To Whom It May Concern:
I have had the pleasure of working with Jacob Kasik for the last 5 years as his Arts Integration Instructional Coach. My involvement with him and his teaching was a requirement for his participation in a federal grant program entitled, Mastering the Arts. This program provided teachers instructional workshops, resources, and mentoring for integrating standards-based arts instruction across core curricula. Teachers in the program created standards-based lessons for implementation in their classroom to use the Arts to leverage the skills and habits of creativity to improve the academic performance and critical thinking of students, which in turn helped prepare them to exceed the expectations of state education standards. Working with Jacob in this program has given me a unique vantage point from which to watch him grow professionally, both as an educator and artist. Jacob displays the character and professionalism of high-quality individual and teacher and was masterful in the program.
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Jacob’s students entered the classroom, and it was evident there were rules and procedures put in place. Students knew what to do, where to be, and were engaged immediately. It was evident that Jacob had a good rapport with his students. He connected with them personally, they liked him, and it was evident by their behavior that they respected him. Students engaged in his lesson, followed his instruction and he guided them to work independently to complete their assigned work. Jacob’s classroom management, professionalism, and instruction was excellent, and students created quality work as a
In her article, Davidson explores our current educational system and its problem, she states “The problem, however, is the confusion of “high standards” with “standardization.” Our national educational policy depends on standardized tests, but it is not at all clear that preparing students to achieve high test scores is equivalent to setting a high standard for what and how kids should know and learn” (59). Despite excelling on these tests can be considered as overachieving or an elite quality, it does not however, test those skills that students may have acquired or are going to need to put into practice. Those standardized tests are also very limited and are not inclusive of other talents that a student might have. Just like the girl with the green hair in the middle school that Davidson visited, her artistic talents are never challenged or even considered by those educational standards.
"Education and the Fine Arts." Education and the Fine Arts This article, “Why Schools are Cutting Fine Arts Education” is about why schools are cutting the arts. With the author being unknown, but we see that the author uses clear examples on why the arts is being cut over another curriculum. Throughout this article the author tends to use more pathos than anything with personal experiences to invoke the reader to do something over the budget cuts.
The Creative Curriculum integrates all aspects of child and youth development. Using research-validated strategies, this approach enhances each young person's growth in the foundations of academics as well as in social-emotional, physical, and creative areas. By adopting the Creative Curriculum — and learning to use it effectively — thousands of educators and caregivers worldwide are making a difference in the lives of children, youth, and families. Many of the activities that Creative teachers do in the classroom or center can also be done at home. For example, families can provide many different learning materials, often using everyday objects that cost little or nothing.
He didn't allow himself to cut off other students' struggles and he sees ways that his learning can not only serve himself but others too.
Build positive relationships with students will help establish a more comfortable classroom environment. Michie have put a great amount of effort at trying to get to know his students on a more personal level, such as through individual home visiting and personal questionnaires about each student’s likes and dislikes about school. In order for students to feel that the information is relevant to them, teachers should make connections and relate to real life examples. Michie uses his past classroom experiences to connect to his students and further sparks class discussion. Michie would try to relate to what the students were going through in their lives to get to know them better.
Hooks compares the types of classrooms that she has been in as a student, from the engaged pedagogy to the traditional classroom. She begins the text by recalling her experiences at Booker T. Washington and how much she loved learning there, stating, “my teachers made sure they ‘knew’ us. They knew our parents, our economic status, where we worshipped, what our homes were like, and how we were treated in the family(17).” The situation detailed by Hooks here illustrates a teacher-student relationship classroom that has “transgressed” the boundaries of traditional teaching practices. The audience can see that the author is happy with this learning experience which translates to why she is also excited about learning, establishing the relationship between the teaching method and student productivity outcome.
I collaborated with occupational therapists, speech therapists, and physiotherapists to provide early intervention care and support to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, and Learning Disabilities. I continued working similarly with children in a school as a counselor for four years. I learned about the challenges students face in a mainstream setup that puts emphasis on curriculum based general learning. The students coming to me would actively seek skilled based activities and loved art based tools in their sessions. To enhance my skills and have working tools that included art, I pursued a diploma in Arts Based Therapy.
Growing in an arts-rich environment during students’ time in secondary school has benefits that extend to their higher education. High school students who had high levels of arts engagement were 19% more likely to aspire to college than were students with less arts engagement (Catterall 14). 71% of students with a low socioeconomic status who had arts-rich experiences attended some sort of college after high school, compared to only 48% of the low-arts students. 22% more high-arts students from the low socioeconomic group, compared with low-arts students in that group, attended a four-year college (10). Arts-engaged high school students enrolled in competitive colleges at a 15% higher rate than did low arts-engaged students (15).
Mankato, MN: Creative Education, 1987. Print. Wall-E. New York: Scholastic, 2008.
I have learned how to modify the Creative Curriculum to provide quality education and a challenging learning environment for cultural and diverse
A team approach for planning, implementing, participating in, and assessing arts integration programs is a critical factor in ensuring success. Arts integration supports authentic experiences, which engages and motivates students to achieve academic excellence. The arts component provides students with multiple modes of learning and understanding. Arts integration intensifies academic rigor as students engage problem-solving skills to draw connections across disciplines and demonstrate competency through creative
The students were highly engaged. I could say that the concepts to be learn were explicitly linked to ELLs’ background experience and past learning. I listened to the teacher’s speech and voice projection, it was appropriate (not too slow, not too fast), and she emphasized the importance of being respectful/active listeners. She ensured that each students had sufficient time to respond to her questions, and clarify if a student seemed confused (regarding the objectives). As the students did the group work, Mrs. Carbone foster noticing.
For years, Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) struggled to reform Bates Middle School’s, a highly diverse and largely minority populated school, performance as indicated by state standardized testing scores, which were 14-27% behind the county average. “Bates was marked for Corrective Action (the third and highest tier of school improvement) by AACPS” (Snyder, Klos & Grey-Hawkins, 2014, p. 3). To improve student engagement and achievement the school decided to apply a different curricular approach that focused on “the integration of art into the academic content curricula [to provide] a logical approach to address the variety of students’ intelligences that are reflected in their different learning
Throughout my training, I implemented various strategies for engaging students in small groups and rigorous lessons. My role as a teacher is to communicate effectively, be respectful, and have self-worth and confidence. I did fear making wrong choices throughout this field experience. I set high expectations the students to achieve high goals. Teaching to me opened doors to many students’ lives.
Modern day schooling forces students to fit a mold only a select few can fill by creating too much structure and having an overbearing emphasis on math and science, when other, less structured extracurricular activities can promote respect, discipline, and teamwork. Most would agree that, in early stages of life, art is a detrimental and necessary part of any child’s early development and education. In fact, Pre-K through third grade’s education curriculum is usually centered around promoting early creativity and a fondness for learning. Kids learn math by counting colorful pieces of bricks. They learn both science and the basic principles of functionality by playing with train sets and toy cars.