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Webber Middle School I taught multiple lessons at Webber Middle School to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. The two examples listed here were for my 6th grade class, Art Activity and Appreciation. They focus on themes of social justice, social and personal identities, home, and imagination. My pedagogy involves teaching material exploration, technique building, Social and Emotional Learning, and integrating math and literacy practices. In each lesson I utilize the Studio Habits of Mind; observe, engage and persist, stretch and explore, develop craft, envision, understand art worlds, express, and reflect to help students understand the different component involved in the art making process and what it means to participate in a studio art class. To build the Identity Collage lesson, I incorporated the Social Justice Standards developed by Learning for Justice to form a comprehensive lesson about identity and make it age appropriate. The Choice Project allowed students to explore their choice of artistic medium in a deeper capacity and granted them more agency over their art making. I have linked the Lesson Plan, Slides, and Reflection documents for both lessons. Identity Collage (Social Justice Lesson) Discovering the different elements of our identity and defining the characteristics that make up our personal and social identities, then portraying these ideas through the medium of collage. Identity Collage Lesson Plan Identity Collage Slides Identity Collage Observations and Teaching Reflection Choice Project - Home Thinking about the words, feelings, thoughts, and objects we associate with home and choosing what type(s) of media to explore to express these ideas visually. Choice Project - Home Lesson Plan Choice Project - Home Slides Choice Project - Home Observations and Teaching Reflection

Espinas Mezcal Ad Client: Espinas Year: 2023 This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Previous Next

Landscape Magazine Photoshoot Client: Landscape Magazine Year: 2023 This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Previous Next

Summer Secrets Client: Breech Year: 2023 This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Previous Next

May 28th Client: Beyond the Frame Year: 2023 This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Previous Next

Under the Sun Client: Kasta Travel Year: 2023 This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Previous Next

Artist Statement Personal Artwork Painting Photography Ceramics Solo Art Exhibitions Jan. 2023 - Mini Gallery, CSU, Fort Collins, CO. Living Through Landscapes . Painting, Photography. Aug. 2023 - Mini Gallery, CSU, Fort Collins, CO. Portrait of Place . Painting, Photography, Fibers. Shared Art Exhibitions June 2021 - Ventana Gallery, Tucson, AZ. Symbiosis . Photograph. Feb. 2024 - Director’s Gallery, CSU, Fort Collins, CO. Art in Forest Ecosystems . Painting. My love of art is expressed in all walks of life, and my education background manifests in my attitude towards being a lifelong learner and observer. My “studio” practice aims to be outside of the studio as much as possible. I'm always equipped for camping and hiking adventures with a sketchbook, travel watercolor set, and camera. As an Art Education major, we are encouraged to explore multiple media types and ways of making art. I concentrated in painting and took specialized classes to expand my knowledge about oil paint. My favorite class was held at the CSU Mountain campus, titled Art in Forest Ecosystems, a pilot class where I practiced painting en plein air and building a connection with nature through art. I am trained in both analog and digital photography, though my artistic eye is largely intuitive. I have ceramics experience as well; I enjoy the sensations and motions of the pottery wheel and am mostly self-taught, largely guided by feeling. I desire to understand all things through observation, captured through paintbrushes or a camera lens. I look upon the art I’ve made and begin to understand my own growth and emotions as I pass through these places, survived only by the moments in time captured through photographs, and exhalations of emotion through paintings.

Quality Standard Four Teachers demonstrate professionalism through ethical conduct, reflection, and leadership. I feel I am proficient in this standard. I demonstrated my commitment to the teaching profession through my professional conduct with students, staff, administration, and parents. I wanted to get the most out of my student teaching experience, soaking up all advice and guidance along the way so that I could be as prepared and confident as possible for my future teaching position. Through creating this portfolio, I have had ample time to reflect on my conduct, and I believe my actions matched that of other teachers; attending meetings and special events, performing all extra duties as needed, and building strong connections with my students, the school, the staff, and this community. Element 4A Teachers demonstrate high standards for professional conduct. My standards for professional conduct were very high, especially with the 6th grade classes that I completely took over. It was important to me that students saw me as their primary teacher, which meant showing up every day, designing and delivering their lessons, assisting and supporting them, and grading projects/providing feedback. I worked collaboratively with my mentor teacher to create a rubric for these classes that was equitable and incorporated the Studio Habits of Mind(SHoM) and Colorado Visual Arts Standards. I shared this rubric with students and explained each category, highlighting what you needed to do in order to earn a 4. I talked with students about their grades to ensure that their grade reflected what I was observing in class, and their level of effort. Art Activity and Appreciation SHoM/Standards Rubric Element 4B Teachers link professional growth to their professional goals. I had an opportunity to attend a Professional Development day with Amy Felder, a Culturally Responsive Teacher Training. This was a full day that explored the ideas behind why we need Culturally Responsive School Education and Curriculum. We talked about the long list of potential benefits including reduced fear and increased understanding from parents, applications for Social and Emotional Learning and empathy building, providing clarity and context, building trust and gaining support from administration, among many others. We read The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action by Audre Lorde and annotated it using the Critical Close Reading Tool. This consisted of five different lenses: Reading for Craft and Structure, Reading for Representation and Perspective, Read Around the Text, Readers' Experience, and Reading for Warrant and Reasoning. Each area uniquely investigated how we can critically think about a piece of literature for its word choice, author background, intended audience, emotional effect, and persuasiveness. Amy and I talked about how we could implement this into an art classroom using visual literacy; being able to analyze and break down the parts of an artwork for expression, meaning, subject, materials, artist background, intended audience, emotional effect, and process. We can help students understand how to interpret an artwork the same way they'd interpret literature. Element 4C Teachers are able to respond to a complex, dynamic environment. Running a choice-based or TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior) classroom is not easy. There is a lot of movement, commotion, excitement, and materials management that goes into maintaining a studio-heavy class. Every day is different, the classroom and the students are always changing. Student's interests change as they want to explore new materials or ideas. Their seats change if they are working together with someone or a group. There may be spilled paint, there could be a hot-glue gun burn, there might be a scuffle over a finite material. Reminding myself to stay regulated and consistent despite whatever may transpire in the class helps me be a source of strength and stability for students. Despite the unpredictability and challenges that come with a TAB class, I was able to engage with students in a positive and calm way. They came to me with questions, concerns, and to ask for help. Even if the class changed every day, I did my best to remain more or less the same - an optimistic, happy-go-lucky, enthusiastic art teacher. Element 4D Teachers demonstrate leadership in the school, the community, and the teaching profession. At Webber Middle School, I participated in Specials Department Meetings and All Staff Meetings just like all other full-time teaching staff. I absorbed the material and participated honestly and authentically to the highest extent possible in relation to my temporary position as a student teacher at the school. I wanted my colleagues to see my effort went beyond being a student teacher, but rather an active member of the staff who participated as such. I engaged in discussion amongst the other staff when prompted, such as brainstorming about things like the increase in minor and major incidents at the school, how we could connect with students who feel disconnected from their peers and adults at the school, and appreciations we have for other teaching and classified staff. I implemented what I learned from these meetings and applied them to my classroom. Below is the document full of various meeting notes during my time at Webber highlighting what we discussed and any action I took. ​ Webber Meeting Notes Back to all standards

Quality Standard Two Teachers establish a safe, inclusive and respectful learning environment for a diverse population of students. In this standard, I believe I am proficient . I successfully established a safe and respectful learning environment with careful consideration of students from different backgrounds, identities, and needs. By setting classroom norms and boundaries and reminding students throughout the quarter, I was able to maintain a safe learning environment. In my classroom, students felt comfortable enough to explore new materials, express themselves, share their artwork with me and their peers, and be vulnerable. I am continuing to work on community and family outreach, finding additional opportunities to connect with parents and guardians in a positive way. Element 2A Teachers foster a predictable learning environment in the classroom in which each student has a positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults and peers. At Webber Middle School, I completely took on the 6th grade classes during the 3rd quarter. We had a lot of similarities. Our first and last days were the same, only after I volunteered additional time in order to finish out the class with them. They were my first class, and this was their first art class in middle school. Even after three weeks, Chelsea remarked that the students clearly felt safe with me and saw me as a trusted adult. With each passing class, the art environment began to flourish. My confidence teaching the class and their willingness to explore, engage, and participate created a wonderful energy together. I made sure to incorporate certain elements of class every day to maintain routine and give the students structure. We began each class with a 5-10 minute sketchbook prompt, allowing them a minute to breathe, calm down, and settle into class. We had a class clean up every day, taking care of individual responsibilities as well as classroom trash pickups or table wipe downs. Students opened up to me about their lives, their struggles, their accomplishments. They would stop to say hi and chat in the hallways. They felt free to create and be vulnerable in the art room, making meaningful art that felt important to them. On the last day, I threw them a party to celebrate and say thank you, which ended in a group hug. We had many teary goodbyes and thank-you notes. I came away from this experiences with adorable handwritten letters, drawings for me, and great memories. Element 2B Teachers demonstrate an awareness of, a commitment to, and a respect for multiple aspects of diversity, while working toward common goals as a community of learners. During my time at Webber Middle School, I co-led the Diversity Alliance Club with Mrs. Ruiz and Mr. Brandon. We would meet every Monday for an hour after school to discuss Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. It was a safe space for students to discuss their experiences, share stories, and talk. I facilitated the creation of two Black History Month bulletin boards, led and envisioned by Phineas, and executed by two other members, Aliyah and Julia. They featured famous black individuals for sports, music, politics, art, and historical events, equipped with QR codes that led to a link to learn more about them. During the month of February, different students bravely spoke on announcements every morning about their experiences as Black Americans, and how it makes them feel and how it's shaped them as humans.They shared messages they wanted the school to know or hear. We celebrated the end of the month and the hard work and contributions of students by hosting a pizza party where we played the animated Spider-Man films. Element 2C Teachers engage students as individuals, including those with diverse needs and interests, across a range of ability levels by adapting their teaching for the benefit of all students. Art classes were a popular choice for our Integrated Learning Services (ILS) students at Webber, given their relaxing and therapeutic nature. I worked with several of these students, adapting their environment and materials to create the best experience for them. In the Pottery and Sculpture class, one student has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. Her PARA and I took time to figure out how we could create a setup for her that would be comfortable and feasible. She had an absolute blast on the wheel! She created some amazing pottery and loved it so much she did it again the following class! Element 2D Teachers work collaboratively with the families and/or significant adults for the benefit of students. I participated in spring Parent-Teacher conferences at Webber, speaking to 6th graders and their families regarding their grades, participation and effort in class, showed them past work and explained the next projects. This was a great opportunity to connect with the extended school community of parents and guardians who like me, wanted success for their child. I also helped in the Design & Images art show at the Foothills Mall. I chose the artwork, labelled it, mounted it, and filled out these letters and put them in the appropriate teacher's mailboxes. I attended this reception and got to meet parents from Johnson Elementary and talk to them about the art classroom and what TAB looks like, as well as hearing feedback about how they or their child felt about art class. For the artifacts below, I chose to demonstrate my participation in Artist of the Week at Johnson Elementary. Each week, an artist (or artists) are chosen to have their artwork displayed in the case or the hallway board. I took over this process from choosing artists, taking photos (w/ consent), emailing parents, emailing the office/tech staff to put it in the newsletter, printing out certificates, and displaying the art. Back to all standards Go to Standard Three

Ashley Svendsen Welcome to my website, showcasing my student teaching experiences and personal artwork.

Student Teaching Secondary Placement Webber Middle School 4201 Seneca St, Fort Collins, CO 80526 January 8 - March 8 Webber Middle School is in the Poudre School Distric, R-1. It is comprised of 735 students, with a 50/50 split between male and female students, a minority population of 22%, and 27% of students who are economically disadvantaged. This school has an outstanding athletics program and a plethora of after school enrichment clubs. My mentor teacher at Webber was Chelsea Ruiz. She gives students a choice of subject, media, or both, while expanding their technical art skills through material explorations and daily practice. Colorado Teacher Quality Standards The four core elements of the Colorado Teacher Quality Standards outline the knowledge and skills required of an excellent teacher in the state of Colorado. I will reflect on each of these individual elements and provide artifacts and analysis to support my self-evaluations. Elementary Placement Johnson Elementary School 4101 Seneca St, Fort Collins CO 80526 March 18 - May 10 Johnson Elementary School is in the Poudre School District, R-1. It is comprised of 400 students, split with 49% female students and 51% male students. They have a 27% minority enrollment and 33% of students who are economically disadvantaged. This school has a long list of after school enrichment opportunities and child care for those who need it. My mentor teacher at Johnson was Amy Felder. She runs a fully TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior) classroom, equipped with different 'studios' for students to freely explore and create. CSU Professional Dispositions Reflection The Colorado State University Professional Dispositions consist of nine different aspects of effective teaching and professional practice. I will reflect on each aspect and grade myself accordingly based on my conduct over these 16 weeks of student teaching.

Portfolio