacher/student expectations. The room may be vibrant and playful, or to the point of being overwhelming. It may be organized or messy (or a little of both). The room may have art from the masters or from the students past and present. The teacher may require silence or the students are just quiet on their own or there could be music or lot of talking. Setting the tone is important in the room as it sets the tone that students will follow.19
For this unit differentiation will be used in all four ways of content, process, product, and environment. Students will complete a scavenger hunt to gain content area understanding of the Sun and its effect on Earth. Each station will be different and teams will work together to understand information. Students can read to each other, bounce ideas off of each other, and collaborate to understand the information. In the end, each student will have a story and art piece that will be individual products, none should be the same as they each internalize the information differently. The environment for the scavenger hunt will be much different than that of the environment when they are creating their art work. For the scavenger hunt there will be movement and talking and the room will be buzzing (with excitement hopefully). For the project students will be seated and hopefully working much more quietly, involved in their own work.
Visual Aids
Most every classroom should use visual aids in some form or fashion. Visual aids include charts, models, maps, videos, photos, and posters. These things are supposed to motivate students to learn and remember information. As well, graphic organizers are also visual aid, including, but not limited to, Venn diagrams, T charts, KWL charts, 4 square organizers for writing, and bubble charts. Visual aids will be used in every aspect of this unit. Stations for the scavenger hunt will utilize multiple visual aids such as videos, photos, models, and websites to visit. Students will collect answers to be posted on their own game boards with correct answers. While we look into Sun stories, myths, and gods students will use a visual aid worksheet. As we build a planet of our own as a class we will create a visual model of the planet and its people and a map of the planet. Students will create their people’s Sun story using a 4 square guide. Finally, students will create their art project which will act as a visual aid to go along with their story.
Student-Led Classroom (Teams that Teach)
In a student-led classroom the teacher has to relinquish a lot of control that they may be accustomed having. For the student-led classroom to work the students must also learn to step up and take ownership of learning as their education is strategically placed into their hands. This is not just the teacher stepping back and having students learn for themselves. There is a lot of planning on the teacher’s part that must take place. The scavenger hunt can be an excellent introduction to the student-led classroom or used in a student-led classroom that is already in place. Students must work together and hopefully play on each other’s strengths to find answers to questions and overcome challenges they encounter. The students will also work together as a class to build their new planet. This will involve student-led discussions and feedback based on what they learned in the scavenger hunt. The only “work” the teacher must do during the lesson is to check answers that students are presenting for the scavenger hunt, make sure students are be proactive in their education during the scavenger hunt, and to put the slides together to present to the class for the final voting of the new planet and peoples’ physical attributes. The real teacher work is all in the planning and set-up of the activities.
Implementing Technology
Technology is meant to enhance learning experiences in the classroom and allows for flexibility in learning. Students that don’t understand a topic can easily get online and do research, watch videos, use websites like Khan Academy, or contact someone for help. In our scavenger hunt and exploration of Sun stories, myths, and gods students access specific websites for some things and have freedom to do research on their own for other things. Students will also be free to use their computers to write their stories. They should, however, be asked to not use the computer to come up with ideas for their stories and art works. Technology should be a student aid, not a student crutch, especially when it comes to creativity. Sometimes, because students do have so much technology at their disposal they feel safer using the ideas of others rather than thinking or being creative for themselves. This is something that must be addressed with students.
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