Site Visit : High School Visit

For our final school site visit, I got to go to Westfield High School. This experience was much more interesting than my other times because we got to walk around the floor, visiting all the art classes that were happening at the same time, which were digital art, photography, studio 2D, studio 3D and jewelry.

The layout of the classrooms was very interesting, with them being connected to one another and having a room about one third the size of the class in the middle, acting as a storage space and also store additional tools like cameras and the kiln. Additionally, the photography class also has a dark room with 15 different stations, which was really really cool.

The first class, and also the most impressive one to me is digital art class. Every students have access to their own individual drawing tablets and cabinets to save their work progress and lessons. There were also 5 functioning 3D printers, which just to show that they have quite the funding and access to new updated technology, something I could only dream of when I attended high school a decade ago (sad). Class started with a fun game as students take turn to play, and other doing their warm up sketches, drawing ducks :D. Then, I walked straight through the shared storage and got to see the photography class. The students were preparing for their upcoming project after spring break. Generally, they showed me their work album and there were some really really cool works.

For the other 3 classes, since they are very close to spring break, I could definitely feel the hand off approach and relaxing atmosphere in the classes. Jewelry making and studio 3 had the students finishing up or polishing their projects, especially jewelry class got to test out there 3D pen, which was very cool to see. Studio 3 had students playing with clay and experimenting with different techniques, if they wish to, but most just sat in their seats enjoying the free period and be on their phone, which is something I really don't like ... as a future teacher. Finally is studio 2, but the teacher was absent and there was only a substitute teacher so the students were free to do whatever they choose.

To summarize my experience of my high school visit: I did not really like it too much, 7/10 if I have to give it a score. I think due to bad timing, I didn't really get to see their lectures and how students absorb and execute their works. The hand off approach of the teachers were also very understandable given how they were days away from a big break and also they have finished their projects prior to our visits. However, seeing how many students chose to be or given the right to use their phones, I felt somewhat disappointed ... So overall, I would say that I can the potential for very interesting classes, and with the students being older and more experienced in art making, projects quality could be pushed very far, even to college level works.