Art as Personal Expression
WEEK 2 (May 14)

My image on the right -  connected on either side with fellow student’s images  

 

 

Steps: Start with own image, then connect to imagery on each side, 

then eventually  get up and move around putting your mark on other pieces adding to them. 

 Consider Lines, Shapes, Color, Forms, Contrast with pastels

 Responding to music, Rumi/poetry reading, guided, no speaking. 

I feel that there are techniques and approaches that Jan was using that did something to wake up my holistic learning. It was like a light switch got turned on and I had access to my whole self, all my memories, my emotions, dreams, visions, and fears. And also to my intellectual information when I chose to ‘cross over’ to the left brain to retrieve it. 

I think that Jan’s approach is similar to my instinctive (yet structured/prepared) approach to teaching and it encourages me to keep pursuing that path (while continuing to expose myself to new important process and methods so as to provide opportunities for differentiated learning and inclusion). 

The primary thing Jan did was ‘invite us’ to participate and to help us to be in our bodies. These are two approaches to life that I like to practice as well, for my own learning, creativity, health and well being, and also for others. I felt I could soften, my heart rate slowed, I was brought into the moment, and my creative juices could start flowing. In my drumming, yoga, and meditation practice they call it ‘dropping in’. 

I also really like how Jan ‘held space’ for us. There was a safe, inviting nature to get over the self critical and defensive mind. The linking of our work to other’s work, particularly after we had a chance to spend time with our own discovery first, helped me to remember those around me and to build bridges and relationships with people in a new way. It also removed any need for any of us to over facilitate our own or any else’s experience. 

The pastels removed technical challenges that can exist with art materials and brought the group together.

The circulation at the end and invitation to participate by adding our mark to another’s piece was something I hadn’t experienced before. I have collaborated by painting with others before and passing work around, but there wasn't quite so much choice since it was a "now pass your piece to the person on the left" situation. This gave us the chance to walk around and look at 20 other people's works, and without knowing who's was who's, choose to add a mark, or not. It was very mindful.

Through Jan’s facilitation, her set up of the space and materials, the use of music, her choice of words and style of music, and the her thoughtful timing and process, we were able to have some very simple yet profound moments. I am so thankful to have those provided in an educational institution where things can feel rigid to me, particularly in the academic summer courses which are full of expectations for perfection and achievement, somewhat at the cost of the whole person.

This was one of my attractions to making art in high school in that it was an engaging, creative, peaceful, embodied alternative to the rest of my school experience. I appreciate this experience being provided at the post secondary level and as something we can pass on to others!

Assessment for this would be formative and could give students a chance for self reflection on emotions, taking risks and collaborations. It would be a great way to start a class for any grade since it is safe and totally open ended, and the materials of the chalk pastels are accessible to all skill levels (most students have at least some dexterity with them as they would a pencil), yet they are also not as detailed and fine as pencil crayons, pens or pencils so it gives student's freedom from feeling like they need to make their art 'look like something' which is a key stressor and hang up for most teens and adults alike. Adaptations could be to set up the room to make sure that students with limited mobility can easily move around to work on another students piece at least a little bit. An extension could be that there is an ongoing 'grafitti wall' space where students can get up and continue with this type of exercise throughout the year on a regular basis for stress relief, creativity and to adapt to the different learner's need (such as ADHD, Autism or FAS where students do well moving around the class and/or going to an either lower or higher stimulation area of the room).

Looking at and Responding to Art 

EPAD: The Elements and Principals of Art & Design
WEEK 3 (May 21)

Applying and interpreting EPAD in an interactive way

with accessible materials - acrylic paint, chalk pastels, collage

Black and white whimsical lines flowing from the side profile of a woman’s face like her her hair is forming tangled swirly lines and shapes. Splashes of baby blue and baby pink (faint) in background. Her face is simple, yet detailed outline with obvious facial features being emphasized (chin, eyelashes, long neck, nose, mouth, ear). In the diagonal corner from her face is similar swirls and lines coming from the edge. This area is dense with shapes (circular), lines and spots of blue/purple. Many detailed patterns and shapes make her hair shape and complex (these patterns can be circles, triangles, dots, jagged edges, repetition, and deep dark areas where they stand out. Whimsical lines can be solid, dotted or swirled. The concept/theme is: beauty, feminine, detailed, madness/beauty, random.

A student wrote down the above description of the photograph that she brought in. She used the descriptive language that we had reviewed that relate to EPAD. I was to create a piece of work based only on her description. And I did the same for someone else. 

Below are examples of other students work based only on a written description, and displayed next to the original image that they didn't get to see until afterwards.

  

Applying and interpreting EPAD in an interactive way - safe outcome     

I think this was an excellent way to apply and interpret EPAD. It was done in the most accessible and interactive way that I have ever experienced. The process was very safe and inclusive of people at varied levels and abilities. Usually it is really challenging to teach the EPAD concepts. Most visual artist who are not graphic designers haven’t heard of EPAD even if they know about it's different attributes. I found it really useful to learn about how the elements are combined to make up principles. 

I have been studying composition and color theory at Emily Carr for a while and find that it really needs to be repeated and learned over and over again, and experienced over and over to understand and integrate the information in a way that is really usable. Visual art can get extremely complex! I think that this exercise is a really effective way to jump right in and get your feet wet with it. I think the problem solving aspect really helped, where first I had to describe my image for another person, trying to think from their point of view, and then get to experience it immediately as a student from the other end, trying to build an image based on another’s description.  Also it was a very playful and lighthearted approach with a high feeling of success at the end by seemingly everyone. There was some struggle and frustration but it seemed to be just enough to be engaging and not off-putting.

For assessment you could focus more on the process and people could do a self assessment for formative learning or summative purposes. This could also work for any grades, 8 - 12. Definitely it could be effective for senior students 11/12 who can grasp more complex ideas too. Extensions could be that we repeat the exercise regularly, which might be a fun regular game or practice. And it could be done with paint, printmaking or graphics to learn new skills. Adaptations could be that students only have to write very short descriptions, even single words, particularly for ELL students. And the directions/steps could be written out for all students.

  

Using Galleries as a Resource for Curriculum Development

WEEK 4 (May 18 visit - alternative to VAG class trip)

Van Duesen Botanical Gardens - Architecture, Outdoor Sculpture, 

Patterns in Nature and indoor photo exhibit.

      

 

I visited Van Duesen Gardens and documented their sculptures just before my concussion, so I decided to use that as my gallery visit for this assignment. I like the questions posed on the sheet from Jan and think some of them could be really useful in terms of looking at outdoor sculptures. Also an obvious choice for Van Duesen would be to do some cross-curricular work with environmental art and eco-art. Some of the questions that I found would focus student’s attention and contextualize the work would be: 

What do you think of the curatorial choices in the sculptures? Why do you think the curator has made these choices?What works stood out for you and why? Were there any surprises?How might I guide a group of students through the exhibit?

For this last question I was thinking that it would be engaging if students did rubbings of sculptures to learn about texture, pattern, rhythm and balance, and materials. They could create a little booklet of their studies. Through research I found out that there is an interesting process of making nature journals which is slightly different from most art journals, and there are quite a few examples on line. This can involve saving some of the plant samples found on the ground and drying them and pasting them into the journal. I think they could also be incorporated into mixed media pieces eco-art sculptures, fabric pieces or used in collograph printmaking.

I love the idea of getting the students out into nature while interacting with art. The rubbings are a good way to remove the student from being a passive observer and inviting students to smell and touch and interact with the plants and sculptures in a way that doesn’t damage them.

The rubbings and journal could be used as formative assessment, which could be used to create some kind of art piece in the classroom that can be assessed in a summative way. Extensions could be that students could work in a series, or work with new materials or large scale. Adaptations could include small group work and partner work so that students can wander in the garden freely but with a buddy system for support and focus. I found out this year there is something called “Nature Deficit Disorder” where kids are suffering from stress related to being indoors too much and not in nature. This is the first generation ever in the history of mankind where this has happened. I want to help to balance that out as much as I can in the schools, and viewing outdoor art is a great way to do it.

Approaches to Drawing

WEEK 5 (June 4)

This week I was very sensitive to sound and light since I was recovering from a concussion. I appreciated that Jan was playing music during our drawing exercise because it helped to drown out some of the stimulation and kept the chatter down. The music was relaxing and the environment was calming. I have really come to appreciate sensory overload issues since having my concussion, and for the first time in my life understand how some kids might feel when they are overstimulated. It is hard to describe, but basically light and sound require brain power to process, and when you have a concussion your brain is wired differently for a while in the area that was bruised and it takes up a lot of energy and attention in the processing. So regular classroom overhead light can feel like one of those doctors flashlights shining in your eyes and it causes something between pain and irritation and you have to close  your eyes - it’s like you have no choice in the matter. So being in class with a concussion, especially when you want to be there or have to be there, is a constant balancing act of shutting out certain stimuli so that you can participate in the task. And all the while you are trying to: A) not freak out on anyone, B) not seem like a weirdo introvert and totally disengage, C) not feel sorry for yourself because you can’t laugh and joke with your friends, D) try to hide the fact that you are in pain.  I took a special education class that focused on Autism this summer and I could relate to almost every single sensory overstimulation or under stimulation aspect. I am so thankful to have had that experience, and it will make me a much better, more proactive and empathetic teacher for all of my students, especially those with neurological, developmental and stimulation concerns.

We drew with wet chalk pastels that we dipped in water. I liked that it was a combination of drawing and painting. Sometimes drawing can feel very technical and a lot of kids and adults feel pressure to make something look realistic. This was a great choice of materials because  it was easy to use and a bit more expressive and experimental feeling than using a pen, pencil or marker. 

Again Jan gave us a lot of choice in the use of materials, working in series, working with water or not, and using spray fixative afterwards. Choice seems to be a key elements of creating a really dynamic class.

Assessment is tricky with this one since I feel like I was in a fog during the class and really appreciated the time to freely produce some artwork and play. An exit slip or some journal writing following the exercise reflecting on the process or perhaps one or two elements and a principal may have benefitted me in that circumstance. And also this would have given the teacher an idea of what I was experiencing. Thinking about this overstimulation experience makes me realize that assessment for learning can be a really powerful tool in understanding where your students are at so you can understand how they are learning and feeling.

SoundScapes 

performance art, theatre, music, collaboration, imagery, space/place

WEEK 6 (June 11)

March Marsh - "Falling Into Calm" - In class performance
Inspired by images

Some guiding ideas for Soundscapes:

- This is an interdisciplinary activity that combines visual art and music, but it can also be extended to include drama and dance.

- In your piece try to include: a pause, voice (singing, spoken word, sounds), and/or whistling, clapping, snapping fingers, stomping.

- Besides musical instruments try to include at least one found object or non-musical object (ex: rocks, crumpled paper).

- Also, some kind of movement - not everyone has to play an instrument, some members can dance or you can go with more subtle choreography such as having performers move around the audience, and so on. Also think about how performers will be spaced - they can be placed at different levels, close together or far apart from each other.

- Consider staging - where will you place the audience? Is your piece interactive - would  you like your audience to close their eyes or participate in some way? Try to think outside of typical staging - you can place your piece outside, on a stairwell, or...? How do you want the audience to view your piece - looking up at performers, or from a bit of a distance?

- You are welcome to create performances for more than one landscape and to repeat or extend musical elements.

- Please create a name for your group and title for your piece. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

I found that the SoundScape performance was a very memorable and impactful experience. I think that this was one of my favorite learning experiences of the summer because it was playful, inspiring, collaborative, engaging, and required of us to be brave and experiment, but only to our comfort level. One fascinating thing about taking risks in a group is that the nature of the relationships with the other students determines a lot of the process and outcome. Some students I already knew and was friends with, while others were new to me, and I didn’t know what our relationship to one another would be. It is helpful as a teacher to have the experience of working in groups this way, and to be reminded of the myriad of complex layers that come into play with collaboration, communication and creative risk taking. I felt quite comfortable to stretch myself to play music in front of people since I have been learning to play music the last few years, but I wasn’t as experienced with the language of expression/performance with my body and my face. The musical props helped alleviate this stress and lack of experience greatly so that I could enjoy the experience, learn from others, and engage in learning with and about others in the process. 

I loved the starting point of working from one or more images to create a performance. Having some guiding parameters laid out on a little piece of paper to take with us was really helpful. It was really engaging and exciting to be able to work, think, express and collaborate in a cross disciplinary way. And it was fairly seamless and natural. Sometimes when I think of the term cross-disciplinary connected to PLOs and education it has felt conceptual or forced, but this felt natural and exciting. I think most students would have some experience in at least on of the areas of either theatre, performance art, music, dance, visual art, or even play in general, that they could draw on as a comfortable starting point. I felt that since we started with the imagery, which I am quite comfortable with having explored visual art most of my life, it gave me the courage to branch out into the performative realm, which I have always wanted to explore more but been afraid to. For other students the music or performance might be the way ‘in’.

The most fascinating thing was that we were doing quite complicated things, but with relative ease and joy since there was so much play involved, and because the directions and preparation was laid out very clearly and we were given and good starting point to launch out from while the process and outcome was open ended. The criteria and guiding concepts were clear and direct, and it felt like the intention of the assignment (and teacher) was there to help guide us and give us some direction, while at the same time it did not seem to be based on a focus on summative assessment. 

I think it was also helpful to have to have the audience say 3 things that they liked/noticed/appreciated and also guess what our imagery was about.  This is an excellent way for the teacher and students to both participate in assessment. I think peer or self assessments and exit slips would be a great way to assess this project. Perhaps with some reflection on a few simple criteria points. And it would be appropriate for any age level since the instruments are very simple and accessible, but also allow for students with some more musical experience to engage their abilities. 

Extensions could include adding other art forms in as suggested, like dance. I am thinking that for an adaptation it would be important to consider cognitive and physical ability. It would be helpful to include in the criteria sheet that the group should capitalize on what each students could already do and go from there, rather than feel limited by what they couldn’t, and to use it as an opportunity for creativity. For example if someone is in a wheelchair they wouldn’t be able to go down the stairs, but they could be pushed down a grassy hill or a ramp. This would be a good model for inclusion and a healthier way to notice and relate to the school and community space. It would be a chance to build self-esteem and relationships. And also it could validate spaces and aspects of the school that are sometimes ‘relegated’ to special education such as: the ramps, alternate (not main) entrances to the school or classrooms, elevators, automatic door openers, and special education rooms (which many people have often pointed out are often in the basement).

 Digital Media (Popular Culture and Arts Education)

Ipad/Imovie short videos

WEEK 7 (June 18)

THE PEACE OF WILD THINGS

When despair for the world grows in me

                                              and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

— Wendell Berry

I was so lucky to have a like minded partner that was also wanting to move slowly. I was still really exhausted and kind of ill from my concussion during this class and I wasn’t even sure if I could stay, but luckily my partner was a friend and in a quiet mindset. The teaching of the use of the ipad was great, and we really enjoyed the process  and freedom to get out into nature. But in the end we had some technical issues since we both were taking photos and video and thought we could combine it in the editing. So we had to work with half of our footage in the end! This made it stressful but we were OK with the end result. I felt very vulnerable showing our video because it was so different from most of them in that it was quite serious and contemplative, since I wasn’t feeling well. I felt like an outsider because it was a hot summer day and almost everyone else was laughing loudly and had so much energy, and they made really funny experimental videos. I noticed a bunch of them, especially the boys, weren't paying attention to ours when it was playing and I'm embarrassed to say that it sort of made me feel bad!

This again was a great experience for me as a teacher and as a person, to have the experience of having to choose to participate even though you feel really vulnerable, not cool and not really functioning at a high level. I have so much empathy for the students with exceptionalities and other physical, personal, emotional struggles. This experience reminded me of high school and elementary school as far as having experiences where you want to fit in and you want to do well in school, but you just don’t have the wherewithal. It is also character building and reminds me that these difficult experiences really help you grow as an individual. In this case Jan made have suspected something because she commented that she really liked our music and asked about our poem, which was nice since it is great to have some positive feedback when you are presenting your art in front of a group.

Regarding assessment I think that the video could be used in a summative way, however students would need much more time so that their chances of success would be higher. I felt vulnerable about my product but thought the process was totally amazing and loved what I learned. Students could do self assessments and fill out exit slips to that the teacher could keep track of where students are with the project. I could see how you could get really wrapped up in using technology and be set up for frustration if you are aiming too high. I think this happens all the time in film and theatre production (and visual art projects) - you aim really high and have grand visions and then the last days is super stressful because you have to cut and edit things out like crazy because of lack of time and resources.  Extensions could include adding more layers of music or making a series or sequel. Adaptations could included giving students time to practice and come in after school or at lunch of they need more time with the equipment, and also projects could be more open ended and inquiry based so the results are in line with students interests and abilities.

 Painting & Color Theory 

WEEK 8 (June 25)

We did a great exercise in class to learn about color theory by working with complementary colors over top of a photocopy of a face. Again I noticed how we were given lots of choice and examples of ways that we could work with collage, paint, resists and other materials. Even though we all used the same photocopy, everyone’s pieces turned out quite differently. I see how this is a really effective way to teach painting and color mixing, especially when you are getting into complementary colors which can be sort of technical. Also working with just one set of complementary colors really sets you up for success because it is hard to make mud. Everyone was really inspired.

I often wonder as a teacher how much information to give on color mixing and how much to just let students learn by play and by doing. I am a huge proponent of play and think mostly people should just have opportunities to make a lot of work! But there are major budget issues and this is an added challenge. At my practicum school their art budget was cut by 50% two years ago, and then that was cut by 50% last year. Basically an art teacher has to scrounge constantly and get donations, on top of the time in the classroom. I think there are ways to navigate this and will continue to learn from other experienced teachers. 

For assessment you could focus on criteria around using complementary colors. I think that you could really break down the assignments and not assess too many elements at once particularly with painting since it can be hard to work with the medium. I love the idea of really valuing the process and showing students many different ways to approach painting, such as colorfield and abstract expressionist, and using different techniques such as glazes, dripping, layers, collage, mixed media, scratching and home made tools. This mixed in with the color theory would make it really engaging. I made a rubric for these techniques to make an abstract self portrait during my practicum and it worked really well. It helped students see how there are many different techniques that can be used to build up one surface, without making it muddy and busy - and they were really surprised at their success! 

Extensions can include working in series. I brought in 4 life size doors that I painted in the past as  examples and my students loved it. I showed them how you don’t have to get overwhelmed by working big, you just prepare more paint (and use different paint, sometimes cheaper like house paint), and use bigger brushes and tools. Adaptations could be to allow students to choose what kind of surface and what size to work on. The can work on canvas, wood, paper, or found objects. This choice would give them comfort with materials and freedom to move to a different spot in the room to work and to be comfortable at their desk. Having a print-out of the rubric in advance and referring to it often helped me tremendously with all the students, including the ELL students and one that was deaf. In particular there are many concepts like symbolism, metaphor, and abstract that are hard to explain verbally. I always try to have visuals on overhead and text on the screen, as well as handouts too, while I am talking to students so they can follow me and are engaged and inspired. Having so many ELL students and students with exceptionalities has already made me a way better teacher, and I really appreciate them in my class!

GIMP/Photoshop Tutorial 

Computer Lab 

WEEK 9 (July 2)

GIMP design Tutorial: Layers, tools, saving, DPI/Pixels, importing images, cutting out images, transparencies

 I have been needing to learn Photoshop for myself and my teaching for quite a few years, and I am so happy that I finally did it! I think that GIMP is a fairly good free alternative to photoshop. Although it wasn’t very intuitive sometimes and the tools didn’t always work well,  and that was frustrating.

 The computer tech who taught the course suggested that in the classroom we should focus on process and not let technology issues keep us from working on projects with students. Students will always have different camera phones, or digital cameras, or non at all, and all of them may need to pull images off internet. He recommended that low quality images can still produce a good result and students are usually happy with outcome, especially if you focus on the process.

He moved fairly quickly and gave a solid basic understanding, which worked for most people, but a few people’s computer’s were not working well and so those people got behind and were totally frustrated and basically gave up because it was driving them totally crazy. And they were disappointed because they really wanted and needed to learn the program. It reminded me almost exactly of one of my worst moments during my teaching practicum when a few of the students were having meltdowns when their computers were not working with the free blog software we were using. Despite the fact that I was amazingly prepared, and trained by the teacher librarian, and gave a sample presentation on the overhead project before, there were surprise gliches. The students who were upset started misbehaving and distracting other students and getting them to look at shopping online, and it was a session my faculty was observing on top of it all! I managed to patch things up with these students the next day by acknowledging how annoying that must have been (at the recommendation of my faculty, and it worked brilliantly since they really came on board with me for the rest of the semester). 

I recognize that this will be an ongoing issue to deal with as we integrate technology into the classroom more and more. Also our technology in the schools is generally much slower and more limiting than what some of the students are used to working on at home, so there will be frustration there too. I think the lesson here is to be upfront about it and to prepare for some technical issues as best as you can, and otherwise acknowledge it and move on. I think the use of technology that is appropriate and engaging for students and for learning is really important - we need to stay on top of trends to be able to understand and communicate with students, while also offering them opportunities that others have to the best of our ability. 

I think that a good approach to extensions and technology is to build a really good basic foundation, and then let the kids run with it. I found that most of them are just dying to whiz through things - they are like race horses itching to be let out of the gate. Creating a handout with steps and criteria worked well for me so students to move ahead and not be held back by the group. Regarding assessment, I found that I graded my students on the fact that they had completed something on the list without grading the quality of the design. I did this so that they would be inspired to be creative in their own way, but I was criticized by this approach because then I’m not grading based on whether they did something well, just that they did it at all. They said that I can get poor quality that way, but I’m still conflicted about assessing quality with art since since it is somewhat subjective, despite a good rubric.  And a final product of some sort will be produced, so summative assessment can be based on the criteria. However the quality of the product will greatly vary. 

Some students with exceptionalities will likely blossom with the use of technology, however one of the student’s I had in my practicum that was gifted was really bored since they were working in partners, and he took it as an opportunity to read a graphic novel while his partner essentially did all the work. He was way too under stimulated by the partner work so he sort of gave up before they even got too far into it. I also had a high percentage, at least 30%, of ELL students, and one deaf student, so I made sure to have all the steps and criteria printed out for people, and also available on the computers. I found that considering ELL students and those with exceptionalities helped to bring the quality of my lessons and preparation up substantially. It was a great standard for differentiated learning.

GIMP/Photoshop Tutorial Part 2 (Directed Study)

WEEK 10 (July 9)

Layering images - controlling transparency to create an effect. 

Working with light, atmosphere, architecture/man-made and contrast with nature. Repetition .

Combining multiple images, 

blending and transparency tools, 

layers, all original photographs

Final Image: The Peace of Wild Things

This week I did a ‘directed study’ session to keep learning GIMP and working on my transformation project. I really wanted to learn how to layer images better and control the transparency to create different effects. I was working with light, atmosphere, repetition, architecture and patterns in nature. I took advantage of time to work with the technician one-on-one and it was very helpful. I was really motivated because I knew what I wanted to achieve and could ask specific questions.

I was really empowered to learn something that I had been wanting to learn for a long time. Overall the biggest impact this session had on me was the appreciation I had for the ability to have the one-on-one time with an instructor in a quiet room. I realized that most of our education is in large group settings, and despite the fact that I am a natural extrovert, quiet moments of connection and one-on-one with a teacher really complement my education. And in fact I think I seek out those moments. As an adult learner I love school because I have a lot of power (compared to high school) and I know how to communicate with my instructors and benefit majorly from meeting with them after class or outside regular class time in their office. 

Jan offered us many opportunities to have control over our learning and gave us a lot of choice. She was a great role model that way. She practiced what she preached. She was constantly giving us choice and also did not tightly reign us in with her classroom management style, but more so lured us in. She often would start talking before we were all silent and didn’t seem too bothered by it, she would just keep going and eventually the people would be quit and join the group. She was comfortable in a looser style of class, and it was really and excellent strategy and approach overall because basically everyone seemed very engaged and on board. I see how as teachers we need to pick our battles and it is a fine art to learn how to hold space, and especially a free, creative and inspiring space. I mainly take the same approach and realize that I need to honor my instincts and people skills in the future when figuring out how to teach in the public school system.

Regarding assessment I think that perhaps during work session classes in the art room there should sometimes be no assessment at all, other than observation. It feels radical to say that, but really, I think that variation on the structure of the class is really needed, and some of the joy of the art room is the freedom to breath and just be. Sometimes less is more. Hopefully the set-up of the lesson, the environment of the classroom, my positive attitude, and the energy in the classroom will support the students that might drift. But also, maybe they just need to drift, or work on other homework, or nap (I had one student that was working nights to support his family, and another international student who seemed stressed or neglected that I always carefully woke up in the mornings when his head was on his desk, and he wrote in a card that I was the nicest teacher ever to him). Extensions can be varied: working in a sketchbook, on a class graffiti wall, on a blog, on a new project, and research project, or with a partner collaboratively. Adaptations might be that students can work anyway they want, with headphones, on the computer, on the floor, in the library, outside, etc.