Last week Jane and I delivered our lesson titled Me vs. Whatever to our Theory and Practice class at SUNY New Paltz. The lesson was developed around the art of painter Jenny Saville and Laurie Lipton. We presented to the class the work of each artist and discussed how each artist deals with issues of confrontation. The goal of our lesson was to have each student deal with/interpret confrontation his or her own way through the use of chalk pastels on 18 x 24 toned paper.
As we introduced the lesson to the class I felt fairly comfortable with the exception of the slight unease I feel when presenting to a group. I don’t get overly nervous or sweaty but I do get concerned about presenting all of the information I have prepared and in the right order. I think Jane was a bit more outwardly nervous than I but she handled it well by taking a walk to collect and organize her thoughts prior to the start of the lesson.
During the introduction I think Jane and I both utilized our “soap box” time effectively and evenly. Prior to the lesson we decided how we would take turns with each section of the lesson intro and what our active roles would be, this was effective for me in lowering the nervousness associated with uncertainty. For me, beginning with an organized plan that I have processed and internalized makes “shooting from the hip” easier and more comfortable. What I mean is by having a solid plan I am more prepared for improvisation, it also allows me to focus more of my attention on the students and less on note cards or scripts. Based on some of the positive feedback during the peer review session I think my system of planning was effective. I think the most effective parts of our lesson intro were the presentation/theme recap and the brainstorm whiteboard. The brainstorming, according to some of our classmates, really helped get ideas rolling toward the work they would create.
After our introduction the class was guided to their supplies (arranged in stacks at each table), which seemed to go smoothly. They started on their work right away. There were a few students that were not sure what to do but I think Jane and I were able to quickly address those students individually and resolve their issues. For the most part the work time went very smooth and most of the class stayed on task. Jane and I were able to interact with students individually and saw some really great work that was right on cue with the goals and objectives of our lesson.
There were a few role players assigned as difficult students during the lesson. Jane and I were able to handle each role player accordingly and somewhat affectively. For instance Nikki was a student that had trouble staying on task and repeatedly left her seat. I helped her get back on task by joining her at her table and brainstorming with her some ideas of confrontation. Regretfully during that time Jane and I totally missed Zach standing in the corner on his phone for almost seven minutes! This proves to me that as a teacher I must be constantly on guard and attentive to the entire class while simultaneously giving my attention to one. I believe that is a learned skill that will develop in time.
We concluded our lesson with a somewhat hectic clean up. It was hectic only in the hustle and bustle of half the class moving at once but every clean up goal was accomplished I think via the clear instruction prior to the activity and the assignment of jobs to particular students. If I were to do this lesson in class again I would shorten the work time so that there could be a same day critique even though the plan calls for a next day critique. We also had five minutes left over because for some strange reason I thought the lesson was forty minutes rather than forty five, I assume this might have been an affect of the slight nervousness I mentioned earlier. During our formative assessment (Donna Kay Beattie’s half minute note cards) most students expressed that they did learn ways of handling confrontation through their work but they would have enjoyed viewing their peer’s work.
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