Watching a teacher of the arts
Ms. Hodgson, a teacher of art in the 12th grade, instructs 20 pupils in a broad visual course. She is a young teacher who was moved to share her love of art with others. As a result, she decided to pursue a career working with children and developing in them an appreciation of beauty. Ms. Hodgson received her bachelor’s degree in fine arts after graduating from Nipissing University and OLV High School, allowing her to work as a middle and high school teacher. She also finished her studies last year, making the class under observation her first time teaching. In this manner, the task assisted in identifying common errors that novice teachers make while selecting instructional strategies and engaging with pupils.
According to Ms. Hodgson, a teacher’s responsibility is to enlighten pupils and inspire them to use their imaginations to create new forms. As a result, this goal may be achieved by incorporating both theoretical and practical materials, as well as home projects that motivate students to produce original works of art. According to Ms. Hodgson, she wants each student to experience themselves as artists throughout the course so that they may decide afterward what area of the arts they wish to pursue further. Therefore, the teacher is optimistic and expects that after the course, the pupils will dedicate their entire lives to the arts.
During a private conversation, Ms. Hodgson shares her personal perspective on an excellent teacher. She argues that a tutor of art should also be an artist; otherwise, he or she is not able to communicate sentiments that one obtains in the process of creating. The instructor highlights that individuals are drawn back to art because of the joy they have while working on a project and when they see their output. She comes to believe that a good instructor should emphasise practise in this way. When discussing the course, she made it clear that teachers should show kids how to design images with purpose.
One might infer from the instructor’s background that she has little experience dealing with children; as a result, she might encounter the same challenges that any teacher does when they stand in front of the class. In addition, the pedagogue’s Her beliefs and expectations show that she cares more about the spiritual than the intellectual aspects of the class’s educational achievements. Additionally, Ms. Hodgson disregards the value of artistic expertise in favour of creativity. In this approach, she is expected to focus on visual pictures and how they are perceived before the lectures.
The visual course’s classroom is identical to that of a traditional class. The teacher’s table is set apart, and there are two rows of desks. Since a tutor cannot interact with every student while seated, it is recommended that they stand and face the group. There are no creative components visible in the classroom since it is plain and uncluttered. In Ms. Hodgson’s class, girls make up 70% of the students, while boys make up 30%. The students are arranged in a mixed sequence to facilitate collaboration. The instructor gives each student a pixel glass and a sketchbook, and the classroom is outfitted with a projector and a laptop so that Ms. Hodgson can show the students films and presentations.
Editing was the focus of the two Ms. Hodgson courses that were examined for the assignment. She began the first lesson by taking attendance before using a film about printing to explain its history and current methods that are frequently employed in the arts. In addition, the instructor gave a brief explanation of the tools that are employed in the procedure. In the second lesson, she demonstrated editing. After spending some time doing drawings, Ms. Hodgson concluded the session with an individual conversation that included her opinions on the subject.
The lessons are divided into three or four sections that cover various activities, allowing the students to develop themselves from a variety of angles. Nevertheless, one of the issues with the class is the placement of the furniture in the space, as some students are left out of the conversation since they are seated too far from the instructor. Additionally, remarks on the answers of other students are only permitted as far as it is feasible to make eye contact. In this approach, a visual arts classroom should match the activities and inspire pupils to pay attention, which isn’t the case in a high school as it is right now.
Since the information that the students learn from the source is supplemented by graphics on the screen, Ms. Hodgson employs videos that combine visualisation and listening techniques. Besides, she invests time in dialogues that let students learn by sharing their knowledge and experiences. Additionally, practical activities like sketching are a part of learning by doing, which is the most efficient way to learn. As a consequence, a teacher should get amazing outcomes if such strategies are used properly.
As part of her lesson planning strategies, Ms. Hodgson encourages student sharing of experiences and group discussion. Additionally, she forbids the use of any pointless technological gadgets that can divert pupils’ attention from the lesson. However, if class management is judged on how well students behave, it is generally lacking. For instance, Ms. Hodgson cautioned several students that they risked punishment if they spoke in class.
They ignored the message and continued their work without stopping. In addition, because the film was excessively long, some of the pupils seated in the back rows slept off during it. Some participants in the conversation were speaking about commonplace issues, and the engagement was poor since the kids weren’t interested in taking part. Additionally, when Ms. Hodgson was doing a demo, boys and girls were embracing one another. There were groans in response to the warnings. One can tell from this that kids do not respect their teachers and behave however they choose, taking no ownership of their deeds. As a result, observations made by the students support Ms. Hodgson’s poor class management.
Ms. Hodgson makes an effort to inspire students with the help of the materials, but she is unable to succeed since some pupils are uninterested in the class and use it as free time for themselves. Some passages give the impression that the teacher is aware of the difficulties the class is facing but is unsure of how to address them. Therefore, it is reasonable to presume that the situation in the two visited classes was representative of the remainder.
Two topics are the basis for the class discussion. The teacher starts by inquiring about the video’s content and the theoretical background that the students should be familiar with. Second, as the pupils are discussing their sketches, in order to encourage individuals to discuss their preferences, Ms. Hodgson enquires about the approaches used. Since people must imagine the descriptions given and speculate on what they could appear like, this element requires imagination. The conversation, however, is brief in proportion to the class’s overall length; as a result, the bulk of time is spent on students’ perceptions of the knowledge, which does not entail any creative endeavours.
The main finding of this qualitative study is that student participation in every class is its most important component. Because Ms. Hodgson is uninterested, there is a difference between the deliberate and acquired levels of knowledge. Consequently, a teacher should see his or her pupils as an audience who seeks high-quality content in addition to seeing artists in them. Another remark is that the classroom should match the class’s objectives. For instance, in the case of visual arts, all students should be able to communicate with one another and view the screen since discussion and practical application are more significant than a theoretical foundation. A teacher should also interact with pupils often and present provocative ideas for debate or remarks that encourage original thought. Students should, therefore, pay attention in class and be eager to participate.
Finally, the observation made by Ms. Hodgson illustrates that she makes a lot of errors that lessen the value of her courses. She talks about the class’s larger purpose and how it inspires kids to pursue the arts during the interview, but she also doesn’t engage with the students or make eye contact. For instance, a lengthy film has little effect since pupils stop viewing it out of boredom and go on to other pursuits. Therefore, rather than discussing personal interests, a teacher should focus on their goal of educating others. He or she should serve as a resource for students to pursue their passions; as a result, individual effort is highly valued, as far as people can tell, and everyone should benefit from the course. Consequently, a teacher should create a diversified strategy that would focus on the requirements of each student individually and keep the lesson engaging for them.
