Mark making

In our previous class, Taryn and Amanda presented their lesson on mark making. In my opinion their lesson was one of the best ones we have seen in class so far. The two of them seemed so confident in front of the class and were so well prepared. Even when a question was asked from the class that clearly through them off track a little, they were able to roll with it and bring the students question into their lesson. I really enjoyed that the class was started off by a demo rather than a presentation. The way that they were able to bring everyone together was amazing. They created a project where even a student who is not confident in his art abilities would be able to have a fun time with this project. Taryn and Amanda were able to create a fun and engaging project that the whole class could engage in together. They not only were able to create a fun project but they also were able to bring in many art terms and discuss them with out feeling like they were lecturing the class. Another aspect that I think they did well was embracing the silence. Aaron always talks about giving students time to answer and not to be afraid when the room is silent for a few moments. It was clear that Taryn and Amanda took this advice and allowed the class to "save them".

observations

I have just finished my observations in a high school photography class. I visited the school 9 separate times. Each time having more involvement with the students then I had the previous class. I think the students were afraid to ask me questions at first. Maybe they did not think that I would be able to properly answer their questions. The first few visits I stayed towards the side of the room, attempting to stay out of the way of the teacher. A few visits in, it was time for me to teach my own lesson. I worked with the teacher in the classroom to create a lesson. I used a lesson from her curriculum, however I was allowed to tweak the assignment sheet in order to fit the lesson the way I wanted to teach it. The teacher that I was with, Mrs. R was really great at answering my questions and giving me pointers on how to be a better teacher. After I tought my lesson I could really see the students opening up to me. They began to ask me questions and I felt very confident in my abilities to answer their questions. On my second to last visit one of the students told me that she wished I could stay all year in the classroom with them. I began to feel that I had truly made an impression on some of the students. This was confirmed when I was given a final good-bye card from all the students. They all signed their names and wished me good luck in becoming a teacher. Some of the students shook my hand or hugged me goodbye. I really enjoyed my time working with these students and it has reinforced my want to be an educator.