Learning, a task as old as time, something a person needs to be able to do in order to not only be a member of society, but something necessary in order to survive.  This is where the role of the teacher comes into play.  Teachers help those who don’t know where they are going, guide those with a vision, and do whatever else they can for everyone in-between.  As a teacher these are my primary goals, those that drive me to make a difference, but they are not my only goals.  As a teacher I have high standards for both my students and myself, expecting both to be doing their very best they can.  Along with that I feel that my subject, art, yields a different environment for students to learn in, therefore making what I can teach them different, but in a good way.  Teaching students to creatively problem solve, analyze and make connections, and finally teach them about determination through continued work are all important skills developed in my classroom.

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    As a teacher I need to be a “man of many hats”, constantly finding ways to fill needed and necessary rolls and positions, being able to creatively problem solve is not only important, but a cherished skill developed and nourished in my classroom.  Every student is an individual, this is something we all know to be true, so if that is the case why do a lot of people think that teaching all students the same way will yield the same results.  In order to reach every type of learner one must differentiate their learning.  With this you reach students in ways that even they might not have known would be beneficial to them, giving them more chances to learn and reflect.  Art provides a more Differentiated Learning for students then most subjects, giving students various avenues to venture down in order to accomplish one goal.  Learning, researching, and creating art provides students with the background necessary to help them make these realizations and observations. 

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    To support Differentiated Learning I use various methods, all of which is geared towards targeting specific types of learners.  Being we are learning in an art room a lot of my differentiation lies in the way that I present information to them.  I find that an equal blend of reading, writing, visual, verbal, and finally hands on experiences help improve student achievement.  For example, when introducing a new project I would break it down into these four parts. For reading and writing I would present the students with a PowerPoint combined with guided note taking sheet.  The combination of the two would engage the students by having them look for key terms and topics in order to create a detailed notes sheet.  In a visual sense I like to provide students with images of what we are basing their art on, examples of what their art projects could look like, then finally allowing them to research into the topic on their own so that they can create an original piece combining our specific theme with their own likes and ideas.  Throughout this I would have students engage verbally with each other in a small table group setting, whole class setting, and even in a one on one with me, the teacher, setting. These would be geared in having students reflect on what they have learned, what they want to do, and how they are going to do it.  This gives students experience in explaining ideas to others and improving upon that skill.  Finally we move into the hands on demonstration method, the art room’s most engaging tool.  This allows me to engage students in ways that lets me guide them through complicated tasks, exploration and practice exercises, and even just good old fashioned improvement of fine motor skills.

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Through these varied exercises comes a varying from of assessment.  The assessments range from Formative to Summative.  Formative happens daily, examples of this are ungraded practices with tools, Medias, and theories, one on one interaction with teacher, and informal reviews of information through exit slips or some other comparable exercise. This happens constantly, giving students instant feedback on their progress and giving them a better chance at creating the most successful project they can.  Ne next, Summative, is a little more formal and does not happen right away.  This happens in the form of completed final projects and end of lesson final tests.  This gives me a good understanding of what they learned through their progression in the lesson and how successful they were at accomplishing all their necessary tasks.

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    As a teacher this, and all its surrounding factors, matter to me because of what they can do.  They help mold learners into the people they will be in the future, they help teach students about what they excel in and what they need assistance or practice in, and they help students reflect on what they have done, what they are doing, and what they can and will do.  As a teacher I want students to be able to do all these so that they can be successful in their lives, and in a sense that is wy I want into teaching.  My teachers did this for me, and I am sure that their teachers did that for them, and so on.  I want to help be a link in the unbreakable chain of education of our young people so that the future can and will be bright.