Weekly Arts Wrap Up- 1/6/17

Welcome to the end of the first week of 2017!  If you are reading this, you survived a 4 day week filled with art and music making.  

I found an article that has some interesting strategies for consideration as we swing back into the work...  Here it is!

How to Use Brain Science to Engage Students After the HolidaysJudy Willis, Neurologist

As the holidays come to an end, thoughts of students and lesson plans replace time spent indulging in puddings and turkey. But teachers know all too well that it’s challenging enough to motivate a class on a Monday morning after a weekend, never mind after a longer break. To reignite energy levels this January here are my tips as a neurologist and former teacher:

What gets the brain’s attention?

All learning starts as information perceived by the five senses: vision, hearing, touch, taste and smell. There are also millions of sensory nerve endings throughout the skin, muscles and internal organs. But the brain is only able to process about 1% of this information and it gives priority to certain things.

With the help of brain imaging, we can see that the sensory information that gets priority is that which helps mammals survive. This tends to be information that is unexpected – our attention filter first takes in sensory information about change and novelty.

On the first day back get your class to share stories

After a break, there is a higher than normal amount of new sensory information competing for access to the brain. Students have not seen each other for a while and the novelty of returning to school is enhanced by their interest in what classmates did during the holidays.

So beginning the first day back by returning immediately to routine is unlikely to get your students’ attention and can cause bad behavior and inattention. But if you know that a child’s brain is programmed to be curious about new experiences and what friends have done, you can use it to promote important qualities.

Students are likely to want to tell their class about what they got for Christmas or a trip they’ve been on. Tell them they can do this but only if they also share something that they did for others or generous acts that they saw or heard about.

Get class attention through curiosity

It’s essential that students remember the information you teach them. For this to happen, you can use strategies to make sure the sensory information you provide (through what you say, show, do or have them experience through physical movement) gets through their attention filters.

Once students have had the chance to satisfy their curiosity about classmates, you can redirect their focus to classroom instruction by starting with sensory input that is most likely to get through the attention filter. Through neuroimaging research, we know the types of novelty or change that get attention priority include movement, curious objects, pictures, videos, unexpected class visitors or speakers, changes of color and things you do that are unusual. So why not wear something unusual? Have music playing when children enter class, open with a dynamic video clip, a curious picture, or an optical illusion?

Here are some other suggestions:

What you say (or don’t say). A sudden mid-sentence silence is a curiosity the attention filter wants to know more about. A suspenseful pause in your speech before saying something important increases alertness and memory of what you will say or do next.

Change the furniture arrangement. Or put up photos of last year’s students doing an activity your students will be doing in the unit they are beginning, light a candle, put a new exciting poster relating to the new unit under the one that has been hanging and when you walk by, “inadvertently” bump into the wall so the old one falls down and the new one is suddenly revealed.

Get moving. Since movement gets high priority, you can move in an unexpected way such as doing what you usually do (handing out papers or posting information on the walls) while walking backwards. That could lead to a lesson about negative numbers, negative electric charges, going “back” in history, or the past tense of verbs.

Rotate techniques, lest the unexpected become expected. Greet students at the door with a riddle or a note card with a vocabulary word. They can seek their new seats by looking for the table with the note card that has the riddle answer or the definition of their word.

Good teachers are highly responsive to their students’ moods and needs. Knowing a bit of the neuroscience can help you prepare for times when it’s harder to get your students’ attention. I recall a poster that read: “A Mind Stretched Will Never Revert to its Original Size.” That mind stretching is what teachers do. Using strategies to first captivate their attention will hook into their brains’ intake programing, stimulate their curiosity, and sustain the attentive focus needed to turn information into knowledge.

Blog Worthy This Week:

For semester schools, the end of the term is near.  As the marking period closes, you may have students who have not yet mastered skills to your expectations.  

Consider an idea discussed this week at the Doran Arts CPT:

Look at student work (or performance notes/rubrics).  Group student work into degree of ability so that you have two groups- one who have or are on track toward mastery, and the other of students who need to revisit the skill, possibly in another way.  Here's an example- if a group of students are not able to perform on the recorder using proper fingering techniques, breathing, etc.., have this grouping prepared and allow the group who have mastered or are on their way toward mastery continue to work more independently (by also physically separating them) as they other group works with you on specific skill improvement.  In art, consider looking at the work students finished in the last class. Did they master the skill or concept?  If so, these students can be grouped to either advance the task or start a more in depth or personal rendition of the task, while the group who have not yet mastered the task can work toward the skill through scaffolding- how can they achieve the goal..  Different (and more accessible) materials?  Different approach to the element or principle?  

Planning Ahead:

• End of term 2: January 27th.
• PD Day: January 30th. Plans for the district to come together for a half-time chat are in the works! 
• Monday, Monday...  You will have two more "missing Mondays" in the month of January- plan accordingly!
• Formative Meetings: I have reached out to all teachers on one year plans and we have our Formative Meetings scheduled! Please reach out to me if you need support around any of this process.  Upload or bring to the meeting any artifacts that you would like to discuss as rationale for the midway point in terms of SLG and PPG, as well as for the 4 Standards.  We will discuss, check in as to where you are in your action steps and then plan for the remainder of the cycle.  Based on this meeting's discussion, I will write the formative report and share it with you.  Included in this document will be commendations and recommendations for growth.

Durfee Stuff:

• GOT New Building? The newly designed (not yet!) Durfee High School needs YOU! Next steps involve a "Visioning Meeting" with the architect team. Maria will email with more information because WE (would love and) NEED YOU (of course it's not mandatory, but would be a great way to be a part of the plan) to be part of this process by attending two four-hour planning meetings on January 19th and 31st from 3 to 7PM.
• Band Aids Meeting- Tuesday, January 10th at 6:30PM
• Monthly Faculty Meeting- Tuesday, January 10th at 2:45
• Department Meeting- Wednesday, January 18th at 2:45 (with guidance team)
• Semester 2- Tuesday, January 31st

PD Day "Trailer"

Never Work Harder Than Your Students!

During our time together on the 30th, we will be having a little fun with the Chapter 1- Starting Where Your Students Are.  If you could find the time to read this chapter (p.27 to 53),  that would be great!  Hint: Consider your "Classroom Currency.."

Art EXPO!

We are also going to work on the plan for our annual K-12 ARTS EXPO during the PD day.  Mapping out the locations for each school, and attributing a number of bi-folds will help us to be organized and ready for our families!  Save the date- Thursday, April 27th from 5 to 7PM!

Solo Fest Planning!

Itinerant Band and Orchestra directors will continue to flesh out the plan for this huge district wide event.

Orf Methods!

Our own Jay Treloar will be working with music teachers sharing strategies for Orf instruments in the classroom.

Using Tech and Text in the Art Room!

Our own Victoria Arons (with a possible surprise co-presenter) will be walking teachers through the use of engaging text and technology in the art room.  You will also leave with a little surprise at the end of this PD!

Dick Blick comes to Fall River!

A teacher rep from Dick Blick Providence will be with us for two hours to show us some great new art supplies and ways to plan engaging lessons for your students with these.  You will leave with a work sample and supplies!

Common Mapping Time!

We will continue to work on our scope and sequencing for grades K-8.

In closing, keep sharing/sending in those lesson plans weekly with me!  I DO read them and it helps this busy lady keep a pulse on all of the great work that you plan for OUR KIDS.

Creatively yours,

Jackie