Standard 8: Instructional strategies. The teacher understands and uses a variety of appropriate instructional strategies and tools to promote learning and inquiry based on knowledge of the learner, subject matter, community, intended student standards and curriculum.
Indicators:
- Uses a repertoire of instructional strategies that are based on research and best practices
- Explains the rationale for the selection of instructional strategies and tools based on student goals, needs and talents
- Reflects systematically and continually on instructional strategies and makes adjustments accordingly
- Empowers students to think for themselves and construct knowledge
Artifacts:
1) Understanding Perspective Slideshow-During one of the first classes when the tunnel book project was introduced to the freshmen I conducted a formative assessment and asked students to grapple with the definiton of perspective and look at a slide of Pieter Brugel's painting Hunters in the Snow and talk about how the artist used perspective. Then after I let them think about the meaning for awhile, I showed this slideshow to help students understand the concept of foreground, middleground, and background.
To view slideshow:
2) Exquisite Corpse Drawing Game-To introduce the Mixed Up Animal Project to the third grade, I taught students how to play this collaborative drawing game. The drawing is completed in three sections. The first section is for the head and students can do any sort of head they want. Then they lead their lines into the second section and pass their paper to the next person who does a body of their choice. That student does not get to see the drawing that was done prior! Finally a third student does the legs and they do not get to see the drawings before them. In the end the drawing is unfolded and a very mixed up character is discovered! Since there are many ELL learners at Reiche this drawing game proved to be a very effective way for students to grasp the concept of mixing something up.
3) Pen and Ink Techniques-The freshmen at Casco Bay High School were working on a very technical pen and ink drawing during my internship using India Ink and pens with nibs. Many of them were struggling with permenancy of each mark and the fact that they could not erase. I subbed for a day and I decided to pause their projects and try to work on some structured timed drawings to loosen them up . I had them work on several different small pieces of paper and asked them to draw a minimum of 15 different types of line, an eye, their name over and over again, and their favorite food.
