Reflections

As I reflect on this practicum, the first thought that comes to mind is this is so different from most of the classes/lessons I have taught. There are several reasons for this. There is no pressure from the No Child Left Behind Act. It has been so much fun, not only for the students but for myself as well. I am so glad we went with photography instead of creating a holiday book. Students have learned so much about photography and civil rights. I am very pleased with the progress my students have made. I am a little sad the project will officially end soon. However, I plan to allow students to be “School Photographers”and the newspaper photographers at various times/events throughout the school year.  As I began evaluating my project according to the objectives aligned with each of the NCATE Standards, I discovered how they are interwoven throughout the project. Assessment: Teacher observation and reflection (Standard 10) 

The first standard deals with anchoring content in meaningful learning experiences. Students have amazed me at the photography skills they have developed. The use of lines, contrast, angles, and lighting has resulted in outstanding photography that could be called art. Examples of this are the Spiderman, "Ghosts in the Trees," the “Grasshopper and the Ant” and several pictures of the moss. These exceeded my expectations because I thought, “These are children and they will take pictures of their friends and play around without guidance.” However, I gave the  students the  autonomy to choose the subject of their pictures, and I was delighted with how they took responsibility for their learning. Assessment: Teacher observation  (Standards 1, 4, 6 & 10)

Developing social skills is as important as any of the academic skills. My objective was “Provide students the opportunity to interact positively and develop collaboration skills.” With only two digital cameras, students had to share. Not once did I hear students complaining. Throughout the entire project, students worked together, collaborated and assisted each other. I saw fourth graders helping sixth graders as observed in the pictures of November 6th posting. Sixth graders were helping the younger students. There was no grade distinction, because we were a class. A student, the behavior interventionist asked,  “Please accept this student in the Photograph Club because he needs a second chance.” After being accepted, he has just blossomed. I have not had to speak to him once about his behavior throughout the entire project. He has taken some of the most amazing pictures. I spoke to his mother after the field trip, and learned he has requested a camera for Christmas. It does not get better than this. (Standards 2 & 3)

As students were reviewing the primary source photographs, they discovered a few pictures of white people who participated in the civil rights movement in Montgomery. Their first response was, “This can't be right.” To which I replied, “Let's research some of the names and see what we can find.” The first name they researched was Virginia Durr. They discovered she was a good friend of Rosa Parks and had bailed her out of jail. The students learned that discovering something for yourself is very powerful.  (Standards 3, 6, 7 & 9)

As the project began, I assessed students' prior knowledge about digital photography and used it as a foundation on which to build. The students varied widely in their levels of understanding. The students who were more familiar with digital photography were paired with students less knowledgeable. Through collaboration both benefitted, because one had the technical skills and one had the artistic skill.  Throughout this project my role has been to be a facilitator instead of an instructor. This year's funds are very limited and replacing the camera would be hard. I allowed students to go on their “photography shoots” without me watching over them and the camera. By showing confidence in their ability to handle the cameras responsibly, students demonstrated these characteristics. In addition, students were given the autonomy to choose the subject of their pictures. They chose the subjects that interested them. Some students choose only nature pictures and some choose their friends as subjects. A few took a variety of pictures. Each student’s pictures reflected their personal interests. These were evaluated through teacher observation. (Standards 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 & 9)

The learners in the Photography Club were given many opportunities to use a variety of instructional strategies. Students chose the name “The Photography Club” for our project by voting. In the discussion of name, they pointed it out “We need to call it a club because there is more than one grade.” They viewed various types of photography and created their own definitions. Students practiced their photograph skills by taking pictures at school and on a field trip. Students developed the skills of zooming in close, downloading pictures from the camera, charging the battery and viewing pictures on the computer. Students are conducted research and evaluated original photography, in search of new information about the civil rights movement. They are in the process of choosing their best photographs to showcase on the large screen TV and we still need to complete their research/evaluation of original photographs and Civil Rights posters. (Standards 6, 7 & 9) 
     

At the beginning of this project, teachers and the principal had some real concerns about taking time away from academics because of  the focus on making AYP and meeting the No Child Left Behind Act guidelines. Finally, it was decided I could meet with a group of students before school and occasionally they could miss PE and part of the project would need to reflect  the Alabama Course of Study. After observing the group and students' enthusiasm, our principal has commented twice about starting interest groups in January. This was the greatest compliment anyone could have given. 

Assessment is ongoing and not a one time event. Teacher observation is the primary form of assessment used throughout the entire project.