POINT OF VIEW

Daryl Lyons, Gladden Elementary (left) and Emily OʼConnell, Mill Creek Upper Elementary (right).

Emily O’Connell

I’ve been out of college for almost twenty years. That hit me smack in the face during a conversation I had with a new art education graduate at a district art meeting. I shot a sidelong glance to each of my colleagues at the table, looking for an expression aligned with my own thoughts. I found myself defensive to the ideas she shared rather than open to them. That’s when it hit me—twenty years. Obviously, art education has continued to evolve its practices.

I wanted to observe this new graduate and see these ideas in action instead of being resistant. I scheduled a full class period followed by her planning time so we could discuss, ask questions, and share feedback—a fantastic win for both of us. As a new teacher, she appreciated the feedback and suggestions from another art educator. And as a veteran teacher, it was exciting and eye-opening to see new approaches I had never been introduced to in action rather than on paper.

I created a form to organize my thoughts and questions for later discussion. I kept it simple, starting with the learning objective for the lesson and bullet points from start to finish of each transition during the lesson. On the form below that, I typed the following headings: Questions, Noticing, Future File, Classroom Management Suggestions. Under each of these, I added my thoughts as the lesson unfolded. After students left and we were able to talk, the discussion focused on each area on the form. I sent her a copy and saved mine to refer to later.

It was exciting and eye-opening to see new approaches I had never been introduced to in action rather than on paper.

I decide to observe a second colleague who has been teaching art for a couple of years in our district. I used the same form and scheduling from my previous session. The colleague was grateful and excited to have another art teacher visit and learn from her, see her program, and offer feedback. I walked away from that experience with some great classroom management tricks and a new perspective of her as a teacher after seeing her in action.

I returned to the classroom thinking about the other eight art teachers in our district and how I had never seen any of them teach. My goal is to make observing my peers in our field a priority. It has already exposed me to other teaching styles and given me some inspiring ideas on how we can best support each other’s strengths and weaknesses. I have gained a broader perspective of what my students’ previous experience has been and what their experience after me will be like. Now when we sit around the table with one another on our professional development days, we have insight and, in my case, a willingness to consider the possibilities.

Emily O’Connell is an art teacher at Mill Creek Upper Elementary School in Belton, Missouri. eoconnell@bsd124.org