Artful Assessment

Visual Arts Lesson

Teacher Reflections by Joanne Maloney

Reflection 1
Student feedback on this project was very positive and they enjoyed the opportunity to interact with the art more in-depth. I feel the discussion of the painting increased their observation skills and their ability to describe and analyze works of art. Because Dark Harbor Fishermen was shown in the art room and the classroom, the reinforcement of seeing the work in different contexts helped students to look more creatively and to mine different information from the work.

Reflection 2
The checklist and rubric were important to help me focus on students’ process and work in progress. I circulated the room, commenting on their progress and assisting those that needed clarification of direction or help with fine motor skills. These observations are important feedback for me to assess whether or not I needed to clarify instructions or model any processes or procedures.

Reflection 3
Classroom time was devoted to completing the Student Reflection sheet, which was then shared with the whole class during the “Art Talk.” Writing and presenting their reflections helped students to increase their appreciation for Dark Harbor Fishermen, instilled a sense of pride in their own work, and increased their knowledge and use of art vocabulary. Students were honest in answering the questions on the reflection sheet, which revealed their individual dispositions and learning. The reflections helped me to see inside their thinking and into areas of the project that held meaning for them.

Reflection 4
There are many different forms of assessment and it is important to first clarify what you want to assess. By starting with the state standards, you can tease out or unpack the knowledge, reasoning, skills, processes, or products that will help to design your lesson. Once you decide what you want to assess, choose an assessment method that will give you that information. It is important to have a balance of assessment practices to get a more complete story of the student. The more the student is involved with the process the more they can develop the skills to self-assess and to take responsibility for their own learning.