Part 1: Brainstorm with ColleaguesI was able to meet with all of the other elementary Art educators within my district. Although they are already fully aware of my problem of practice because they have the same position I do, I did make them aware of the situation before going into the meeting. I started by asking the question: What can we do to make swapping materials easier with the five minute time period between classes? My colleagues and I talked about it and wrote our answers down on post-it notes. Each idea has its pros and cons and I already implement some of the ideas into practice. You can see our ideas below. Some may be hard to read so here is a list of what each says: - Arrive early and get out supplies for the whole day - Play a video (one already on YouTube or online) at the beginning of class that gives you time to set up - Start with a 5 minute drawing warm-up or priming activity - Make table captains - Dedicate instructional time to teaching correct clean up procedures - Keep materials organized and specific projects in bins - Storage bins or containers next to every table for easy and quick access - Make a video to demonstrate what the kids are learning while you set up - Choose volunteers to help at convenient times - Have a trustworthy student stay behind to help set up before the next class - Declutter tables and counters at least once a week - Keep certain projects in specific cabinets - Return items immediately after use - Choose a student to read a book at the beginning of class Part 2: Incubation JournalOver the course of a couple of days, I continued to brainstorm on my problem of practice. I used my cell phone 'Notes' application as a journal to keep track of any more ideas that struck me. This was extremely easy for me to do because I always have my phone with me and I already use the application for a couple of other reasons. Part 3: ReflectionOver the course of this unit, I have done a lot of reflecting and brainstorming on my problem of practice. Interestingly, this unit has actually helped me narrow down my thoughts significantly so that I was able to find the root of the problem. I figured that would have happened in the define unit. I have learned that the incubation process is something I was doing naturally before this course but never really had practiced mindful control over it like I did within the past two weeks.
It was difficult for me to get my colleagues together for brainstorming. The brainstorming session was something I knew I wanted to do in person. I simply work better that way. Unfortunately, I don’t work in the same building as my art education colleagues. Luckily, we had a meeting scheduled and were able to get together, but other than that, I don’t typically see or talk to them as often as I’d like. Our administration provides time for us to get together but it’s really not that often. This made me realize that I am missing incredibly valuable time for collaboration, ideating and more possible “ah-hah!” moments as a group. Regardless of how difficult it is to get my colleagues together, this unit has helped make it clear that this collaborative time is essential to generating best possible solutions for problems of practice. Personally, I love teamwork, so I was thriving in our brainstorming session. Most ideas that my colleagues and I came up with are completely possible but each have their pros and cons. Based on my personal time, energy and resources, some of the cons totally outweigh the pros and make it less likely for me to want to try. As mentioned above, I also already implement some of the ideas into practice. The idea that I am most excited to try out is actually one of my own. I definitely want to try creating videos that I upload to YouTube to help “buy” myself more time. I’m excited about this one because I feel like I can already picture how this will help and I believe it will make a huge difference. I am also interested in the possibility of having one specific student become a classroom helper. There is a lot of time, effort and thought that would go into that though.
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