Mobile Learning in the Art Room

 Here are some encouraging reasons why teachers should be prepared to allow (or require!) students to use mobile devices to achieve learning objectives:

• Learning with mobile devices prepares students for the future. Technology is here to stay, and it is only getting more complex and powerful. Having student use mobile devices in schools is therefore, at the very least, relevant to the spirit of our times. Beyond our Zeitgeist, it prepares and educates our children for the future, giving them the tools they need to be successful in an every changing and increasingly complex world. Technology literacy is imperative for their success in future studies and in transitioning into the workplace.

• Learning via mobile devices encourages students to be engaged, active and self-directed learners. Students can easily collaborate with peers, tweet messages about a topic, look up information during a lecture, receive instant feedback on their work, and publish to authentic audiences through blogs. Students build an awareness that learning happens in real-time, in the real world, in accessible and personalized ways. Students build a positive relationship to learning, which is the foundation for sustained curiosity and life-long learning.

• Technology gives students up-to-date information in a world that is fast-paced and constantly changing. Using technology for learning teaches them how to research and find information. With this skill under their belts, their learning and their knowledge become limitless, and they become motivated, self-directed and life-long learners.

• Learning via mobile devices makes learning accessible from anywhere and at any time. This portability, fluidity and flexibility of learning gives students more agency and choice in how, when, where they learn. When learning happens everywhere and at all times, it becomes more engaging, dynamic and authentic.

• Mobile learning is a useful tool for differentiating instruction. When learning happens via mobile technology, it happens anywhere, anytime and in an infinite variety of ways. Mobile device learning allows students to learn at their own pace, and according to their varied needs, talents and interests.

• Mobile learning kicks learning up a notch. Educational apps are available in a wide range of subjects for all kinds of learners. The interactive, game-like characteristics of apps encourage playful competition among students, while enhancing the way they learn new ideas. Students become engaged, curious, active participants in their learning.

• When students learning via mobile devices, teachers are relieved of the arcane role of lecturer at the front of the class. Instead, teachers become facilitators of their students’ education. This new role allows teachers more quality time with each student.

• School-issued personal iPad devices, which allow students to access their school’s comprehensive learning platform and all their personal files and folders with a swipe of a finger, makes lugging heavy books around obsolete, as well as keeping their work and their learning neat, organized, accessible and archived. Everything a student needs to be successful at school is carried in one, easy-to carry device.  Better organization leads to more efficient and more effective learning. 

3 Mobile Learning Activities for Visual Arts

Digital Portfolios

Working with my students to maintain a digital portfolio of their artwork is at the forefront of the mobile learning activities I hope to undertake with my future art students. This is a broad mobile activity, that students develop and build on over time. For the art students, digital portfolios have many crosscutting benefits, which are of value to teachers, students and parents alike.

Below are a few key facts which indicate why digital portfolios a good exercise:

·      Digital portfolios:

• provide students with a web-based space to collect their work, which may be particularly useful for the serious art student or art major who will be applying to art school.

• are an efficient and effective tool for archiving work. This is particularly useful for artwork that may be otherwise difficult or impossible to archive in traditional ways due to size, format, installation or materials used.

• provide a narrative of learning, which shows progression, growth and achievement over time.

• show children that their art and effort is valued.

• keep student artwork organized and accessible for a lifetime that will leave a legacy of learning for the students years after they have left the classroom.

• allow students to independently document their learning and upload their work directly to their digital portfolio, giving them pride in their portfolios and empowering their learning.

• build a connection to the art room and home – parents can view, ‘like’, comment and see background and process information of their child’s art.

• are accessible anywhere and are therefore a great asset to parent-teacher conferences, student-led conferences or for future employers.

• give students an authentic audience (peers, parents and global classrooms), encouraging better work and real feedback. 

Flipping the Classroom

A flipped classroom inverts the traditional classroom model of presenting materials to the whole class before settling into classwork and them demonstrating their knowledge through homework. In a flipped classroom students can consume class materials at home at their own pace, whether these be lectures, videos, slideshows or demos. It is beneficial for different learner types as students may rewatch or review the materials as many times as they need, and can come to class the next day prepared with the information (and questions) they need into order to begin digging deeper into the concept. In class the teacher can focus her time on working with the varying learning needs of individual students.

Flipping the classroom is an optimal model to use in the art room. A significant portion of my class time is spent introducing students to new artists, artistic movements, and showing slideshows of artist works. I also commit a lot of class time to introducing students to new materials, explaining the characteristics and virtues of specific mediums, and going over safety measures for using certain tools. All of this information could easily be done in a flipped model, leaving the entirely of our class time to engaging in active art making. The flipped model allows me to spend valuable class time overseeing my student’s application of knowledge and techniques, and make corrections and adjustments to their learning where necessary, working with each student individually, and supporting them in becoming self-directed learners.

IPad Art Making Apps

iPads are powerful tools for art making and can inspire creativity and spark innovation in the classroom and beyond.  Teaching kids about art and art making through exploration of traditional media and processes has staying value. The tactile experience of getting messy in the art room while making art with traditional materials such as clay, charcoal, paint and pencils offers a rewarding kinesthetic experience, and is fun and exciting, but it has its limitations. Coupling this experience with digital art making tools, however, can present students with a richer learning experience, providing them with infinite opportunities for exploration. This can inspire new artistic responses and expand students’ creative and innovative capacities. 

Using digital devices, students can experience using tools, techniques and mediums otherwise off limits or inaccessible to traditional school art rooms due to cost, complexity or health hazard – these might include animation, claymation, virtual reality design or graffiti painting. With digital painting and drawing apps, students can explore multiple brush and drawing techniques and processes without having to commit to the heady investment in the full range of materials.  Mistakes can be easily erased which boosts confidence and encourages risk-taking. Creative experiments can be easily undertaken without fear of failure or expense. Exploration becomes exciting, freeing and self-directed. Digital tools can easily link a broad and diverse mix of media together to create deeply rich art making experiences while growing literacies in multiple media. 

This expansion of one’s creative ‘tool box’ aligns with 21st century learners, in that it supports innovative and creative thinking, encourages flexibility and experimentation, and satisfies the interests and skills levels of diverse learners.

Sources:

4 Benefits of Having Mobile Technology in the Classroom. Securedge Networks. Retrieved July 5, 2017 from http://www.securedgenetworks.com/blog/4-Benefits-of-having-mobile-technology-in-the-classroom

Digital Portfolios for Any Classroom. Retrieved July 4, 2017 from https://web.seesaw.me/learn-more/

Guymon, Dave. ‘4 Free Web Tool For Student Portfolios’. Edutopia. Retrieved July 4 from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/web-tools-for-student-portfolios-dave-guymon

Hare, Tracy. ‘The Best App for Student-Directed Digital Portfolios’ The Art of Education. Retrieved July 4. 2017 from ‘https://www.theartofed.com/2015/11/05/the-best-app-for-self-directed-digital-portfolios/

Hunt, Cathy. ‘iPad Apps, Lessons and Ideas for Art-Making’. Retrieved July 5, 2017 from http://www.ipadartroom.com/apps-lessons/page/2/

Mihai, Livia. ‘8 Flipped Classroom Benefits For Students And Teachers’. Retrieved July 4, 2017 from

https://elearningindustry.com/8-flipped-classroom-benefits-students-teachers

 

Cognitive Flow Reflection

The magical sphere of cognitive flow is a place of deep, intense learning. Those of us fortunate enough to have entered this sphere can relate to that lightness of being, that near out of body experience where existence, time and thought appear to be temporarily suspended, giving way to unfettered, effortless, spontaneous experience – and learning.

As an artist and art teacher it’s not surprising that I experience cognitive flow most intensely while painting or drawing, although I also experience it while engaged in other creative, hands-on activities such as cooking and sewing. For me, the starting point for entering this place is that the activity is chosen by me. I’m pretty sure I could never enter this state while solving math problems, or translating a text, not only because these activities are too left brained oriented, and I’m more of a right brained thinker, but also because math and translation are not passions of mine. Inherent in getting here, is that the activity is one in which I already have a foundation of experience and skill, and certainly a strong passion or interest. Once engaged in my chosen activity for a period of time, and if the conditions are right, I notice that the rest of the world falls away, and with it all the thoughts, inhibitions and worries that come with consciousness. The lightness of being experienced here can be compared to being in a Zen or meditative state where one is fully and authentically concentrated and immersed in a single activity. It is almost as though my paintbrush or pencil is moving on its own. I can see my hand moving but I scarcely feel my mind directing my hand. 

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says flow is an optimal place for learning to happen because it is intrinsically problem-based. See his TedTalk speech here. We problem-solve, think critically, develop ideas and build knowledge of how things work, which techniques or choices are successful and which are not. Learning is maximized in this sphere, says Csikszentmihalyi, because we are intrinsically empowered and motivated, fully unfettered by time constraints, and feel we are part of something larger and deeply meaningful. Essentially, we experience doing something for its own sake. Learning therefore happens here because the process feels effortless, intrinsically and purposefully connected to oneself, uninterrupted, relaxed, efficient and meaningful. Csikszentmihalyi also says that  cognitive flow is  intrinsically motivating because the responsibility to learn in this state of flow lies with us alone, making us active agents in our learning and motivating us to keep learning and moving higher in our learning. See the Edutopia article here. Motivated by this experience, we build increasingly higher skills and continue to build and developed deep understanding of our activity. 

The education and game developer James Paul Gee discusses this phenomenon of motivation through flow when playing games, and highlights the imperative of problem-solving as a key factor in reaching flow:  gamers are given a problem, they practice over and over, they learn the routine knowledge and enter into flow, and are then given a new problem which encourage them to continue to develop skills and solve problems. See his Youtube video here. Gee says that learning is at its best when it is ‘pleasantly frustrating’ – in other words, when there is a challenge, but you know that with concerted effort and problem solving, you can reach your goals. The problem-solving element is that which motivates us to keep going, and which ultimately envelopes us in this flow state. 

It is precisely these elements of challenge, solving problems, building skills, seeing results, and feeling that you are achieving you goals while doing something you love that bring us into a flow state. Painting for me is precisely this.  I have a long-term goal and aspiration, yet there are dozens of obstacles along the way that require my utmost attention, critical and creative thinking and problem solving skills. These challenges, along with the development of skills and knowledge, keep me hooked, while the awareness that I’m making progress and reaching my goals motivates me to continue…until someone interrupts me and snaps me out of this magical place.

Sources:

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, 'Flow, the Secret the Happiness'. Retrieved July 1 from https://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, 'Motivating People to Learn'. Retrieved July 1 from https://www.edutopia.org/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-motivating-people-learn

James Paul Gee, 'Principles of Gaming'. Retrieved July 1 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aQAgAjTozk

Teacher Evaluation Systems

1. AFT Evaluation System

The AFT designs comprehensive, forward-thinking and relevant teacher evaluations that protect the profession of teaching while ensuring the highest quality of learning for students. A critical characteristic of this system is that evaluations are not punitive, rather they are seen as allies to teachers, with the goal of helping teachers grow, developing and improve. 

Key components in this system:  

1. Communicating to teachers what professional teaching standards should look like and how to achieve them, and promoting an understanding of what good teaching practices are;
2. Considering multiple and diverse evidence of a teacher’s performance, with consideration for the scoring and weight of evaluation criteria, so teachers are evaluated broadly and regularly;
3. Communicating the purpose, guidelines, goals and focus areas of evaluations, so teacher are informed and aware of the what to expect;
4. Consideration for the professional context, the teaching and the learning environment within which a teacher works, so evaluations are relevant and sensitive to individual teachers;
5. The continuous provision of strong support for teachers including high quality professional development, feedback, mentoring and coaching.

The fair and transparent nature of this type of teacher evaluation communicates to teachers that the purpose of the evaluation is to support their teaching and help them improve the knowledge, skills and practices necessary for their profession. 

2. NEA Evaluation System

The NEA is similar to the AFT teacher evaluation system in that it seeks to enhance the teaching practice by focusing on facilitating effective teaching which will make it possible to improve student learning while strengthening a teacher’s commitment to her profession.

The NEA and AFT are strongly aligned in the areas outlined above (see AFT), with NEA stressing a focus on two additional areas:

a. Teacher input in setting and determining learning outcomes to be evaluated, and;

b. Involvement of local teacher associations in the creation and design of evaluations.

The addition of these ‘no one size fits all’ approaches ensures that evaluations are fair, balanced, and mindful of the diverse and changing local contexts and the political realities within which individual teachers work.

3. TVAAS Evaluation System

The Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) is an evaluation system, which measures student growth, not student proficiency. Understanding the impact schools and teachers have on their students' academic progress allows TVAAS to identify best practices and implement programs that meet the needs of students.

TVAAS provides two types of information:

1. Backwards-looking ‘value-added’ or growth data, analyzes data from previous years to evaluate how much students have gained in a school year. Value-added is a statistical analysis used to measure the impact of districts, schools and teachers on the academic progress rates of groups of students from year-to-year. The ‘value added’ lens of measuring student learning provides educators with valuable information to ensure they are meeting the academic needs of cohorts of students, as well as individual students.
2. Forward-looking projection data uses already analyzed data to help schools make informed, data-driven decisions about where to focus resources and consider intervention planning.

Unlike the first two evaluation systems, TVAAS prioritizes data analysis to understand student growth and makes decisions and allocation of resources dependent on the analysis of this information. The role of teachers is not central to this evaluation system. While all three systems put the interests of students and the quality of learning at the forefront, the first two have a stronger focus on individual teachers and on strengthening the quality of teaching, as a means to improving overall educational quality for all students.

Evaluations in my clinical practice:

The 12-week clinical teaching period was an intense time with countless opportunities to demonstrate my professional growth and development. My mentor and I worked closely each week to create rewarding, challenging and growth oriented opportunities for me. Thanks to these regular feedback sessions, I quickly understood what expectations my mentor had of me. Close communication with my mentor helped my understand where I needed to perform, improve and reflect on my practice, so that I could continue to improve and grow while feeling successful in my evaluations.

Below are some of the areas I felt I should be evaluation are:

1. The ability to back up my curricular and teaching choices, when asked. This proves that my lesson planning and teaching is reflective, purposeful and well thought-through.
2. Having a back-up plan. This shows that I am flexible, creative, and can think on my feet.
3. Organization and preparation. This demonstrates my pre-planning skills and attention to detail and time.
4. Self-reflective and open to criticism. This demonstrates my growth mind-set and my strong desire to improve and grow in my profession.
5. Regularly checking for understanding reinforcing lessons or reteaching lessons. This shows my dedication to student learning and understanding, and demonstrates my knowledge about how learning happens.
6. My impact on student academic growth. This explores the direct connections that my teaching strategies, approach and my curricular choices have on student learning.
7. Classroom culture, respect for students and student engagement. This shows how my character, my tone, my relationship with students, and my rules and procedures all influence the overall social, learning and cultural climate in my classroom.
8. Ongoing reflection and communication with my mentor. This demonstrates my commitment to learning and growing in my profession.
9. Demonstration and evidence of using and understanding pedagogical strategies, such as: how I’m engaging students; question types (open-ended, questions encouraging deeper learning); giving thinking time; differentiation techniques; awareness of multiple intelligences - variety and options in learning (think-pair-share, jig-saw, PBL); Bloom’s taxonomy (how learning happens and higher learning). 
10. My professionalism. This demonstrates my ability to prioritize and remain committed to the profession, my students, parents and the school while upholding the overall integrity of my profession.

Sources:

Teacher Development and Evaluation. Retrieved June 18 from https://www.aft.org/position/teacher-development-and-evaluation

 NEA. Teacher Evaluation: A Resource Guide for National Education Association Leaders and Staff.pdf

TVAAS. Reports. Retrieved June 18 from https://tvaas.sas.com/welcome.html?as=c

Pre-Assessment for Differentiation

Grade 4 students are beginning a unit on contemporary Brazilian-American pop-artist Romero Britto. In order to evaluate his work and style, students will inquire into the elements of art and design which make up his art. Later in the unit students will create their own Britto-inspired artwork and are expected to carefully plan and develop their piece with close consideration for art and design elements. They will be expected to defend their choices.

For this pre-assessment, students are given a question-and-answer quiz with 10 questions on art and design elements, as well as fundamental art development concepts.

Play the quiz here. 

Based on results from the quiz, students are split into three groups based on prior knowledge, and will be given activities and assessments which are differentiated to their needs.

For more information on differentiation strategies, activities and assessments, see this lucidchart.

A. Differentiation strategy for student with strong prior knowledge

Using personal iPads, students sit on the plush pillows in the corner of the room and individually use the interactive iPad App 'Explain Everything' to analyze their choice of a Romero Britto painting using Elements of Art and Principles of Design. Arrows and text are selected and drawn to point out and define examples of elements. Student must each identify at least 3 principle of art and 3 elements of art. A definition list is provided for assistance. Students must also analyze Britto’s use of color. Color charts around the room may be referenced for this purpose. Students then compare with partners, and collaborate to add more elements where necessary. 

Partners then use the record feature to audio record one another reviewing their partners’ work. This encourages students to review and assess one another's work and provide feedback, while practicing the art of communicating about a work of art. Once both partners have recorded their audio, students may continue to play with the ‘Explain Everything’ App to draw on an uploaded photo of their choice.

Innovative differentiation strategies used for this group:

Peer collaboration and assessment; communicating about an artwork; problem-solving and creative exploration using technology; evaluation of an artwork; use of technical vocabulary; resource use for research; choice in choosing artwork for analysis (based on interest).

Assessments used to track student learning:

1. Completed assessment on 'Explain Everything' iPad App showing a. Proper use of technical vocabulary and identification of key concepts
 b. Peer evaluation discussing the artwork


2. Teacher will also circulate throughout and ask open-ended questions, monitor independent work, and monitor peer collaboration. Teacher will give one-on-one feedback periodically to assess understanding.

B. Differentiation strategy for students with some prior knowledge

Students in this group have demonstrated strong understanding of the concepts presented in the pre-assessment, but need further practice and review. 

In 4 teams of 3, students work at the two computers at the back of the room (2 teams per computer) and play elements and principles of art jeopardy. Concepts covered in this game are: elements, design, color wheel, design chart and color challenge. Students work collaboratively with their team peers to correctly answer the jeopardy questions. Students have as reference an element and principles of art poster to assist them. Students may choose so start out selecting the questions at the top row, which are easier, and graduate, select and answer more challenging questions for more points. This allows students to build up their skill level while providing them with continuous challenge. The timed element of this game encourages team members to cooperate efficiently in finding the correction answer. The element of competition is exciting and keeps the students highly engaged. The team with the most points is the winning team. 

At the end of the first round of games, the two winning teams challenge each other to another game for 1^st and 2^nd place, and two losing teams compete for 3^rd and 4^th place.

The first place winning team is given a reward (3-D stickers for their sketchbooks). The rewards system encourages students to do their best.

Innovative differentiation strategies used for this group:

Peer collaboration; element of competition built into to tasks; tasks with increased difficulty; rewards system; resource use for self-directed research; choice in questions (based on interest and ability).


Assessments used to track student learning:

1. Elements of Principles of Art Game (Jeopardy) demonstrating 

a. Answer response to question prompts
 b. Score indicating level of difficulty achieved.

2. Teacher will also circulate through to to assess student understanding and collaboration. Teacher will give one-on-one feedback periodically to assess understanding.

C. Differentiation strategy for students with limited prior knowledge

The students in this group are given a color wheel worksheet to fill out. Students work together to complete this wheel, and may reference wall posters and reference materials around the room to assist them. This activity asks students to collaborate, problem-solve and research information in order to complete a task. The teacher circulates regularly to this group to ask open-ended questions and monitor student progress.

Students are then handed a principle of art worksheet with colorful visuals defining the various elements. The teacher discusses these with the students. All students actively participate in this activity to give the teacher an idea of progress and understanding. Students are asked individually and as a group to point out elements of art and design in selected paintings that the teacher has printed out or shows from books, including some by Britto, our featured artist for the upcoming unit. Students are encouraged to help one another answer the questions when and if it is answered incorrectly. This encourages students to communicate their thinking with one another, and go deeper in their learning and analysis. 

Once the teacher feels comfortable about the students general understanding of the basics principles, students are asked to walk around the room with clipboards and to fill out a principles of art and design worksheet. Student must draw examples of the principle of art or design in the appropriate box next to the definition, and indicate where their inspiration came from (a section of a poster; a brick in the wall, scribbles on the chalkboard, a view out the window). Students then compare with a partner (in 2s and 3s) before sharing as a whole group. 

Innovative differentiation strategies used for this group:

Peer collaboration for problem-solving; researching information; verbal and visual evaluations of concepts; using technical vocabulary; peer assessment; evaluating artwork.

Assessments used to track student learning:


1. Color Wheel Worksheet
 demonstrating  understanding of color, color relations and color mixing.  

2. Teacher-led group activity/discussion where students identify art and design elements in artwork.

3. Principle of Design Worksheet

 demonstrating understanding of vocabulary and concepts. 

3. Teacher circulates and monitors group and individual work. Students are regularly engaged with open-ended questions. Teacher will give one-on-one feedback periodically to assess understanding.