Thursday, January 28, 2010
First Visit and Tour of Peralta Hacienda Historical Park
On Wednesday, January 27th, the Athena Project visited PHHP for the first time. We had a tour of the house and the property and saw the brand new facility which is ALMOST finished. We are going to be the first people to work there! It is a large airy one room building that has a capacity for 50, so the 18 CCA students, the 28 youth, myself and our PHHP partners will all fit (just). Actually, when the weather is nice we'll be spread out, making art outside in the park. Unlike the other partnerships, in which CCA students are working in classrooms with students in school, the Athena Project is working with an after school program. This means that advertising and recruitment need to take place before the actual working relationship begins. We will meet our youth partners for the first time next week.
This week I devoted to having students think about lesson planning. Each student wrote a lesson plan based on one state standard of their choice from the Visual Arts component for 7th or 8th grade. Within the working groups (6 groups of 3 students each) they shared their individual lessons. After that, they came up with a new lesson plan by consensus, choosing a different state standard and using their own expertise to guide their decisions (ex: one group has a sculptor, graphic designer and printer; another has a writer, a photographer and an illustrator).
The lessons the CCA students created (both the individual ones and the collaborative ones) might contribute to the semester long project or not. They are exercises in lesson planning and a vehicle for the college students to bond as a group because the youth will be studying the relationship amongst the mentors and the way they interact with each other. So it is important for me to create a fertile environment in which the creative relationships amongst the CCA students can flower before we even meet the youth.
For homework, the Athena Project mentors will look at those same lessons and expand them by applying the categories of the Studio Habits of Mind. In the meantime, they are reading Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Chapter 2, in which he explains the "banking" concept of education so clearly. His reference to traditional education as domination education is the same term used in the book we are reading by Marshall Rosenberg, Life Enriching Education. Rosenberg also offers explicit help to the facilitator (teacher) to retrain him/herself in order not fall into domination education.
This week I devoted to having students think about lesson planning. Each student wrote a lesson plan based on one state standard of their choice from the Visual Arts component for 7th or 8th grade. Within the working groups (6 groups of 3 students each) they shared their individual lessons. After that, they came up with a new lesson plan by consensus, choosing a different state standard and using their own expertise to guide their decisions (ex: one group has a sculptor, graphic designer and printer; another has a writer, a photographer and an illustrator).
The lessons the CCA students created (both the individual ones and the collaborative ones) might contribute to the semester long project or not. They are exercises in lesson planning and a vehicle for the college students to bond as a group because the youth will be studying the relationship amongst the mentors and the way they interact with each other. So it is important for me to create a fertile environment in which the creative relationships amongst the CCA students can flower before we even meet the youth.
For homework, the Athena Project mentors will look at those same lessons and expand them by applying the categories of the Studio Habits of Mind. In the meantime, they are reading Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Chapter 2, in which he explains the "banking" concept of education so clearly. His reference to traditional education as domination education is the same term used in the book we are reading by Marshall Rosenberg, Life Enriching Education. Rosenberg also offers explicit help to the facilitator (teacher) to retrain him/herself in order not fall into domination education.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Combined Youth and CCA student Understanding Goals for The Athena Project
Academic Learning
Youth:
Studio Learning
Youth:
Collaborative/Community Learning
Youth and CCA students:
Inter and Intra Personal Learning
Youth and CCA students:
Youth:
- How can art allow us to express our stories and communicate them to others?
- How can we articulate our stories in the most effective way?
- How do we chose appropriate media to express our stories and communicate to an audience?
- What skills can we develop in order to work towards expressing our vision as we envision it?
- Why is it important to learn the history of Peralta Hacienda, then and now?
- How can we learn about the ethnic groups living in the Peralta neighborhood?
- How can we assess the intellectual and artistic interests of the youth?
- How can we structure lessons incorporating the intellectual and artistic interests of the youth?
- Why is it important to keep a reflective journal of our thoughts and feelings about the experience?
Studio Learning
Youth:
- Which artistic skills and vocabulary would allow us to articulate our vision?
- What medium will allow us to communicate and reach our desired audience?
- Would a combination of artistic media tell our story in a richer way?
- If so, which combination?
- As artists how do we observe and reflect on the world around us, and approach problem solving?
- How can we share artistic competence with youth?
- How does using a lesson plan template influence the quality of instruction?
- How can we expand the art vocabulary of the youth?
- How can the Studio Habits of Mind assist student artists in their studio practice?
- How can the traditional aesthetic sensibility, materials and processes of neighborhood ethnic groups be incorporated into the collaborative art project?
Collaborative/Community Learning
Youth and CCA students:
- How does working in a group help us to grow as an individual?
- How can we weave in all of our stories and give voice to them in one cohesive art project?
- What does working in a group teach us about living in society?
- How can we appreciate the role arts play in democratic thinking?
- How can we make art that is meaningful to both the community in which we are working and ourselves?
- How can we build consensus to create collaborative art that meets the needs of all the participants?
- How can we learn to apply the skills and concepts we are learning in class to other settings?
Inter and Intra Personal Learning
Youth and CCA students:
- How can we develop attitudes of appreciation, awe, and wonder?
- How are we able to create an environment where we can gain deeper empathy and understanding of each other?
- How does the art process allow us to reflect on our roots in such a way as to enable us to play our part in the bigger picture of a global society?
- How does the art process allow us to reflect on the roots of others and how does that influence our view of world?
- How is working in partnership with a different age group enriching?
- How can we improve our communication skills (listening, speaking, writing, reading)?
Monday, January 18, 2010
Getting to know us
During our first day of class, after initial introductions, I did a visualization exercise with my students. I asked them to close their eyes and go back to middle school. I asked them to see themselves sitting at a desk in a classroom and look around at the students, the teacher, and the walls. I suggested they note textures, smells, sounds and the feelings of of that place and time. Then each student wrote about a memorable moment in their lives during that time. It was a way to get to know each other and at the same time illustrate that middle school can be the best and the worst of times. Here are some examples of the range of experiences: people who had their first euphoric romance, people who got expelled, people who were so ill they had to home school, people whose 8th grade classroom was held up at gun point by a girl, people who remembered the rigorous discipline and community of music and sports, people who entered the revolving door of the foster system, people who discovered their parents' drugs.
Then we watched the first video of "School: The Story of American Education" which gives an overview of the struggle to create free education for all citizens in our country. It serves to clarify that what we now take for granted had to be sold to a resistant American public.
Then we watched the first video of "School: The Story of American Education" which gives an overview of the struggle to create free education for all citizens in our country. It serves to clarify that what we now take for granted had to be sold to a resistant American public.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
The Athena Project website
http://sites.google.com/site/athenaprojectsite/
Dear colleagues and friends: If you want to know more about the Athena Project, you can see an archive of photos from 2005 on. In addition to the blog, information for students, parents, partners and colleagues will be available for viewing there.
Dear colleagues and friends: If you want to know more about the Athena Project, you can see an archive of photos from 2005 on. In addition to the blog, information for students, parents, partners and colleagues will be available for viewing there.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Understanding Goals
Understanding Goals
Academic Learning :
How can art allow us to express our stories and communicate them to others?
How can we articulate our stories in the most effective way?
How do we chose appropriate media to express our stories and communicate to an audience?
What skills can you develop in order to work towards expressing your vision as you envision it?
Studio Learning :
Which artistic skills and vocabulary would allow you to articulate your vision?
What medium allows you to communicate and reach your desired audience?
Would a combination of artistic media tell your story in a richer way (if so, which combination)?
As artists how do we observe and reflect on the world around us, and approach problem solving?
Collaborative/Community Learning :
How does working in a group help you to grow as an individual?
How can we weave in all of our stories and give voice to them in one cohesive art project?
Why is it important to learn to work in a group and does it teach you about living in society?
Inter and Intra Personal Learning :
How are we able to create an environment where we can gain a deeper empathy and understanding of each other?
How does the art process allow us to reflect on our roots and play a part in the bigger picture?
How is working in partnership with a different age group enriching?
Academic Learning :
How can art allow us to express our stories and communicate them to others?
How can we articulate our stories in the most effective way?
How do we chose appropriate media to express our stories and communicate to an audience?
What skills can you develop in order to work towards expressing your vision as you envision it?
Studio Learning :
Which artistic skills and vocabulary would allow you to articulate your vision?
What medium allows you to communicate and reach your desired audience?
Would a combination of artistic media tell your story in a richer way (if so, which combination)?
As artists how do we observe and reflect on the world around us, and approach problem solving?
Collaborative/Community Learning :
How does working in a group help you to grow as an individual?
How can we weave in all of our stories and give voice to them in one cohesive art project?
Why is it important to learn to work in a group and does it teach you about living in society?
Inter and Intra Personal Learning :
How are we able to create an environment where we can gain a deeper empathy and understanding of each other?
How does the art process allow us to reflect on our roots and play a part in the bigger picture?
How is working in partnership with a different age group enriching?
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