Service Learning

Service learning is a great way to connect students in school with their own community. It is a great way for all students (or even grown adults) to grow and reflect in their education, while doing something meaningful for their community. By adding service learning projects in our curriculum, we can bridge the gap between school things and community things and create more unity. By doing these projects students may find something they are interested in and did not know it, like volunteer work. Service learning creates opportunities to collaborate or to work with those that are not in the classroom, building on their teamwork skills. This is a great way for students to also see issues within their community and ways small changes make big impacts. Hopeful this also gets them interested in helping out their own community. While there may be a lot of benefits for students, there are also benefits for teachers (and preservice teachers.) Such as learning about issues within their community and feeling the reward of making a change.

All through high school, I was very involved in an organization called FCCLA and we would do projects that connected us with our community. I really found these projects valuable, and learned many lessons from these projects, like being organized, being responsible, and ways to work together. One thing I will never forget from one of these projects was the impact in made on my heart. (We were collecting shoes for Soles for Souls, which gives shoes to those in other countries that need them. We did it halloween night and instead of trick or treating for candy we trick or treated for shoes. This amazing lady in our community, had not got the memo but jumped at the chance to help others. She literally took the shoes off her feet and gave them to us. If that doesn’t speak values, I don’t know what does.

Ch. 5 Responses

Choices are something we all value in our life, options are important, like what we are going to wear or who do you choose to surround yourself with. When it comes to schooling, parents only want the best for their children. The choice system is very deceiving, with the pretense that private  schools can give students a better education than basis public school. The system also does not serve students equally, due to some areas being more wealthy, giving the school a more vigorous curriculum, while those in low income areas have a more general curriculum. Private schools also seem to lack in the art department, which in turn means that the students have less experiences that would help them with skills like problem solving, being creative, and brainstorming ideas. I myself, on the other hand, may be a bit bias towards private school, due to the lack of experience with private school. Like everything there may be some cons about private school but there are still some pros, just like there are both pros and cons to public school.

Teachers are paid less even with long hours

Less qualified teachers: uncertified and unexperienced

Don’t stay at one school for a long time: charters have 136% higher turnover rate than traditional public school

Lacking in the arts department

To me I would feel used for working my butt off, with long hours to help teach kids but not being fairly compensated. I also would have a tough time making connections with my fellow staff. If my administration and or staff does not support the arts, I would fear if I even would continue to have that job.

At times in the art classroom, one may face student artwork that makes you think but is controversial. In that position, I would feel it is best for that student to continue to express themselves, this allows that student to feel that the classroom is a safe place to express themselves. In a private conversation with the student I would disguise how that artwork may be controversial, explaining that due to policies the artwork will not be able to be displayed in the hall. I would want to emphasize that this work is important to be apart of our culture to make people question certain things.

I do not have any artwork that would be considered controversial but I do really like the artist Marc Quinn. As all humans are different in their own way such as their body form. Quinn sculpts bodies that some may call abnormal. Some may not agree that the bodies are beautiful or that we need to get away from constant expectations for body form.

Inclusive Classroom

1.) The author (a former art teacher) shares her personal experiences of how she wasn’t respectful and didn’t understand what her students with disabilities in her art room needed. Have you ever felt, uncertain, scared, or even frustrated working with students with disabilities, like the author did? Describe your experience and share what you learned from it?

I have been a respite care worker for Ada about 9 months and there are still things I am learning
from her. One of her family’s goals for her is to have a lot of community exposure, which includes
going on walks, going to stores and going to the movie theater. Although I agree with her parents
that having Ada out in public is good for her, I still get a little embarrassed in different circumstances
often because of societal norms. For example, at target we often get stared at because of the noises
she is making such as shrieks, a low humming or clapping. Or even at the movie theaters, ‘normally’
you sit amongst a multitude of strangers in silence and without many distractions, just watching the
movie. However, with Ada, that is not how it goes, she may get excited from a part of the movie and
begin jumping in her stroller or clapping or many other sounds. I can’t see other people in the theater
but just guessing they are probably pretty frustrated because they can’t watch their movie in silence.
I feel bad, but also remember that Ada needs to be round other just as much as others need to be
around Ada. And many of the noises Ada is making is her talking and her way of communicating.
From these situations I have learned that patience and understanding are valuable skills that I wish
was more abundant in society.

2.) How can you adapt your lessons for students with disabilities while still keeping it aimed toward their interests and still challenge them?  What are some ways you would make your curriculum and classroom environment more adaptive for student with disabilities? List at least 3 ways.

Most importantly, I would get to know my students and build relationship. It is impossible to
accommodate a lesson for someone you do not know. Not only personally get to know them but also
if the student in your classroom has a disability and they have a para it's also important to
communicate with the para. By getting to know the student I can better plan for lesson that are one,
interesting to them or two, accommodations or adaptations to the lesson. I would plan my lessons
not to fit the majority of the class but whole class. For example, at spectrum, we noticed there was a
lot of interest in play-doh, so we had a clay lesson (which is super easy to make:
https://kidcreatestudio.com/homemade-model-magic/) where we planned for the students with
sensory difficulties, so we had gloves and zip-lock baggies as well as another activity if that too was
not appealing. Also its important to being adaptable and willing to let the lesson be altered for the
enjoyment of the students. Overall it's important to find a way to incorporate the things that they are
interested in, be willing to adapt your lesson and have a plan b activity for and alternative to the
lesson.

From the clay lesson at spectrum

3.) The author from chapter 20 discusses how she left out artists with disabilities in her curriculum, therefore not providing experiences for her disabled students to see themselves represented in art class. Find an artist with a disability who you could include in a typical art lesson as an artist example. Share this artist and tell why they would be a good choice.

Geoffrey Mikol: (a person born with down syndrome) (is someone I have met, bought work from and visited his
gallery called River Bend) Geoffrey is an amazing landscape photographer and if you are doing a
lesson on landscape photography, he definitely is a good example. He also has an interesting way of
taking photos, when he is out in nature for a while and think about what he is going to shoot, he only
take one or two shots. Also good example of a young artist able to make a living from his artwork.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqm6lgOf8xA

Niam Jain: (a person with autism and limited speech) Niam is an abstract painter who is a good example
of a young artist making a living on his artwork. For Niam painting is his way of communication and
could be a good example to students that art can be an outlet for expressing themselves and it
doesn’t have to be realistic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWN36PgvSew

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnpYCF57-Jk

Melissa Mccracken: (a person with synesthesia) Melissa is a good example of abstract painting but like Niam,
it is expressive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvPd3wH21z8

John Bramblitt: (a person who is legally blind) I am currently reading his book shouting in the darkness.
In his 20's, John becomes blind and very depressed, he eventually turns to painting as way of
expressing himself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8BiDHmKNrw