PUBLICATIONS

MAEA GAZETTE Summer 2017

In my first year of teaching I joined the Literacy School Improvement Plan Professional Learning Community with plans to advocate for the ways that an art education engages learners in the reading and writing of visual texts and critical analysis of subtexts. At the same time, our administration determined that our focus would be the schoolwide implementation of Cornell Notes in every subject area, and that I would lead the implementation among elective subjects and would convince reluctant “core” content teachers by modeling that this could be embraced “even in the art classroom.” I grappled with the idea out of concern that it would frustrate learners unnecessarily and topple the dispositions of play, experimentation, and collaborative learning through dialogue that had begun to be components of our newly formed classroom culture. I also struggled with appropriately scaffolding this strict note-taking format for my students with such a diverse array of learning styles and needs. Upon reflection and with some negotiation with the administration, I argued for the use of student sketchbooks (already a component of the reflective practice and documentation of learning in my classroom) in a way that was analogous to the “Cornell Way” without adhering to the precise note formatting protocols. This realization felt authentic, proved to be supportive for learners, and could be scaffolded to meet various learning needs.