E-portfolio-standard G

Assessment in art education can be slippery. Some of the lines can be fuzzy when it comes to grading projects that deal largely with student expression and opinion. I think grading art projects should be broken down into multiple parts, one being the technique and understanding the medium, but also the meaning or inspiration behind the project itself.
When I first started deciding on assessment I used to identify criteria the student needed to accomplish in order to receive credit for their assignment. But I found that many of my points were for merely turning in parts of a project and I felt that didn't force me to really assess what my students had done. One of my cooperating teachers has a more simplified rubric that I have now began using and it breaks the assessment into 4 parts: Instruction and Concepts, Craftsmanship/Skill, Creativity/ Originality, Behavior/Effort. I think this gives students a chance to see where their points were given or taken away, and is a reminder to students with behavioral issues that they will get points docked if they are not working on their projects or are behaving poorly.

Instruction and Concepts	The project is planned carefully; understanding of all concepts and instructions is clearly demonstrated	The project is planned carefully; understanding of most concepts and instructions is demonstrated	The project is planned adequately; understanding of some concepts and instructions is demonstrated	The project shows little evidence of understanding the concepts and instructions	The project shows no understanding of the concepts and instructions
Creativity/ Originality	The project demonstrates original personal expression and outstanding problem solving skills.	The project demonstrates some personal expression and logical problem solving skills	The project demonstrates an average amount of personal expression.	The project demonstrates little personal expression and problem solving skills. Drawing seems rushed	The project lacks evidence of personal expression. Drawing was rushed and sloppy
Behavior/ Effort	The student put forth extraordinary effort to complete the project as best they can; used class time extremely well	The student put forth the effort required to complete the project well; used class time well	The student put for the effort required to finish the project; used some class time adequately	The student put forth little effort required to finish the project; class time was not used well	The student put forth no effort or the project was not completed; class time was not used well
Total Points / TBD	Full points	-5	-10	-15	-20

E-portfolio-standard K

I think having a good grasp of subject matter, no matter what the class might be is crucial for any teacher to provide their students with the education they deserve. A teacher who does not have confidence in their subject matter does a disservice to students. You run the risk of not reaching students who may excel in that subject area and consequently not allow the student(s) to reach their potential, not just in school but even in their own future professions.

I've also noticed that art students especially like to see if you, the teacher has any actual artistic talent. Students don't want to learn from a teacher who can't even do the work they assign. Students in art like to see that their teacher actually can draw, paint, etc. Not to mention specific instructions and tips to help students achieve a better result. Knowing your content area includes not just the knowledge of art or art history, but specific techniques, complete understanding of programs and computers if it is a class dealing with technology and enough real experience to fully understand what the student is struggling with at the moment.

I find it really helpful to go through all types of lessons of my cooperating teachers, especially if it is a medium where I am not as strong in my ability. This helps me understand more about those mediums, as well as learn more myself. I feel that this might help "bulk" up my knowledge base and better prepare me for when I have to consider those lessons in my future curriculum. I also visit websites for lessons, but I don't have a specific source that I go to. I usually look through various examples and assemble the lesson from multiple websites, tips and online demonstrations for ideas.

E-portfolio-standard E

Fun with Photoshop for my Design in Art Class, examples for lessons I've written

The class rules that are the most essential in my opinion are respect, to the teacher, classmates and objects in the art room. Other important rules are to listen carefully to instruction and take notes for detailed information or steps, especially when it comes to watching demonstrations. It is crucially important for the teacher to demand continuous effort and forethought. Keeping students on task throughout the period is an important element to classroom management which helps classrooms run more smoothly and allow more time for expression rather than controlling behavior issues. This helps other students in the class feel more comfortable and more likely to become more deeply involved and invested in their work. If the students in your classroom feel at ease then they will perhaps even feel a sense of community with their classmates which would be beneficial when having students discuss each others work during critiques.

E-portfolio-standard B

I just have to ask... is everyone feeling incredibly overwhelmed? I don't know if anyone is reading this, but I am doing way more than what we had planned at the beginning as far as me taking over teaching. They both say jumping into it is the best way to learn how to become a teacher. Cross your fingers...

Sometimes I worry that because I want all of my students to pass my class I will have to slow down for some students, spend extra time with students who are struggling and potentially neglect those students who are really excelling at the project. For instance in my drawing 1 class I have probably 5-7 students who are really working hard and are keeping up with the schedule despite the snow day. Unfortunately I spent too much time today with those students who failed to listen to directions or whose behavior is too often disruptive. I feel badly for those students who are eager to work more and to get started on the next phase of the project. I want to talk to them and understand what they are thinking but the classroom management in that classroom is extremely difficult. My cooperating teacher is constantly negotiating behavior with students throughout the class and she is a tough teacher who can stand her ground. I'm not that loud or capable as a teacher yet. I want to hold all of my students to the same standard, but it is incredibly difficult because some students are simply not in class enough to keep up.

My cooperating teacher says to just fail the student if they can't keep up and to an extent she is right. What bothers me is that no one gives these students a chance and they know it, so they don't try. I've decided to see if they do continue to work like most of them worked today. If they actually show effort I may choose to give them some more credit. I want to start out my student teaching asking all of them to actually put some effort into the projects. I also want them to know I expect them to do their work well. I may be able to control my students with better classroom management. They need to understand that I am in charge now too, and I need to assert my authority. For those students who are excelling I will try to work with them more individually tomorrow and really be cognizant about keeping all students on task in a way that doesn't interfere with discussing other things with students. Some of this may have to be loud, brief verbal commands and some of it may be non-verbal as well. At any rate, I learned from today and tomorrow I will try to be better.