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Learning and Growing as a Teacher
Learning and Growing as a Teacher
Welcome to this page of my eportfolio. It is dedicated to the course FTLC 1000 that I participated in as a student, September 2012 through April 2013. It was an inservice training course for adjunct faculty members at Salt Lake Community College. As you review these writings they reflect the process of learning and discovery that has occurred. While I have prided myself on what teaching skills I've developed since 2005, this course has opened my mind to other possibilities and new ways of approaching the task of teaching. The time of this writing is January 2013. There a lot of written words, which is very uncharacteristic of me, an image maker. Still, may you also gain some insights into teaching for having read these writings.
Classroom Technology
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For many years my classes have been strictly “show by physical example, or by demonstration” only. Consequently the use of digital media of any kind has almost never been employed. However, since I acquired my iPad that has changed dramatically. It is still good for my students to see in person the physical examples that I show from drawings that have been done for that purpose, and to do demonstrations. However, being able to see more easily from their place in the room because the images are projected on the screen, rather than crowd around the drawing helps create a more comfortable atmosphere. Also, being able to show examples from other artists has been a great reinforcement.
Through the iPad it has been easy to find and download a great many images that I can and do now employ in my teaching efforts. In fact, since earlier this Spring (2012), I’ve downloaded more than 2,000 images of oil paintings, watercolors, charcoal and graphite drawings, etc., all for the purpose of illustrating to my students the principles and concepts involved in the project at hand. Recently, in my class for art majors, I was able to show them the complete body of illustrations done by the artist Bernie Wrightson for the classic Frankenstein. These are pen and ink illustrations, and considering that they will be getting into the use of this medium in a couple of weeks from the date of this writing, it will be of value to them as an inspiration and a standard of excellence in workmanship to achieve in their own efforts. What has been so great for me is the ease of use of the ipad, its compact size, and the technology available in many (but not all) classrooms that allow me to hook up and display the images with relative ease. The drawing and painting apps that one can download are also helpful tools in teaching certain concepts of painting and drawing. As a student back in the early 1980s when SLCC was “Utah Technical College,” I was required to cut out images from many print media sources that I considered to be good examples of design, composition, or was otherwise inspiring work. This was to serve as an idea file for reference in my own professional work. It was called a “morgue file.” Like I mentioned earlier in this writing, with more than 2,000 images collected on my ipad, I feel I’ve more than adequately filled that assignment. I have definitely found it to be a good tool. |
Teaching Assessment
Knowledge of my subject is the strongest part of my skills as a teacher, and while I try to communicate this knowledge the best way that I can to my students, I still feel like it doesn’t quite come across as clear as I would like it to be. This is the part of my teaching that I continually try to improve the most. Thus, one could say that skills communication is the aspect of my work that I continue to grapple with.
Perhaps that is, in part, because this is a non-verbal subject, drawing that is. Trying to put into words what you are feeling the need to act on instinctually is difficult. Sometimes, I feel that the only way to communicate this is to demonstrate through action, with the hope that the students, as they watch, will see something that will trigger thoughts and ideas.
However, typically my demonstrations are most meaningful to those who are immediately around me, in close proximity. However, for those standing only a few feet back and trying to look over other people’s shoulders, they may as well be in another room. Such demonstrations are less effective. Thus I turn more frequently to video demonstrations. Screen capture programs are employed in this endeavor. Have a listen to this approach as an example http://www.screencast.com/t/YyNrbkgN. This kind of video, combined with in class demonstrations has increased my ability to communicate with my students.
I watched, not long ago, as one particular student of mine exhibited a poor understanding of capturing angles and proportions. This is one of the first things I teach. However, by the midterm she was improving dramatically. By the end of the semester, she was one of the best draftsman in my class. Her attendance was almost perfect that term. I’ve watched as some students simply do not take my attendance policy seriously. Consequently, they struggle the most with understanding the concepts and principles taught in the class. This student was one of those who did take attendance seriously, and I believe it showed in her later work. Thus attendance will always be an important part of my grading criteria.
I watched, not long ago, as one particular student of mine exhibited a poor understanding of capturing angles and proportions. This is one of the first things I teach. However, by the midterm she was improving dramatically. By the end of the semester, she was one of the best draftsman in my class. Her attendance was almost perfect that term. I’ve watched as some students simply do not take my attendance policy seriously. Consequently, they struggle the most with understanding the concepts and principles taught in the class. This student was one of those who did take attendance seriously, and I believe it showed in her later work. Thus attendance will always be an important part of my grading criteria.
Adjunct Faculty Conference
For several years now I’ve participated in the annual Adjunct Faculty Conference at Salt Lake Community College. Rarely have I been disappointed. They've always helped me to feel a sense of connection to others who were in the same situation as my own. That is, believing in the goodness and tradition of teaching and seeking to improve our own skills. I always walked away with a better sense of empowerment and belief in my teaching skills.
Every session there is something new that helps add to my overall abilities. One particular skill is that of effectively using humor in the classroom. Another recent and new idea to me is that of developing rubrics. It was not until recently that I had even heard of the word, let alone understood what it meant. Now it is an important part of each assignment I develop.
In one particular session, it was not so much the topic or subject presented, but the thought provoking ideas it generated in me that reaffirmed my belief in the need to use real and working examples from the professional world, and especially my own experiences. I think I will always take advantage of the opportunity to participate in these conferences for as long I teach. I believe that without them a spirit of connection would be lost, and that it would risk allowing complacency and mediocrity to creep back in to my work.