Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____

Observation Form: Complete ALL 12 questions on this form specifically as it relates to

your observation site. Answer questions in general, but also give specific details related to
accommodations and/or modifications made for students with special needs.

1. Classroom Management: Discuss and describe classroom management, e.g., how the
teacher stores class materials and art supplies, how they distribute materials to the
students, how the class runs without teacher aid. How does the teacher organize the
class in a way that is effective without direct hands on management? Accessibility for
students with disabilities?
The classroom itself is managed well, everything is labeled for ease of access. There are

labels on the bookcases which house books for reference to both artists and art pieces, as

well as some books on art movements. There are various cabinets filled with materials such

as acrylics, oils, colored pencils, pens, scoring materials for clay, carving materials for

sculpture, and other such tools for pottery. A sculpture class was introduced for first period,

and so there were cut paper materials (paper, scissors, glue) available specifically for this

period. There were also additional paints available in the teacher’s desk and in her back room

which the students could access as well. These drawers were not labeled, but the teacher said

that they “know where to get things.” She professed that she didn’t have any personal space

and said that she was fine with it. In terms of students with special needs, however, the

majority of the tools were located in cabinets which would be out of the reach of students

who were wheelchair bound. Although the aisles throughout the classroom were wide

enough to facilitate a wheelchair when students who were wheelchair bound came into the

classroom they were simply brought to a table and left there, not being moved around by

their paraprofessional. To talk to my pervious statement about the students not having their

materials being accessible, the paraprofessionals brought some materials out for them. It

should be noted, however, that the materials brought were in one case not at all similar to

those being used by the rest of the class (blocks and shapes) and in another case was given

1
Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____
clay to use but no instruction or no clear purpose behind the clay. To move back to the idea

of general accessibility, Mrs. Flannigan stated that she set expectations at the beginning of

the semesters for the students to come into the class and immediately start working. This

also sets the tone that they are in charge of gathering and maintaining materials. I will discuss

this further in the rules question, but they are also graded on how well they maintain their

materials, just as they would be graded on their final project’s craftsmanship. This also

means that by default the class runs with limited to no teacher aide, the teacher mainly

stepping in to introduce projects, check on progress, answer questions, intervene if there

should be issues within the classroom, and to discuss/collect the final projects.

2. Room Layout: Describe the efficacy of the room layout. Space utilized resourcefully?
Attention to accommodation needs.
I believe that the room layout in Ms. Flannigan’s room is very efficient. I have not witnessed

any students in wheelchairs or with other restrictions such as crutches attempt to navigate

the classroom, however just from a spectator point of view it seems like the aisles are wide

enough for them to be accessible. There are four tables in total with multiple numbers of

chairs per table. There doesn’t seem to be any assigned seats either, so students can move

around as need be. The bottoms of the chairs have tennis balls on them as well, making

them easier to move and when they move they are quieter. I assume this is both for safety

purposes and for heling those who are sensitive to noises that the chairs may make if those

balls were not in place. Speaking to universal design, all of the supply cabinets are labeled

clearly and distinctly. However, some of the cabinets may be too high up for those who are

wheelchair bound to properly access, and I wonder if the sink may be too high up for them

as well. What is both accessible and readily available for all students as it is situated lower to

the floor is the set of books that Ms. Flannigan has for students. These are separated by art

books (in a “coffee table” style, artist biography books, and a section labeled “cultural

2
Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____
themes” featuring largely ethnic artworks. These can be used at any time by the students for

research or for references. Another resource which is available which may not typically be

thought of is the teacher herself. Although her desk is accessible and at the head of the

classroom she often spends her time moving around the classroom itself. Throughout my

observation time she makes sure each student is progressing at a steady rate and discusses

the projects on a personal and individual level with each student.

As a quick update to my previous observations, I have seen one student who is wheel-

chair bound come into Mrs. Flannigan’s classroom. However, even with their

paraprofessional they were not wheeled around the classroom and were instead given

materials to use on their own. These materials were not the same materials that the other

students were working on, and it did not seem like they were in line with any of the lessons

that were being taught either. Just from observation it seemed like the student would have

been able to navigate themselves around the classroom and/or have themselves be navigated

around them given the opportunity, however they were not given such a chance. Although

the room was accessible the paraprofessional did not take advantage of that accessibility.

Another interesting accommodation that I say being utilized is that a student who is hard of

hearing had a separate work area in the teacher’s office. When I asked about why he was

back there, not knowing that he was hard of hearing, the teacher and ASL interpreter just

stated that he preferred to be back there. There was not explicit mentioning of it being tied

to his being Hard of Hearing, and he did come outside of the room for demonstrations and

to show his work to the teacher. Another student, a friend of his, was also allowed to sit with

him in the back room to work. I found this an interesting and simple accommodation and

felt that it was good that it was an accommodation that was afforded to him to make him

more comfortable within the art classroom.

3
Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____
3. Behavior Management: What steps are taken to correct a negative behavior? What
does the teacher do to encourage and support good classroom behavior? How does
the teacher reward good behavior? Are there punishments for negative behavior?
Are there class rules established? Are these rules presented in a visual form in the
classroom, or are they just “known”? Did students help establish the class rules?
How are behaviors handled when working with students with special needs?
As far as behavior is concerned Mrs. Flannigan told the class from the first day of the

semester of the rules of the classroom and of what she expects. She made it aware in a

respectful way that not all students would be pursuing art as a career and so she mainly

expected their best efforts in the class. This was done as a way of easing concerns of the

class, specifically some of those who didn’t see themselves as being able to create art prior.

Another interesting rule that was set was about respect, and this applied to the teacher as

well as the students. Less a rule and more of an expectation, Mrs. Flannigan made sure to

know that she would never belittle or make fun of the student’s artwork and that she would

not tolerate the students doing such things to each other’s artwork. Going off of this she has

stated that it is extremely important to be able to find positives and point them out,

especially in students who act out in class. She has also mentioned to Erika and me as well as

out loud in class that the art room is “a classroom where we encourage each other.” Before I

speak on how she has handled disciplinary actions specifically I want to note that by her own

accord Mrs. Flannigan said that the most difficult part for her in disciplining children (and

with children who tend to act out) was keeping an eye on them while also maintaining

attention towards students who may simply need her help with projects. During her 3rd

period class (the self-proclaimed “bad class”) Erika and I noticed that Mrs. Flannigan was

more present amongst the students than she was in other classes. This extended to sitting at

the desk of some students who were typically louder and more disruptive. When she heard

issues arise at other desks she would call out and correct their behavior, opting to do so in

front of the class instead of doing so in private. This never got to the point where it belittled

4
Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____
or shamed the student and was more along the lines of stating rules/asking “What should

we/you be doing?” before going back to working with whom she was working. As a general

disciplinary rule/procedure Mrs. Flannigan lets students have their phones out. This is done

with the understanding that they can look up reference imagery and information on artwork

on them. However, during the 3rd period due to abuse of this rule/privilege they were told

that if they continue to use their phones in ways that are not allowed that they would have to

place their phones in a “phone tree” (a shoe holder with their names on it hung on the door)

when they enter the classroom, banning phones from being used for the entire class. This

has yet to be implemented, however the threat has been made on a couple of occasions.

With all of this being said, Mrs. Flannigan still works on maintaining a rapport with all of her

students, and I noted her joking with and talking personably with the same students who

were acting out prior. In regard to students with special needs, the special needs students

played a very passive role in the art room, and so they did not seem to have many rules to

follow. I did not notice Mrs. Flannigan interacting with them, mainly that was the

paraprofessional’s job and they simply brought some materials to them. None of the other

students interacted negatively or positively with the students with special needs either.

4. Time Management: Describe how the teacher use time effectively? Describe
strategies that you observe. Critique the teacher’s use of class time. In what ways can
the teacher use time better (if applicable)?
Time management is used very well in the classroom. Ms. Flannigan has set a specific

expectation early on as far as how students should come into the classroom prepared to

work. As I mentioned in my response to question 2 all of the cabinets are clearly labeled.

This includes the cabinets which are for student artwork. Throughout the various class

period there wasn’t a single one where students entered the classroom without immediately

going to and collecting their art. Students then worked on their art through the period. I did

5
Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____
note that Ms. Flannigan would review specific steps and around where in the process

students should be with their projects while they were working, however. For example, in

one class the students were to write out a self-assessment where they discussed their process,

explained elements of design within their piece, and graded themselves. Ms. Flannigan went

over the worksheet before handing it out, but after that the students filled it out and brought

it up to her individually as they finished it. The main time when Ms. Flannigan prompted for

a specific “time” in the class was when there was ten minutes to the end of the class period.

This is understandable, as some students were working with materials that were more time

consuming to put away than others (i.e. sculpture, oil paints, ceramics). Typically, she only

had to give this warning once however. I’m attributing this less to the students needing to be

reminded about it because they don’t know, and more because they have become involved

and engrossed within their creative process. I did not, however, notice any specific

accommodations for students with special needs. The entire classroom was built upon an

idea of students already understanding the procedures. However, if a student were to need

multiple reminders, or need specific prompting of when to do what, I do not know if Ms.

Flannigan has a specific implementation in place. I was very surprised that I did not see any

children with noticeable IEPs within her classroom. I will be observing throughout multiple

classrooms during my time at this high school and will add an amendment if I should

observe a classroom that deals with time management specifically in regard to students with

special needs.

5. Curriculum development: Describe the type of curriculum the teacher assumes. Is it

discipline based art education? Issues based art education? What can you infer about
the curriculum based on the teaching? What kinds of activities are done during the
class period? Lecture, hands-on activities, discussion, etc.? Any signs of a UDL
framework being use? Open assignments/closed assignments? Modified tools being
used?

6
Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____
For this prompt I observed Mrs. Hohman who teaches a sculpture class as well as a digital

artmaking class. In terms of curriculum development she mainly focuses on student-based

art education. She focuses on having the students pick what they want to do with the

materials and with the projects themselves. In the sculpture class we saw students picking

both subject matter and were simply given the material paper to work with. They weren’t

limited to size, scale, or if the piece should be “in the round” or “relief”. Some students even

approached the same subject matter in different ways due to their own comfort with the

medium of cut paper. As far as this goes in the digital classroom she gave the students a

more straight forward project in the class we observed (self-portraits in a poseterized “comic

book” style) but she showed examples of more choice-based projects within that class as

well (transforming landscapes of their choice and altering/filling their name however they

want). Something that I can infer based on this about her curriculum is that she focuses it

around the student as an individual as opposed to making students stick to a strict and rigid

curriculum. As far as activities done in class they typically seem to be hands-on activities with

the only instance of lecture being when projects are introduced. For sculpture for example

she introduced the cut paper project by showing some examples of cut paper sculpture and

encouraged students to look up examples of their own for inspiration. The lecture itself was

short lived before handing it over to the students. After this she would let the students work

and walk around the class so that she is available for questions to be answered and processes

to be explained further. This was also implemented in the digital art class, where she would

provide demos about the various tools in Photoshop -while- the students were able to

experiment with them on their computers. This way they can simultaneously be told what

they can do and try it out themselves. I would say that a UDL framework is being used

because she makes sure to allow openness with subject matter and level of intricacy in

7
Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____
projects. As long as they show they can handle and understand the essence of the material

used/facet of Photoshop they will receive a positive grade. Tying this into the idea of

modified tools, although she hasn’t run into it for sculpture she has mentioned modifying

projects for her digital class. While she still allowed the same program to be used she has had

students who could not focus on or comprehend the usage of multiple layers. For this

student she modified the project (in this case the portrait project) so that they only had to

posterize the portrait and then experiment with various colors within that posterized face as

opposed to adding dot textures and other layered elements. Mrs. Hohman also stated that

before each semester she requests and goes through each student’s IEPs but emphasized

that it is more important to see the student in the classroom to fully understand what needs

to be done. Finally, in regard to assessment they are typically open assessments. She

primarily discussed digital critiques. Typically, she will either have the projects projected if

the class is more comfortable talking about pieces as a whole or she will have them bring up

their pieces on their respective monitors. For the former the class will discuss the pieces as a

class: strengths, elements of art, and spaces for improvement. The latter I find much more

interesting however: she sets aside sticky notes that the students can write on and leave on a

monitor. Each monitor has to have strengths posted to it, elements of art included within it

posted, and areas for improvement. She notes that this way student gets instant feedback

and can immediately utilize it. This also provides students who may be shyer with a way that

their voices can still be heard.

6. Guided Instruction: How does the teacher assist the students in helping them
practice new knowledge and make it their own? Name specific examples of how they
guide students in the learning process.
For this prompt I observed Mrs. Hohman who teaches a sculpture class as well as a digital

artmaking class. For both of these she works with a hands-on approach for students to be

8
Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____
guided through her learning process. For sculpture she introduces the medium via examples

and then urges the student to look into examples of their own by browsing on their phones

or computers. In this way she is teaching the students to look up references as well as

connecting them more to their eventual subject matter. For this class specifically, some were

inspired by more geometrical pieces, some were more drawn to pieces that were done in a

relief style. There was no specific type of sculpture that was seen as “right” and so as soon as

a project was pitched Mrs. Hohman let the student work on it. She let them work with the

materials through trial and error and made herself present within the classroom to answer

any questions and provide demonstrations of how to use the materials for specific purposes

as need be. To specify a bit further one student had made a collage paper sculpture. She had

cut paper to look like a water spray which she affixed to a spray bottle which she found. This

piece relied on the cut paper part hanging in midair from the spray bottle. Mrs. Hohman

gave the tools and idea for the student to work out how to make this work (pieces to brace

the backside of the paper, hot clue, and the knowledge that it would need to be held in place

with other tools while it dries so it maintains that position) and let her work through it

herself. She did have to intervene once when she didn’t provide enough support but for the

most part it was the student’s own problem solving that got them through the project. In

regard to the digital classroom Mrs. Hohman took things a bit more into her own hands

when helping students but still let them experiment themselves. The students were able to

work with and experiment with tools on the computer from as early as the introductory

demonstration. Mrs. Hohman always made herself available through the classroom should

issues arise as well, so they felt safe experimenting. However, when more difficult issues

arose she would bring the problem to her own computer. One example I witnessed was a

student who couldn’t get their image to have a transparent background. The teacher brought

9
Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____
it back to her desk and projected it onto the main screen while she troubleshoots the issues.

This gave her the opportunity to work on it herself while still providing both the student she

was helping as well as any other students who may run into the issue with answers and

instruction to the question. This gave the students the proper tools and knowledge to move

on and continue their own experimentation to practice their newly found knowledge of

various processes.

7. Professionalism: How does the teacher present her/himself? Is she/he confident?

Describe her/his attire? How does the teacher interact with students as a teaching
professional? Does the teacher have a friendship and healthy rapport established
with the students? How does the teacher interact with other teachers and/or
administration in the school?
For this observation I observed Mr. Schall in his Advanced Drawing and Painting class. Mr.

Schall himself is dressed casually: he wears a pair of kakis and a long-sleeved shirt with a

collar. However, even though his attire is casual he commands presence in the room with

how he walks throughout the room, with how he organizes and instructs his students (firmly

but with respect) and with his tone of voice which is loud but not yelling. As a teaching

professional he keeps it casual when dealing with one on one conversations. Oftentimes he

will weave in discussions about elements and principles of art while discussing personal

elements which he has noticed in the student’s own work. This bleeds into the fact that Mr.

Schall definitely has a friendship developed with his students and a deep but healthy rapport.

Students have shown multiple times that they are willing to share their personal lives with

him and by extension with the class. This is evident in the fact that their projects are

oftentimes personal and meaningful. We sat in on a critique day and he conducted it as

follows: First the student showed the work to the class as a whole, then the class was invited

to discuss the piece (both what elements of art they saw at work and what the piece

themselves brought up in them emotionally), and then the artist themselves were asked to

10
Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____
discuss why they made what they made. This was followed with no pushback from the

students, to the contrary they volunteered to go when the floor was open for people to start.

This shows just how much of a safe space he has made it for the students. One girl in

particular got emotional and started to cry when talking about her artwork. The students

were all respectful during this, and Mr. Schall worked to get her through it in a

compassionate way, so she could continue talking about the piece. This moment in particular

stuck with me and will serve as a benchmark for the level of comfort that I hope to have

within my classroom. That level of comfort can only be achieved when a high level of trust,

understanding, and rapport is built between student and teacher, a level that Mr. Schall has

clearly met and exceeded. As far as interactions with other teachers and faculty go, our

experience with him doing so is rather limited. The few times that he has however have all

been positive interactions. When he communicates with other teachers he does so in a way

similar to how he interacts with his students, on a personable yet professional level. I’ve

talked to other teachers about Mr. Schall and they have all had nothing but good experiences

and good things to say about him, so clearly, he makes a good impression upon his co-

workers.

8. Interdisciplinary: Describe ways the teacher makes the learning interdisciplinary. Be

specific in identifying the subjects and the ways they are intertwined by the teacher.
If this is not evident, point out specific instances in which the teacher COULD have
made the lesson interdisciplinary.
For this prompt we talked with Mrs. Flannigan in order to figure out how she incorporated

interdisciplinary learning throughout her lesson. Her main examples were within her IB art

class. IB is a multimedia based advanced class allows students to research into various topics.

It focuses on not only the finished product of an art lesson but also the thought process and

general process leading up to the finished product. Credits earned within this class are also

internationally applicable on the college level. She described how students need to be able to

11
Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____
conduct critical research within the class, specifically tying it to examples throughout history.

For example, she has the students look up examples of artists to relate to their pieces of art

and processes. She also makes them look up examples of how their artwork relates to

historically important events as well as scientifically important events, should they arise.

Another way in which she incorporates interdisciplinary learning is in a handout which she

gives to her students discussing the proportions of the face. When asked about the handout

she mentioned how the sheet shows students that math is everywhere. The sheet itself

breaks down proportions not only in the sense of how they relate to other parts of the face

but in actual numbers (4” from the end of one eye to the other, 5” across the face as a

whole). This follows up something that multiple teachers discussed, which is the fact that

students bring their own strengths into the art room. That is to say that students who are

more inclined towards mathematical studies may gravitate towards geometrical artwork that

lets them measure and plan out their processes. This is something that all of the teachers that

I have observed foster and fully support. In this way they do not necessarily involve other

faculty, rather they let the student’s own interdisciplinary interests bleed into their projects

within their classroom.

9. Discussion Facilitation: Describe the discussion format in the classroom. How does
the teacher engage students in an active discussion? Describe the strategies used, e.g.,
teacher asks question, then students answer; students talk in groups to discuss ideas;
teacher gives students a writing prompt, then begins a discussion from their written
responses? Describe methods.
For this prompt I will discuss Mr. Schall’s quarter of the term critique. I’m choosing to write

about this because it is the main example that I have within my observations of a critique

taking place. I will make note now that this critique takes place over 3 different periods,

Erika and I observed during the second one of these days. I feel that this is important

because the critique is already in swing by this point, but it isn’t the tail end of the critique

12
Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____
where students may feel like they either can rush towards the end or feel burned out after

multiple days of critique. Even if this were the case however I feel like the students would

still remain responsive due to Mr. Schall’ discussion format.

For the format of discussion Mr. Schall breaks critiques down into two noticeable

sections with the first section breaking down into slightly smaller subsections. The critique

begins with a student volunteering to share their piece of art. Throughout the critique period

Mr. Schall never had to pick a student, they volunteered themselves which show comfortable

they are within the classroom. From here they are instructed to show the piece to the class,

walking it around and presenting it. They then sit at a chair in the middle of the classroom

while the tone shifts to students discussing the piece. The students then are encouraged to

talk about both what they see in the piece and what they feel from the piece. This is to say

that they are asked to discuss both elements of art and inferences from the piece itself. The

students volunteered to answer and discuss pieces, Mr. Schall however prompted them

further afterwards. He would ask questions to probe them to further elaborate on statements

such as how the artist used the elements specifically within their piece and how their

experiences may be connected to the experiences of the artist. After a number of students

have shared their ideas Mr. Schall has them talk about their pieces themselves. They aren’t

told to talk about anything in particular, and so typically the students will talk more about

personal connections than techniques used within their piece. In this sense the strategy used

both as a large group and on an individual basis is to understand, analyze, and evaluate their

pieces as well as their peers. While some classes may struggle to have students participate in

such a style of discussion, Mr. Schall has his classroom’s level of rapport and respect

amongst students and teacher at such a high level that discussion flows naturally and

flawlessly.

13
Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____
Mr. Schall has his class organized in such a way that the group discussion seems to

flow flawlessly. His strategy of discussion is to have the group actively analyze, evaluate, and

show their understanding of their own and their peers’ pieces. The most interesting part of it

is how he manages to keep conversation going with minimal prompting on his end. This

shows that not only does he have a solid strategy in place but that he has mastered that

strategy’s usage.

10. Student Autonomy/Independent Instruction: How do the students demonstrate

their knowledge without the teacher’s help? How does the teacher promote such
autonomy? Is the teacher making lessons based on what students CANNOT do or
what they CAN do?

For this prompt I will be discussing both Mrs. Hohman’s classroom and Mr. Schall’s

classrooms. The subjects for these classrooms are computer graphics and advanced drawing

respectively. Both of these classes demonstrate high levels of student autonomy but in

different ways.

For Mrs. Hohman’s classroom she hands out instructions on how to complete the

project from start to finish as she is doing the demonstration. In this sense she is presenting

a project that they students might not have been able to do before, but it allows them to

work ahead if they feel confident enough in their computer graphic skills. Mrs. Hohman

addressed this during the beginning and during the middle of her demonstration as well. I

could tell that this effected the self-efficacy of the class as a whole because it showed that

she believed in them and their abilities. Out of a classroom of approximately 18 students

only one that I saw took advantage of working ahead, however I believe everyone benefited

from the option being open to them. This is because the students looked confident when

going through the instructions along with Mrs. Hohman. The sheets themselves served as

reminders for what step they were on as well, and so I also saw students address their sheets

14
Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____
when they had quick questions. This gave the students the power to answer their own

questions instead of relying on the instructor to always do so. Although not necessarily

leading to independent instruction, when students did have to come to Mrs. Hohman with

questions she made sure to make the questions’ answers audible to the entire class. I think

that this was important because she realized that questions that one student has may be

applicable to multiple students within the classroom. In this way students will feel more

comfortable not only with their own abilities but also feel like no question that they have is a

bad question.

In Mr. Schall’s advanced drawing class the students mostly head straight to work as

soon as they arrive in the classroom. By his own admission Mr. Schall barely lectures, and so

his introductions to projects are brief and open ended. He made the prompt for the previous

project “What makes you smile?”. He says that he does this so that the students have

creative freedom with their artworks. This is definitely reflected within the artworks created.

Each of them reflects personal moments of the students as well as their individual

personalities. The students come into class excited to work on their projects and do so

passionately because they are able to work on what they love. I will discuss how they feel in

the classroom in further detail in the next question, however their autonomy is undoubtedly

fostered and bolstered by the fact that they feel like they have so much say about the

direction of their project. The students themselves are presented with ability to either work

in mediums and styles that they feel comfortable with or to experiment. Approximately half

of the students within his class were working in mediums that they had never worked with

before. The fact that the students felt comfortable enough to experiment and felt the

freedom to work with new things, not sticking to what they knew, showed just how

independent they felt within their class.

15
Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____
Overall most of the classes that I have been shadowing have had heavy emphasis on

the students being in charge of their projects. That manifests itself in different ways, either in

the ability of the students to work ahead, the ability of the students to answer their own

questions, and of course in the students being able to pick what they do for their projects.

All of these factors not only add to the student’s feelings of independence within the

classroom but also positively affect all student’s sense of self-efficacy.

11. Environment (Safe space): Describe the classroom environment. Do students seem
to feel free to express themselves in any way they please? If so, how does the teacher
create this safe space? Or, does the classroom feel like a restrictive environment in
which students are required to perform and speak a certain way? Expand on this.
Consider literature you have read about this topic.
For this prompt I will be discussing Mr. Schall’s advanced drawing classroom. I’m talking

about the classroom as a whole and not a specific period that I observed in, though I will be

making many allusions to the critique period that I was able to observe in. I am talking about

this class specifically because although all of the classrooms that I have been observing in

have shown themselves to be safe spaces for the students, Mr. Schall’s classroom has

definitely shown this the most.

When the students enter into Mr. Schall’s Advanced Drawing class they look like

they are comfortable. More times than not they are smiling and chatting with friends as they

collect their projects and bring them to their respective tables. Mr. Schall will be within the

classroom or working on things to get ready, students coming up to him to discuss things

either school related or otherwise. The sense of rapport between student and teacher is

incredibly strong. The students feel comfortable with their teacher which undoubtedly adds

to their sense of comfort within his classroom. The students are also given a lot of freedom

with what their projects are. For the previous project they were given the prompt “What

makes you smile?” If students weren’t comfortable within the classroom they may have gone

16
Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____
to simple and clichéd ideas for happiness and what makes them smile. This was not the case

however, as all of the students chose subject matters that were unique to their personalities

and in some cases even depicting personal subject matter. They were not shy to share their

pieces and the emotions behind them either. Within the critique class (after the other

students discussed what they saw in the piece) they were open with discussing the stories and

feelings behind them. One student in particular was so moved by the piece that they shared

that they began to tear up. This moment was handled with respect by the classroom as a

whole, supporting the student through this moment and bringing positivity to it:

acknowledging the emotions and helping her to regain composure. Mr. Schall himself

facilitated this feeling within the critique class by relating stories of his own to stories that the

students shared and by showing genuine interest in the stories shared by the students. This

both made him relatable as a person and showed that he cares about his students’ lives past

just what happens in the classroom. I feel like this attitude modeled by Mr. Schall himself

carries over to the attitudes held and expressed by the students as a whole. Multiple times

throughout my observations of his class I have seen students discussing other’s projects in a

complimentary sense, commenting on techniques used, and offering advice and support as

well. The other students take in this advice openly, which also shows how comfortable they

are within the space of his classroom.

Overall comfort is shown multiple ways by multiple parties within Mr. Schall’s

classroom. Mr. Schall himself is the main factor contributing to this feeling in the classroom:

He provides a lot of autonomy to students, shows genuine interest in students, and models

positivity towards their artwork. The students add to this feeling themselves as well by

following Mr. Schall’s own model of positivity and support. All of these factors end up

17
Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____
making his classroom the best example of an art room being a safe space that I have

experienced during my observations in general.

12. Assessment Formative and Summative: Describe the teacher’s means if assessment.
Is it a direct form of assessment, e.g., a test or is it indirect, e.g., noting of discussion
responses? How effective do these strategies appear to be? Are students involved in
their own assessment, e.g., peer assessment or individual assessment? Ask the teacher
if she/he can offer you any assessment/rubrics to learn from. Include these with the
answer to this question.
For this prompt I will be talking about Mrs. Flannigan, as we have the most information

about her assessment strategies and have the most documents to show them off as well.

Throughout her classes, whether they be intro to ceramics or IB Art (advanced art) she tends

to assess students in the same way. In the next paragraph I will go over the ways in which

she does this, and how it is uniform.

Throughout her classes Mrs. Flannigan has students evaluate themselves rather than

have the entire focus being on her evaluating the students. These papers handed out were

similar through her classes, regardless of level of skill. These sheets were handed out both at

the end of a project and during the process of making the piece. The IB students were also

given one at the beginning of a project so that they could propose their idea and have it

down on paper. Mrs. Flannigan stated that this will help them have direction through the

span of their project. Although the three different sheets (planning, in process, and

summative) were formatted in different ways they all shared certain elements that connected

them. These are all essential questions in Mrs. Flannigan’s mind and include the following:

What is theme or issue explored? What are the strengths of your project? Were you creative,

original, did you take a risk? What did you learn? What elements and principles of design did

you use? To Mrs. Flannigan the students understanding the elements and principals is a

primary goal. She states that she wants students to not only learn how to make art but how

to think about and talk about art as well.

18
Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____
In the individual sheets Mrs. Flannigan broke specific questions down as follows. In

her planning guide handout she asked more technical questions such as the proposed title,

the theme that is going to be explored, and the size of it. This handout was very much so

that the student had a concrete idea in mind. This makes sense because at this point in the

process they can’t talk much about the piece itself, as it has not been made. However, she

does provider an area on the back for 4 proposed sketches and one larger proposed sketch.

For her in process reflection her questioning turns more to individual questions such as:

“What challenges are you facing?”, “How did your project change and develop during the

process of creation?” and “Where are you heading?” In this sense she mainly seems to want

the students to be aware of the progress that they have made throughout their process. This

is helping students become more cognizant of the means of an art project instead of

focusing solely on the end result. Finally on her summative assessment sheet she focuses on

the elements and principles mainly. Other questions that are not included in earlier sheets

include prompts such as: “How well did you use the tools and put the project together?”,

“What was the goal of this assignment?”, “Out of 100%, What process grade would you give

yourself?”, and “What did yo learn not to do again? What would you do to improve your

art?” In this sense you can tell that Mrs. Flannigan is focusing on the students learning from

their mistake and learning about the process itself in a reflective manner. She also allows the

students to grade themselves which encourages them to be open and honest with how they

feel they did, which helps foster autonomy and ownership of the project.

For Mrs. Flannigan’s assessments she mainly has them worksheet based, however

this is not a detriment and is not stale as some worksheet assessments end up being. She

makes sure that the worksheets ask pertinent questions that relate to the student’s

experiences. The questions also drive home what Mrs. Flannigan sees as key principles in her

19
Student Name: _______Joseph Kern___________ Date of Observation________________

Observation site and teacher name: _____Mr. Schall, Mrs. Hohman, Mrs. Flannigan____
art: the ability to reflect on your process and identify principles and elements of art and

design.

20