This fall I have spent the last few weeks at a loss for a research topic. I felt as still being a new teacher, going into my second year of teaching I was interested in everything! How could I choose a research topic when really i’m just still trying to learn everything and feel my head above the water. I also started a new district this year and tomorrow will only be my 5th day of the year. Then while writing my role of a researcher paper it hit me. The one thing I focus on in all my classes across the board is the use of class critiques. I feel like I have talked about them at length this course and I feel they are just so beneficial for my students and important. So now i’m thinking, maybe my research should be on the use of critiques in high school level courses.
- How can art educators at the secondary level use critiques as assessment rather than rubrics and other forms of written assessment?
- How can I measure the success of the use of critique with my students?
- How can I prove and document the progression of my students during critiques to my department head and administration?
How have you addressed these issues/questions? How could you address these issues and questions? How are the courses so far affecting your classroom practice?
I have been incorporating the use of critique in my teaching methods and units at the high school level all year last year and I already laid the groundwork for my courses this year to start beginning them probably in a week or two for their first projects. I am still thinking about my research questions and how I am going to address them. My classroom practice is being affected because I am constantly giving my students opportunities to talk about their work and use the specific vocabulary casually with each other while working so that when we come together for a critique in a week or two they are comfortable with the terms and talking to one another. I could document my findings by taking notes during the critiques. I want to look into if legally it would be an issue to voice record our class critiques as well as possibility video taping them as well.