ART 3525
Practicum: WSU ArtsBridge
Syllabus
Basic Course Information
Instructor Kathleen “K” Stevenson
Office 327, Kimball Art Center
Phone 801.626.7273
E-mail kstevenson1@weber.edu
Office Hours TBA & by appointment
Course: ART 3525 Practicum: WSU ArtsBrdige
Credit Hours: 1-6
Time & Days: TBD- field requirements and weekly 1 hour seminar
Room: weekly seminar RM 307 KAC or designated location
Recommended (not Required) Text & resources
Fowler, K. (1997). Bridging the Gap: A Teaching Guide for ArtsBridge Scholars. Center for Learning Through the Arts: University of California, Irvine.
Krensky. B. and Steffen, S. (2009). Engaging Classrooms and Communities through Art: A Guide to Designing and Implementing Community-Based Art Education. MD: AltaMira Press.
Project Zero, http://www.pz.harvard.edu/index.cfm Project Zero's mission is to understand and enhance learning, thinking, and creativity in the arts, as well as humanistic and scientific disciplines, at the individual and institutional levels.
Course Description
This service-learning course provides the fine arts teacher candidate with academic credit for designing and teaching an ‘integrated arts’ course in a grade K-12 classroom or equivalent community education program. The candidate will work closely with a University faculty mentor, host school teacher and ArtsBridge director in implementing and assessing integrated arts curricula and producing a final project by K-12 classroom students. Course components include: curricula pre-planning and implementation, in-class teaching, student assessment, professional self-assessment and ArtsBridge seminar components.
Pre-requisites/Co-requisites: By permission only, education supervisor in fine arts content area and successful Interview with faculty mentor and ArtsBridge director. Content methodology course(s) completed or in progress.
COURSE OVERVIEW
This service-learning course will provide hightly qualified fine arts education students (teacher candidates) the unique opportunity to deepen and expand pre-service classroom practicum requirements by designing and teaching an integrated arts course within a grade K-12 classroom or comparable community site. These are field-based projects and would be developed and implemented in grades K-12 classroom, and community sites, using integrated arts curriculum design, to include a final project created by students.
See http://www.artsbridgeamerica.com/bestprojectart.php for past fine arts project examples from ArtsBridge America.
WSU Student ArtsBridge scholars will gain experience planning, implementing and evaluating innovative arts programming while engaging in professional self-reflection throughout the process. Strategies used by ArtsBridge are well aligned with bipartisan educational agendas that value the arts as a fundamental component of the core curriculum in K-12 and that call for ‘no child to be left behind.’ The education reform principles of ArtsBridge are that our nation’s public schools need arts education as a regular component of a comprehensive curriculum that will lead to student success, and that universities should apply their expertise and personnel on behalf of K-12 improvements in teacher support and child learning.
Course audience: This course is designed for fine arts education students who are highly motivated, self-directed and interested in going beyond the minimum requirements for their required fieldwork within their degree. It is a side-by-side model. Selected student ArtsBridge scholars must have a willingness to work closely with their classroom host teacher, as well as WSU faculty mentor and ArtsBridge program director in implementing curriculum. Scholars must be open to suggestion and be a team player.
Required hours: 12-24 in-class teaching contact hours with grades K-12 students plus planning, assessment and seminar components outside of in-class hours.
Arts specializations: fine arts, visual art, music, dance, or theater arts.
Site school placement: Projects tied to fieldwork practicum requirements MUST BE coordinated in conjunction with the Department of Education 1-2 semester in advance of ArtsBridge project implementation. These will be arranged by the ArtsBridge Director in coordination with the College of Education.
WSU ArtsBridge is part of the ‘ArtsBridge America’ university consortium, a unique research-based school/university partnership in arts education. ArtsBridge America is a national network of university schools of art and education dedicated to providing high-quality arts instruction to K-12 schoolchildren and community organizations.
FOUNDATION
ArtsBridge America Principles
1. The ArtsBridge America school/university partnership model supports top undergraduate and graduate students through scholarships, fellowships, and/or course credit, in return for their offering instruction in K-12 classrooms, or undertaking extended arts related projects in other community settings. Arts instruction provided by ArtsBridge is linked to national and state K-12 educational standards.
2. ArtsBridge America emphasizes hands-on, participatory instruction and involvement. The primary goal is to engage school aged children actively in the acquisition of knowledge and skills, the creation of art, and discovery across disciplines.
3. ArtsBridge America responds to local priorities. Participating host schoolteachers, healthcare and community service providers identify their needs and are actively involved in the definition and desired outcomes of their ArtsBridge projects.
4. K-12 classroom projects are integrated into the school day and bridge to other subjects in the curriculum.
5. ArtsBridge America projects offer one-on-one professional support to its hosting teachers, healthcare providers and community service providers. The projects are sustainable; ArtsBridge scholars document their projects so that the host institution can continue to use them after the initial project has ended.
6. ArtsBridge America measures the quality and impact of its work through observation reports, host and scholar evaluations, pre-post tests, and other means of measuring cognitive, social and personal development in participating students.
7. ArtsBridge America concentrates on low-performing public schools, and works to promote academic preparedness, and access to higher education for all children.
Learning Outcomes/OBJECTIVES
1. To provide school-based service learning opportunities for top university students in
the fine arts by providing hands-on experience planning, implementing and evaluating
an arts education project.
2. To promote and present career pathways in the arts among highly qualified university
students and provide an immersion experience to pre-service educators.
3. To provide ongoing instruction in the arts for K-12 students in a manner that allows
them to explore their own creativity while benefiting from the intrinsic and cross-
curricular value of the arts.
4. To provide continuous, capacity building professional support for teachers that affords
unique opportunities to integrate the arts into the traditional curricula in ways that
address local classroom needs as well as state and national standards in the arts.
5. To conduct and disseminate research on partnerships in the visual and performing arts
that informs local educators, policymakers, and the public at large.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Weber State University Policy: Any student requiring accommodations or services due to a disability must contact Services for Students with disabilities (SSD) in room 181 of the Student Service Center. SSD can also arrange to provide course materials (including syllabus) in alternative formats if necessary.
GRADING/evaluation POLICIES & Assessment Criteria
Student ArtsBridge scholars will be graded on the following criteria with the final grade based on the university grading scale as follows:
Grading Scale
|
|
A = 100-93% |
A- = 92-90% |
|
B+ = 89-87% |
B = 86-83% |
B- = 82-80% |
|
C+ = 79-77% |
C = 76-73% |
C+ = 72-70% |
|
D+ = 69-67% |
D = 66-63% |
D- = 62-60% |
|
E = 59% and below |
|
|
Reminder| DOVA Policy for Graduation Credit
Please be aware that a minimum grade of C is necessary for any art major to receive credit for a course in the Department of Visual Arts toward his or her major. A grade of C- or below will not count as credit towards a degree in any art major.
EXAMINATIONS
No formal written examinations will be given. The final project portfolio submission and exit interview with the program director will be considered the final examination and is weighted accordingly. Student ArtsBridge scholars will be graded weekly based on: weekly seminar participation, weekly communication with host teacher, mentor and program director, weekly submissions of lesson plans and teaching reflections.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
ARTSBRIDGE SCHOLARS are Weber State University students who:
Application
All participants must be formally accepted into ArtsBridge through a written application, faculty nomination/recommendation and interview process. Applicants are required to develop and describe a preliminary project idea for what they would like to teach. Flexibility is vital. Adjustments or revisions to the project proposal are typically needed, in consideration of curricular, classroom or community needs.
Host Teacher
Each scholar works with a supervising classroom host teacher or community leader who plays an active role in project planning, classroom management, and the instruction of pupils. Host teachers are selected through recommendation and an ArtsBridge program
approval process. ArtsBridge student scholars should plan on meeting with their host teacher one hour per week on average.
Faculty Mentor
ArtsBridge faculty mentors will provide guidance and mentorship throughout the project. ArtsBridge will provide orientation meetings and scholar workshops to explain policies and procedures and to bring together scholars, mentors, and host teachers for project planning meetings. ArtsBridge student scholars should plan on meeting with their assigned mentor one hour per week on average.
Project Planning
Projects should be designed for a class of 20-30 pupils. Scholars are expected to develop lesson plans after consultation with their assigned host teacher, faculty mentor and the Arts Bridge program director. ArtsBridge will provide forms for lesson plans and project planning. Scholars are required to maintain a typed narrative journal of the project progress. Culminating performances, exhibitions, or other forms of presenting the work achieved by project participants are often attended by their peers, parents and community members. This ‘public sharing’ can be a powerful element of the project.
ArtsBridge Seminar
A weekly one-hour seminar is required. Topics include: project design; assessment; lesson planning; classroom observation; evaluation; culminating project implementation; classroom management skills; connecting project to content standards; designing interdisciplinary lessons linking to arts to the core curriculum; and problem solving. As part of this course, student scholars will participate in discussions; engage in experiential learning; make presentations; develop curriculum; teach their peers in the class and students in a K-12 classroom; conduct peer observation in the classroom; document their teaching experience; and submit a final project portfolio.
Project Portfolio
A final project portfolio in hard copy and electronic format is required. This will contain all documents generated for this project as well as examples of student art making. This should be a full documentation of the project.
Hours
ArtsBridge scholars doing a full project are required to complete the specified teaching contact hours, typically between 12 and 24 with their students/project participants during the semester. Teaching hours can be adjusted depending on the details and scope of the project with ‘pilot projects’ consisting of 8-12 contact hours also considered. ArtsBridge school-based projects are scheduled to correspond with the K-12 semester system. Scholars can expect to spend about two hours per week teaching in the classroom, and a minimum of two additional hours a week on lesson planning, project preparation, reviewing student work, and meeting with their faculty mentor, host teacher and in seminar. An ArtsBridge weekly one-hour seminar is required.
Your acceptance into WSU ArtsBridge means that you dedicate yourself to conducting your project at the highest possible level. You must define for yourself the optimal amount of time to fulfill your project goals and bring it to the most successful conclusion. Scholars are encouraged to volunteer additional hours; however, we ask that you do not exceed 40 hours per project in order to protect your academic standing.
PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS
ArtsBridge Scholar Responsibilities
1. Conduct your project at the highest level of your teaching ability.
2. Attend mandatory orientation session(s) and additional meetings with your faculty mentor and the ArtsBridge program director. Respond and sign up promptly for appointments when they are requested by the ArtsBridge staff.
3. Attend WEEKLY ArtsBridge seminar, time/day/location to be arranged, dependent on all scholars’ schedules. Meetings will not exceed one hour and will probably not meet every week once projects are established.
4. Check your email every weekday for emails regarding your ArtsBridge project.
5. Submit your initial Project Description and your ArtsBridge teaching schedule at your project meeting with ArtsBridge Director. [TBA]
6. Meet your ArtsBridge project schedule punctually and consistently.
7. Keep to your teaching schedule without fail. Communicate with your host teacher, faculty mentor and the ArtsBridge staff if you are ill and cannot keep to your schedule. Illness is the only excuse for missing a scheduled ArtsBridge session. If your host teacher needs to change your schedule due to field trips, fire drills, school assemblies, etc, please notify the ArtsBridge program director and your faculty mentor immediately. If your host teacher is absent, you cannot teach that day – NO exceptions.
8. Meet with your faculty mentor to discuss and receive feedback about your Weekly Project Plans before introducing your lessons to your pupils. Test-drive all lessons.
9. Provide a copy of your Weekly Project Plan to your host teacher the week before you plan to introduce your lesson to their pupils.
10. Communicate with your host teacher to ensure that your art instruction integrates with
their core-curriculum.
11. Administer the same pre- and post-test at the beginning and end of your project
(guidelines for pre- and post-tests are provided by WSU ArtsBridge).
12. Organize a culminating event for your project.
13. Be punctual, prepared and dress appropriately to all ArtsBridge sessions
14. Submit your final project portfolio in both hard copy and on a CD or disk with the
following documents by the date agreed upon with the program coordinator:
a. Cover sheet
b. Final project description
c. Weekly project plans
d. Supporting materials/work by pupils
e. Blank & completed pre-post test and answer key
15. Submit the following: ArtsBridge Application, Project Description, Weekly Project
Plan, and Final Scholar Evaluation.
Arranging Your Project Schedule
Each scholar is assigned a supervising host teacher. Remember that once a schedule is agreed upon, you may not change it for any reason except illness. Matching your schedule with the schedule of your host teacher is a difficult process at times. Please be as flexible as possible, but do not drop courses essential to your Weber State University progress. You are responsible for arranging your Weber State University class schedule (and any other work and/or rehearsal commitment) to be able to provide the time necessary for your project. You are also responsible to arrange your own transportation to and from your host school. ArtsBridge reserves the right to re-assign you to a different host teacher if this is the only way to make schedules coincide. If it is impossible for you to be placed, ArtsBridge may select a replacement scholar, whether or not the substituting scholar has gone through the full application procedure, to fulfill our promise to the host. This last course is not undertaken lightly, but is necessary when schedules cannot be worked out. You may be asked to volunteer additional hours for ArtsBridge activities, such as helping to set up and take down displays, attending ceremonies or conferences, and hosting receptions. Your acceptance of these tasks is greatly appreciated.
Communication
1. As a Weber State University student, you are assigned an email account. All primary communication for ArtsBridge is by email. You must check your email every weekday to see if you have ArtsBridge messages. Sometimes messages require a response within 24 hours, so we expect and require that you maintain this contact. If your email is down for any reason, please leave a message at 801.626.xxxx (ArtsBridge office number when established).
2. It is important that you maintain communication with your host teacher regarding cross-curricular lesson plans. ArtsBridge encourages scholars to integrate your art discipline into more than one area of the curriculum, but this must be discussed with your host teacher in advance.
3. Maintain communication with your faculty mentor.
Faculty Mentors
Faculty mentors are ready to assist you or provide feedback in defining your project. For specific advice on your project, you may call on your ArtsBridge faculty mentor. Your faculty mentor will conduct at least one site visit to observe you while instructing your pupils. If you would like further feedback, you may request that your faculty mentor observe you more than once during an ArtsBridge session. Email all lesson plans to your faculty mentor (also copied to host teacher and program director) several days prior to teaching. Post-teaching reflections are likewise sent to your mentor, host teacher and program director directly following each session. Reflection writings can be informal in a narrative style.
Observation
Your faculty mentor and the ArtsBridge staff will make observation visits to see you conducting your project. Generally you will be contacted in advance, so you will know when an observation is planned. Be sure you keep the program director and faculty mentor advised of any changes in your project schedule, so an observer will not find you absent from your project. Observation reports are filed with ArtsBridge America after each visit. You may be contacted with feedback based on these reports, and you should feel free to ask your mentor for advice after an observation.
Photo Release Forms
ArtsBridge America requires that all pupils participating in ArtsBridge projects obtain parental permission for archival photography and videotaping of ArtsBridge projects. When releases are not available, pupils may only be photographed “over the shoulder.” Forms will be provided by ArtsBridge America at the ArtsBridge orientation and are due within two weeks of the starting date of your project, with a class roster attached to your student photo release forms.
Repeatable Credit
You may refine and repeat an ArtsBridge project in subsequent semesters.
Class Schedule
The weekly ArtsBridge seminar date, time and location will be determined by mutual consent of all participating ArtsBridge scholars. Each ArtsBridge project is unique and will follow the outline created by the ArtsBridge scholar and host teacher.