Field Reflection

Elizabeth Smith
April 14, 2015

Field Experience Classroom Questions
In my current field experience classroom, I witness my teacher integrating arts on a
regular basis. On one specific occasion in science, I watched students design an animal
adaptation model using clean trash. In the weeks leading up to this project, students studied
multiple animal adaptations and how ecosystems allow certain adaptations. On the days of the
project, the teacher gave students the freedom to choose their animals, what materials best
represent the adaptation, and the tools that would piece the trash together (stick glue, hot glue,
tape, string, etc.). After all the students had created their pieces, they were given the chance to
present their animal adaptation to the class. It was very interesting to see how students
approached the project. For example, some students simply made animals, some students
included ecosystems, and I even watched one group create an animal costume for a red hawk.
In a discussion with my teacher, she explained that she is greatly interested in literacy
desiring, which when translated to the arts means seeing how materials act upon a person and
how a person acts upon a material. For the animal designs, she explained that she is always
looking to see how students engage with the materials to make meaning. That being said, I would
say that the big idea of this lesson would be adaptation due to the animals adaptation but also to
our world adapting to overconsumption (through recycling). They used their understanding of the
actual animal adaptations to demonstrate their visual understanding of the adaptations. One
suggestion I would add to improve this lesson even more is showing students artists that use
trash for their material such as Vic Muniz. I would also allow more time for students to reflect on
how the material interacts with the animals they create.
I have also watched her in person (and through twitter) partner with a Kindergarten
teacher to bring more arts into the classroom. She explained that they come together at the
beginning of the year to decide upon several artists they hope their students can learn about
(Georgia OKeefe, Henry Matice, Pollock, etc.). Over several weeks each individual classroom
then studies the artists by observing their work in picture books, researching their typical form,
and researching the life of that artist. Once both classes are caught up, they then come together
to create a piece based on the style of their artist. An example piece can be found below:
Elizabeth Smith
April 14, 2015
Art Classroom Observation
On April 8, 2015 I had the pleasure of observing student teacher Ms. B teach a group of
second graders at Mary Paxton Keeley Elementary School. The host art specialist was Ms. S and
the second grade students were the same students from my regular field experience classroom.
Overall I would say the classroom atmosphere was interesting and inviting. There was one
bulletin board completely full of student art pieces that students made at home, ribbons draped
across the ceiling, various country flags, a small library, massive grape clusters hanging from the
ceiling made out of paper mache, and stacks of organized art supplies
The lesson Ms. B taught dealt with identity, silhouettes, and contrasting colors. Ms. B
began the lesson by asking students what they thought a silhouette was. A few students offered
responses such as a picture of someone and Ms. B extended their statements by explaining that
a silhouette usually is a black picture of someone or something with colors surrounding it. She
then showed a list of objects on the front board which read Put favorite things around silhouette:
1. Favorite dessert 2. Favorite sport 3. Favorite sport 4. Favorite animal 5. Favorite person 6.
Favorite pet animal. She read this list to the students and explained that they would be creating
a silhouette and adding five pictures based on this list to surround their silhouette. Following
this, she showed the class a silhouette that she completed, explaining why she put each picture in
her piece.
In a previous class time, the students had a picture taken of themselves. These pictures
were then stapled to a piece of black paper. When students cut out their silhouette from the
picture they would also have a black silhouette cut out. The students then pasted the black
silhouette to a white piece of construction paper using Elmers glue. To color in the background,
students had pencils and a tub of markers to choose from.
In complete honesty, I struggled to see Ms. B offer very many teaching or management
strategies. As a result, the classroom environment was that of mass chaos. Students that I had
never seen act out seemed to take on the persona of wild animals. Ms. B attempted to ask
students questions to guide their artistic thinking both in the whole group and with individual
students. However, I am not certain if student engagement was achieved due to the chaos in the
classroom. I also noticed that when students struggled to draw a particular picture, Ms. B would
actually draw the picture on the students piece for them. In contrast, Ms. S would tell students to
practice on a scrap piece of paper or draw an example for them on a scrap piece of paper. I could
tell that Ms. S was allowing Ms. B an opportunity to manage and teach the class by herself.
From this experience, I gained much respect and empathy for my future art specialist. I
realize now how difficult it is to create a classroom culture that hundreds of students adhere to
when they have different cultures throughout the day. I realize that Ms. B being a student teacher
probably felt a great inability to know all the students and also have presence about her. I can
also appreciate that Ms. S allowed Ms. B to do the dirty work of figuring out how teaching
works. As I enter into my year of student teaching, I realize I too will have lessons that will
sometimes flop but we as teachers must rise from our failures and take on the next task
knowing ability will come in time.

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Elizabeth Smith

April 14, 2015

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