Weekly Updates - Spring Practicum

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

April 28-May 3

• FINAL CLASS MEETING – WED MAY 8, 10:00-12:00. Our Final Mandatory All Class Meeting (brunch) at my house/directions have been sent out in email. Items due before or at this meeting are below. I have the address and directions on our fb site with a map.
  
  
  • REVISED LESSON PLANS, SELF AND VIDEO VIDEO EVALUTIONS. Send Evaluations (self and video) by email.
    
    
  • REIMBURSEMENT FORMS AND RECIEPTS. Reimbursements forms with receipts are also due by May 8. Bring to our meeting if you have not turned in already.
    
    
  • TEACHING ARTIST PACKET. Due on a CD at our meeting on May 8. See Assignment/Spring for specific instructions.
    
    Packet includes: Teaching Artist Resume, Teaching Artist Philosophy,23 descriptive paragraphs- one for each of your TA experiences, and quality images from each of your students from both of your teaching experiences dropboxed to the TA Dropbox web address emailed to you. Contact me if you do not have it. Save student images as jpgs and name images as follows:
    
    YourName_school-01.jpg
    YourName_school-21.jpg, etc
    
    
  • HOURS. Check your hours. You are to have 90 hours on site by May 8. If you plan on continuing to volunteer at your site you will need to go through additional channels to formally apply to become a volunteer.

April 22-26

• TEACHING ARTIST PACKET. Due on CD with your images from lesson presentation at our final class on Wednesday May 8, 10:00-12:00. See Assignment/Spring for specific examples and instructions. Packet includes: Teaching Artist Resume, Teaching Artist Philosophy, descriptive paragraphs of each of your TA on site experiences.
  
  
• Evaluations (self and video) and reimbursements forms with receipts are due next week. They can be emailed or put in my mailbox.
  
  
• PLANNING BACKSWARD LESSON REVISIONS AND STUDENT IMAGE.. Along with your Teaching Artist Packets images from each student and revised lesson plans for both of your projects are required by the final meeting. Email the Planning Backward revisions to LMI.
  
  Save student images as jpgs and name images as follows and place those in your dropbox with your TA Packet:
  YourName_school-01.jpg
  YourName_school-21.jpg, etc
  
  
• HOURS. Check your hours. You are to have 90 hours on site by May 8. Check these for accuracy and let me know if something is missing.
  
  
• FINAL CLASS MEETING REMINDER. Our Final Mandatory All Class Meeting (brunch) will take place on Wednesday May 8, 10:00-12:00 at my house/directions will be sent out by email the final week of classes. Final TA Packet is due in Dropbox https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wrxlb74vwn4vztc/3-Cw1MQFRm by 8:00AM that morning--find requirements on the Assignments link. Bring thank you cards to write at the meeting.

April 15-19

• EVALUATIONS DUE. Don't forget to fill outand email your self and video evaluations. Evaluations are due by 8:00 A.M. Wednesday May 8 before our final meeting as your Teaching Artist Packet ( TA resume, Residency descriptions, TA philosophy---see spring assignments for examples and requirements) which should be uploaded to Dropbox under your name https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wrxlb74vwn4vztc/3-Cw1MQFRm.
  
  
• RECEIPTS AND MATERIALS. Submit materials receipts in my mailbox stapled to the reimbursement form. Return materials to me or leave outside of my office in the LIbrary as soon as you are finished with them. There are just a few things out.
  
  
• STUDENT IMAGES AND PLANNING BACKSWARD LESSON REVISIONS. Along with your Teaching Artist Packets images from each student and revised lesson plans for both of your projects are required by the final meeting. Email the Planning Backward revisions to LMI. Save student images as jpgs and name images as follows:
  YourName_school-01.jpg, YourName_school-02.jpg, etc
  
  
• HOURS. Check hours log for accuracy. You need 90 contact hours to complete your requirement for this class. Check it not only for your hours but for accuracy.
  
  
• JOURNALS. Please submit your journals to get them up to date. Community partners are reading them. I keep them updated on the website. They show that you keep a schedule, are responsible to deadlines, and are connected with the content of the course.
  
  
• UPCOMING PRESENTATION. Chuck, Chloe and Jeremy ( just waiting for your date/time, Jeremy)
  
  
• FINAL CLASS MEETING REMINDER. Our Final Mandatory All Class Meeting (brunch) will take place on Wednesday May 8, 10:00-12:00 at my house/directions will be sent out by email the final week of classes. Final TA Packet is due in Dropbox https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wrxlb74vwn4vztc/3-Cw1MQFRm by 8:00AM that morning--find requirements on the Assignments link. Bring thank you cards to write at the meeting.

April 8-12

• PRESENTATIONS. Final presentations are scheduled for Chuck and I am waiting to reschedule Chloe and Jeremy. Please check with me as soon as you contact your mentor teacher. I cannot meet on M/W 8-11 and T/TH 12-3 due to my teaching schedule.
  
  
• FINAL CLASS MEETING REMINDER. Our Final Mandatory All Class Meeting (brunch) will take place on Wednesday May 8, 10:00-12:00 at my house/directions will be sent out by email the final week of classes. Final TA Packet is due in Dropbox https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wrxlb74vwn4vztc/3-Cw1MQFRm by 8:00AM that morning--find requirements on the Assignments link. Bring thank you cards to write at the meeting.
  
  
• REIMBURSEMENT FORMS AND RECEIPTS. Submit reimbursement forms with receipts to me by the final week of classes.
  
  
• RETURN MATERIALS AFTER YOUR LESSON in order to have them for others who will need them.Any used materials that we do not agree need to be left in the classroom must be returned to the TA closet in order for you to receive your supply reimbursement.
  
  
• EVALUATIONS AND REVISED PLANNING BACKWARDS MODELS. Remember to submit your self and video eval and revised Planning backward models after your presentation.

April 1-5

• MID TERM CLASS MEETING. Summit Front Offiec Thursday April, 6:00-7:30. This is a mandatory meeting.
  • We will review work on sites, lesson presentations, check hours, receive and review final Teaching Artist Portfolio assignment and set final meeting date.
    
    
• PRESENTATION DATES AND LMI OBSERVATION. I am waiting for final presentations dates from the following students. Please check with me before trying to schedule me for observations.
  • Chuck
    
    
• SITE VISITS AND OBSERVATIONS. Both Adam and Chloe have site visit dates set in the next two weeks. Remember to meet with me prior to that visits and submit a lesson plan a week prior to your teaching ( Adam has done this). If you need supplies let me know so I can pull them --I am currently packing them up for the closing so would like to know what you need so they do not need to be unpacked.

March 25 - 29

• APRIL CALENDARS. Please update your April calendars if you have any changes. final presentations dates from the following students: Chuck, Adam. Please formalize the date with me. Please checkwith me before trying to schedule me for observations. It will be very difficult for me to observe while I am hanging the FND exhibition ( April 8-10) or in class ( M/W 8-10:45 and T/TH 12-2:45). Please take this into account. I want to be present and helpful in your presentations if possible!
  
  
• MID TERM MANDATORY ALL CLASS MEETING –Thursday APRIL 4, 6:00-7:30PM Summit Front office. This is a MANDATORY MEETING.
  
  
• REVISED LESSON PLANS AND EVALUATIONS. If you have taught, you must turn in a revised lesson plan, self evalutation and video evaluation. Complete these right after you teach and submit to LMI in email. I am missing evals from Jeremy, Jenny as well as revised lesson plans from Jeremy, Jenny and Carlen.
  
  

• JOURNALS. Make certain journals are up on FB from mid term week and if you worked over break, please get them up for that week too. Let me know if you were not on site and check you hours logs and comments logs. Many of you are far behind on comments. These are part of your discourse, learning, and experience. Remember, you are to make two comments each week on a journal posting.
  
  
• SCHEDULE LESSON NOW. Check calendars to see if I can come to your lesson as you schedule with your instructor. If you have not contacted your Teaching Artist yet, it is time to get on her or his schedule! ALSO, schedule a meeting with me to plan your lesson. You may submit you planning backward model prior to our meeting or after we meet.

March 18-22 SPRING BREAK

• SITE WORK DURING BREAK. Many of you will be putting in a good amount of hours over springbreak. Please do your journal so you keep updated. I will not be available to observe teaching, but if you have not presented a lesson as yet you will want to discuss your project and a presentation date with them. Please check the date out with me. If I am teaching during your presentation time, you will take the video camera along and I will view afterwards.
  
  You can work on your Planning Backwards Lesson Paln Model once you have decided with your mentor teacher what you will be teaching. I believe that only Chloe, Maddie, and Chuck still need to plan their presentation content, dates and PBM.
  
  
• MANDATORY MID TERM MEETING ––Thursday April 4, 6:00-8:00 Summit front Office.
  
  
• HOURS. Check hours log to make certain all of your hours are counted and your journal responses are credited. You should be at 45 hours by March 15.


• FORMS DUE. After your lessons you are required to revise and resubmit your PBM lesson plan, self and video evaluations forms, reimbursement forms with attached receipts. Make certain you immediately return of materials borrowed from the TA closet. These can be brought to my office and left.
  
  

March 11-15

• CHANGE! ---MANDATORY MID TERM MEETING---April 4, 6:00-8:00 Summit Office. I have sent an email asking about this and not heard back from all---I am waiting to hear back from all of you.
  
  
• HOURS LOG CHECK. Each students should be at 45 hours site visit time by the end of spring break. It would be advantageous to have more hours than that.
  
  
• LESSON PRESENTATIONS. To stay on track with hours and presentation requirements you should have a presentation completed or scheduled at this time. It includes: lesson plan, presentations to students, documentation of students work, evaluations (self and video) finished by the conclusion of spring break. Paperwork can be and should be submitted to me via email or it risks the chance of getting lost. I hope to get to most of your teaching ( unless I am teaching at the same time). If I don't get there I will see you via video camera. You need to pick it up before you go--from me.
  
  
• STUDENT IMAGES. Make certain to have a CD or working flash drive of student images in jpg form. You will need these for your final TA Packet.
  
  
• MARCH AND APRIL CALENDARS DUE. Calendars are due now in email to LMI. These calendars should document your upcoming residency and shadowing hours. I am missing: Chuck, Maddie, Chloe's! If you have changes on your calendar since you have first submitted them please forward to me.
  
  
• MATERIALS. Please return materials after you have used them so that others can. We are sharing the supplies. If you purchase materials and CVA pays for them through reimbursement return any extras to me. You may bring them to my office and leave outside if it is hard to find me!

March 4-8

• UPDATE CALENDARS. Send me updated March, April calendars this week.The teachers, colleges and I use them!

• MID TERM MANDATORY ALL CLASS MEETING.When we planned the midterm meeting I was not going to Paris with the Paris class. The date we picked is going to be difficult for me an members of our class who are going to Paris. I would like to change the class to meet after break on Thursday March 28, 6:00-8:00 in Summit front office. I will email you all to see if this will work for you.
  
  
• FINISHING UP LESSON PRESENTATION WORK. Many of you have presented your lesson in your classroom at this point. Take the following steps after you have presented to finish up with the work.
  1. PHOTOGRAPHING STUDENT WORK. Carefully photograph the student work. You can generally do this in the classroom with your digital camera or may bring it to the college to scan it if is 2-dimensional.When photographing make sure it is evenly lit and equally framed the work, filling the picture plane. You may wish to use a tripod but shoot from above to steady the camera. Place the work on black paper or cloth. You can use ambient light but will need to go back into the photos to light balance. You want to take the best pictures at the same scale to keep your gallery building to a minimum.
  2. SELF and VIDEO ASSESSMENTS. Fill out both the self and video assessments. I will put the video of your teaching in your mailbox within the week of your presentation. Please submit the assessments via email.
  3. RECEIPTS . Submit receipts to my mailbox stapled to form. You have $10 per classroom for supply budget.
  4. RETURN SUPPLIES. When you finish bring the materials back to my office. You can leave them outside or ask Kathy Heuer to unlock it for you.
     
     
• JOURNAL ENTRIES AND COMMENTS. Thanks for getting me the journals on time. Comments are required weekly on one anothers journals. Make certain to do this. I am keeping track on the hours log.
  
  
• HOURS LOG. Check hours log for accuracy. You will want half of your hours finished by mid term (45) and one lesson taught.. Talk to me if you are having trouble scheduling your hours, shadowing or have fallen behind.

February 25-March 1

• Schedule Teaching Now. Schedule your first teaching experience this week. We will want to plan this together and with your mentor teacher.
  
  
• Planning and Prep Meetings. My office hours are Monday and Wednesday 11-3. I can also meet with you after my class on T/Th at 2:45 to review lessons plans or assist you in picking up materials from the TA closet.
  
  
• Supplies for Lessons. Return supplies to me or my office as soon as you have finished teaching your lesson. Other students will need them. You have a $10.00 stipend you may use for supplies. FIll out reimbursement form attach receipts and submit to me in my mailbox in library entrance or at Summit.
  
  If you purchase supplies with TA money and are reimbursed please return any unused supplies to me. Please check with me before purchasing supplies.
  
  
• Hours. Check hours log for accuracy. I take your hours directly from your journals so if journals are not turned in you do not get credit for your hours.
  
  
• Required assessments. After teaching each of your lesson, turn in your self evaluation,video evaluation, and revised lesson plan from that lesson. Revise the lesson considering what you have learned from teaching it.
  
  
• Missing Calendars. I am still missing final February, March and April calendars for Chuck, Chloe, Carlen and Maddie. Submit these these to me in email this week. If dates have changed on your calendars please update me. We keep these updated for teachers.

February 18-22

• Individual Meetings and Scheduling Teaching. If you have not scheduled your teaching experience as yet, do it this week and contact me for a planning meeting – as soon as possible. I meet with you to brainstorm your project, a second time to plan and get materials from the TA closet and the third time to download after your teaching.
  
  
• Teaching and Assessments. After you teach we will meet to download about the experience right away In addition,. I will fill out an instructor evaluation and email it to you as soon as I can and prepare your teaching video which will I will put in your mailbox. You fill out both a self assessment and a video assessment. These are due within seven days of your teaching experience.
  
  
• Absences. This is the season of flu and illness for us in Minnesota. If you find that you are ill and cannot make it to your site, contact the school or main office to leave a message for your participating teacher or supervisor at the start of the day. In addition, contact them by email and let them know when you expect to be able to return.
  
  
• Calendars. Chloe, Carlen, Maddie, Bill, Chuck have not updated calendars with me. There are empty calendar for you to fill in for your projected hours on site. I am waiting to get your calendars so I can update the website for you community partners. Please get them to me this week!
  
  

February 11-15

• 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! I have only received two.
  
  
• 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. I am going to try to upload the video tapes to the fb site. If this does not work I will put a CD in college mailboxes. Submit your video evaluation form the following week to me 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. The sooner I get these the better for getting your refund in a timely way.
  


• 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.


• Thanks for your timely submission of the journal and for reading one anothers. This is a great way to learn about the variety of classrooms and teaching experiences and opportunities out there.
  
  
• I am observing Bill's lesson at Avavlon next week and looking forward his lessons. Have a great week!
  
  

February 4 - 8

• CALENDARS AND JOURNALS.I am still waiting for final calendars with times, dates and sites from Jeremy, Carlen, Maddie, Chloe and David. Also missing journals from Maddie, Bill and Adam this week. 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.
  
  
• TEACHING. 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 28-Feb 1

• Please email me your calendars by Friday February 1. I will collate and put on the website for you teachers, artists and collaborating partners.
  
  Email me a copy of all of the calendars 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!
  

  Early Start and January 22-25

• FRIDAY JANUARY 25, 4:00 – FIRST ALL CLASS MEETING.We will meet in our traditional classroom in Western lower levei.
  
  
• SCHEDULE all of your Practicum hours as soon as possible. Email your schedules as calendar docs to your instructor by Jan 28. Fill in what you can and update via email as dates become more solid.
  1. Shadowing experience – 10 to 20 hours
  2. Residency experience – 70 to 80 hours
  3. Total 90 hours by May 3.

  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 22 spring start. If hours are missed you may work over spring break.

• UPDATES. Check website Updates page each Monday and your email daily.


• 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?
  5. Comment on each others journals.