Category Archives: Memos

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Here are final finished prints for my ADHD research as part of a printmaking unit ( completed this am) From left to right, Rapper 300, pop artist Rhiana and entrepreneur, Steve Jobs. I have integrated elements of the experimental studio into the art room  (as suggested by Wexler) which encourages sensory experiences through material exploration.

Leaving a multitude of studio spaces available in our room for  students to engage with has proven particularly successful with this boy. I have an entire area devoted to objects, squeezy things and kooshes, a painting area, reading/ reference area, printmaking area etc. Thinking about his hyperactivity and impusivity, these stations help him organize himself in the morning and allows him control to manage his learning.

The complexity of this students personality is challenging, he is often self adsorbed and often feel as if he is in charge. He can be restlessness and destructive but throughout this unit, he was behaved and appropriate, he especially enjoys the carving process and the ink rolling. I think the printmaking process has really helped to organize his planning procedures, he knows exactly what tools and supplies he needs and can locate them easily. He is allowed to monitor his own behavior through self- evaluation, thus serves to exercise has meta-cognitive skills. He does want to continue with one more pop icon to have a finished series of four… I will post updates.

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Now that I’ve come up with a better, more organized way of presenting my data, I have begun transferring previous data from past visits into the new format.

Thus far, I have been to MoMA 2 times and am anticipating being able to go at least 2 more times before summer.  It has been particularly interesting to see the changing of the exhibitions and the museum space itself. Even in the course of 2-3 weeks, an entirely new exhbition opened and took the place of one that I went to before. Having a direct comparison of two different shows was incredibly interesting to compare how the shows were arranged and presented.

I’ve been also noting the ways that museum chooses to organize it’s spaces/exhibits and my opinions of best practices in their exhibitions. As I have mentioned before, I have found that MoMA’s general approach in their online seminars has been encouraging deeper understanding of art through open-ended questions and letting the viewer feel free to explore an image how they see fit. As a result, it is not expected that every piece on display have a label going into depth about the artist/piece itself. By doing so and telling the viewer direct information, the viewers ability to separate their own thoughts/opinions of the work can be tied to the information they are given. However, that is not to say that this is always the best practice. As I’m sure we all know, Modern Art is extremely complex, with different eras and styles involved, all of which can have deeper meanings. There have been exhibitions that I have gone too at MoMA in which, as someone unfamiliar with the work being displayed, explanations would have helped me better understand various art styles and movements, and how the artists related to such movements.  It ultimately leads to a constant back and forth of just how much information should be given, and perhaps furthermore, in what way can it be presented. Put too much information, and the viewers can lose sight of their own interpretation or even become overwhelmed by the information presented. Likewise, having no information presented can easily overwhelm a viewer and create feelings of confusion and even doubt of understanding a piece. There is no one simple solution- it is all about being aware of your audience and how they can perceive information. The issue I have found at MoMA is with such a variety of different people visiting, the demographics of who sees a work is too vast to be able to specify one way of really learning/teaching.  Contrary, while my own students do differ in learning styles, I at least have the per-existing knowledge of what works best for each students.

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So we finally exposed the cyanotype that my students have been getting ready and working on for months. We put in so much work, and everything ran so well. Some of my students were able to make the event, and for those who couldn’t, they were eager to see it today. We all had spent so much time on getting the entire thing together that I stayed at work for hours after I had to. So did some of my students. I’m getting ready to ask my students their reflective and post assessment questions tomorrow or the next day. I’m ready to start reviewing my data in the next week, and to gear up for the summer. 

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My current research is still hitting dead ends. I have taken the original idea and altered it into a survey format for alternative forms of opinions and information. I have created a survey, but found troubles sending it out because I cannot use Survey Monkey for free. The size and number of images I need to complete the survey requires that I upgrade to Pro and pay thirty dollars a month. After I received a response from my HREB reviewer, I decided to create several different surveys so I can use the survey format. The method I was trying to use prior caused a lack of anonymity. So, I am now trying to create several different surveys that fit the format for the free Survey Monkey so that I can use the platform. Once the surveys have been completed, I will post it to my school’s PTA Facebook page. From there I will inform participants that they can choose the survey in which they wish to participate. I am hoping it has some feedback since I have a few parents who are professors at RIT and Brockport. They know me pretty well from the art shows, and their avid dedication in fighting for the arts and the best education for their kids. I am hoping they take pity on me.
As for the photos, I still continue to take images and head throughout the city collecting pictures. I am expanding the imagery now to parts that are not covered in my data selections to use for studio. I have come to find that Rochester is a city for advocacy. Many personal statements can be found in the neighborhoods in peoples’ lawns. Many murals speak to things that are for beauty, kindness, and what supports the best interest in people. I am finding pride living here the more I see the work.

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The past week has been rough. Most of my graduate work has been put on the back burner as well as some of my work “to do’s”. I had an eight grade student at my school commit suicide. He was an honor student on the basketball team that had–not only home life issues– but was being bullied. After an event where he ran away from home, he found a gun and took his life. It has shocked much of our school, and this past Friday, and Sunday I spent at the candle light vigil and wake. Seeing my students torn apart, and in tears has been quit hard. I have grown to love these kids as if they were my own; and, I just want to hold them and support them and tell them time will be the only thing that can distance them from the immediate pain. Much of the staff went the funeral this morning, and I helped out the other teachers at my building by subbing in on their classes. My mind has not been where it needs to be, and I know find much of my own tasks daunting.
With all this said, I have been trying to get out to take more pictures, but my time I generally spent making installations for my art show. Being at school is hard. Both buildings are undergoing depressing circumstances. I feel as though I can not deal with either. I find it hard to complete the tasks I have to complete. I hope to find some progress in the work load, but I am afraid spring break might be the only time I have to catch up. The next two weeks I will be struggling to keep my head above water.

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Memo 3

Brette

 

I’m trying to develop a self- guided curriculum for four, individual students where the role of the teacher (ME) takes on more of the role as a co- learner and collaborator. Reading about the philosophy of the Reggio Emilia approach has really motivated my research as well.  Currently, I am forming lessons based on my students’ interests but also trying to developing long term projects as vehicles for future teaching within this specific population…  I’ve been carrying out lesson plans with selected students, moving towards individual IEP goals, while also developing specific objectives. Im also looking to present, clear and adaptive devices for my students through exploration of materials I have available and also allowing for more of choice based learning. It can be  really difficult trying to realize the countertransferences and being able to recognize when my kids need emotional support in class. Before beginning these lessons, I really researched and assessed the characteristics of the disabilities and also am trying to form  extensions that continue to challenge this population. I have also been keeping a behavior journal documenting difficulties I encounter on a daily basis.

With my ED student ( as Wexler suggested in her book) I asked him to write about a memory in his sketchbook, specifically a place … and then connect the memory to a sensory experience by making an identity box. He did not want to do this- he drew a picture and then wanted to work with the scratch boards and hatching tools. I did present him with some visual examples of the identity boxes but he completely dismissed the idea. The end result was a contoured drawing of a girl, his sister, who had committed suicide. I feel that he did however identify himself aesthetically although he chose another material to work with …. The end result was an emotional manifestation but he is very proud of this work. I am planning on continuing working more with this student through drawing exercises that exhibit personal outcomes that are meaningful to him.

My ADHD student is working on printmaking currently-  he was not in school today so hopefully we can continue the carving tomorrow.  He has become obsessed with celebrities lately, so I am doing a pop culture/ andy warhol independent project with him. ( More pictures to come, there is a Danny Devito piece that is actually really hilarious.) He will be using individual print blocks to create portraits and also learn about the pop art movement while integrating elements of color theory.

I have been struggling with my AS student for most of the semester. Wexler suggest “ shadow drawing”… and I tried to introduce a sign language lesson where you draw the contours of your hands overlapped, cropped etc…I pulled up the sign language alphabet on the smartboard and tried the guided release of responsibility. I completely lost him….  

In science that day, students were examining a deer heart together… he really expressed that we wanted to leave and go to see it, so I allowed him. Then, something clicked in my head,  Da Vinci’s early works, his medical journals especially.  The next day we researched some facts about Leonardo in class, such as he designed the first drawings for airplanes, submarines etc, we looked at drawings of fetuses.  I think this really got his attention, he actually put his phone away for the first time all year when I asked! I also presented a short video about Leonardo, I had his full attention right there.

This particular student is fascinated with anatomy… and the only subject he actually seems remotely interested in science. I borrowed the science teachers skeleton that week and asked that he design a composition using bones as the subject matter. I let him pick the media, he chose to use charcoal. What happened next was pretty intense, over a three day period he produced a organized composition, very realistic and included his thought process within the artwork! He chose to incorporate some facts he had learned around the contours… 

I have researched and found that many autistic individuals are usually non-verbal, however this does not mean that they are incapable of communicating. Hopefully, I can continue to reach him through a creative outlet that allows him to facilitate his own choices within his artworks…. I must say I am really pleased with the outcome.

More writing to come later.. Need to discuss my LD lessons…
“ All knowledge emerges in the process of self and social construction” – Rinaldi