Weekly Updates

CVA Teaching Artist students check this page for updates weekly during Practicum spring semester!

February 6-10

• If you have not contacted all of your artists and teachers at this time you must get that done this week or you risk loosing your shadowing or residency. Contact me if there are any problems. Send me your calendars February, March and April this week.
  
  
• If you have not schedule your first lesson presentation please do so this week. See below.
  1. Schedule your lesson with your teacher, have a conversation about curricular and arts content with them, check my calendar on the Practicum page to see if I can attend, meet with me to brainstorm you lesson plan, send me a copy of your planning backward model, purchase materials and prepare for your lesson.
     
     
  2. After you present we will dowload about your lesson and presentation together. We will try to do this on site so that you do not need to make an additional meeting with me.
     
     
  3. Fill out a lesson plan evaluation form after you teach your lesson. Submit them to me by email immediately after you teach.
  
  
  4. It sometimes takes me over the weekend to transfer the video tape to a CD. Look for the CD of your lesson in your mailboxes the week following your presentations. Submit your video evaluation form the following week by email.
  
  
• Make certain you check the TA closet with me prior to purchasing materials for your presentation. You have $10 for each class for reimbursement. Submit your receipts and forms in a timely way. Put them in my box at the Library or Summit.
  


• http://www.facebook.com/groups/cva.teaching.artist/ Using the Descriptive Review for the Journals will help you stay on tack and also simplify creating them. What did you notice in the classroom, speculate what the teacher was teaching and the students learning and what questions do you have--and how might you solve them. You can choose one or two specific things to describe, speculate and question.


• I am also keeping record of your weekly journal comments. You must submit these each week when you upload your journals. I will not go back more than one journal week for comments.
  
  
• I am observing both Katy and Amber this week and looking forward to their lessons. Have a great week!
  
  

January 30 - February 3

• I am still waiting for final calendars with times, dates and sites from Kat, Tara, Beck, Amber, Cati.The schedules I have received are on the Practicum page. To fill in the calendar, download the calendar docs from the Practicum page, input your information and email to me. I will put your info up.
  
  
• A number of you are already teaching in the classrooms. Please do the following to prepare for teaching.
  1. Set a date with your teacher. Check the calendars to make certain I am available and can attend.
  2. Brainstorm curricular connections for your lesson with your teachers.
  3. Meet with me to brainstorm and plan your teaching and lesson presentation. If you cannot make it during my office hours contact me and we will arrange alternate times.
  4. Email me your lesson plan in a planning backward model a week prior to teaching
  5. Remember to take quality photos of each students work for the web gallery.
     
• Make certain to read the journals to catch up on everyone's experiences and comment on at least one journal weekly, preferably giving input on questions raised.
  
  
• Check the hours log to make certain I have given you credit for your hours and weekly comments on the journals. Have a great week!

January 23-27

• I have received calendars for January, February, March, and April from Katy Orth, Katelyn White, and Stephanie Fry and partial calendars from Amber Wallin and Beck Damron. I am missing calendars from Kat Conway, Tara Shaffer, Cati Eisel.
  
  Email me a copy of all of the calendar with dates, even if you do not have your entire schedule in place as yet. Fill me in via email as you finalize your hours. Teachers, organizations use this information to make certain your times and dates are clear.
  
  
• Look up your school calendars on line - the websites are noted on the pairings doc as you make your schedule. Note spring breaks and release days for schools on their websites so that you do not schedule yourself during those times. Schools, districts and CVA spring break is generally different.
  
  
• Plan the date(s) for your first lesson presentation as yet, talk to your teacher about possible content and date this coming week. Presentations take place in residencies not in shadowings. Meet with me to brainstorm or review your lesson plan. Send me a planning backward model a week prior to the presentation or before sending it to your teacher. Check with me via email or on the updated calendars ( as soon as you get them to me!) about my schedule before scheduling the presentation so that I can attend.
  
  
• Check the hours log weekly for inclusion of your hours or errors. I take your hours from your journals NOT the calendars.
  
  
• Journals are due on Sunday evening by 12:00 midnight on http://www.facebook.com/groups/cva.teaching.artist/. Each students is expected to comment on at least on journal weekly (this is calculated into your grade) Have a great week!
  
  

January 17-19 and Early Start

• Schedule all of your Practicum hours the best you can as soon as possible. Begin by scheduling the shadowing experience first if possible and then contact teachers to schedule. This will help you from falling behind on hours. Email your schedules as calendar docs to your instructor by Jan 20. Fill in what you can and update via email as dates become more solid.
  1. Shadowing experience – 12 to 15 hours.
  2. Residency experiences – 40 to 45 hours each.
  3. Total 90 hours by May 4.
  
  
• Working on site in a residency or shadowing 6 hours a week each week of the semester give you the required hours for the Practicum. Students may begin before CVA 's January 17 spring start. If hours are missed you may work over spring break.


• JOURNALS are due every each Sunday by midnight on http://www.facebook.com/groups/cva.teaching.artist/. This is a private page. I will put them on the TA website so that our partners can see them. Report even if you have not participated in residency or shadowing activity. Use journal to communicate Practicum dates, sites, hours spent in shadowing and residency experiences, along with the descriptive review of weekly observations and interactions on site (200-500 words). Use Descriptive Review below.
  
  
  1. Your name, school, teacher and hours or shadowing artist and hours each week.
  2. Describe key events and learning activities that took place while working in the classroom or on site.
  3. What do you think the students were learning? What was the teacher teaching? What was the evidence of learning?
  4. What questions were raised for you about student learning and teacher practice? How might perceived problems be solved?


• WEEKLY JOURNAL COMMENTS. In addition to your weekly journal you are expected to comment each week on one journal from the prior week. Choose a journal that has not had comments. This is part of the course requirement.
  
  
• SCHEDULE LESSON PRESENTATIONS. When you begin working in a classroom, check Google Calendar for the CVA instructor's availability and to schedule lesson presentations. You will not be able to upload info but need to Reserve the presentation date with your CVA instructor through email after discussing it with your teacher or site manager.


• UPDATES. Check website Updates page each Monday and your email daily. Have a great week!