As the year draws to a close, many schools do end-of-the-year staff evaluations. Sometimes these are tied to benchmark exams and student performance. Sometimes they are tied to classroom observations. Many times they are tied to both or other district criteria.
 
Here are some helpful hints on improving those results.
 
#1. Keep a "brag list."
Make a running list on your computer desktop or in a document you can easily access. When possible, back it up with any evidence you can. Sometimes it's a certificate for some professional development, a printed out tweet referring to the event, or an email from collaborators to have in your documentation.  (You can send them a thank you email, detailing the collaboration, and print that) Every time you do something that goes a bit beyond your normal routine, add it to the list. When May or June rolls around, you may forget all the wonderful things you have done that year.
 

• Working with a colleague on a lesson
• Sharing supplies (collaboration)
• Getting grants or donations
• Displays or exhibitions
• Students that win awards for what you teach
• Professional development you have participated in or lead
• Volunteer time in committees
• Classes you have taken
• Awards you have won
• Articles you have published (School Arts Magazine is always looking!)

 
#2. ALWAYS be prepared for an observation.
Though not all observations are announced, be ready. I have THIS one-page print out I keep in my top drawer. If an administrator walks in, I take out this paper.  I have been teaching now for nearly 30 years. I know what I am doing, but when the principal walks in, I can still get a little flustered. This little, one-sided guide, helps me stay focused and remember the details.

#3. Backwards design helps YOU too.
Backwards design is where we see the hopeful result first, then figure out how get there. To break down the goal into little parts, and design a path to success.
 
Evaluations are often based on a rubric. If you are going to be evaluated based on a rubric, you have every right to see that rubric at the beginning of the year. Look it over and see how you can get rated at the level you wish to achieve. If you have always been getting "meets expectations" on evaluations, but feel you have done better than that, be ready to back it up with evidence. (The true purpose of the "brag list.")
 
The observations help list was born of backwards design. On one observation, years ago, I was rated lower than "meets expectations" because I neglected to repeat the learning target verbally. It did not matter that the students were involved directly with the learning target all period, but the rubric stated that the teacher repeats the learning target to "meet expectations." I scored well in all the other parts, my observations was great in all other aspects, negating the small deduction to my "score," but it bothered me.
 
So I copied the rubric and designed my helper list to focus on "exceeding expectations" in all categories. When I don't exceed, I at least meet expectations, and I am good with that. My evaluations however did improve overall, so it has been a help, even for this seasoned teacher. Your rubric may be different than mine, but others have found this list helpful.
 
#4. Routine is your friend.
There are items in evaluations that you are expected to do on a daily basis. For my school, we have to project/write our daily "learning target" in a conspicuous place and address it several times. I am not sure how actually helpful it is, but it is required. Be sure to do your daily housekeeping, like targets, or bell ringers, or whatever is required so that if you have an unannounced observation, you're good to go.
 
#5. Observe the best.
Speak with your supervisor or administrator and find out who has consistently high evaluation marks. It does not matter what subject they teach, observing their classroom procedures can be a real eye opener. Maybe how they arrange seating, record tardiness, speak to their students, address discipline, arrange their class time into chunks... There is value in observing your high performing colleagues. Some schools may actually allow a sub to come in for you while you observe another class. (Mine does, but I know that's rare) If you must do it on your own time, it's well worth it. Note this observation on your "brag list" to prove you are working to improve your teaching practices!
 
#6. Be a show-off.
As an art teacher, you are in a unique position to "show-off" what your students do best. Be sure you change displays frequently, and do a district show annually. I try to do at least a few big projects like THIS ONE to get everyone's attention. This lets it be known that you are an active member of the team. If it's something really awesome, write up a press release and see if your principal will pass it on to the local newspaper or television station. Share it on social media, whatever can be done to get noticed is important. When cuts come to districts, art is often the first target to get hit. If they love your program and know about it, you will have many people support your bid to stay.

If you work too as an artist, share that press at your year-end evaluation. When I win awards, I document those, and share with my supervisor.

​This year-end intro to art project is meant to give students a lot of choice and show off the skills they have built throughout the year with me. The unit began with looking at famous self portraits, contemporary expressive portraits, surreal portraits, and drawing each other using classical face proportions.

​I even pulled out their first-day-portraits (Yes, we draw each other on the first day of class without any instruction). We have a laugh, but we look at them with a critical eye. What went wrong? What did we learn? What would these look like if we did them again, now 8 months later?

​Once we had out background information I let students know where this was all going. There were just 3 rules.
 
#1. You must create an expressive self portrait using classical facial proportions at the root of it.
#2. You can use ANY media we have used this year.
#3. Show off your skills (What you have learned so far this year.)
 
I would reiterate my set-up and clean up expectations daily. Circulate and provide feedback as they worked. We have a small computer lab next to my room, so students were able to print reference images as needed. So if they needed to draw a lion, they should print one. If an image inspired them, they could print it out as a reference to guide their technique, but they know copying is not acceptable and covered in the rubric.

​Each day, I would also hit on certain things I wanted to see that they had learned about throughout the year, often providing samples.
 
A. Colors should be blended and overlapped for a rich and realistic hue.
B. I want to see shading, the world is not flat, but 3D.
C. Consider textures and patterns. Flat areas of color are often boring.
D. Use your mirrors, measure, compare, and work from observation.
E. Consider the background, work the whole composition.
 
Mid-project critiques by peers can often generate ideas and catch problems before work is complete. This can be fairly simple and take just a few minutes. I call on 5 or 6 students to share what they heard about their work, and ask if they will take the advice, or if it spurred other ideas. Often the advice of one student is helpful to others.
 
Many of my students have never had art before, and some show a lot of skill in their work due to previous classes. I am sharing a broad selection from strong to simple works, but all I feel were successful in showing off a portion of their personality and demonstrating the skills they learned this year. 

For more expressive projects, please visit these posts:
Abstract Expressionism, Sculpture version of expressive self portraits, How to insure individuality in student work.

​I have done various versions of this project for years. HERE is a sample of previous incarnations created with 3 ft dowels. I usually tie the project to recycling, with students bringing in plastics and other items, but have always wanted to make a larger version.

​There were some concerns to be addressed. First off was the bamboo I needed. It turns out the stuff grows like weeds and many in our district were happy to be rid of 50 poles. Next was the collection of construction items. Knowing I was going to attempt a large version of the project, I have been collecting items for just this project for a while now.
 
Mylar, fishing line swivels, duct tape, tons of ribbon, and we got a donation of money for fabric from our schools Parent Teacher Organization in the form of a mini-grant. Other items I ordered (mostly through Nasco) were hula-hoop's, uncoated brazing wire (used for welding, but coat-hanger wire will do.) Very strong string is also helpful. I have a large amount of nylon that cannot be broken with bare hands. I ordered jingle bells and bottle caps as noise makers, and students brought in several items too.  I had been saving up a supply of spray paint. You don't need all these things, but I had a list in my head and kept adding to my hidden supply. A hack saw and pruning shears though are really important to have.
 
Some bonus items were signs left over from the district's funding initiative. Corrugated plastic is great for this project when you need durable pieces that will not wilt in the rain. Students were told to bring in one thing from home to incorporate into their project. Some things they brought were bottles, feathers, umbrellas, plastic spoons and cups, pompoms, old CDs, and more. Attaching items was interesting and required a little thought, sometimes glue was best, other time sewing was necessary, then of couse, Duct Tape.

With all my hording, I did not want students to waste supplies. I have been saving up for at least 3 years... So we began by having each student printing out an image of an item that uses or is influences by the air or wind. No one could do repeats, and this became our inspiration wall.

​Next was to find out what others have already done, so we collected videos and images of other wind inspired sculptures to see what was possible. From Christo's Gates, to Patrick Shearn's  Silver Cloud, to Janet Echelman's Boston Web, amazing art has been created to interact with the wind, so there was lots to inspire us.

​We went through 2 rounds of sketching, knowing that first sketches are often unrealistic. After the first round of sketches, students had to partner with someone they did not normally sit near and get a completely different point of view. They had to explain their idea and seek feedback about how plausible it was to build, was it too sparse or over complicated.  How could it be improved to not just use the wind, but possibly also incorporate sound and or light/reflection? They made notations and some re-worked their sketches.

The next round was to "show-and-tell" their idea. As a class we made further suggestions. Because I have done this a few times before, I spoke to the engineering part of their work to be sure it could actually be done, or if possible, simplify complex ideas. Making something spin around the bamboo is very difficult unless it's on the top, like an inverted bottle. Working small for a few years gave me insights that I might not have had if we jumped in with 12 ft bamboo on the first try. (My advice is to start small and see how well it goes for you.)

Setting ground rules is important. Every day I began the class reminding them of my expectations. They really must be repeated daily to keep students focused.
 
1. All sculptures must be made in such a way that we attach everything to the bamboo outdoors.
 
Why: Having 25 students working with 12 foot poles and navigating around the room is impossible, and likely a dangerous idea. All items had to be made so they could be simply attached to the poles by tying or duct taping. If they wanted mirrored pieces to put on the pole... it would be too time consuming to glue individual pieces onto the pole... solution, glue pieces onto a ribbon that is then wrapped and tied onto the bamboo.
 
2. If you take something out, YOU have to put it away. It was also helpful having students work in assigned seats to know who's mess belonged to whom.
 
3. You must be actively engaged in building during the whole class period. If you needed to wait for something to dry, then you go help someone to make sure everyone could finish at nearly the same time. Construction had to be done outside together. It's not a good idea to have students in 2 different locations while you build, unless you have another adult who can supervise. 

​Building elements gets chaotic, so this is the kind of project I do towards the end of the year so students clearly understand my expectations. If I have an unruly class that I do not trust, I would not do this project. I have many other "stay in your seats" kinds of lessons I can do instead. That said, most do well, and come to me when they need ideas on how to make something work. I walk around and am watchful for how they use razors, scissors, hot glue, etc. From concept to finish, this took about 3 weeks of work (50 minute classes) and maybe an extra day or two for putting sculptures around the campus.

​When done, students need to use their cell phones to take 3 images of their project. 1 close-up and 2 from different angles. I let them know this is how I will grade them. I have a rubric but will refer to the photos when we grade. The other reason we need photos is that should a storm come or an unruly student breaks something, we have evidence of what the sculpture looked like when it was newly installed. So though a project could be swept away by a storm, I still have a record of their work. 

For more of my lessons, please read more of my blog, or for printed resources, please visit HERE for 30% off all my books. 

Philip Schlechty's "Levels of Engagement" is a great jumping off point for this topic from the Art Blogger's Network. I altered the wording a bit to fit the needs of an art classroom, but the message is the same. WHY are students making work in your class, and HOW do we get them to "A" level engagement?
 
For me, the answer is simple, EVERY project must be tied to its maker. If I am forced to make something I have no connection to, then it will be pretty but hollow. It's not that I don't care, it's that I am not connected. In a classroom setting, this would be levels "B" or "C." Students without an affinity for art will more likely fall into the "D" or even "F" category out of defiance.
 
I have a whole blog post detailing the importance of connections HERE, but the gist of it is that with a little effort every art exploration can be personalized. I have 7 methods HERE that I use to be sure the explorations I design allow for individuality and can be used from kinder classes through advanced art courses. 
 
When explorations are personally connected, students care more about their work product. "Because I said so," just does cut it. I hate when people say that, and I am sure my students don't want to hear it from me... ever.
 
There will be days, even with connected explorations, that students will be less engaged. These are opportunities to sit with them and have a chat. Maybe they have hit a mental hurdle. Maybe they have taken on something beyond their skill-level. This is where feedback and suggestions can be helpful. These can come from you, but the feedback can also come from peers. Sometimes a mid-project critique can be helpful, while there is still time to shift gears or make adjustments.
 
Students need to be working every class period. They need to be engaged in the process of creating. It's part of my rubric, and I grade their participation daily, but not in the way you might think. My first grade every quarter is "Studio Habits." It encompasses a lot, from setting up your work area to cleaning up after yourself, as well as being on task for the bulk of your class time. More about that HERE in detail. I also have my Universal Rubric there so you can down load it.

Additionally, I do not allow students to take work home because I cannot verify if the work is truly theirs. This also avoids the issue of a student choosing not to participate and saying, "I'll just do it at home." As a new teacher I fell for that, but changed quickly when work never came in or was obviously done by someone else. There is no substitute for creating art under the watchful eye of a knowledgeable certified teacher.

My policy is that I grade all work on the due date, and then students can take work home, and even do more to it. I allow students to return their work for a higher grade should they put in the extra effort. I do not make deductions for lateness. This means if an assignment is 50% complete, I will record a 50% as a grade. If it comes back, before grades close, and deserved a 95%, then I overwrite the grade accordingly.

If you like the poster above, I have that and more on my Zazzle page HERE. I suggest you wait till they run a sale for better prices.