1. Read & Reflect on Chapter 3 of Teaching as if Life Matters As Dr. Unrath states many times in class, “it is all about questions.” I do believe that life is all about questions. However, we seem to go to school for answers instead of questions. Personally speaking, in my educational history, I have seldom asked good questions. My purpose is to seek the answers and to get higher scores. That is why Hart stated that “Schools do not lack answers, they lack depth. Depth is associated more with asking good questions than with having all the answers (Hart, 2003)”. Well, I think I have changed as I have gotten more and more involved in graduate courses, because instructors push me to persist in asking questions and living with questions,I should be curious about everything. This reminds me of my preschool students who are learning Chinese with me, and the kids always ask me questions, and sometimes I do not know how to respond. It is so embarrassing. I am met with this situation many times, but I do not know how to deal with it, so finally I always try to avoid their curiousness or try to distract their attentions. I felt guilty when I read Chapter 3 of Teaching as if Life Matters. “The reminder to teachers to see young people’s questions as invitation to dialogue rather than as threats to our authority or opportunities to demonstrate our intelligence. The truth is that embedded in most questions is a whole world of ideas.” (Hart, 2004) I think I have to change my teaching strategies, at least, I should trust and enjoy the curiosity of my preschool students. The six explorations of cultivating a love of questions are very enticing. Why? Because I am anxious to experiment and practice the love of questions in a classroom and to experience the outcome. As a pre-service teacher, I have so many questions in my mind which I never put into action. It is all about imaginations. As I read the six explorations, I have a strong desire to practice those strategies and to see what’s going on. I have asked myself which explorations I would like to try first. Absolutely, it would be exploration 1 Questions to Create Community. The example mentioned in the book is a good start for teachers to get to know their new students in the first day or first week of class. The teacher could pass put slips of paper and invite each person to create a question for the class by completing the open-ended sentence: HOW MANY OF YOU……? When they are done, students drop the papers into a hat. The hat then goes around, and each student picks a slip and reads the question on it. Students could raise their hands if they agree with the questions. After that, the teacher can chime in with the follow-up questions. I agree with the author’s statement that “their questions are receiving attention and the responses are teaching them things about the other people in the room as well as themselves. As this occurs, barriers begin to ease and apprehension and longlines tend to dissolve.” Actually, I have the same feeling when my questions receive the professors’ attention. Once I realize this, I must consider my teaching strategies in pre-school again. In addition, personally, I would love to try exploration 2 Observation as the Foundation for Questions with my friends. Why? Because using this strategy is very appropriate to include my fellow graduate students as participants. And why is it appropriate for graduate students? Because the strategy FIFTY QUESTIONS is complicated if it is implemented in young children since they do not have sufficient vocabulary or the knowledge base to use in this context. As the author states, “Once students have produced some examples of clear questions, they consider how their questions could be answered.” This could be their independent research projects. So I believe this strategy is applicable for graduate students. To sum up, I feel like those explorations are useful and I definitely would practice them in future classes. 2. Descriptive Narrative about the Lesson A. Why do I pick “identity” as the big idea in this lesson? In fact, I did not have any idea about this lesson. However, when I met Dr. Unrath, we talked about the identity of being Asian American. Dr. Unrath suggested that I could conduct a research by using Artography methodology. When I thought about this lesson plan again, I came up with an idea to use this “identity” as the big idea. It could be interesting and enlightening for international graduate students to explore their identities in the U.S. Certainly, this could be my first step to explore and test my research idea, it definitely could give some useful information if I really decide to conduct this research. Moreover, I want to put this lesson into action during spring break, and I could have a group of graduate students (my friends) acting as my students in the class. This seems like a perfect plan for me. B. Why do I think it is important for international graduate students to explore their own identities? Well, I asked this question to myself when I got enrolled in the graduate school in August 2016. Actually, my mind was full of different images. I was confused about my identity. I felt lost when I wanted to identify myself. It was so difficult for me to define myself as a human, a graduate student, a daughter, a girlfriend, a photographer, or a filmmaker. As an international student in the U.S, it is really significant to know what I am, who I am, what I value most. I should know myself so that I can know the life on campus and life in the U.S. better. Once I realized this, I was curious to know how other international students identify themselves and what they value most. If I were to teach a small group of international students art, this could be a meaningful opportunity to get to know ourselves. This is a living inquiry that artography values. C. Why do I have them watch a video released by The Museum of Modern Art named How Artists Explore Identity/Modern Art & Ideas? I will invite some international graduate students to be the participants in the class, however, most of them do not have much art experience in their lives. At this point, I was wondering how to share some basic knowledge with them in the shortest period of time. I think watching a video could get their attention and also give them some basic ideas. This would be a good kick start for them to explore the idea of identity. Most importantly, watching a video could be a relaxing time for them to relieve stress since they do not know each other very well. I want to create a safe, happy, relaxed environment for them. HAVE FUN WITH IT! D. Why do I have students create “identity” mind map? I think most international graduate students have not thought about this idea of “identity” since our lives are full of assignments and deadlines. We care much about the academy, even if we have not focused on our own identities. If I want to teach this idea, how could I help them think about it in depth? Actually, I want to use the strategy that the author mentions in the book named Teaching as if Life Matters. FIFTY QUESITONS is a strategy that helps students to build up questions. I think this strategy is useful for these graduate students to explore the idea of identity, however, the period of the class is less than one hour. Obviously, we do not have much time to complete this activity. What kind of activities could we play, so that they would gain some insight into their own identities. When I looked back at my previous course assignments, I found an activity that Livek asked us to do – Mind Map. I think this could be an important tool to help them really reflect on their identities. I would give them time to finalize their thoughts and then ask them some questions to promote and develop their thinking. These ideas would be a benefit for the process of making art. E. Why do I have students appreciate some artists’ self-portraits by using technology? Before starting to make self-portraits, even though they have some ideas in mind, they might have no idea how to make it happen by making artworks. At this point, having students observe and evaluate some artists’ self-portraits will give them some meaningful references. Based on these references, they might be inspired with some new ideas. F. Why do I have students learn how to use PicsArt instead of Photoshop? I have taught PicsArt in Tiger Artists program in Fall 2016, and based on this experience, I feel comfortable to teach this lesson if I teach PicsArt again. Moreover, these international graduate students do not have any experience with using Photoshop, so it might be hard for them to learn it. Most importantly, we have less than one hour to explore the idea of identity. Time is limited. In addition, it is much easier to learn PicsArt app. Because of those reasons, I decided to teach PicsArt instead of Photoshop. PEER RESPONSE Hi Alison, I am impressed that you share so many essential questions? How do you come up with those questions about the lesson plan? Actually, I have problems when I design the essential questions. I think "display" is a good topic for your students to explore since they will have an art show. In the part of "What will student do", you mentioned that you would have students discussion. I was wondering that will it work that you have students watch some inspiring art videos talking about the big idea - display? In addition, your mentioned Gude and Douglas's approach, is it talking about the choices? I read the Powerpoints that they shared about the ideas of choices in NAEA conference in 2017. By the way, I strongly agree with your statement "it is on the students to explore their own understandings and develop their own truths to these dynamic questions." I feel like sometimes we do not need care much about the answers while focus on the questions. Because questions promote people to really think about them? Most importantly, it is an adventure for us to explore those questions. It may be very difficult to gain the answer, however, we are on the way to explore, like Abba Felix, giving opportunity for students to explore the world. The questions are prerequisites. Hello Zach, wow, how wonderful the big idea is! I have not thought about "Pandora box" which can be a big idea that students can explore. It is really amazing to consider what it is inside. This is definitely potential to wonder everything in the world and broaden students' horizon. On the other hand, I was wondering whether we could share some "dark" side in the class? Since I do not have much experience teaching art, I do not know how to teach something in the shadow part. I just read Becky's response, and she states that Gude" talked about how it’s the “darker” things that seem to inspire more creativity. She phrased it as how it’s much more fun to talk about the worst party you’ve ever been to as opposed to the best. " Is it possible to talk about that? I am just curious about it. By the way, you summary of readings is so good, I can parallel my sense with your ideas. Also, I found something that I did not notice. Lesson plan is attached in the below. ![]()
5 Comments
Amy R
3/26/2017 09:02:44 am
Hi Jenny!
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Jenny
3/26/2017 12:42:18 pm
Hi Amy, thanks for your help. The coggle is a really nice tool for me to explore the idea. I just used it. Really useful and practical! Thank you again!!!
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Zach
3/26/2017 02:45:36 pm
Hello Jenny,
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Hi Jenny,
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Kayla
3/26/2017 04:05:02 pm
One thing that I noticed in the beginning is when you say that you are embarrassed when the kids ask you questions and you don’t know the answers. I think it is truly helpful for students to know that adults don’t know everything, and to hear an authority figure admit that. Then you could say “You know, I don’t have the answer to that. Let’s find out together!” That makes you much more relatable, and makes the students more open when they find themselves in a similar moment of confusion.
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