Our week at Crystal Bridges ended with our group giving the last presentation of the day - a dialogical session about our selected artwork. We were the only group to give a presentation after lunch, and our "students" were standing instead of sitting as they had for all the other groups. Our presentation was definitely looser in tone than the others because of this. Our content was also a little lighter-hearted than the others, lending itself to more joking and silliness. In addition, we had chosen a painting that had little background and an author with very little recorded history.
In reflection, all of the demonstrations of art presentation in this style were done by a single docent, and Friday's presentations were all done by groups. In this case, the dynamic of the presentation is changed. It was not mine; it was the group's. It was not exactly how I would have presented the discussion. I usually refrain from providing too much information about an object, an image, or a video, and allow students to notice and lead the discussion as much as possible, all the while knowing which information I need to lead them to if necessary. As a group, I felt like some didn't have as much patience and went into leading questions or information a little more quickly than they should have. I kept thinking to myself, Don't give them that information! Stop pointing out things the students didn't bring up. They'll get there if you wait. At the same time, members of the group seemed to pull against each other, wanting to direct students in different directions.
In reflection, all of the demonstrations of art presentation in this style were done by a single docent, and Friday's presentations were all done by groups. In this case, the dynamic of the presentation is changed. It was not mine; it was the group's. It was not exactly how I would have presented the discussion. I usually refrain from providing too much information about an object, an image, or a video, and allow students to notice and lead the discussion as much as possible, all the while knowing which information I need to lead them to if necessary. As a group, I felt like some didn't have as much patience and went into leading questions or information a little more quickly than they should have. I kept thinking to myself, Don't give them that information! Stop pointing out things the students didn't bring up. They'll get there if you wait. At the same time, members of the group seemed to pull against each other, wanting to direct students in different directions.
I thank Crystal Bridges staff for setting up this summer residency, as well as the anonymous donor who allows our Cecil Floyd fourth grade teachers to participate with little personal expense. Our time was mostly well spent, and we were allowed to personalize our involvement in meaningful ways, making it more relevant to the needs of our school. We were also exposed to such a variety of people from many backgrounds and locations across the United States (with one participant hailing from Montreal, Canada). Some were interested in bringing methodologies and content to their elementary students, while others were working on their doctoral theses.
Our portion of the workshops will continue as we bring all of this back to the school, this year. Mrs. Mintert, the teaching artist who will visit our staff and our students this year, was also in attendance and we got to know each other better and do some bonding. She should be an excellent and knowledgable resource for our school, and she will accompany our students when we visit Crystal Bridges with them sometime in April.
Our portion of the workshops will continue as we bring all of this back to the school, this year. Mrs. Mintert, the teaching artist who will visit our staff and our students this year, was also in attendance and we got to know each other better and do some bonding. She should be an excellent and knowledgable resource for our school, and she will accompany our students when we visit Crystal Bridges with them sometime in April.
