Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Photography Module Project (Before)
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| "Ego Alley" in Annapolis, Maryland |
My topic is “Ego Alley” in Annapolis , Maryland Annapolis
After selecting a final shot I sat down to
spend some time editing the photograph. I had to really analyze the picture and
think about what could make it more special to someone who has never had the
chance to view this area of Annapolis
Photography Module Project (After)
After some time well spent my work is complete. Below you can view my finished product for this module. You are able to see the original photograph I captured and read my commentary above. What does this photograph mean to you? Enjoy!
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| "Ego Alley" in Annapolis, Maryland |
Thoughts on Graphic Arts & Photography (Part II)
In this second week of the module I have had some more time to reflelct on the subjects of graphic arts and photography and how they relate to my own teaching. It is my job to create activities for my student that are compelling enough to lend themselves to memorable experiences. I strive for comprehension and retention of the material. Like a photographer, I utilize specific tools to modify my lessons in order to make them more concise and appealing to my students. I put in a great amount of effort to create a lesson design that fits the diverse needs of my learners. With this in mind, I must first think about the objective I need to teach. Then, I must consider how to present this objective in a way that engages students with the material. A photographer gauges the overall quality of their photographs based on the reactions they receive from the audience, but not everyone reacts to images in the same way. This is also true of my language arts lessons. Each student reacts differently to the lessons I present. I can tell if my lesson is successful or not based on the types of discussions that stem from the teaching and the overall level of student involvement during my small group meetings.
Now I will shift my thinking as I discuss how I can actually use images in my teaching. As mentioned in my previous post, I use photographs quite often as a added visual for my ELL population. Pictures adorn the wall of my classroom. Students who have limited background knowledge benefit from photographs in language arts as well as social studies. An author tries to paint a picture with their words, but sometimes this is not enough. These students are still mastering the language, and need to actually see a visual representation of the unfamiliar word as well as hear it out loud. I must be mindful of choosing the right image to present. I carefully select images to use during my lessons that will draw attention to the term or concept I am reviewing, as to not take away from the lesson as a whole. In addition to this, I have also used photographs to inspire student writing. At times I will display an image related to a topic I want to discuss and instruct students to free write about the image. It can be anything from a firefighter saving a building burning, to a lush tropical landscape. They use this visual to express their feelings about the subject, and then this leads me into my whole class discussion.
Overall, teachers work much like photographers as they try and achieve the right presentation. You may only get one shot at teaching a lesson, but you can go back and tweak the design as you improve the content for your specific group of learners. A teacher must have passion, patience, and time when creating lessons. These are all traits that photographers also encompass. They must keep their eyes open for students who are struggling, and take action as needed. Working through this module has made me realize how much these two professions are aligned (to a certain degree). As I continue on with my work this year, I will keep these important comparisons in mind for the benefit of my students.
Now I will shift my thinking as I discuss how I can actually use images in my teaching. As mentioned in my previous post, I use photographs quite often as a added visual for my ELL population. Pictures adorn the wall of my classroom. Students who have limited background knowledge benefit from photographs in language arts as well as social studies. An author tries to paint a picture with their words, but sometimes this is not enough. These students are still mastering the language, and need to actually see a visual representation of the unfamiliar word as well as hear it out loud. I must be mindful of choosing the right image to present. I carefully select images to use during my lessons that will draw attention to the term or concept I am reviewing, as to not take away from the lesson as a whole. In addition to this, I have also used photographs to inspire student writing. At times I will display an image related to a topic I want to discuss and instruct students to free write about the image. It can be anything from a firefighter saving a building burning, to a lush tropical landscape. They use this visual to express their feelings about the subject, and then this leads me into my whole class discussion.
Overall, teachers work much like photographers as they try and achieve the right presentation. You may only get one shot at teaching a lesson, but you can go back and tweak the design as you improve the content for your specific group of learners. A teacher must have passion, patience, and time when creating lessons. These are all traits that photographers also encompass. They must keep their eyes open for students who are struggling, and take action as needed. Working through this module has made me realize how much these two professions are aligned (to a certain degree). As I continue on with my work this year, I will keep these important comparisons in mind for the benefit of my students.
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| PGCPS Logo, keeping graphic design in mind |
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Thoughts on Graphic Arts & Photography (Part I)
Photography is indeed an art that takes a fair amount of skill and practice. I recently read through the article "How to Make Great Photographs" and am going to focus on some of the points I agree with. I do not have a high tech digital camera, but with the right angles I am still able to capture some decent shots. I use my camera for many reasons. For example, in the last grad course that I took, I happened to capture several photographs of my students working through various learning tasks in language arts. I did this as a way to document my course work, but this is not the type of photography I prefer.
I enjoy taking photographs when I travel or visit new places. I stop in front of anything different that I see that interests me. I agree with the point that photography is abstract and not every person thinks of, or views images in the same way. An example that reinforces this point is the work that was completed for the first Facebook discussion. Each individual shared a different perspective which was unique to their background knowledge of the select image. The article stated that "Art is the expression of imagination, not the reproduction of reality". In relation to photography this means that you must think outside the box and dare to take risks in your work. Even then, there is no guarantee that anyone else will be captivated by your photograph. This is an art that can be very personal to the author.
I am also thinking about how I can apply this information gained to my own teaching in the classroom. I will admit that I use images and photos each day as a way to support my English Language Learners. Many of my students have limited background knowledge, especially when it comes to the difficult terms in our reading selections. As a way to differentiate, I have asked select students to look up unknown words and then create collages of images to relate to new vocabulary words learned. In addition, I have photos posted on my word wall for future reference of unfamiliar terms. This is a work in progress!
I have taken the time to read through the majority of the articles on photography because this is something that interests me. My next challenge will be to thoughtfully chose a subject for my project. With so many options, making this choice is the most difficult part for me. Once I have chosen a subject I will capture several images in various ways. I plan to examine my work carefully. From there I will try different techniques I have learned in an attempt to manipulate my image in order to make it more compelling in nature.
I enjoy taking photographs when I travel or visit new places. I stop in front of anything different that I see that interests me. I agree with the point that photography is abstract and not every person thinks of, or views images in the same way. An example that reinforces this point is the work that was completed for the first Facebook discussion. Each individual shared a different perspective which was unique to their background knowledge of the select image. The article stated that "Art is the expression of imagination, not the reproduction of reality". In relation to photography this means that you must think outside the box and dare to take risks in your work. Even then, there is no guarantee that anyone else will be captivated by your photograph. This is an art that can be very personal to the author.
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| I do not focus on taking pictures of people, but I love to take pictures of my Molly! |
I have taken the time to read through the majority of the articles on photography because this is something that interests me. My next challenge will be to thoughtfully chose a subject for my project. With so many options, making this choice is the most difficult part for me. Once I have chosen a subject I will capture several images in various ways. I plan to examine my work carefully. From there I will try different techniques I have learned in an attempt to manipulate my image in order to make it more compelling in nature.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Introduction and Aesthetic Modes of Knowing
This year I am teaching a diverse group of forty amazing fifth graders. The subjects of focus are reading, writing, and social studies. The setting is a Title I school in Prince Georges' County. It can be a definite challenge to create innovative lessons which are unique and engaging for my wide variety of learners. To provide you with some background knowledge- many of my students are far below grade level, while others are new language learners from another country (who recently enrolled in our school system). After completing the reading for this week, I have some new ideas which I can relate to my classroom experiences. Writing is a passion of mine, but it can prove to be a very difficult subject to teach young students. This is where Eisner's forms come into the picture. For the first meaning of "form", it was vital for me to teach the basics to my group of learners. They needed to know how to form sentences, compose paragraphs, and write in a way in which their pieces would flow in a logical manner.
Once the basics were down I needed to zone in on the quality of my students' work. This is an ongoing and lengthy process. In his piece Eisner states that "The literary in literature resides in the aesthetic capacities of language to influence our experience" (Learning and Teaching the Ways of Knowing, pg.25). How do I get my students writing on the level of well versed authors? Well of course my students have a long way to go, but I have read some excellent final products at a fifth grade level of writing. This does take great effort, planning, collaboration, and patience on behalf of the teacher and student. I have developed a writer's workshop in my classroom which employs set routines and rituals to enhance the writing experience for my young authors. It also provides more of a focus on the topics we are working on for the week, or just that on that particular day. Some days I read touchstone texts to my students and ask them to describe what they hear, see, and feel. What picture is the author painting with their words? Focusing on sensory language is key.
Eisner writes that " All experience is the product of both the features of the world and the biography of the individual" (pg.25). It is my job to come up with ways to spark my students' interest and make writing personal to them. Another way I have done this is to take time to hold conferences in which I ask students to share their personal experiences with me. Often times we can use these ideas as a beginning point for our writing pieces. Each individual student is essentially the product of their experiences and the world around them. On this note, I have also found it to be helpful to open up the floor to a variety of different discussions on grade level appropriate social issues. These rich discussions serve to give me an idea of where my students stand in terms of their passions and interests. They help me open the door to more abstract writing ideas, which require more of an effort.
On another note, I wanted to touch on one last point that Eisner made in his work- the increase in the focus on standardized tests. I am fairly new to the field (four years experience in a testing grade), but I will say that testing has impacted the majority of experiences in teaching. Without being specifically told, I am basically being instructed to "teach to the test". Yes, I agree that students need to be assessed and teachers need to be held accountable for student learning, but where do we draw the line?
Furthermore, I agree that students should be interested in what they study. Unfortunately, on some days I barely have the instructional time to fully immerse my students in one topic before it is time to teach the next. Eisner states that "The absence of the attention to the aesthetic in the school curriculum is an absence of opportunities to cultivate the sensibilities" (pg.34). Students are less likely to take an active role in their learning if they are disengaged in the material. The same can be said if the teacher seems to be jumping from topic to topic without fully carrying out a complete lesson. Even with this said, I do still have a passion for teaching. While keeping the realities of the profession in mind, I will remain positive while I work with the best interests of my students in mind. With my new knowledge, I will strive to find ways to bring the "aesthetic modes of knowing" into my lessons for the benefit of my unique group of learners.
Once the basics were down I needed to zone in on the quality of my students' work. This is an ongoing and lengthy process. In his piece Eisner states that "The literary in literature resides in the aesthetic capacities of language to influence our experience" (Learning and Teaching the Ways of Knowing, pg.25). How do I get my students writing on the level of well versed authors? Well of course my students have a long way to go, but I have read some excellent final products at a fifth grade level of writing. This does take great effort, planning, collaboration, and patience on behalf of the teacher and student. I have developed a writer's workshop in my classroom which employs set routines and rituals to enhance the writing experience for my young authors. It also provides more of a focus on the topics we are working on for the week, or just that on that particular day. Some days I read touchstone texts to my students and ask them to describe what they hear, see, and feel. What picture is the author painting with their words? Focusing on sensory language is key.
Eisner writes that " All experience is the product of both the features of the world and the biography of the individual" (pg.25). It is my job to come up with ways to spark my students' interest and make writing personal to them. Another way I have done this is to take time to hold conferences in which I ask students to share their personal experiences with me. Often times we can use these ideas as a beginning point for our writing pieces. Each individual student is essentially the product of their experiences and the world around them. On this note, I have also found it to be helpful to open up the floor to a variety of different discussions on grade level appropriate social issues. These rich discussions serve to give me an idea of where my students stand in terms of their passions and interests. They help me open the door to more abstract writing ideas, which require more of an effort.
On another note, I wanted to touch on one last point that Eisner made in his work- the increase in the focus on standardized tests. I am fairly new to the field (four years experience in a testing grade), but I will say that testing has impacted the majority of experiences in teaching. Without being specifically told, I am basically being instructed to "teach to the test". Yes, I agree that students need to be assessed and teachers need to be held accountable for student learning, but where do we draw the line?
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| Note- The author of this cartoon is unknown to me, but I do find it fitting. |
Furthermore, I agree that students should be interested in what they study. Unfortunately, on some days I barely have the instructional time to fully immerse my students in one topic before it is time to teach the next. Eisner states that "The absence of the attention to the aesthetic in the school curriculum is an absence of opportunities to cultivate the sensibilities" (pg.34). Students are less likely to take an active role in their learning if they are disengaged in the material. The same can be said if the teacher seems to be jumping from topic to topic without fully carrying out a complete lesson. Even with this said, I do still have a passion for teaching. While keeping the realities of the profession in mind, I will remain positive while I work with the best interests of my students in mind. With my new knowledge, I will strive to find ways to bring the "aesthetic modes of knowing" into my lessons for the benefit of my unique group of learners.
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