Project TEAM
Integrated Planning and Reflection:
Technology, Expressive Arts, Methods

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 digital video to document, tell a story, and reflect on the qualities of your lesson.

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. Get appropriate permission to videotape the lesson (this will parallel your EdTPA permissions).

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. This footage will be critical for your reflections and analysis.

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 on 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, and that would best allow you to reflect on your work.  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 video.  Discuss the lesson as well as your video reflections on the lesson.

10. Using the EdTPA-framed reflection questions, reflect carefully on your lesson, type up your commentary to respond to the following questions. Please make thi only about a page total; be thoughtful rather than verbose.
1. Promote a positive Learning Environment:
Q: How did you demonstrate mutual respect for, rapport with, and responsiveness to students with varied needs and expressive backgrounds?
2. Engage students in learning
Q: Explain how your lesson engaged students in expressing themselves artistically.
3. Deepening student learning during instruction
Q: Explain how you elicited and built on student responses to promote creative expression.
4. Analyzing your teaching
Q: What changes would you make to your instruction to better support student creative expression?
Q: Why do you think these changes would improve student creative expression?
.

11. Submit the written lesson plan, your commentary, and the video (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, candidates 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 a placement.

By the end of this project, candidates 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, candidates will be able to demonstrate the ability to reflectively evaluate a lesson by editing their iMovie to include insightful reflections on the lesson.

By the end of this project, candidates will be able to demonstrate the ability to write reflective commentary that explains the rationale behind teaching decisions, and the ability to analyze and reflect on what they have learned about their teaching practice and their students' learning.

Throughout this project, candidates 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, candidates 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.
Rubric
5
3
1
Lesson Design and Teaching
 Lesson plan contains excellent implementation of the Pacific lesson design elements. All elements are in place. Lesson that is taught comprehensively utilizes all lesson elements. Lesson plan contains evidence of implementation of the Pacific lesson design elements. Many elements are in place. Lesson utilizes many lesson elements. Lesson plan contains evidence of inadequate implementation of the Pacific lesson design elements. Many elements are not in place or are inadequately explained. Lesson does not utilize many lesson elements.
Use of Appropriate Expressive Arts Methods
 Uses exemplary methods that support student creativity and empower student expression. Lesson is very successful in fostering learning objectives. Uses methods that allow some measure of student expression. Lesson supports learning objectives. Uses inappropriate or inadequate methods that restrict student expression. Lesson does not help students meet learning objectives.
Insightful Reflections on Lesson
 Movie contains numerous insightful reflections on the planning and teaching of the lesson. Movie contains some reflections on the planning and teaching of the lesson. Movie contains inadequate reflections on the planning and teaching of the lesson.
Collaborates to Design and Implement the Project
 Movie contains evidence of strong commitment to collaboration with mentor teacher on planning, teaching and reflecting on lesson. .Movie contains evidence of commitment to collaboration with mentor teacher on some aspects of the lesson lesson. Movie contains little evidence of commitment to collaboration with mentor teacher.
Commentary effectively responds to prompts
Written commentary demonstrates deep and meaningful reflections on each of the prompts. Written commentary demonstrates adequate reflections on the prompts. Written commentary provides inadequate and/or inaccurate reflections on the prompts.
Use of iMovie to Tell a Learning Story
 Artfully applies understanding of using video editing software to tell a well crafted digital learning story. Applies understanding of using video editing software to tell digital learning story. Story may be a bit unclear or choppy. Poorly designed learning story demonstrates an inadequate understanding of the process of using video editing software to tell a story.
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Page last updated on Thursday, September 05, 2013