What are some resources you can turn to for support in lesson planning ideas? People, places, websites…

Lesson plan ideas can come from almost anywhere. They can be ideas planted in your head from something you saw out walking or noticed at the store that set your gears in motion.

I feel that other people are the best resources for developing ideas and using plans that have already been taught by other teachers. In both my practicum and student teaching placements, my cooperating teachers have emphasized talking with other art teachers in the area and to find out what they are doing. When you speak with someone who has already taught a lesson, they can tell you what worked and what didn't work and how things can be different. In my Harry Wong book, he stresses that stealing lessons is one of the best things you can do. Using your colleagues will make you a better teacher!

The internet is also a great place to find lesson plan ideas. There are specific websites out there, but there are also personal blogs on the web that teachers post discussing their students work and sharing lesson plans. I really enjoy this option because student artwork is often shown as examples.

I've found that I often ask my students what they are learning in some of their other classes, and think of ways to incorporate what they are learning or are interested in in the art room. The third grade is learning how to do cursive right now, and there is a cute, quick lesson on writing your name in cursive, mirroring it, and then creating some sort of alien or bug out of it that I would love to do when they are further along in their learning.

I believe a successful teacher is primarily a matter of…

I think with most things in life, attitude has everything to do with everything. When you are excited about something, it is easy to enjoy it and your enthusiasm easily rubs off on those around you. When you are not into something, people can see it and don't believe just as you don't.

I feel success in a classroom thrives off this same idea. Having a positive attitude about what you're teaching and how you're teaching it will determine how involved the students will be and how much they'll care. Kids aren't dumb, they know when something is forced and won't buy what you're selling if you don't pitch it the right way.

Having said that, attitude can also be a big determining factor on the classroom climate. People always say that classroom management is one of the biggest issues for beginning teachers. This can all easily be folded into the attitude of the teacher reflecting out to the students. When the teacher proves they know content through their teaching and expresses that in a way that gets students excited, the easier classroom management will be. When students are willing and excited to learn, there shouldn't be too many management issues to worry about.

Classroom Rules

I feel like classroom rules are hard to pin down because there are so many little things to think about. I usually like to stick the to the motto of respect. That means respecting yourself, others, the classroom and supplies. I've made a detailed list of different respects for my classroom on a previous blog that is much more specific.

I feel that having specific classroom procedures are just as vital as well. Going over these with the students in the first days of school would really help to set up the expectations for the students and clarify what is okay and what it not.

I've seen some of the students at the elementary execute the rules of respect, and even seen some students call each other out when they aren't being respectful. The more you positively enforce and remind he students of the rules and expectations the more likely they will follow them.

Expectations and Community

When I think about classes that I have had in the past that I think were really successful for myself and as a whole, I recall my art classes that were student oriented with a small amount of guidance and direction. It was student responsibility to get work done and to be self motivated to want to be successful and use class time as best as possible. The teacher was there not to tell you how to do something, but to introduce a concept and let you run with it. Expectations were high because it was a belief that if you were in the class, you wanted to be there and therefore would put 110% into everything you did.

In my current placement in the elementary school, things are a little more structured than a high school setting would be because there are a lot of students and not all the students are necessarily intrinsically motivated to achieve high. The teacher seems to have different expectations for different students depending on their skill levels, but still expects all the students to try their best and work hard during their time in the art room. The teacher is very welcoming to all the students and seems to know them well. This allows the students to feel more comfortable to showcase their talents or skills in a way that they may not if they didn't feel as comfortable. Overall, most of the students seem to want to be in the art room and are eager an excited to see what they will be doing or learning that day because they are in a welcoming community that is respectful and fun.