But, as a special treat, I've allowed them these (probably waaay too easy for 6th grade) Winter Wonderlands for the last three days of this nine weeks.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Last Minute Winter Wonderlands
My 6th graders have been dying to do a "holiday" project. The poor dears, they just aren't quite willing to accept that the days of hard-core, holiday-crafting-at-school are over.
But, as a special treat, I've allowed them these (probably waaay too easy for 6th grade) Winter Wonderlands for the last three days of this nine weeks.
But, as a special treat, I've allowed them these (probably waaay too easy for 6th grade) Winter Wonderlands for the last three days of this nine weeks.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Lesson Plan: Turning Sculptures into Animated Gifs
In order to prepare my students, we are working on a "baby" animation project prior to the winter holidays. I want the students to have a basic understanding of the process, and I want them to be excited to work on larger-scale (and thereby more frustrating) projects.
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Image from here |
Gifs, in case you don't know, are images in bitmap format and they support only 256 colors. Basically, gif images have to be more simplistic than say jpeg or vector images. Gifs also support very basic animation; you can tell your file format to show different images (think slides) with timed delays. It sounds complicated, but it really is not. There are all sorts of websites and free software that allow you to make gifs (type "gif generator" into Google). You can also make gifs with Adobe Photoshop. I've been making gifs with Gimp, which is a free photo-editing software (similar to Photoshop Elements, but free). Incidentally, if you are looking for quality, free, photo-editing software, Gimp is it!
My students have been using Pixlr thus far to edit photos. I'm in the process of getting administrative approval to load Gimp onto a whole lab of computers. But, until that time, I'm Pixlr-dependent. Pixlr, while awesome (it's free, it's a website, and has an almost exact interface as Photoshop Elements), is not able to make gifs. But, you can make individual images to serve as frames, and then load these frames into a gif generator like Picasion.
Again, if you are new to gifs this all sounds confusing. . .Trust me, it is not hard!!
Here's what we did (and directions on how we did it):
1. We learned how to make clothespin sculptures. Here is a great pic that explains that.
2. Students took 2 pictures of their clothespin sculpture. In one picture the pin is closed, in the other it is open. Students tried to keep the same exact composition for both. To make life easier, I had them take their pictures in front of a "green screen" (a green sheet of paper; it makes editing backgrounds easier).
3. Students uploaded images to the computer
4. Students manipulated their images in Pixlr in order to get 2 "frames" for their animation. I have a full set of (editable) click-by-click directions on how to do this in Pixlr right here (be not afraid!).
5. Students uploaded their "frames" to Picasion
6. Students saved their gifs and shared them on Edmodo
ENJOY!
P.S. If you/your students make this project; share it with me. I would soo love that!
P.P.S. If you need some awesome gif-spiration check out these ah-mazing artists:
http://iwdrm.tumblr.com/
http://rrrrrrrroll.tumblr.com/
http://hateplow.tumblr.com/
http://julianglander.com/
http://daingifs.tumblr.com/
http://clairemariechristerson.com/
P.P.S. If you need some awesome gif-spiration check out these ah-mazing artists:
http://iwdrm.tumblr.com/
http://rrrrrrrroll.tumblr.com/
http://hateplow.tumblr.com/
http://julianglander.com/
http://daingifs.tumblr.com/
http://clairemariechristerson.com/
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Classroom Management in the Art room: When You Need Help
I’ve written a lot about how to manage behavior, materials, and students in the Art classroom. But, what
happens when your interventions and management fail? Read any text book about classroom
management, and you are led to believe that if you only follow these simple
(ha!) processes and/or “raise your expectations” the students will behave and
your classroom will be a well-managed environment. And, in some environments, “raising
your expectations” does work.
I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade, but I’ve worked in a lot of
environments wherein my first, second, and third attempts at different methods
of classroom management have failed. The textbooks (and some expert teachers)
may not want to admit it, but classroom management isn’t as simple as process(es)
1-2-3. The reason relates to the complex cultural nature of modern classrooms. Too
often, teachers and students are in a cultural conflict when it comes to
values, rules, consequences, and what is considered appropriate and “good”
behavior (interested in cultural conflict and critical multiculturalism in the
classroom? Read Start Where You Are, But Don’t Stay There: Understanding Diversity, Opportunity Gaps, and Teaching in Today's Classrooms by Milner, 2010).
It can be so disheartening when your classroom management fails; it is
hard to not take it personally. We all got into teaching because we want to
provide students with positive learning environments. Knowing that we may have
contributed to the failure of our academic environment is the most soul-sucking
feeling. And, this feeling of failure
often means teachers are reluctant to ask for help . . . After all, who wants
to tell their principal, “Hey, I’m really not doing so well at this teaching
thing.”
So, what do you do when you feel “trapped” by that hour a day you spend
with the most out-of-control class on the planet? Here
are a few suggestions:
1.
First, shake off (as best you can) those
feelings of failure. EVERY teacher has been where you are. And, if they claim they haven’t; they are
liars (big ones). As Scarlet O’Hara said, “Tomorrow is another day.” You can’t
change what has happened in your classroom, but you can work to be a positive
force of change in your classroom. The desire to change and taking action to
change are the two most important and meaningful steps you can make when you’re
in a failing situation.
2.
Read the Essential 55 by Ron Clark and
implement the rules and consequences appropriate to your classroom. Possible
risks: the students balk the rules and you are spending a lot of time calling
parents and meting out consequences. But, it works, and you have a running
classroom again. I’ve never had the Essential 55 fail me, and I’ve been
in some tough environments. It does
take a lot of time, so it isn’t my favorite choice (but, dude it works).
3.
Require the students to stop the task they are
assigned, and run your class like a very strict, traditional, core-academic,
class. Possible Risks: the students
complain and refuse to do the assigned work and you have lots of defiance
issues. You spend a lot of time calling parents and meting out consequences. It
doesn’t work, and you are back to square one.
4.
Remind the students of your rules and expectations.
Recognize the students whom consistently follow these procedures by allowing
them to use nicer tools and/or materials. DONOT GIVE OUT CANDY ETC. Giving out
candy often causes students to believe that good behavior should be earned by
the teacher, and they will not behave unless you offer them a treat; you do not
want to begin that (especially in a failing situation). Possible risks: Students
do not care about getting to use special materials and/or make fun of those who
do. Students whom do not get to use
special materials balk and attempt to engage you by arguing about their
worthiness which wastes your time and increases your need to mete out
consequences and call parents.
5.
Identify the main disciplinary persons
contributing to your situation. Warn them if they don’t change, they will be
assigned a different task (something really unpleasant). If they don’t change
(they most likely will not as nothing has been working thus far), move them to
a new seat, give them an alternative assignment, and continue to do fun and
pleasant activities with the students whom are behaving. You will eventually
have full tables of “alternative assignment” students. Let your administration
know about this plan; let them know that for students whom refuse to do the
work, you will be following the next step in your consequence plan. Most
principals will be on-board with you (after all, you are working to solve the
situation). Call the “alternative assignment” students’ guardians, and tell
them about the situation. Let parents know that until you see a full day of
appropriate behavior, the students will continue to do the alternative
assignment. Possible risks: The “alternative
assignment” students refuse to do the work, and you have defiance issues.
Follow the next step in your consequence plan for these students. You spend a
lot of time calling parents and meting out consequences.
6.
Get support from your administration. You can
invite an administrator to observe the class and ask for feedback after. You
can ask an administrator to drop in and back you up as you tell the class how
they need to shape up (be specific), and cite specific consequences for
non-compliance (be specific). Possible risks:
You may not have a compassionate or present principal. You may get
feedback you don’t want to hear (but probably still need to hear). You spend
time calling parents and meting out consequences.
You may have noticed that in every situation I’ve cited that you will
spend time calling parents and meting out consequences. When you are in a failing situation, you need
to set and/or re-set boundaries. Students often don’t like new boundaries;
after all, they were getting to behave however they wanted under the previous
set of circumstances. Setting and re-setting boundaries takes time, effort, and
constant vigilance. Make peace with the
added time you will need to spend in talking to parents and students about
behavior; in the long run it will pay off.
I want to share with you a failing situation of my own. I think we too
often observe one another on the internet and think, “Wow. I wish I could be
like him/her. I bet s/he never fails/messes-up/has-this-problem like me.” Look, I’m 9 years into this Art teaching game,
and I’m learning new things every single day. I was once told that it takes
five years of active teaching for a person to really know what they are doing
inside the classroom. If you had told me that in my third year of teaching I
would have said this was untrue (I was hubristic). But, now, half-way through
my 9th year, I wonder if maybe (just maybe) I’ll know what I’m doing
at year 15. This job is tough. Never doubt it.
________________________________
My Story of Failure
I teach two classes of 7th grade students; I see them during
4th and 5th period. My 4th period class has 46
students, and the class runs smoothly. Sure, it is challenging; there are 46
students and they are (insane) 7th graders, but the class still
runs.
My 5th period class has 43 students, and it is horrific. The
kids yell, they run around, they horseplay, they refuse to work, they talk when
I talk, they don’t listen to directions, they defy every consequence . . .
About the only thing they don’t do is listen. I was absent last month for three
days to attend a professional conference. My substitute (a retired, veteran,
Title I teacher of 30+ years) walked out of the school during the 5th
period class and refused to return. My principal had to teach 5th
period when I was absent, and even she had problems with them. The week before
Thanksgiving one student even stabbed another student (with no provocation) with
a pencil until the student bled. When I tell my husband stories about this class
he says, “Are you teaching people or feral cats!?”
In short, it is insane. After this experience, I feel Navy Seal training
probably (and should if it doesn’t) involves being trapped in a hostile
environment for long durations of time. It is really stressful. On Tuesday, the
class was up to its usual antics, and something in me just snapped. I don’t
know that they were doing anything above what they normally do (don’t do), but
I had had enough. I pushed the “panic button” in my classroom and asked for an
administrator to come to my room. I very rarely use my panic button. So, when I
push it, I get results.
A few minutes later, Ms. Tyler* arrived at my door. I stood in the
doorway and whispered, “I just need you to back me up.” She grinned and nodded.
I proceeded to address the class and state what was wrong with the status quo,
and how I expected it to change. I outlined the repercussions for
non-compliance. Ms. Tyler then spoke up and backed up everything I said. She
turned to leave the room and gave me a reassuring wink. Once she was about two-three
steps away from the door, my students started complaining and yelling things
like, “We ain’t gotta listen to her. She can’t do nothing to us!? “ Etc. etc.
Ms. Tyler overheard the students, and rushed back into my classroom.
She gave me a steely look and said, “Gather the students who always behave and
y’all go to a computer lab. I’m going to run your class.” I selected nine
students and we went and finished out the period playing Art games on the
computer. When I returned to my classroom, the rest of the students were still present
. . . Along with all three of my school administrators (including my
principal). It took all three administrators to subdue the students. The
students were silent. My principal looked at me and said, “Ms. Z. we are going
to teach your 5th period for the rest of this week. They will report
to another classroom and we will have them write assignments about how we
expect students at our school to behave.”
And then, she dismissed the (very forlorn looking) students.
My principal made a phone recording and had it call out to the homes of
all of the non-compliant students. I’ve also had to call several homes as not
all parents have responded favorably to their student being removed (albeit
temporarily) from class. I don’t mind as spending time talking to parents as it
is a major part of getting your class back on track. My principal has taught the
non-compliant students during fifth period yesterday and today. The students
are really, really, really bummed about not being able to come to Art. Every
time they see me in the hallway, they are full of regret. Word on the street is
that they spent an hour yesterday writing “I will respect my Art teacher” 200
times on a sheet of notebook paper.
To top it all off, my principal called me at home on Tuesday night and
asked me, “You are still coming to school tomorrow, right?!” She then went on to reassure me that I was a
good teacher, told me that she was happy to support me, and stated how much she
values me as a teacher. Wow. I’ve never had a phone call like that. I felt so
supported and empowered. It also motivated me, and made want to work harder to
fix the situation (she’s a good leader like that).
I’ve been teaching the compliant 5th period students (all
nine of them) during 5th period. They are loving life right
now. One of them asked, “When does
everyone else return to class?” I replied, “Monday.” The student sighed and
said, “Man. Only one more day in paradise!”
Honestly, though, I expect things will be different come Monday. . .
And, I’m excited to get back on track and maybe have a big ole slice of 5th
period paradise. Or, you know, just normal 7th grade madness. I’m
not picky.
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