Transitions in the Art Room: Hands-On Demo, pt. 1

I hope you have enjoyed reading the previous installments in this 'Transitions' series so far and have found them useful in your classrooms. This post will tackle the use of hands-on demos in your class structure.

What it looks like: students in assigned places, hands n feet to self, eyes on teacher
What it sounds like: voices off unless responding to teacher, body quiet

I've taught in both large and small Art classrooms. The last place I taught in was a band room with cafeteria bench-style tables on wheels. Fortunately, it was a long-term sub position, only one morning a week, for 3 class periods - a kinder, a first grade and second grade. Sad to admit, but I never found a satisfactory solution (for me) to easily demonstrate for the whole class at one time. I had to settle for a front-of-the-room demo, followed by mini-demos at each bench when necessary or small groups of struggling students brought up front to work with me. Once they caught on to the technique, they returned to their seated group.

When I taught in a large classroom, I gathered standing students around 2 joined tables for an up-close view of materials and process. However, there were too many behavior interruptions due to the close quarters so that procedure was used sparingly.

Finally, I came up with a workable solution at my last school before retirement. The small classroom was a long rectangle, sinks and exit door at one end and my desk at the opposite end. The whiteboard and ActivBoard were located off-center on one of the long walls. I was determined to figure out a workable solution. I tried a few arrangements before I was successful but it was worth the wait!

In my past experiences, I had these issues:
1. Too much time was spent getting students quietly in place, and back to their places afterwards
2. Kids in close proximity to one another were often distracted and didn't learn much while observing
3. There were frequent interruptions when I had to address behavior issues

Here were my solutions...

To get kids quickly in place, I created and taught these routines:

- Table A n Table B were pushed together to form a square grouping by students seated at Table B while kids at Table A moved into their demo table assigned places. I taught this routine & re-taught as needed but really after about 3 times they had it down! Stress 'safely & quietly' when moving tables. Takes about 15 seconds once they learn.

- Assign kids to sit or stand on 3 sides of the combined table grouping. I get the 4th side of the grouping all to my sweet self! Put some thought into who goes where - correction - put a LOT of thought into this. Those who have major behavior issues are seated directly facing me, with buffers of no-problem kids between them. Moderate behavior issues are placed on the right or left side of me with buffers. Also, anyone with processing issues, sight or hearing issues are on your immediate right or left if possible. Everyone else stands behind the others. Seated kids bring chairs or stools with them.

- Once tables are in place, call over seated students QUICKLY in order from left to right or what works for you. Once they are in place, call out the standing kids in order QUICKLY. We practiced this until I could get everybody in place in ONE MINUTE or less. Yes - it's possible even when talking about THAT 5th grade group of 36. Practice, practice, practice! Students are not to be talking on their way over OR while waiting for everyone to get to their place. They can do this if you expect them to do this. Practice until they do - even if it means they run out of time and don't get to work on their project. Life lesson! It goes without saying that this seating arrangement should be written down and is separate from the group seating chart used for attendance and independent work. Call ALL names (even those who may be absent) so kids get used to hearing the names leading up to their own. Explain that to students.

- At this moment, you should have everybody in place and quiet. You need to immediately begin a quick focus activity to keep them that way. I taught the kids to do 'tap tap'. My signal is to hold up my two pointer fingers, say 'tap tap' and 'tap tap' dots with my pointer fingers in a synchronized, circular motion on my head around my ears while students do the same. You do these dots until ALL students are engaged. Do not be surprised if some kids can't do this. If necessary, practice & sometimes allow certain kids to do it with just one hand. Usually these are kids that have other developmental delays.

NOW you are ready to begin the actual demo. Once the kids have practiced this routine from start to finish, you should need less than 3 minutes from moving tables to end of 'tap tap'. Practice, practice, practice.

Next up - how to setup your actual demo!

Transitions in the Art Room: Attendance

The second transition in most art classes is attendance. Ideally, this transition should take less than 3 minutes. A quick glance at your seating chart and a look at your empty seats will tell you who's not present for class that day. Sigh...if things were only that simple, right?

There is a LOT of work behind keeping this a simple, quick task! My routine included my book of class lists and my book of seating charts along with a mechanical pencil - always sharp and an eraser attached so I never lose it. I buy one of those pack of 24 or 36 mechanical pencils at back-to-school sales every fall. Usually, I still could find at least one to use by May and I found about half of the rest during my end-of-year 'pitch or organize' cleansing rituals.

In the Elementary schools (it's a zoo!), you will deal with many things besides just whether a kid is absent. Juan has Speech and always arrives 10 min. into the class period, Abigail, Alyssa, and Sam have math intervention and have to leave 10 min. early, Ryan needs to take his meds every day at 10 am, etc, etc. I used a couple of methods to keep track of this craziness: sticky notes on the class list page for temporary things or written in my shorthand next to student's name for year-long events (meds, speech, etc). I had 30 different groups in a week's time and some of you have even more. Save your brain space for your creative lessons and WRITE IT DOWN if it will affect your attendance record! This info comes in very handy at report card time.

Some of my colleagues combine class list and seating charts - whatever floats your boat. This is an important transition so use a system that allows you to quickly learn who's present and who's not! When it's time for report cards, you'll be able to tell at a glance why Alberto never completed any assignments (always left early for Intervention) or why Athena finished her work but rarely followed directions (frequently tardy & missed direct instruction).

Final note about Attendance: Do this before any instruction begins. Before they announce a lock down and you can't remember if anybody left for the restroom. Before there's a surprise fire drill and your kinders run out the wrong direction, screaming. Before the office calls asking to send Kevin up to talk to the Principal. Take attendance first thing so you know who's present and who is not!

What helps you streamline your attendance-taking?

If you missed my last post on the transition of Meet and Greet you can read it here along with the transitions I'll be writing about next.

The Importance of the First Day in the Artroom

So in my last post, I shared my Special Needs checklist. While I wait for that form to be filled out & returned, I need to gather info on my own about my students. So I use my eyes and ears during that first class.

During that first meeting I watch to see how individual kids follow directions. Since I use assigned seating on that very first day, I watch to see how the students handle my direction to find a matching card that shows where they will sit.



Are they focused on the task or easily distracted? If they didn't understand/hear my directions, do they ask another student, watch what others are doing or come to me for help?

Once seated, they'll fill out a sign-sheet at each table. On these sheets, I make notations throughout the class about what I observe: Are they listening? Following directions without prompting or re-focusing? Cooperating with those around them? Contributing to the class discussion or talking while I'm talking?

I have 2 activities planned once everybody is seated & signed in:
1. A PowerPoint presentation that explains rules, rewards, consequences, fire drill & lockdown procedures and an explanation of off-limit areas in my room (storerooms, my desk).
2. Assessment drawing



Assessment drawings earn the following designations: E - Exceeds grade level expectations, M - Meets grade level expectations or L - below grade level expectations and sometimes LL for far below grade level expectations.

Behavior & assessment notes/scores are entered on the class list for that first day. As the Special Needs info arrives, that is also entered on the same sheet. All the data is used when I make out the permanent seating chart. More on that in the next post...

Demo Table

I mentioned in the last post about my ‘demo’ table. Let me explain that a little further…

My current classroom consists of a main room shaped as long rectangle. My table setup of 8 tables is 2 tables deep by 4 tables long. Students are trained to travel down the main horizontal aisle when getting supplies, cleaning up & coming in or out of the room (more on traffic patterns in a later post).

Since my previous classroom was a HUGE square room, I struggled with where to do hands-on demos in this classroom – no room at the front & too far away from half the class to stand at either end. So after a lot of trial & error, I settled on pushing two tables together at the end of the room nearest the exit & sinks.

Students at these tables are taught early in the school year how to push the tables together quickly & carefully AFTER everyone has moved out of the way. Once tables are together & I have the materials set up, I call the students over to their assigned seats. Yep – I get to choose where they sit or stand around the demo table!! I write this seating arrangement on the back of the traditional seating chart for each class so both charts are easily accessible.

As a general rule, kids with behavior issues (you know who they are…) and those with learning difficulties sit so they have an up-close view. Those who follow directions best will stand behind those who are seated, alternating boy/girl whenever possible (unless your students are at that hormonal stage – in which case you have my deepest sympathies!)

Ideally, once you’ve taught the procedure (& practiced it a lot), everything should be ready to go in about 2-3 minutes with students in place and the demo ready to begin!

Before the demo begins, I do a quick focus activity to quiet everyone down called ‘Tap Tap’. To do this, I say “Fingers!” while holding up right & left pointer (index) fingers. Then we all begin to lightly tap dots in a circle around our ears. After checking to see that everyone is doing it correctly (and silently), it’s “Hands under the table if you’re sitting, hands at your sides if you’re standing.”

Tap Tap is a quick (about 30 secs or less!) & easy way to engage both left & right sides of the brain. When done correctly, students get quiet in order to concentrate on doing the movements correctly. As you look around your group, you’ll notice that your students who have learning difficulties struggle to get their tapping movements in synch – this is a good way to remind yourself which kids will need more help/refocusing on the day’s work…

Whenever possible, I also have a Visual Instructional Plan (learned courtesy of Tools for Teaching, The Fundamental Skills of Classroom Management by Fred Jones) that’s posted on chart paper OR whiteboard OR ActivBoard that reviews the main steps shown in the demo with simple illustrations they can follow. Those students who don’t retain info very long will really appreciate it! Eliminates a lot of “Now what do I do?”. Just point to the VIP and say “I can see you have finished step 3 so move on to Step 4” and walk away… Saves time, saves energy, and reduces frustration from those ‘hopeless handraisers’…