Praxis

I plan to take the Praxis II exam for Art Spring/Summer of 2011.


159 is the minimum score that I must earn on the exam to qualify for my initial teaching license. this number is accompanied by an asterisk siting that this score may shortly change.

The topics covered include Traditions in Art, Architecture, Design and the Making of Artifacts. Also, Art Criticism and Aesthetics as well as The Making of Art. I will need to review these categories and do a broad overview of art history along with the principles and elements of design.

I will need to do more studying on Eurocentric painting seeing as the test has a bias for that work.

On the Praxis II PLT, taken during the first years of my teaching career, I will be tested on many of the topics discussed in the course, from assessment to just how it is that learning happens for my students. I will need to review the content of this course specifically as well as my other courses broadly.

Upon looking at the sample essay and multiple choice questions for the PLT, I realize that I will need to recall much of what I have learned over time in my classes. I will need to study with the attitude of gaining long term knowledge.

How Utah Assesses Students

I have mixed feelings about standardized testing. On the one hand it can unite states in a common goal. It can create a clear baseline which parents across the state would want their children to meet, and upon receiving scores, it allows us to measure/compare the success of individual students and schools and against the norm.

However, these can have high stakes and education may suffer as we teach for tests and bore our students. They are also not necesarily authentic to our childrens' future responsibilities. In most cases they will not inspire them to want to learn.

As an art teacher I may be called on to review testing strategies, as was the case in my own high school experience when my art teacher was my homeroom teacher.
Mostly, I look forward to supporting my students' accademic success in ways that do not directly reflect test preparation. For example I plan to work with teachers from various dicsiplines to create art assignments that ask students to reflect on what they are learning in other classes. This could be an artwork that employs the use of mathematic principles, artwork based on micro-biological forms, portraits of poets that reflect their themes, moods, styles.

Assessment Types

Informal/Formal, Formative/Summative, Criterion Referenced/Norm-referenced, Validity, Reliability, Fairness, Practicality

• Observations- Informal, Formative, Criterion Ref., Validity and reliability will be affected by when you happen upon the students for observation. Impractical- time consuming.
• Self-assessments- Informal, Formative or summative depending on when administered, Criterion Ref, Can be valid, reliable and fair- but be careful as students can be too easy on selves or too hard. Practical- in that students generate the assessment.
• Peer-assessments- Informal, Formative or summative depending on when administered, Criterion, Could potentially be more valid, reliable and fair than self-assessment, depending on inter student relations.
• Projects- Formal, Summative, Criterion, Good demonstration of students exercising knowledge and skills. May be impracticle with time restraints.
• Performances- Formal, Summative, Criterion, Good authentic assessment, shows comfort with material, may be diffictult for shy students.
• Portfolios- Formal, Summative, Valid, reliable, fair and practical. Gives students opportuninty to show improvement. Can be compiled over time- may be difficult to collect, or save all required items.
• Tests Formal, Summatvie, Norm Referenced and Criterion- depending on curve. Reliable if written well. Play best to traditional students, may not be as valid for active learners.

Q6 Cultural Diversity

The classroom has an even distribution of gender, may be approximately 20% Latino and has one African American student. The minority students in the classroom seem to be more socially engaged with each other and have a good relationship with the teacher. For example, Gus from Puerto Rico seemed to be the most socially engaged student and has great report with the teacher who told me "He has a big heart". The more successful students in the content area generally seem to be Caucasian. I do not see any special effort to see how to specifically engage minority students.

Moreno suggests that acknowledge variations among groups as with the example of differing time orientation attitudes. Perhaps give wider due dates can be given rather than a single day.

Q5 Inclusion

The student I saw with special needs completed some of the tasks the others did, but also had a folder provided by his resource room with supplemental activities when he could not keep up with particularly challenging assignments. The accommodation seemed appropriate but it was hard to tell if he was getting the help he needed. He was not monitored as to the progress being made in the folder.

Multiple Intelligences Test

I feel that the Multiple Intelligences Test is only party beneficial. The number of questions is limited in order to properly reflect one's true learning style. Because there are many categories particular questions may weigh into the results. For example the question on pollution may be politically charged so that someone with Naturalistic intelligence may be politically inclined to minimize the threat of pollution. On the other hand, I consider myself an environmentalist and am quite angry about pollution as the question prompted. However, I do not infer from that that I have a particular skill in naturalistic areas.

I can see that my strengths seem somewhat diversified. What this tells me is that I should balance my learning and reach out to different areas of interest.

I hesitate to use a test such as this with my students. I would likely do so only after discussing its limitations in length and by finding some way to diversify the results- such as include multiple tests from various authors. I attempted to take the test a second time but realized that the questions were simply reordered. Because no new questions were given one cannot retake the quiz in hopes of increasing the data to substantiate the conclusions.

One concern I have about tests such as these for teenagers is that they will treat them as fatalistic, lending them more importance than they deserve. Personality tests and career interest tests seem to create this same dilemma. Can we really expect that answering 4 or 5 questions related to interests or abilities can offer a life long conclusion as to learning style or capability in a given area? No, but will teenagers understand that and take the quiz for what it is. We need to show them that it is simply an interesting exercise in self reflection and an opportunity to see approximately where their strengths might lie.

1. What are you doing well?

I am engaged in class and eager to participate.

2. What are you not doing well?

I have not made time to work outside of class regularly on assignments.

3. Are you making sufficient progress on your goals?

I am falling behind on my goals of completing tasks by engaging daily in class assignments.

4. List specific things you need to change in order to meet your goals?

I am changing my work schedule to give me more time on Mondays and Wednesdays to devote to class assignments and studying course material.

5. How is your motivation? Are you focusing on mastery or performance goals? Does anything need to change?

When I fall behind, I resort to performance goals versus mastery goals. In order to get back on target I need to take things one day at a time and keep up with a pace that is manageable long-term.

What?
Judy Willis employs her background as a neurologist directly in the classroom. She investigates how her teaching engages the brain in holistic ways that improve student emotions and learning. She has given this the acronym of RAD, Reticular Activating System, Amygdala and Dopamine. She is conscious of employing the positive benefits of engaging the various parts of the brain that affect positive emotions and long-term learning.

So What?
Her research is not just cold clinical science, but hands on, with children in her Jr. High classroom. The thoughts behind her current work are developed directly in the classroom. I find her work compelling because she brings with it scientific rigor while being directly engaged in the process of teaching. She can be trusted to come to logical conlusions based on real world experience.

Now What?
I like her idea of using novelty. This falls under the 'R' of RAD as it has to do with focusing the child's attention- in the brainstem. I think it also would help me to improve the emotive quality of a lesson, as students enjoy exploring something new and I myself am more engaged in the lesson. I tend to find a way that things work for me in running a classroom. This can lead to a safe environment- but introducing noveltly would help bring my lessons back to life.

Motivation Blog

I teach art because being an art student helped me gain confidence and find a way to express myself while reaching out to others. I am in the teacher education program because I am seeking long term employment. While I enjoy teaching art here at UVU as an adjunct instructor, I need to find steady employment for my family. I am taking Summer course in order to expedite the process.

I am motivated by the idea that art is a bridge that connects individuals and cultures in an honest and intimate way. I am motivated by the progress I see in my students, the relationships I develop with them and by creating new, interesting assignments to challenge them.

I attribute success to my ability and effort. I attribute failure to task difficulty, poor luck, and mostly to the dilemma of managing schedules in a family with kids, and with both parents working.

While my goals are Mastery based, they are long term and lack some of the specificity of Performance Goals. The rest of the Contract urged me in that direction. I have long term desires to improve my teaching through appreciating each student, but sometimes lack the task oriented and organizational skills to perform well each step of the way.

I need to focus on specifics in the course content, and use this time as an opportunity to learn how to better focus and constantly improve.

Course Contract

Goals for Course:

1. Gain an appreciation for how my students learn in order to tailor my teaching to them.
2. Become more aware of how I myself learn.
3. Become comfortable in the classroom with myself and the various students I serve, considering all our differences and commonalities.

Weekly preparation plan.

1. Check class website daily, to work on smaller tasks.
2. Go to computer lab before each class meeting to review and work on long term projects.
3. Work on coursework during the 2 nights a week that my wife works.

Study Strategies.

1. Create flashcards each week with important terms/concepts.
2. Create mindmap before exams.
3. Participate in studygroups before exams.

When confused.

1. Ask classmate for clarification.
2. Search in textbook, internet.
3. Ask instructor.

I will reach my goals in this course by puting forth consistent effort, breaking up the work over time.