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| In A Natural Fashion - teacher sample |
Now before I do a happy dance (lol yea right, already happened) I really need to reflect on my lesson presentation because.. I realized something BIG today. As I was standing at the front of the class, confidently delivering my ideas and inspirations to my classmates, I realized that... I talk a lot. Like A LOT. And it is something that has followed me into the classroom as well. As a modern tech-savvy art teacher I want to use as much of my computer knowledge and technology as possible, but in the process I have begun to shy away from the true joy and purpose of putting together presentations in the first place: to engage students in learning and responding and to hear THEM talk.
In the setting of my Art Education classroom we are given a limited amount of time to present a large amount of information to our classmates and instructor. While I realize this time constraint is because of the length of the course I cannot help but notice that I do the same thing in classrooms with students. When I was at the high school for the past few weeks I relied heavily on the presentation as an anticipatory set, peppered with some discussion, but mostly it was me blathering on about one thing or another. I did most of the talking and explaining and expected student engagement because of my ever-moving mouth.
Uh, shut up, Ms. Kanak and let the kids do the talking! Let them Chew on It!
When I realized I was probably (definitely) talking too much I would ask the students what they thought about a piece or a particular idea and, lo and behold, they would respond in kind with opinions, observations, and comments of their own. I also will admit I am a bit of a control freak which makes me way more inclined to take over a conversation.. but I am only doing a disservice to my students by taking away that power to respond. And as a result I am telling them their opinions are not as important as mine, being the 'expert' on the subject. I think the problem is that I rely too much on the technology to present what I want to show students and do not allow enough time for reflection. There are a few reasons for this...
Reason 1: Not all students are going to be receptive to what I have to offer.
Sometimes.. students just are not feeling whatever I have thrown up on the screen. I remember being in elementary school and being completely entranced by the images on the overhead projector and then, later on in the same school, being so excited to create and present Powerpoint slides for all my classmates and teacher to see. I was "that" kid... I did a Powerpoint presentation on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in 3rd grade.... yes, I'm old. BUT THAT is not the point! Each day will have a different anticipatory set or beginning activity - to engage students with something other than images slapped up on the projector screen. Word art just doesn't thrill like it used to, guys.
Reason 2: I want to move things along at my own pace.
While this is a pretty standard desire of most educators.. it is not really conducive to learning and engaging AND connecting. I need to step back and let the kids make the connections; let them be the teachers. When I encourage students to reflect and respond to work I often hear answers I have not thought of and that is one of the major joys of teaching for me :) As stated above, in the future I am going to work to cut up my very long (very colorful and thorough) presentations into sections by day. That way I will be forced to slow the hell down and encourage engagement in other ways. My lesson that I presented today had a great deal of pre-planning and activities before the actual final project and in my experiences in the classroom this is what gets students moving - not a powerpoint with fancy pictures.
Reason 3: Technology engages students.. or.. not.
As I said before I remember being really excited about creating presentations because it was such a streamlined and new-fangled (my word for the week) way of showing people what I was passionate about and interested in. Now as a teacher I use them as tools for introducing new topics, artists, posing questions, and stating objectives. I think they are a great asset in the classroom but after today I think what really sells my interest in the subject is my enthusiasm. I can show kids 90 slides of photographs or classic paintings or sculptures and be a college professor of art history (sorry, folks) or I can be Ms. Kanak - enthusiast for art, creativity, and contemporary culture.. I like the second one. It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Technology is extremely appealing at face value but we often get lost in the sheer amount of information we are trying to present. By cutting up my information into sections and days - and by focus - I will be able to present information at a less overwhelming pace. In addition to that I will be able to hone in on each topic more thoroughly and engage students in discussion facilitated, not dominated, by myself.
After talking to one of my best friends today about this realization he, of course, agreed that I talk a lot but what I do not lack is enthusiasm and knowledge. One thing I have learned to do more in my Art Education courses is to KNOW my LIMITS and content. I need to realize through the three reasons I have listed I can overcome each roadblock by just slowing down, making time for feedback and student response, and to not rely on technology as a crutch or for a flash-bang effect. I feel more confident than ever with my presentations of ideas and as I move along in my career as an art teacher I will only pick up more influences and knowledge along the way. It really is as they say - you have to stop and smell the roses.. and listen to the students' feedback!
Until Wednesday,
Ms. K
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