Unit 3: Chapter 5

1. You have now read several views about intelligence. What do you think about intelligence? Is it one trait or many? Is it more heavily influenced by nature or nurture? Is it a fixed capacity or modifiable ability? Articulate your views in a paragraph of 6-8 sentences.

From what I have gathered from this class, as well as other psychology course that have touched on intelligence, I believe I am still no closer to feeling one particular way about intelligence then I did before all of these classes. Intelligence can be nurture or nature in my opinion. In some cases it is split right down the middle and in other cases an individual may lean toward one more than the other in their intelligence. I also firmly believe that our intelligence can be a fixed capacity or modifiable ability depending on how we use it. If we are to stay content with our intelligence and not strive to grow more, then we are fixed. However, if we continue to use what we know to build upon new information and then continue to learn new things all the time, I believe we are modifiable in our ability.

The Talk: Autism

Barb: "Dear utk, autism is my prism not my prison."

Autism appears to the world to be parasitic, but the world needs autism. Autism is a valuable part of human existence. Life can only be understood backwards but must be experienced forwards. We need to learn how to deal with and process those with autism so that we can better understand their needs and abilities. Children with Autism are destine to take a lifetime of endless care and resources. The outer world should value those with autism, as we need to discover our own shape and connect with others, we also need to discover our interactions with those who have autism. Discover is defined by Barb, as finding out who the person is and helping them become the highest version of that. She defines perspire as remembering we are all the same. Understanding that those with autism sometimes need chill time or free time for them to be inside their autism at some point during the day. Open is defined as keeping an open mind when working with a child who has autism. Empower is defined as the autistic person having choices and power in the decision making of their daily schedule.

Nero-diversity is then talked about in the sense of simplicity in discovering diversity. Barb is here to share that there is a flip side to the neurological coin. Autism is a type of neurology. No comparisons, no judgements. Their are many challenges with children who have diverse needs or disabilities, but that does not mean they should be ruled out or disregarded as possible contributors to their community, or even their society.

There is then this discussion on students with ADHD and how they think best by moving. So as teacher we should let them move. This example leads to other discussions on students with diverse needs and disabilities. We cannot keep medicating these students because we do not know what is being medicated away. The medications stop what the child is going through with their diagnosis but by stopping that we stop their creative processes, their thinking, and their moving.

Dolly Parton said, "Find out who you are and be that on purpose." Help students do this. Start where they excel and help them be who they want to be and figure out what they like to do. As teachers we do not lose our expertise status by learning from those we serve. Be open and meet these individuals where they are. Get on their level and communicate with them through the way that best suits them. Figure out how to communicate with your students through what they are interested in and what they want to talk about. Build on those strengths, other forms of communication, and be patient because it takes time to get through to these students.

This talk was interesting in that Barb wanted others to read parts of her book on a video taping. This gave insight to it being beyond her and to thinking about anyone with autism. As the title of the book states, "I might be you." Know your part, be your part, play your part, hold your head up and project your voice. This is something we have to aid our students in learning to do. Barb's book is saying that her autism could be anywhere, in anything, or in anyone. We each know the meaning of life. We each make that meaning for ourselves. That is the meaning of free will. The most important thing is to help those you are with at the moment, and to help them in that moment with what they want to do and who they want to be.

After this lecture I feel more informed about autism and how it could be addressed in my classroom. While I cannot go into depth with those students who have diverse needs or disabilities, I can learn how to interact with them and communicate on their level. I am so surprised at the methods for communication today's lecture presented me. I was unaware that we could communicate or help students with autism communicate in such a variety of ways. When you choose your words carefully, what you are trying to say seems to come out a little more wise and succinct. This is what children with autism will learn and use in their method of communication.

LGBTQ Article Review

Sissies, Faggots, Lezzies, and Dykes: Gender, Sexual Orientation, and a New Politics of Education?

Keywords: Sexual orientation and schools; queer legal theory; politics of education; gender

Summary, key points, quotes:

Many areas of academic scholarship have tended to ignore these issues. Each of these deep structural features is intrinsic to the U.S. political culture. The lines around sexual orientation and gender can soften and harden depending on the current political environment we are in. Two of the most controversial political issues involving the U.S. public education have been gender and sexual orientation. Unfortunately, the gender-based violence people often face reflects long-standing legal, political, and cultural norms of what “real” men and women should be and how they should act. The Queer Legal Theory (QLT) is trying to establish a theoretical framework and an agenda for much-needed future research. QLT acknowledges many different ways “to be”. Since public schools are governmental entities ruled by laws, regulations, and policies those who teach, study, play, and otherwise live within a public school's walls are required to conform. Lugg defies politics broadly, “as a historical series of ever-shifting power relations, interactions, alliances, and conflicts between individual and collective actors.” It appears that Lugg is speaking to the general audience interested in these issues, as well as past, present, and future teachers in the public school community. Lugg searches for clarity in this article in how particular legal understandings of gender and sexual orientation shape nearly every aspect of public school life. Gender is defined as an ongoing, lifelong series of evolving performances and sex as a chromosomal state. It has come to Lugg’s attention that research is being less focused on the individual and more on the communal. The United States and the individual states bar sex discrimination, not gender discrimination. The problem is that, “the law has no mechanism to protect men from being fired if they act stereotypically female, although women have had legal recourse.” The article goes further to say that female teachers were not allowed to be married after the Civil War because if they were unmarried, then they were assumed to be nonsexual. Later, after WWII, male and female teacher now, were expected to eventually get married to prove they has the proper moral fiber to work with children. Most importantly is the story of Jamie, who was teased, threatened, bullied, abused physically and verbally by peers, teachers, and faculty of his public school. Given the climate of the era, students learned that to be queer was to be a sissy, a faggot, a lezzie, or a dyke. It unfortunately became the norm to say these things opening without a second thought, look, or scorn.

Points of interest:

- Difference of upbringing and era/generation. Today we are more open and accepting then people were just a generation ago.

- My roommate has a very literal interpretation of the Bible, my dad does not discriminate but simply asks where do be draw the line with acceptance and changing what the Bible and our Constitution says?

- This issue is very sensitive to the scrutiny, acceptance, and tolerance of may different people because of different backgrounds, beliefs, and upbringings.

- Gender is defined above as an ongoing, life long evolving things. Sex is chromosomal. There are many variations of the (X,X) female and the (X,Y) male genes. So we are never just truly female or male.

- I have a friend who is a male, likes girls, dresses like a man, but has a higher voice and expresses himself in a more feminine manner. He hangs out with a lot of girls, has never had a girlfriend, and would rather have a dog then a girlfriend. However, all that being said, he has hopes of marrying a female one day, having kids, and growing old with lots of grandchildren. This is of course all possible for a homosexual couple, but the point is that while he may seem to be a girly man, it does not mean that he likes men, or has any kind of sexual attraction to men. We often judge too quickly based on the typical "role of the man/role of the women" stigma we create.

- The case of Jamie, should be closely looked at and taken as an example of what should have never happened and what must never happen again. Discriminating against homosexuals is just as bad as doing it against Blacks, Hispanics, etc. His case is an example to all that this discrimination is not just upsetting people, it is physically ruining lives and whether we agree or disagree with homosexual rights, we as teacher must be open to all ways of living life within out classroom setting.

Unit 3: Chapter 4

1. Using the CSEL case that you have chosen as a guide, explore all of the possible group differences that may have an effect on your target student(s) or the class as a whole. Consider such group differences as cultural/ethnic differences, gender, SES differences, and "at risk" status.

Cherie is in desperate need of attention. She does not seem to care if she gets it in a negative way, as long as she is getting attention she seems satisfied. However, this is not conducive for any of the other students, and as she continues to misbehave, some of her peers are joining in on the action. While they are not behaving as disruptively as Cherie, they are egging her on so to speak with their laughter and smiles.

It could be that Cherie grew up in a household as an only child or that she was one child of many in her family and is trying to get attention because she does not get enough or she does not get the attention that she needs at home. Her roughness with some of the other students could indicate both of the above, that she does not know the proper way to be around others her own age, or that things are rough at home between siblings and no one stops it or is around to see it. Cherie's gender could also come into play if she thinks that others in her class are getting attention for certain behavior and decides to act like them. At this point Cherie is an "at risk" student if she cannot shape up and begin to learn instead of being the center of attention. Her grades will not be good if she misses class because of behavior or if she is not focused on the material at hand because she is too focused on everyone around her and how they are reacting to her actions.

During an observation this past semester, one of the teachers on the high school level said to his students, "Do you get up and walk around, or talk, or act up in church during a sermon?" At first I thought, here we go, he is gonna get in trouble for this one. However, after explaining the analogy further to his class, I realized that he was really saying. If you do not disrespect your church pastor, someone who is trying to teach you, and you do not respect your educators in the school, then who do you respect? Most of the students agreed that they would never act or behave in such manners during a sermon in church, and my teacher was trying to get across the message that the same should go for the classroom. Obviously this is just food for thought and bringing religion into the classroom should probably not happen, however, I also understood that this teacher was not bringing in any particular religion by any means. He was simply trying to relate his classroom and the respect he wishes to have form his students, and for other teacher, that they most likely give to those in their church. After this discussion, students began to understand and calmed down. Maybe this is not the best way to go about it, but it is definitely something to think about.

2. After reading this chapter, what are your thoughts about how to promote a positive learning environment in your classroom, realizing that your students may require your example in welcoming and appreciating diversity? Include at least three areas where you will facilitate honoring of students' differences.

Positivity comes from our own perceptions and ideas about life and our own being. I strongly believe that positivity can truly come if we are surrounded by an environment that is positive and by people who are positive. I plan to really instill this concept into my students thoughts because I have seen first hand how great an impact positivity can have on the outcome of a situation, or someones attitude and decisions that people choose to have or make. With all of that comes welcoming and appreciating diversity in any aspect of life. My students will learn and know that diversity is a celebrated thing, and that being diverse is the best gift of all.

One way in which I could do this is to take time in the beginning of the year to just get to know my students and to allow my students to get to know each other. I think it is so important for students to feel like they matter, to the teacher and to each other. Especially in art, students must feel comfortable to express themselves and to let loose and create works of art the only further elaborate on who they are as a person, as an artist. Once these relationships are established, students can then begin to understand the diversity of their classroom and appreciate it in their fellow peers.

Chapter 3: Development Activity

1) John Elton: Your Song

It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside

I'm not one of those who can easily hide

I don't have much money, but boy if I did

I'd buy a big house where we both could live

If I was a sculptor, but then again, no

Or a man who makes potions in a traveling show

I know it's not much, but it's the best I can do

My gift is my song, and this one's for you

And you can tell everybody this is your song

It may be quite simple, but now that it's done

I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words

How wonderful life is while you're in the world

I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss

Well, a few of the verses, well, they've got me quite cross

But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song

It's for people like you that keep it turned on

So excuse me forgetting, but these things I do

You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue

Anyway the thing is what I really mean

Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen

And you can tell everybody this is your song

It may be quite simple, but now that it's done

I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words

How wonderful life is while you're in the world

 
I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words

How wonderful life is while you're in the world

2) page 72-73

3) In Erikson’s theory of social development, the stage this song reminds me of is “Identity vs. Role Confusion”. As teens, the development of self and personal identity is very important. Students are trying to succeed in the ability to find and stay true to who they are and who they want to be in life. Learning to stay true to themselves and trying to deal with the occasional failures can lead to role confusions and a weak sense of self for adolescents. At this stage, Erikson points out that social relationships allow teens to find themselves and to understand that their outside environment of peers, etc. can have a profound effect on their successes and failures. Teens are trying to cope with defining relationships and creating ones that will allow them to feel most comfortable as themselves.

4) The highlighted sections refer to the above situation. “This feeling inside” refers to the emotions students are feeling and how they are trying to learn to be who they are and express themselves with their peers and in the world. This is so hard to do sometimes, especially for teens, they are trying to figure out what all of these feelings are. This song really relates to adolescents who are dealing with the debate to hide who they truly are or be themselves open and out there for everyone to see and hopefully accept. The song says, “I’m not one who can easily hide”. Students should not have to hid, but they too often feel as though they have too when in middle school, high school, or even college. The song also refers to the simplicity of just letting go and putting things out there. In reality it is that simple, but you cannot see things that way when you are a teen.

5) In art, it is essential to make sure that students are open and feel comfortable at all times to express themselves. This song has me thinking about the inner trouble students may be facing that they do no always want to share. It also has me thinking about my students in terms of finding their personal identity and feeling successful in staying true to themselves. I think that creating a unit plan or longer lesson around personal identity can be very beneficial to open students eyes to see themselves and to see their peers, or others in their community in a different light. Diversity is all around and it is such an important thing to identify with. Even just taking the time to bring attention to student development of self will get us started on the right track. If students feel like they cannot figure out who they are in their social relationships, then they will feel like they have a weak sense of self and that will get no one anywhere.

Unit 3: Chapter 3

1. Personal and social development can have a major influence on both individual students learning and the learning environment as a whole. Identify a case from the CSEL guidelines that you would like to address in your paper. Then, examine the possible developmental factors that could be influencing your target student(s) or classroom in the case study. Consider all dimensions of personal and social development, including cognitive, language, social, emotional, and moral development.

In the middle school case, Cherie is acting out and bullying her classmates. A few of her classmates have begun to follow their leader, and distrupt the calss as well. I believe that a lot of factors must be determined to understand her interruptions and need for attention druing class working time. Not only is Cherie being influenced by her envrionment, she may also be having touble outside the classroom or at home.

Cherie may be influenced by her classmates to proceed with interupting and may feel encouraged when they laugh along with her for tripping a fellow classmate. I believe that her motives must be looked explored. Their is a reason for her acting out and it is important for the teacher to investigate what the root cause is for her acting so poorly while class is going on. More so, students are being bullied and hurt in the process. It may be that Cherie has had little social encounters with others her own age outside of school. As an only child myself, it took me a long time to get used to being around others my own age. If Cherie has not grown up around other children her age, she may not know how to respond or  behave with her peers in the classroom setting. It may also be acceptable for Cherie to behave in this manner while at home. Parental guidence is essential when students come to school aware of how to act and behave. If her parent(s) allow her to do as she pleases at home, Cherie will think that this is also acceptable in school. Finally, I believe that her emotinal needs may not be met whether by the staff and faculty of the school or by her home situation. If Cherie is not getting what she needs emotionally from her home life or from the teachers in the school, she may be resulting to getting attention any way she can. This would explain her seeking attention from the teacher and class because she sees that it works. The best plan of action is to form a plan with the other teachers she has and make sure that everyone is implementing it in the same way so that Cherie has consistency and will eventually begin to understand what is acceptable and unacceptable.

2. Check out the Tables 3.1 (p. 75), 3.2 (p.83), and 3.3 (p. 91) with particular attention to the age ranges you are interested in teaching. Identify your personal favorite way that an educator can promote a child's sense of self, perspective taking, and moral reasoning.

Be patient when students show exceptional self-conciousness; give them strategies for preseting themselves to others.

As a teacher, I plan to promote this often. Students should learn to be aware of themselves and those around them. I want students to learn to be proud of who they are and the work they create in my classroom. It is expected, especially on a middle school level, for students to be self-concious about themselves and their work, but I feel it is my job to promote their strengths during each class period. It is also very important that students learn how to present themselvest to others because when they are presenting to their peers, I want them to not only look calm, collected, and confident but feel these things a well. If I can promote an environment that will allow students to feel like they can always be themselves then they should be able to grow and learn without the presures of feeling self-concious. Hopefully I can get to know each of my students on a personal level and aid them in finding what works for them.

Unit 3: Chapter 2

1. One of the most cited theories of human development is that of Swiss biologist Jean Piaget. After reading about Piaget's basic assumptions (p. 27-32) look with particular attention at the stage of child development you would like to teach.

The other most cited theory of human development belongs to Russian developmentalist Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development leads us to expect greater diversity among our same-ages students than Piaget. Given these two influential theorists' ideas on cognitive development, how might you accommodate students who are not yet working at the level of their peers?

With middle school students cognitive development will be somewhere on the same level but also all over the place at the same time as students are all individual thinkers and creating their own views and perceptions about the world around them. While most students should be at the Formal Operations Stage (p. 32) there are different levels at which students may be throughout this stage. At this stage students can think about concepts that have little or no basis in concrete reality (p. 32). Students recognize that what is logically different from what is true in the real world. They are not able to separate imagination from reality. I believe that Piaget and Vygotsky's theories are well applied to each other and they should not be looked at as one or the other, but rather together as a collaboration for better understanding students needs. Students appear to have greater diversity among their same-age peers, I agree with Vygotsky in that. Since students are at a higher stage of cognitive development they are all thinking differently about the same things. Taking the information that Piaget has said about the stages of development and then applying them to how Vykotsky views a relation between peers, will help teachers better teach students and know the cognitive levels they are on. This will allow us, teachers, to better group our students to learn from one another. So, while most students are doing A, B, and C. High achieving students will be able to do A, B, and C plus D. Low achieving students will be able to do only A and B, not only only A. Special needs student will be able to do some combination of A, B, and C or just one over the others. It is important that as the teacher, I am aware of these different levels. By grouping students together that are on different levels of learning within the Formal Operations Stage, they can work with each other to grow in their knowledge together and help each other see or understand something in a new way.

2. Theories in educational psychology promote the idea that language plays a critical role in cognitive development. Examine Table 2.2 (p. 51). Paying particular attention to the age range that you are interested in teaching. Consider how you might incorporate or adapt the strategies presented for use with your own students.

 With middle school students (6-8 grade level) the suggested strategies include: assigned reading materials for new vocabulary, terminology used by experts, structured debates, consider underlying meanings of words, and explore nature of words and language. These strategies are all informative and helpful for students to learn the content they should know at their grade level.With the new common core, reading is becoming especially important for students to do in all content areas. It is, however, a little more challenging to accommodate for within the art education classroom. I can achieve this though through presenting my students with short articles or stories about works of art or artists that are influential to the lessons we are doing. First had experiences are essential to help students understand what they are learning in relation to the real world. This will bring in the terminology used by the art experts as well as readings that focus on other areas of our lessons which will incorporate other expert terminology for students to learn and apply in other classes. The structured debates are also an excellent idea, however, I will conduct them in the form of critiques. This way students are free to openly express their views about certain works or artists while other students bring up relative information that applies to the topic as well. In art critiques their is often much debate as people are for or against certain aspects of a work of art. This can be beneficial for the artist to see how they could further improve their creativity and process by understanding both sides of peoples' comments. These critiques are important to help students learn how to articulate themselves and receive positive feedback about their works. In art, your work is never truly private. There will be someone viewing it at some point, so the critiques, or rather debates, about what is working and what is not can really change or enhance the students intentions. Finally, the underlying meanings and exploration of nature of words and language will be useful for students to learn the context in which terms are being used so that they can apply the terms in other uses.

Unit 2: Chapter 10

Which of the learning activities/skills can you think of that lend themselves to learning through modeling? How might self-efficacy and self-regulation contribute to the intervention plans you use in your case study?

Academic skills and interpersonal behaviors appear to be helpful when learning through modeling for students who need structure. Academic skills refers to students learning by observing their teachers and peers around them and see how they are doing things in comparison (p. 330). If I am teaching a lesson on how to paint and I want students to learn how to hold their brush correctly and keep their strokes even and going in the same direction, then I should model this to my students so they understand what I am looking for. After showing them how to hold and use a paint brush, students will look to their peers to see if they are doing it right as well. Interpersonal behaviors refers to observing and imitating others (p. 331). This can be very effective if I set up the right environment in which my students can adopt and learn one another's strategies for conducting something such as discussions (p. 331). Discussions in the art room are crucial to participating in verbalizing what it is you are trying to express as an artist. Students can learn how to solicit one another's opinions by asking each other what they think, they can express agreement or disagreement in a constructive manner, and they learn how to justify a point of view that they believe in. These learning activities/skills can be very beneficial for helping student learn through the modeling of me as their teacher, their peers, and others in their learning community. It will help them to be aware and critical of themselves and others if they know how to use these skills correctly.

As for the middle school case study. My attempts with Cherie and modeling would have to begin with her peers, my other students who seem to follow their leader. If I can model to those who engage less and less with learning and more with Cherie, then I have a shot at getting through to Cherie as well. If she sees her peers no longer interested in her misbehavior and disruptions and more focused on paying attention, doing what I ask/when I ask, and modeling good practices on their own Cherie might being to model this herself. As her teacher I should address her misbehaving during a private conversation with her instead of in front of the class, but I should be careful not to let the bad behavior or disruption go without warning. I should model being polite, courteous, and sensitive to others around me. If I treat Cherie and my class in this manner, hopefully they will see though modeling that it is a good way to act and something they should try to do too.

Unit 2: Chapter 9

How would you define successful mastery of your lesson objectives from a behavioral view of learning? Consider your CSEL intervention case study. Are there tools from a behaviorist view for either encouraging productive behaviors or discouraging undesirable behaviors that you could apply to the case? What are they?

First and foremost I believe in positivity, whether it be within the classroom or outside the classroom environment. Their are usually always negative connotations associated with misbehavior/dealing with behavioral issues, but their does not have to be. With every lesson I would expect my students to be listening to me, or any of their peers, while talking. Lesson objectives also include staying seated, looking at the teacher, and completing their work during the class. I am not against students talking while working, getting up to sharpen pencils, going to the bathroom, etc. However, if I allow those things I must monitor my students and how they are handling the privileges. I recently heard the saying, "Don't smile till Christmas." Meaning that if I can get my students on the right track, constantly tell them the rules, enforce them, stay structured and organized, then after the break, I can allow them to have more fun and be more lax in my classroom. Once they have learned what I want them to, then why not allow them to enjoy the rest of the year without so many rules to follow.

On the other hand, I have been talking about the importance of critiques within my classroom environment for weeks. In art, they are so essential to understanding students' works and getting them to express their reason for creating it. Critiques can be a good tool for both encouraging productive behavior and discouraging undesirable behaviors because it lends itself to students learning how to articulate themselves with skills that will go far beyond the art classroom, as well it also is very subjective and if not done correctly or with structure, can be something students use as a way to get out of participating.

In the Middle School Case Study, Cherie is acting up by trying to be funny and bully her classmates. While she thinks it is funny, her peers are getting hurt. I would pull Cherie aside and have a private, positive conversation with her about why she thinks it is funny to trip her classmates. Chances are their is an even greater motive for her acting up and seeking attention. It may be that she does not receive the attention she needs at home. As for her pretending to battle and shoot a gun at her classmates, I have no tolerance for violence, even if it is only pretend. I could suggest Cherie come speak with me after class whenever she is feeling like she wants to interrupt, act out, or hurt a classmate. She can self-regulate her feelings, behaviors, and actions by understanding that she has control over them. It could also be that she needs more activities in the class for her to act things out and be creative with her imagination. As for tools to manage behavior, extrinsic reinforcement (allowing her to have opportunities to receive attention from me and her classmates in an appropriate and productive setting) could really help Cherie (p. 295). Removal punishment would be taking an extreme route to dealing with her behavior, however, I have seen this work within a middle school classroom setting (p. 297). Students often like to misbehave and disrupt the class but once you ask them to step outside or move to a desk where they will be sitting alone, the student no longer wants to create mischief. No one will be there anymore for them to get attention from of they are int he hall or sitting alone. Usually the student will choose to act accordingly with classroom rules instead of moving or leaving the classroom.

Also, the developmental trends listed in the textbook, specifically focusing on middle school grade levels, appear to be very informative with suggested strategies for effective reinforcers (p. 298). The table suggests that students are allowed about five minutes to mingle with each other contingent upon them getting work done, spend one-on-one time with students throughout the class period, and provide explicit feedback to students about what things they have done well in the class that day. Taking the time to assess and help students assess their own behaviors in the classroom, telling them what they have done well, and getting to know them on a more personal level will all help the students know what you want and how you expect them to act and behave within your classroom.

Unit 2: Chapter 8

Consider a lesson plan you might use. Which metacognitive skills/abilities are involved as students gain facility/knowledge in this domain? Think of an activity or lesson component that explicitly teaches one or more metacognitive and one or more problem solving skills.

Self-Portrait, descriptive of who student is.

Currently I am working on a unit plan that is called "Who Am I?", students will learn about portraiture and the different styles in which portraits can be captured. Through this unit plan several small lessons will take place, some of which are: students creating a self-portrait of them through a medium of their choice, students taking portrait style pictures of their peers and then making a collage with the printed pictures, and students making a wire portrait of themselves. Through these small lesson plans students will learn about the history of the portrait, how portraiture began, who made portraits, who got their portraits done, the different stages of mediums that portraits were/are created in, and then to today with a portrait simply being taken with a camera on one's phone. This project is supposed to help students learn about the human body, the face, and proportions.

Self-Portrait, wire sculpture, 3-dimensional.

Metacognitive skills and abilities I am looking for require the students to understand that we are all different. Our physical features come from what we are born with and are different because of our genetic codes. This unit plan encompasses several lesson plans that will help students begin thinking about how they think about themselves, each other, and others around them. It will help them to begin to see that we are all different. It will also help them learn and understand the meaning of portraits. This is something they should be familiar with because everyone has to get their picture taken for the school year book every year. Portraits are not new to the students but the ways in which I am asking them to view and create portraits is. Students will have to think about the ways they want to express themselves and the setting they want to place in the background of their self-portrait. They can use any medium but they must make a self-portrait and they must decide on the background in relation to who they are or want to be. This requires a lot of thinking because I want them to add in extra elements into the background that further describe what they are trying to say to the viewers of their self-portrait. With the photographs students will have to think about the ways they can take the photos so that they get a different image for each picture to later collage with. Because the students cannot take photographs of themselves easily, they will be paired up so they have to work together to make sure that the photographer is taking the pictures in the ways the student being photographed wants to be seen. Finally, the wire portrait provides students with a three-dimensional challenge. They will have to think about their method for creating a portrait that looks like them but is basically consisting of contour lines. Still dealing with portraiture but in a very different concept in terms of materials being used to create.

Portrait by peer, photograph collage.

With all of these lesson plans within the unit, each requires students to think and problem solve in their own way. Students will gain knowledge about portraiture not only from learning about the background history of the portrait but from creating these projects as well. By doing hands on activities they will grow in their knowledge about the human body and its proportions. Students will also learn about different mediums, materials, and processes all for creating portraits.

Unit 2: Chapter 7

  

Describe a constructivist lesson you would teach. If you think about some activities that would help students with what Ormrod identifies as constructivist and then she mentions a few strategies.

Environmental art lesson plan: Students will construct a piece of art only using elements they find in the environment around them. Elements must be natural and organic. Following the works of Andy Goldsworthy.

The constructivist view involves learning and memory through a process of construction that may rely heavily on prior knowledge (p. 218). So information previously stored in the long-term memory is used to process and organize new information and to build upon what the brain already knows. Students find familiar/similar connections to new information being learned with information they have stored in their long-term memory. I chose to use a lesson plan about environmental creativity. With this lesson I would expect my students to be able to generate concepts about the environment through grouping objects in the environment or events in the environment that make it what it is together (p. 222). So plants, animals, insect, rivers, oceans, mountains, etc. are all things in the environment and all work together to keep the environment going. All of these things represent what the environment is made of and how these things interact with each other. These objects or events are similar in that they make up what is in the environment, what is naturally found and not human-made that is part of the world. I want my students to see rocks, tree branches, dirt, leaves, flowers, grass, water, etc. as ways to understand the environment and to create a piece of artwork that is made up of only environmental/natural materials found outside.

Through theory formation I would expect my student to be able to, on a larger scale, construct general understandings and belief systems about various aspects of the environment in our world (p. 226). This project is meant to help students see that there is art in everything we see and that art can be made by things that are organic and natural from our surrounding environment. There is something to be appreciated about materials that are free. Students will hopefully gain a better understanding of the ways in which the environment can aid us, humans, in different ways. The environment is not something that just appeared one day but over time and through evolution it has grown and changes. Addressing misconceptions about the environment would be important for students to learn how the environment was made and the evolution of the world we live in today. For example, many men taking dirt and putting it on the mountain did not make mountains, and then it became a bigger mountain. Humans did not make mountains and they cannot be taken down easily and replaced by another one (p. 236). Misconception is a belief that is inconsistent with commonly accepted and well-validated explanations of phenomena or events (p. 237). It is important for this lesson plan that when students are out gathering and collecting natural materials from the environment to create a work of art, they understand that these materials are all organic and come from nature and the earth itself. Humans do not usually have a say in the course of natures creations so I want my students to have an appreciation for the effort the world has gone through to give us such a beautiful place. The appreciation of the environments elements is key.

Authentic activities are similar to those students might encounter in the outside world (p. 231). Through this method I can have my students write about the evolution of the earth and thus the creation of the environment. Having students reflect upon the ways in which they view the environment as a resource for artworks or writing letters to the city to help keep the environment clean are also ways to get them learning about this topic in relative terms to them. Problem/project-based learning would be present in the students creating their own environmental piece of artwork. They would learn how to understand the life of things in the environment as well as the death of these same elements. Encouraging classroom dialogue about artists who are making people aware of the environment as an art form and the ways in which we can artistically view it is also a great way to help student elaborate on the topic (p. 230). This would most likely be a new idea to them, using things in nature alone to create a work of art, so it would be beneficial for students to experience what their peers think by talking. Finally, observation/experience would be taking the students outside and allowing them to be in nature (p. 228). Have them draw what they see or create small works of art that get their creativity flowing by using what they can find right off the bat. This way of constructing knowledge would help students experience the things around them as well as allowing students to discover many characteristics and principles about the environment around them. No matter the way a teacher goes about effectively teaching their students about a topic, it appears to seem that regardless of that topic students learn best through the constructivist process because this process allows students several ways of gathering knowledge, interpreting it, and then figuring out where it fits in with the rest of the prior knowledge they have already gained.

Thoughts on Teaching and Learning

For students to learn they must be taught. Whether they are self taught or taught by another source, they are still learners. As teachers we will set the example for our students in learning. We will aid them in growing and developing into ladies and gentleman of this world who will hopefully one day become contributors to our society. Teaching and learning go and in hand to me because teachers are still learners, they are still learning everyday. I believe that usually a learner is not always able to teach others, but most of the time a learner is a teacher to themself in their own way. Some of the most wonderful and beneficial things I have learned have come from my students and being in the classroom with them. The connections that we make with out students can promote relationships that will benefit you and the teacher and them as the learner. Again, often times I learn more from them than I think they learn from me as the teacher.

Unit 2: Chapter 6

What are the essential skills and/or leaning outcomes you want your students to know and be able to do that relate to cognitive learning?

Learning is a long-term change in mental representations or associations as a result of experience. With cognitive learning, the way students learn material relates to and affects their performance in a subject area. The cognitive process is a particular way of thinking about and mentally responding to a certain event or piece of information. (p. 180) Meanings and understandings are not derived directly from the environment. They are more so constructed by the learner from how they view and interact with their environment. I want my students to be able to make relations to the outside world or things in their environment that helps them relate back to what we are learning in the classroom setting. (p. 182) I want my students to be able to process the information I am teaching them and be able to learn it through whatever means necessary for them. Since all of my students will not be learning in the same fashion, it is important that I either give them options to learn in all forms or I give them the ability to relate the information to their own way of understanding it. Since I am interested in middle and high school, by this time I would expect most of these grade level students to know what works best for them when learning new information. As teachers, we must remember that students will not necessarily always learn or remember information exactly as we present it to them. They will each interpret the classroom subject matter in their own unique and individual way.  (p. 183) There is nothing wrong with this, but teachers should be aware of it so that they can more appropriately plan their lessons. I personally learn in a few different ways, one of which is very visual, another of which is completely hands on and doing, and finally I learn by writing and rewriting information down. This may not be how all or any of my students process and learn information, I can also guarantee that some of my students will be none of these. However, I expect that as my students progress in my classroom they also progress in their ability to understand what we are learning in their own way and to be able to note just what works for them or does not work for them when trying to learn new information.

How might your knowledge of the memory process guide your instructional decisions?

The memory process is a learners’ ability to mentally save previously learned knowledge or skills over a period of time. When students store what they are learning, you hope they are storing it for later use. Sometimes, they store it for use right away and sometimes they store it for use down the road. (p. 184) Through the memory process, learners usually store information exactly as they receive it. I know that everything I teach will not be something that my students decide to store in their long-term memory. I do hope, however, that whatever they store in their short-term memory will eventually come back at some point to help them in their future endeavors. As a teacher, it is my job to make sure that I am presenting my material to my students in a way that appeals to their appetite to learn and absorb information. If I present information to my students in a very solemn and non-interactive way, then they will probably not remember it as being fun or worth their time. The goal is to grab their attention, hold it, and then get them involved in what you want them to learn. This is why I love art so much, but this is also why teaching art can be so hard. Not all of my students will want to be in the art classroom. I have just recently experienced this in a middle school I am observing. While I know that this varies on the teacher, their style of teaching, and the types of projects you introduce to the class, I also know that some students just do not find art appealing in any way, shape, or form. So, when trying to help my students learn I will be incorporating other things into my lessons that will hopefully stick and in some manner remind them that a particular art project helped them achieve and grow in other areas of their life. For example, I plan to allow my students to take unfinished art projects home, considering that it is not too elaborate of a project. Whenever they finish the project and bring it back to me is when I will grade it. There will be no late grade as long as I get the finished project back before final grades of the semester have to be in. This puts the responsibility on my students to keep up with the artwork, complete it, and get it turned back in to me in a decent form. I am teaching them about being responsible and hopefully instilling in them a sense of awareness that their actions and efforts determine their grades.

Unit 1: Chapter 15

1. Turn to p. 559 in Ormrod's text. Now, imagine that you are meeting with Ingrid's grandmother today to explain her scores on the recent standardized achievement test pictures at the bottom of
p. 559. What will you tell her about Ingrid's performance? Her strengths and weaknesses? If grandmother asks you what she could be doing at home to strengthen Ingrid's skills, what would you suggest? Make sure to include links to scholarly articles or other authoritative sources.

I would explain to Ingrid's grandmother that her scores are very excellent in some areas but need quite a bit of work in other areas. Often students are higher achievers in some subject areas versus other subject areas. When this happens, they just need a little extra help focusing in on the other subject areas that are just as important for them to learn and know. These weaker areas do not always click with them as easily as the ones they are excelling in.

Ingrid's performance is below average in both spelling and math computation, average in math concepts, above average in social studies, and well above average in both reading comprehension and science. Ingrid's scores show that she excels in reading comprehension and does very well in science, and that she is good with social studies and math concepts. However, she could use a lot of work in the areas of spelling and math computation. Ingrid's strengths seem to be that she understands how to read and apply the concepts she is reading and that she enjoys learning about science and all aspects associated with it, are easy for her to learn. Her scores also indicate that she understands math concepts and the uses behind math, but she could use a little more help focusing in on the content being taught to better gain a grasp on problem solving. As well, she seems to have a good grasp on her knowledge with social studies. Her weaknesses seem to be in the areas of selling and math computation. So, Ingrid knows how to read and apply the material but does not do well when having to write or spell out words on her own. She also does not understand the computation of math when it comes to working problems out.

At home, Ingrid and her grandmother could go through her reading assignments and when she comes across a word she does not really know, have her spell it out and try to determine the meaning of the word. Her grandmother could also give her a weekly spelling list that relates to the vocabulary being studied in her classes and they go over it every night together. Another thought would be for her grandmother to say words aloud and then Ingrid have to spell or write them out. As for her low score in math computation, Ingrid's grandmother could help her in applying the math concepts they discuss in class through giving her example problems to work on. If she understands the concepts then she just needs practice problems to work on her computation of the problems.

These are a few helpful articles:
A Developmental Perspective on Standardized Achievement Testing
This site links you to an article that has a great perspective on students and the continuous pressures of standardized test taking. Most students who do well feel great about taking these tests, but for those students who do not test well, these tests become a source of anxiety that is unnecessary. This article would be a great reference for parents/grandparents who are trying to understand the routine testing their children are going through in school, so that they can help to better prepare them before they even get to school.

Families in Schools
This site appears to be a good source for parents to learn about their need of involvement in their child's education. Parents play a huge role in a students success or failure within the classroom. If parents know what is expected of their children and the two can work together, students may feel like they have a better grasp on the knowledge they are learning.


Finally, this was an interesting question to consider for the week. I will not be dealing with this kind of issue as an art teacher necessarily in the same way that other teachers will, however, I learned a lot about how to maybe handle a parent/grandparent that is frustrated because of their child's standardized test scores. While I will be trying my best to integrate my art lessons with what the other teachers are doing, I am not teaching the subjects that Ingrid's test were over. I can only hope to collaborate with English, math, science, or social studies teachers and help by creating lesson plans that incorporate their materials in a more fun, exploratory, and elaboration manner. Collectively, we can aspire to help students understand these content areas outside the box, and in the process help them see that art is everywhere and in everything.

Standardization: Pros & Cons

Standardization tests are developed by a company or book. They are not always the best assessment, in my opinion. These tests focus on what the students know based on what the teacher covered, which was based on a criteria from the state or some higher decider. I can understand why this testing is so great for most subject areas, but in no way, shape, or form can I understand why it is so highly regarded and referenced. As a visual learner, this test was always the death of me. I dreaded taking my standardized tests in grade school because there was never anything on their related to the arts. My best test of perfomrnace and knowledge is not from a standardized test written by a company of people who do not know me or a book that cannot understand the individuality of all learners. This would all be why art is not included on the standardized tests. However, these tests were still the deciding factor of where I applied to college, where I got into college, and the path my future was going to take after high shcool. The company that wrote these tests or the book that is referenced for writing these tests cannot and should not be deciding my future or fate. I should be doing that. People put such a high presure on the outcomes of these tests that they forget to look at the indicidual taking them. If you went off of my ACT or SAT scores, you would never have thought that I would now be a soon graduating senior at a prestegious university or that I was about to begin my masters program. There is so much that a standardized test misses out on when evealuating a students knowledge or capabilites. Most students do far better in a normal classroom with normal grading systems as a test of their abilities and knoweldge. Unfortuanetly it has yet to be taken seriously that grades are a huge factor to consider as well. Just because I did poorly on my standardized test does not mean that I did poorly in my classes. I always got good grades and in college now I am above average in my GPA. This is also how many students are, but we have yet to understand that it is importnat too.

Unit 1: Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Using the diagram on p. 505 of Ormrod's text, consider three different types of assessment that you could use in your classroom. Find examples of these assessments through a Google search, identify how you would use them, how they might need to be modified for your students, and what the assessments can tell you - or cannot - about student performance.

Assesssments:
1. Paper-pencil assessment would be a great way for me to get my students thinking about the art they are creating and why they are creating it. This form of assessment is something that students would do on their own, as a reflection of their artworks, but it could also be shared out loud with the class. Sometimes is is more beneficial for students to reflect through writing about their art, then it is for them to be able to share is out loud right off the bat. This way they can take the time to really think things through. I want them to learn how to write and proof read their writing so that when it comes time for some of them to have to write an artist statement, they are more familiar with what should be included and what is better left to the imagination. This assessment is going to be a great way for my students to kind of self assess their work progress over the course of the year. Hopefully it will help them to recognize where they began and where they are at the end of the year with how they view and react to their own works of art, and their classmates works.

2. Teacher-developed assessment is good to utilize in my classroom because as the teacher I want to create my own form of assessing the development, knowledge, and skills of my students. This can be a great way for me to specifcally create a method for grading the work my students produce. By developing my own teacher based assessments, especially with such a subjective content area, I have the ability to create rubrics that will properly inform my students of what is expected from each one of them on each project. It is so important for me to really think about what I am going to ask my students to do and then if they complete it, give them the proper grade. I need to set a rubric that is fair and equal to all students, and so that if one student is unable to create a piece of work that shows good quality, then at least their effort on the work should be accounted for.

3. Authentic assessment can lend itself to helping me assess the ability of my students to learn through real-world tasks. For art this could be done through having the students create art that relates to their everyday lives or to the everyday world. I create art that revolves around my life. I feel like being able to do that is my way of communicating who I am as a person, what I feel is important in this world, and the passions I have about my life. I want to help students understand the world and all the differences their are, through using art. The real-world is what they will face on a daily basis. Why not go ahead and help them with the processing of it. Art, again is so visual, and it can be a way for students to communicate sometimes that which is not easily verbalized.


Think of a lesson plan from your licensure area. Knowing that assessment is an integral part of teaching, explain at least four informal and formal assessments that you will use in your lesson plan to provide you with feedback and involve the students in assessing their own learning.
Licensure area: K-12, would like to work with 6-12
Lesson Plan Objectives: Students will design a stylized composition with simplified shapes representing an important incident, interaction, or event derived from their personal life or experience. Students will cut shapes from a variety of fabrics and secure on to 12"x12" material to construct a narrative quilt square exhibiting contrast or a silhouette effect.

Informal assessment:
1. Students will begin by thinking of a personal incident, interaction, or event from their life.
2. I will have each student come up with at least two themes for the quilt square so they have choices.
3. Students will decide on the fabrics they want to use to create their shapes or silhouettes.
4. I will ask each student to let me know when they have come up with their final draft of a design.
Formal Assessments:
1. Students will be expected to use at least four different shapes or silhouettes to describe their design.
2. I will ask each student to write a summary of the design they chose to represent on their quilt square.
3. Students will be graded on their creative choices in fabric material, color, and pattern.
4. I will have time set aside for students to present their quilt square to the class and explain.


Consider norm-referenced assessments and criterion-referenced assessments. Are their advantages or disadvantages for both?

Norm-referenced assessments reveal how well each student's performance compares with the performance of peers - perhaps classmates or perhaps age-mates across the nation. Criteria-referenced assessments are designed to tell us exactly what students have and have not accomplished relative to predetermined standards or criteria. With both of these assessments their are pros and cons. For norm-referenced it can be very beneficial for the teacher to know how students are comprehending your material compared to the ways in which other students are comprehending the same material. Whether this is the teachers responsibility or if this is just the difference in environment and student motivation, can make a big difference. On the other hand, I am not sure I agree with comparing one student's successes or failures to another. Again, environmental situations can play a huge role in how a students is able to learn and pick up on information. It can be a good thing to compare your student's knowledge and performance from one student to another if you are trying to figure out ways of helping those students who may not be getting the information like the rest of the students are. As for criteria-referenced, I like that they are able to tell a teacher exactly what the student knows and does not know, or what the student has or has not been able to accomplish or master. The thing I do not agree with here is that these assessments leave out room for subjective assessment. Art is so subjective and cannot be assessed on a criteria-referenced scale always. Art is best looked at from the stand point of individuality. Every student is going to be on a different page with art because they are all going to process what they know in different ways. It is the way that they view things. Art cannot be assessed with criteria-reference because their is not standardization about it.

Unit 1: Chapter 13

1. Based on our readings and class discussion, how will you create a learning environment that is conducive to learning?

For my students, I would like to create a learning environment that is quiet, orderly, active, and at times noisy. I would like to create a place for my students to learn how to listen to others, stay organized with their materials, participate in class activities, and at times verbally discuss and present their works of art to the class, why they made the art they did, and what art means to them. All four of these types of classrooms are important for me in the environment I want to present to my class. By arranging my desks or tables in a collaborative and sharing manner, students will feel free to engage in the projects that I have set for them to complete. Working with their classmates will often times present better outcomes of works of art. Planning smooth transitions from one thing to the next will help students stay on task and focused. Having a back-up plan if students finish earlier with a project then expected. Allowing students to verbalize or write down a daily expression so they can get their creativity flowing.

I am a very strict rule follower so I appreciate and understand the need for rules. By presenting them in a non-controlling way, it will help students be productive and responsible, while being held accountable for themselves and their actions in my classroom. I want to make sure that my students feel like they can be expressive and not be judged based on how they see something. It may be different then another student, but that is what art is all about. We all see things differently and we must understand to appreciate that difference because how another sees something can open our eyes to seeing it that way too. An art classroom is all about letting your guard down and exposing yourself to new ideas so that you can learn to accept and appreciate the worlds' differences. If my students do not feel that they can do that then I need to work on the environment setting. As we discussed in class on Tuesday, teachers set the climate and the consistency we maintain is what keeps that climate steady and going. Art is such a subjective and expressive form of learning that I have to be on my game at all times to help my students cope and adapt to the new materials.

Students feel most comfortable in a calm, relaxed environment. It will be helpful for me to have images such as this on the walls of my classroom to not only promote creativity, but engage students in the art process the moment they enter my room.

2. Now consider your CSEL case study. Develop a full continuum of responses for dealing with misbehavior of your case.
With the case study involving middle school seventh grade students, Cherie acting out in front of the whole class is going to be very disruptive to your teaching, the class paying attention, and her own learning. With this case study it will be very important for me to make Cherie aware that I acknowledge her misbehavior and disruptions in the classroom. Often times teachers think it is easier if you ignore the students behavior because then it does not become important and the student will stop since they do not have your attention. The problem I have with that is that most students will not stop and if their is no consequence for what they are doing then they will not have a reason to stop misbehaving. As a teacher I want to make sure that I maintain a productive teacher-student relationship with Cherie. I have to show discipline in a non-threatening way so that she will be more attentive in listening to me. I then need to make sure to create an effective psychological climate by letting Cherie know that what she is doing to her classrooms is not very nice and that if someone was doing those things to her, how would she probably feel. Setting limits with my classroom will automatically tell Cherie what I expect from my students. My rules and procedures must be given in a non-controlling but informative manner that this is how things are going to go in my classroom. By reviewing my rules with Cherie, she will know that I do not tolerate misbehavior in my classroom that is so disruptive and harmful to other students. Most importantly I believe in communicating with each one of my students on a somewhat personal level. I would then pull Cherie aside after class to ask her why she is acting the way she is. More often than not a student's behavior in the classroom is a result from something external of that classroom setting. Again, it is my job as the teacher to set the climate. Cherie is testing the weather in my classroom this day but it cannot continue.

Unit 1: Chapter 11

"Questions to Consider"

 Chapter 11: Consider the theories of motivation we discussed in class. Which theories of motivation are most helpful and instructive for you? How can they enhance motivation and affect your students?

Trait theories will be helpful and instructive for me to better understand my students and their needs in my classroom. With art, it will be important to get to know my student's characteristics and personality traits because when trying to motivate them in creating works of art, if they do not seem to favor a technique or an art style, then they will not be as enthusiastic about using it. I do not want them to feel that they need to avoid their art experience because of the situation they are in. I want them to feel comfortable to freely express themselves in they way that they will best work. 

Another would be social cognitive theories because students will develop over time a motivation towards things that they feel give them the best consequences in return. In my classroom, if I can show one student that their work and behavior towards that work is a good experience for them, then other students will follow that behavior to motivation of receiving the same acknowledgment. With art it is all about expression and doing something that is the way only that student would do it. If students can become comfortable with how they choose to create art then they will become comfortable with talking about it to their peers and receiving helpful criticism for improving on their skills.

 Cognitive theories affect learners' perceptions of themselves and of the topics they are learning in the environment they are learning them in. This is a great theory for an art classroom as it is imperative for my students to trust in their abilities and be confident in the art work they create. When students perceive that they are doing a project well, then their motivation will increase to continue and they will be able to to further expand their abilities with various mediums. By allowing my students to have a control and choice in their project, I am giving them the ability to to self-determine the outcome of their art work. Thus students will grain more and learn more from their own motivation sand their peers so they can best be able to measure their own successes and failures in their works.

These theories can aid me in understanding and facilitating a helpful environment where my students feel comfortable to come to me with help on their projects, can go to their peers for help on projects, and can be confident in themselves to be able to trust in the work they are creating. Art is a beautiful thing where people find a place to freely open up and express their true nature, what they care most about in this world, or raise concern about issues they face. While all of this is made possible as a universal language that everyone can come together and connect about, it is a very strange thing for others. I want my students to understand art and just another tool for learning to appreciate the world and understand it. If students are not motivate and uncomfortable with the content of my class then nothing will get done and I will not get to see them let loose and have fun. By understanding these theories and applying them to my students and their work, I can help guide them in finding what will help them achieve most. 

Unit 1: PLE Questions

First PLE Post Reflection:

1. What are your personal objectives for the class?

Becoming an art teacher has been a very long process for me. Getting into the program at UT has been a tough road, but I am finally getting to the point where I feel like this is really what I am meant to do with my life. My personal objectives for this class consist if gaining a better understanding of myself in the educational system. I want to gain knowledge about the ways in which I learn best, why my motivations are what they are, why I best focus in one setting versus another, how my teachers used tools and techniques to gain my interest, etc. By gaining this knowledge I hope to then be able to soon understand my own students needs in the classroom. I want to grasp the concepts of this course so that I can recognize when a student is behaving the way they are, so I can see when a student is struggling, why and how I can help them, and I want to be able to help them realize and reflect on their strengths and weaknesses inside and outside the classroom environment of learning.

2. What do you want to explore deeper?

I would like to explore the challenges I may face in the classroom. I find it very interesting that, as teachers in a varying of areas, we are all striving to get to know and understand our students so that we may best teach them. In this educational course, as well as in many of my other courses, I am surrounded by those who are in the art education program and those who are in another area of the educational program. While it will be good for me to hear how my peers in other programs will handle situations in their classrooms, I am interested in hearing what and how those in my area of teaching will conduct their classrooms. Educational psychology is applied to all areas of teaching, however, I believe that it is needed to be applied in a different way when working with math students versus working with art students. There are similarities, but I want to know how best to understand my students in the environment of my art education classroom. It will be new territory and maybe frightening to some students who feel as though they are not artistic and my hope is to better understand why, all the possibilities of how they may feel and act, so that I can accommodate to their needs for learning and succeeding in the art environment.