Welcome to the Modern Classrooms Project Podcast. Each week we bring you discussions with educators on how they use blended, self-paced, and mastery-based learning to better serve their learners. In this episode, Zach Diamond is joined by Dana Pelzman to talk about teaching visual arts using MCP, as well as some more general discussion on accommodating, flexible mastery checks for creative work.

Here are three key takeaways from this podcast episode:

• Student Ownership and Personalized Learning: Dana emphasizes letting go of a singular "correct" way of teaching or implementing the Modern Classrooms model, focusing instead on student autonomy and offering choices in creating art (digital or traditional). As Dana says, "...this is not what they teach you in school." She personalizes learning by offering various response options for mastery checks.

• Making Learning Accessible: Dana recommends clear expectations and a structured roadmap (using a pacing tracker and your LMS) to guide students. Mastery checks can assess key concepts while allowing for creativity, ensuring all students can showcase their understanding.

• The Joy of Creation and Lifelong Learners: Dana prioritizes the intrinsic motivation for creating art over grades. Her focus is on effort and creativity, saying "That's what will propel them to be lifelong lovers of the earth." Students collaborate and share their work in a virtual space, fostering a sense of community and love for learning.

By incorporating these takeaways, educators can create an art classroom that empowers students to express themselves creatively and develop a lifelong love for learning.

Discussion questions for PLC and PD: 

• Dana Pelzman prioritizes student ownership in her art classroom. How can you create opportunities for your students to make choices about the art/tasks they create, while still meeting curriculum objectives?

• The transcript highlights mastery checks as a tool for growth, not punishment. Share specific strategies you use to design mastery checks that are engaging and assess student understanding in a creative way.

• What are some strategies you use to promote intrinsic motivation in your classroom and encourage students to develop a lifelong love for learning, not just in art but across subjects?

Our Host

Zach Diamond studied Music History and Theory at Oberlin College and received a Masters of Music in Music Education from Boston University. He taught music for five years in Lima, Peru, and is currently a Middle School music teacher at DC International School, a language-immersion school where he teaches in Spanish. He began implementing the Modern Classrooms Model in the 19-20 School Year and enthusiastically continues his work with the organization as a mentor and podcast producer.

Our Guest: Dana Pelzman

I've always loved art and viewed myself as a creative thinker. While core subjects in school were never very easy for me, I gravitated towards art, specifically colors, textures and design. I went college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and studied fashion design, and then completed my studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. I thought that fashion design was going to be my life's work, but after a variety of jobs within the industry, I didn't feel like my authentic self and pivoted to earn a Masters in Art Education from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH.

From there I zig-zagged a bit more around the U.S. and taught middle school art in a public school in Los Angeles and then headed to the east coast to teach art where I grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland, which is just outside of Washington, DC. I have been working as a middle school art teacher within the Montgomery County School system since 2006. I worked in one school for 15 years and have been teaching art within the Montgomery Virtual Academy, a 100% virtual program in Montgomery County Public Schools, since it opened three years ago. I teach a variety of classes to our Montgomery Virtual Academy middle schoolers. They have ranged from Studio Art 1, 2 and 3, 2D Studio Art, Innovative Art and Design to ALO (Alternate Learning Objectives), which is designed for students with complex learning and cognitive needs, including mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. I love teaching art virtually! While we cannot use many traditional materials that would normally be a part of an art program in an in-person setting, I find that the challenge of teaching art through a screen requires even more creative thinking and innovation on my part, which is why I use the MCP principles in my teaching philosophy and methodology.

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