A Summer At IS183: Reflection: End of 3rd Week at IS183

End of 3rd Week at IS183 (Mad Hatter’s camp: 11-14 yr olds: Ben and Dina as art teachers)

So this week’s theme has been “Mad Hatter,” and it incorporates ceramics (tea/dinner party) and (stop motion with props and costumes/clay-mation) animation, with quirkiness all throughout! This week’s camp is actually a 2-week long program, ending next Friday with their art show: a huge “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party Happening” of an event. The program also has two teachers, which is new for me; Ben is the ceramics studio (manager), and Dina is the animation studio teacher.

It’s also been really neat to work with a slightly older age group this week; it’s amazing how mature some of these students are, and they aren’t even “actual” teenagers yet. They all also love art, so what’s funny is they have been complaining about how long lunch is every day (just an hour!), and they always work through lunch… They can’t wait to get (back) to their work!

I’ve also had more experience with different learning types; our group has a student with Asberger’s (“J.”), as well as a student who is very introverted and overwhelmed by groups (“A.”). What’s so great is that these two students were practically best friends by the third class day; they both have been filming stop-motion animations with Legos, and they both play the same video games at home. They have long conversations about the interests they share, and are also actively interacting with the rest of the class now, too! (Not to mention we have one particular student – student “C.” – who really enjoys talking. She talks to everyone about everything, and asks you questions about yourself all the time. She’s fantastic at keeping the group “united,” and at keeping our other, occasionally more withdrawn, students engaged as well! I remember students like her growing up, as I was always one of the more quiet and introverted students, myself. At first, students like her would scare me, but eventually I just got used to all of their talking, and then ultimately I would join in. I see the same things happening with students J. and A., and I am so grateful for student C.! It also makes me want to go back and thank all the students like her that I encountered growing up…)

In my Monday night class this week, I also figured out a few important things:

-It’s important to always keep your class/lesson’s goal at the core of your plans and actions…

-…But giving students time to ABSORB and to FINISH ALL THEY START is also important… We need “input time” as well as “output time” to be successfully creative and original in our thinking

-And most importantly, we must CELEBRATE our goals and completed work!! This could be through an art show or another type of display- and one that is really creative, and well thought out in itself

And just today, I had a few more “revelations” while the students were taking their (short and/or voluntarily working) lunch break:

-The “mindset” of teaching should not be “having total control…” Otherwise, students and I won’t grow or adapt or take risks…

-The feeling of the room should be “let it be as it will be…” Focus on objectives at all times, but be flexible, harnessing and taking advantage of exploration, “happy mistakes,” and surprises that may come your way…

-The classroom is a living organism, moving and changing, but still “obeying the necessary laws to live and sustain…” It’s a dynamic structure that deserves respect like any other living thing. The “class” is a unit, this way.

-The classroom isn’t as scary to me now! I’m recognizing that it’s just organic, and that’s okay. It’s natural when it’s that way, and it allows students to learn naturally, according to each of their needs.

Observing at BCD yesterday (the 5-7 year olds, clay and nature object sculptures, teacher is Fey), I noticed:

-Fey gets down to their level to talk to them and ask questions about their work (sits at the table in “their-size” chair)

-Fey comes over to each student when they have a question (doesn’t answer them by shouting across the room)

-“Hand Clap Rhythms” used to get class’s attention: works, and also provides a rhythm and repetition element for the students to return to all week

-Fey tells students what she likes about their work and asks how they did it/made it that way

-All students’ work = “beautiful!” (It makes me wonder if there is ever really an age limit that that should “change,” or not be the initial reaction- i.e. “compliment sandwich” theory…)

-If one student makes a mistake, instead of singling them out, Fey says, “Class, let’s try and remember to…” or “____, did you forget to ____? Yes? Well, then let’s ____ to fix it…” (This makes “fixing the problem” a class and/or teacher-student effort, instead of all on the shoulders of one student)

-Class boxes/cubbies for each student to collect their week’s projects (nice organization tool, and when it’s really full, it must make the students feel good to look at it)

-SIMPLE PROJECTS that still allow for some individual expression (something to consider when making edits to my Enchanted Garden lesson plan… Same age group is what I’m working with, there)

-Workspace is closed off to keep the class from wandering, and to provide a cozy, sacred space for creating. (It also allows for a student who might not feel well to rest in another area, with an aid, as was happening when I visited.)

-Fey’s tone was always light and friendly, even when “dealing with a problem,” and even at the very end of the day when everyone was tired (which, I would guess, is one of the most important types of times to remain light and friendly)!

And last but not least, I GOT TO MAKE A STOP MOTION ANIMATION, TOO! I will see if I can get a copy of the video file to put up here… And maybe copies of the other students’ works as well! It would be awesome to have that here for you to see.