WTS 10

Professional Responsibilities
Dominique Carlson
Saint Marys University of Minnesota
Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs
Portfolio Entry for Wisconsin Teacher Standard WTS 10
EDUW 696

James H. Sauter Advisor

February 23, 2016

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Selected Wisconsin Teacher Standard Descriptors

Wisconsin Teacher Standard (WTS) 10: Teachers are connected to other teachers and the
community. The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and
agencies in the larger community to support students learning and well-being.

Knowledge. The teacher understands how factors in the students' environment outside of
school (e.g., family circumstances, community environments, health and economic
conditions) may influence students' life and learning.

Dispositions. The teacher is concerned about all aspects of a child's well-being

(Cognitive, emotional social, and physical), and is alert to signs of difficulties.

Performances. The teacher participates in collegial activities designed to make the

entire school a productive learning environment.

Danielson Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities

4c Communicating with families
4d Participating in professional community
4e Growing and developing professionally

National Board Core Proposition #5: Teachers are members of learning communities.

Professional Development Goals: Because I only see my students only once a week,
developing relationships is very difficult. I would like to find little ways of being more a part of

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their global education, whether that is collaborating with their teachers or being involved in
school activities outside of the art class period.

Self-assessment of Instruction Related to WTS and Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)

My activities 2015-2016-

Families & Community

Spoke to Boy scouts (2 troops)

Feed my people food bowls project
School mural
Student surveys
Newsletter
Artsonia & Art show

Professional
community

Writing and
being awarded
Tools for
schools grant
for
papermaking.

Interview panel member for

new hire.
Assisting new art teacher.
Collaborative art project with
2nd grade community murals.
Collaborative art project with
4th grade WI paper history.

Write new art

curriculum for
REGIS.

Learning new
technology
skills in order
to
communicate
with families.

Teacher as
learner

NAEA member
WAEA conference
Online Webinars
Masters candidate

During the 2015-2016 school year I have had many opportunities to connect with our
school families, the Eau Claire community, REGIS staff, and to further my own learning as

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shown in the diagram above. In the area of communicating with families, I have a monthly
newsletter that highlights what my students are learning that goes home to parents. I share with
families, photo documentation of each students artwork, as it is completed throughout the year
through Artsonia. I had the opportunity to learn several new computer skills this year as I
attempted different modes of sending art newsletters electronically to our families. I tried email,
explored using a facebook group, a push notification and creating a web page.
To encourage my students to feel that they are part of a larger body, I planned and
directed the creation of a school wide mural at Immaculate Conception. Each student and each
staff member in the Immaculate Conception building created one 4.25 square tile which became
part of one large mural depicting a cross. A photo of the mural is found under artifact #1.
Another effort to create unity is the spring art show. Each school holds an art show for families
to bring friends and enjoy the artistic successes of the entire school body. At the end of the year
I have third through fifth grade students fill out a survey regarding their preferred art lessons as a
means of planning for the next year. I believe that my communication with families has a
positive impact on student learning.
I have had several opportunities to reach out to the Eau Claire community as well. I was
invited to speak to two Boy Scout troops regarding what careers are available in the fine arts
fields. I partnered with the Feed my People Food Bank. Their largest fundraiser is the Empty
Bowls Dinner for which people buy tickets to receive a soup dinner and a bowl to take home. I
organized and led 16 fifth grade students and 9 staff members in making bowls for this event.
We made ceramic bowls and then glazed them. We provided 45 bowls. I also reached out to our
local WQOW TV station which provides grants for teachers through a program called Tools for
Schools. I wrote a proposal and was awarded a $500 grant to implement a papermaking unit for

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fourth grade to coincide with their study of Wisconsin history. I believe that these community
outreach opportunities benefits the REGIS school system by reminding the community of our
presence and what a positive impact our students have on the community as a whole. This in
turn strengthens our own students self-confidence and learning. I was recently approached
about displaying REGIS elementary art work at the L.E. Philips Memorial Public Librarys
childrens section. This is another great opportunity to be recognized in the community.
I have continued to develop as a learner by joining the National Art educators
Association (NAEA). I have done this in order to begin to widen my scope of influence. I am a
member of our Wisconsin Art Educators Association (WAEA) and attend their annual
conference. As an art teacher I have no like-minded collaboration in my own buildings.
Therefore, an opportunity to collaborate with other art teachers is a treasure. I have also taken
the opportunity to attend on line webinars put on by the NAEA. In addition, I am finishing up
my Masters in Education program. My personal growth as an educator has a direct correlation to
improved learning by my students.
I have been an active member of the REGIS school system. I assisted the high school
principal by being part of the interviewing panel for new art teacher this past summer. I then
assisted the new hire with many details of managing her art room and curriculum. I was not her
direct mentor as I am not in the same building but I was her go to person on art matters. When I
found out that second grade students were having a hard time with the terms urban, rural, and
suburban I developed an art lesson using those terms and had the students make collaborative
murals depicting one of those terms. I also collaborated with fourth grade teachers. The fourth
grade students study Wisconsin history all year. I added to their art curriculum a unit on paper
making to enhance their study of the logging and paper making history in Wisconsin. I also

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requested and was granted the opportunity to write a comprehensive K-5 art curriculum for the
REGIS system. This new curriculum will allow for clearer educational goals, more purposeful
and linear growth and more vertical alignment in skills. Collaborating with teachers and
administration has improved student learning by assisting them to make connections and have
more repetitions of new facts.

Assessment of Student Performance Related to Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)

I believe that my students are positively impacted by my involvement with their other
teachers, their families, and their community. I believe it is especially true for me, as I see them
only once a week, that they see me as impacting them more than just when they are in my room.
I believe that my personal growth as a teacher and my involvement with the school staff also
plays a major role in my effectiveness as their teacher.

Assessment of Learning Environment While Learning Targeted Objective(s)

I believe that our community of educators at Regis works together in a united effort with
students families and the community, creating an environment that support students confidence
and self-worth. This in turn enables the child to reach their full educational potential.

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Evidence of Growing and developing professionally

As a member of the National Art Education Association I am able to take part in
interactive webinars on line. My recent webinars have been:

November 10, 2015- Documenting Student Growth and Assessment

December 8, 2015- Essentials of Teaching for Artistic Behavior: A TAB Primer

January 2, 2016 Going Deeper with Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) Part II

January 26, 2016- Making time for Making art

I was most excited about the two-part discussion on TAB as this is a mode of instruction that I
find very appealing. TAB is a child centered child directed form of instruction where the teacher
is more of a facilitator and guide. The teacher presents the students with options and
opportunities for discovery but the activities are chosen by the individual student. I am currently
teaching a variation of this method. I am always inspired by videos of TAB classrooms. I found
the presentations both part I and II, very good. However, I am a little more advanced on the
topic than their intended audience is so it was not as helpful as I had hoped. They went over the
nuts and bolts of establishing a TAB environment and how a typical class period runs. They did
not do as good a job discussing assessments and supporting curriculum requirements as I was
looking for.
Participating in these interactive webinars allows me to collaborate with art teachers
around the country. I am given the opportunity to pose questions on line in real time or after the
fact. The topics are relevant and keep my teaching fresh. I really enjoy learning about my craft
and see these webinars as something I look forward to. My students benefit from my exposure to
presenters that are cutting edge art educators, their insights as well as input from art educators

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that participate from around the country. I get new ideas, hear suggestions for common issues
and keep my enthusiasm fresh.

Upon completion of an NAEA webinar, I receive a Certificate of Participation with (1) clock
hour of professional development per session, as designated by NAEA. Copies are listed under
artifact #2.

Evidence of being an advocate for my students

This fall I attended the Wisconsin Art Educators conference in Appleton WI. One of the
presenters spoke about the rich papermaking history of the area and how it connects to
artmaking. This brought back to my mind the fantastic time I had in a papermaking class many
years ago. I wanted my students to have that same fun but upon research I found that doing so
would be out of budget. I then found out that our fourth grade class spends all year studying
Wisconsin history. That really motivated me to make this art & history lesson project happen. I
found two places that I could apply for a grant. WQOW Tools for Schools and a local paper
company. I wrote up the request seen bellow and was granted $500.00 by WQOW. With the
money I purchased all the equipment needed for a really fantastic papermaking unit. My
initiative to find the funding for this project will allow my fourth grade students for years to
come make a connection between Wisconsin history and papermaking as an art form. I couldnt
be more thrilled that my efforts were fruitful. The Grant application can be seen as artifact #3.

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Evidence of being a collaborator

In addition to working with the fourth grade teachers in supporting their study of
Wisconsin history with a papermaking project, I also collaborated with the second grade
teachers. One of the second grade teachers was telling me that her students have a hard time
grasping meaning of the terms rural, urban and suburban as community types. I was looking for
an activity that would reinforce the idea of collaborative art, so I jumped on the opportunity and
asked if we could work together. I found a YouTube clip about the three community types and
from that created a worksheet and lesson plan. We watched the video, brain stormed and filled
out the work sheet. Students drew quick sketches of each community type. I then had the
homeroom teachers help me divide the class into 3 groups. With a draw of lots the group chose
the type of community they would create. I went to Best Buy and Home Furniture store and got
very large boxes that I cut into pieces which became the surface for their group murals. The
students had to collaborate in order to draw their designated community type on their mural
board and then paint it. The students enjoyed telling me about the community activities they
were doing in homeroom and I was told they reported about what they did in art as well. We
displayed the murals for parent/ teacher conferences. The students were so proud to point out
which one they had worked on, as you can see in the photos in artifact #4. The students
definitely had a greater understanding of what collaborative art means. I was told that as
compared to students of previous years, these students were more successful on their
communities test. Along with all the student benefits this brought me closer to the second grade
teachers which I really appreciate as this is not easy for specialist.

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Reflective Summary
I have had a very busy but fruitful year thus far. While I struggle with getting to
know my individual students on a personal level since I see them only once a week, I am
successful in having an impact on them as a group. I find my greatest joy in giving
students the opportunity to see beyond themselves such as the school wide collaborative
mural we made at Immaculate Conception and making bowls for the Feed My People
Food bank.

I notice that I am most effective at improving student learning through collaborating with
classroom teachers to create interdisciplinary lessons. If given the opportunity, I would
like to have at least one interdisciplinary project per grade. I would also love the
opportunity to guide classroom teachers in how they can incorporate art into their own
lessons. I dream to see the lines blur between art and core classes.
I am bouncing around ideas to build relationships with the parents. Im envisioning times
that families could come use the art room together something like a Saturday open house
from time to time. I am also considering reaching out to parents by offering some adult
art opportunities. I am very excited to see what is next.

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Artifacts

Artifact #1 Mural

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Artifact #2 NAEA webinar certificates of participation

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Artifact #3 - Grant application letter

As the art teacher at the three Regis elementary schools in Eau Claire, I have the privilege and joy to
teach approximately 70 fourth grade students every year. My proposed project would introduce them
to the rich history of paper making in Eau Claire (and Wisconsin) and have them make their own handmade paper out of used paper products (envelopes in particular). Working with their primary classroom
teacher, this paper would then be used to create a cover for a blank book that the classroom teacher
would then have the students fill in with information from their study of Wisconsin and its history.
I would transport the items needed for the production of the paper from school to school so that all my
fourth grade students can enjoy paper making, eliminating the need for separate equipment in each
individual school. In addition, the products I am requesting are reusable for years of use with future
fourth grade classes and encourages recycling.
Overall, the goals of this project are to:

Teach the art of papermaking

Teach the history of papermaking in Eau Claire and Wisconsin

Teach bookmaking

Demonstrate recycling (of used paper products)

Encourages literacy through the creation of a personal book by each student

Every year this project will impact approximately 70 Eau Clare area students over ten years 700
students will be impacted by your investment. That makes this investment of $486 a small cost for a
significant impact of generations of students.
Specific, reusable products that are needed to accomplish this project are:
Arnold Grummers Papermill Pro Envelope &Stationery Kit ($70) Includes one Handmold and
20 large Couch Sheets
Standard Paper and Book Press ($306) to help remove water from the paper allowing it to dry
flat.
Large Pour Handmold ($52) Second handmold to increase speed of working with an entire
classroom used for forming 8x11 sheets of paper
Large Couch Sheets ($18) Second set of sheets to increase the number of papers that can be
created at one time - reusable sheets for the drying and pressing of paper
Oster Blender (2 Blenders, total cost $40) to recycle the used envelopes to make paper

Thank you for your consideration.

Dominique Carlson

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Grant award check

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Artifact #4 communities murals.

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