Mason Orrei

Professor Suk
EDUC 230-01 Education Field Experience
Spring 2017
Rationale Statement Standard #4
Statement of Standard 4: Content Knowledge
The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the
discipline(s) he or she teaches, particularly as they relate to the Common Core Standards
and the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards and creates learning experiences
that make these aspects of the discipline accessible and meaningful for the learners to assure
mastery of the content (Professional Development in New Jersey, 2014, pg 5).
Name of Artifact: Pyramid Head Stippling
Date of Artifact: May, 2015
Course: Education Field Experience EDUC 230-01
Rationale Statement:
For Standard 4, I am showing an assignment from a course that is in the subject area I
want to teach in. The subject I want to teach is Art, and I would like to teach high school
students. I took around four or five art classes in my high school and in one of them we learned
about stippling. Stippling is an art form where the art piece is made entirely of dots, and in order
to show detail the artist needs to know about shading. Shading is one of the most important
concepts in art and is used in almost every art style. This relates to the Essential Knowledge
section of Standard 4 under 4.ii.1 that states the teacher understands major concepts,
assumptions, debates, processes of inquiry, and ways of knowing that are central to the
discipline(s) s/he teaches (Professional Development in New Jersey, 2014, pg 5). Knowing how
to shade is an important concept in art and by using my stippling as this artifact shows my
understanding and knowledge of shading.
When I made the piece back in high school being a teacher was in the back of my mind;
being a teacher was just this inkling that I had, but I remember sitting in class filled with
frustration because I could not get the shading right. My artifact is not even the one I submitted
for my art class. I actually started it after my graded assignment was done, because I knew I
could better, however I did not actually get to finish it until 2015. While I did not actively work
on it for this long the piece did take me three years to finish. Looking back on it now I realize
that my students will be frustrated with certain art styles just like I was. The reason I did not give
up was because of my teacher. She guided me through what to do and told me which areas
needed more attention. She even gave me different tips to pace myself and see shading different.
She never pushed me to hurry up and finish my piece. She gave me space, time, and she
answered my questions when I needed answers. My art teacher for that assignment became my
metaphorical rock, and I know that I will have to be a rock for my students at least sometimes. I
know from experience that art can be very frustrating so I will need to be observant and know
when my students are going through too much.
Shading is used in plenty of, if not all, art classes. I have no doubts in my mind that I will
have to teach shading in some form at some point in my career. Stippling, while the most tedious
and time-consuming art style, is my favorite. It is the one art style that I always go back to, and I
am always trying to make more art pieces, so I would definitely love to teach stippling to my
future students. When I do that, I could use my Pyramid Head stippling as an example image for
my students to see.
References
Professional Development in New Jersey. (2014, Agust 4). Retrieved from New Jersey State
Department of Education:
http://www.state.nj.us/education.profdev/profstand/teacherstandardscrosswalk.pdf