Video Reflection 2
The lesson I decided to do was with my art 1 class as they
are starting a watercolor unit. (The class I recorded the first time is in the
middle of a project.) I will start out the lesson by demonstrating different
techniques. I will show them the usuals: wet on dry, wet on wet, graded wash,
Drop color on wet color, salt, pulling paint with cardboard, tape masking,
rubber cement masking. My reflections before watching the video are below.
Reflections (Before watching): I think the lesson went well.
It was a fairly simple lesson to start. I did forget a few of the techniques
until I looked at my practice page. A few of my students were a bit distracted
during the demo and I had to stop one time to quiet them down. The students
seemed to be really engaged once they started painting, but they generally are
when starting something new. The other art teacher came in. Quite a few
students got distracted once I have to look for something for her.
Reflections (During/after watching) – I think that I miss so
much when I am demonstrating. I have 24 students in my class (mostly freshmen)
and I have them gather around a 2 foot by 4-foot table. I notice in the video
that my squirrels that generally hang toward the back of the group where I cant
see them as well. They have 6 times that I counted that they are actually
watching me in a 10-minute period. It is ridiculous. Maybe having them stand or kneel right in
front next time might help. Also, I am
fairly hard to hear on the video, I do not know if it is because I am quiet or
if it because of the video quality. Also at the end I decided that I wanted
them to come up with their own technique, so I told them, and they seemed
apprehensive. Once they sat down I notice that there are a few that are not working
as well. I’m not sure if it is because they do not know what to do or if they
just do not want to work. I sat down at my desk for a while to let them get
started. It is fun seeing some of the faces they are making as they paint. They
loved the salt and the rubber cement it seems. One student in particular seems
to really enjoy it, I didn’t notice before, but she started a second sheet of
techniques. The other teacher came in and asked me a question. I had to go into
the closet and find something, some of my students stopped working, but more
students than I thought didn’t notice, and kept going. I am glad that I have
some that kept going. I stopped the
camera after that.
Other reflections: A couple days after the lesson, I am
looking at their practices of their large watercolor I think there is something
more I can do. I need to go over the fact that they do not have white. Also, I
think that it would benefit them to start on watercolor paper from the
beginning. It responds so differently, and they are having problems making it
look the way they want.
Erika,
ReplyDeleteAs I read through your post, it is so easy for me to picture myself from both the perspective of teacher as well as student.
I cringe to think how videos from my first year of teaching would look. There's so much that you have to learn through experience. No amount of teacher training can ever prepare you for the reality of your own class and your own students. You, however, seem to be a natural! You possess a natural calmness that some people never manage to attain.
Do you have a SmartBoard in your room? You might create a video or voice thread of yourself demonstrating the various watercolor techniques and share it via the SmartBoard. I have a voice thread I created which covers the use of cake tempera paint. I show it almost every time I paint with kindergarten and first grade students, mainly because I got tired of saying the same things over and over again. Somehow, just the fact that I am using digital media to convey content seems to impact their attentiveness, no matter how many times they've seen it before. Also, if you posted the videos to your teacher website, students could reference them at any time. Granted, I don't have high school age students, but maybe it could help.
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ReplyDeleteErika,
ReplyDeleteYou stated that some students seemed apprehensive about modeling new techniques, were as one girl really took off with creating new techniques. Have you ever heard of SCAMPER? It is a creativity strategy for younger students, but you can modify and use it for students who think more concretely.
Substitute.
Combine.
Adapt.
Modify.
Put to another use.
Eliminate.
Reverse.
I also agree with Sheryl about creating a stock video. If you have an iPod for the classroom, you could store videos on it for students who were sick or need a review before they get started. You might even make a private YouTube channel for your videos.