Description
This project is designed to assist you in the process of planning, implementing, and reflecting on an expressive arts lesson. It is an integrated project that is designed to bring together and apply materials learned about expressive arts, the design and implementation of lesson plans, teacher reflection, collaboration with your mentor teacher and the use of iMovie to document and tell a story.
Process:
1. Work with your mentor teacher to select an expressive arts topic for which you could write a lesson plan. Ask the mentor teacher if he/she would be willing to videotape you teaching the lesson.
2. Plan and carefully design an exemplary expressive arts lesson that your mentor teacher will allow you to teach this semester. Make sure that as you create the lesson you review and include all the elements necessary for a well designed and well written lesson plan.
3. Show your mentor teacher the lesson plan and discuss its implementation. Also discuss what you would like your mentor teacher to focus on with the camera as you teach the lesson. Make sure that he/she knows that the purpose for this lesson is to focus on you and your interaction with the students.
4. Select a day for teaching the lesson and reserve the appropriate equipment (especially the video camera and tripod). Collect the necessary supplies for the lesson.
5. Teach the lesson. Be certain that your teacher uses the camera to document all aspects of the lesson including the introduction or set, all explanations and teaching, and whatever assessment and closure you use. Don't feel shy about asking the teacher to film those elements of the lesson which you would like to focus.
6. At the end of the day (or as close as possible) sit down with your mentor teacher and review the videotape, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the lesson. Pick out the most critical insights that you would like to include in the video.
7. As soon as possible, begin to edit the footage to determine which 5-8 minutes would best tell the story of lesson and its implementation. Select the places where you can add your own commentary and videotape those comments for cutting into the video.
8. Complete editing the video so that it deftly presents the viewer with enough of the lesson to get a sense of it, and enough commentary to indicate what worked with the lesson, and what changes would be implemented the next time it would be taught. The video itself should be no more than 10 minutes long total.
9. Sit down with your mentor teacher and watch the movie. Discuss the lesson as well as your video reflections on the lesson.
10. Submit the written lesson plan and the iMovie (as a QuickTime video on CD or DVD) for assessment.
The overarching aim of this project is to assist you in becoming a better teacher.
Goals
There are 5 specific project goals.
This project is designed to foster:
1. Improved lesson planning and implementation.
2. Insight into methods for teaching an expressive arts lesson.
3. Experience reflecting on the process of planning a lesson and supporting student learning.
4. The development of closer collaborative ties with your mentor teacher.
5. Practical insight into the use of video editing software to tell a learning story.
Objectives
Instructional Objectives for this project include the following.
By the end of this project, students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the process of designing and teaching a lesson by planning, writing, and teaching a lesson to the students in their placements.
By the end of this project, students will be able to demonstrate the ability to apply their understanding of appropriate expressive arts methods by successfully facilitating learning during an expressive arts lesson.
By the end of this project, students will be able to demonstrate the ability to reflectively evaluate a lesson by editing their iMovie to include insightful reflections on the lesson.
Throughout this project, students will be able to demonstrate their valuation of collaboration with their mentor teacher by working with their mentor to teach, record, and reflect on a lesson, and to produce an iMovie documenting the story.
By the end of this project, students will be able to apply their understanding of using video editing software to tell a story, by creating a learning story telling about their lesson and by reflecting on the qualities of that lesson.
