greetings from DPI The Heart of Wisconsin
Chris Gleason, Arts & Creativity Consultant, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
From September 27 to October 5, 2022, I traveled 1,632 miles around Wisconsin to visit music, theatre, vi- sual art, and me- dia art classrooms. I observed what I believe to be the
"Heart of Wisconsin"– passionate, dedi- cated arts educators working hard to benefit their students. By design, my travels bal- anced urban, suburban, and rural schools and a mix of arts disciplines. Although this first trip did not get me to every corner of the state, it did provide me with the op- portunity to visit nearly 30 schools, talk to educators, parents, and administrators, and then return with valuable information about the context of the arts and creativity in Wisconsin. For this issue of WSM, I wanted to share some of this information. Many thanks to those I visited (and to some that I did not!) that offered their thoughts and ideas.
What are the most significant educational changes you have experienced during your career?
According to the responses and comments, student cell phone use is one of the most significant changes teachers have seen. In fact, in a recent article and broadcast by
WXOW.com in La Crosse, "Studies show that 53 percent of American children receive their first cell phone before the age of seven." Reagan IB Instrumental Music Educator, Adam Murphy, agreed with his statement, "The distraction of cell phones is an epidemic that we reinforced during virtual learning that we are now fighting against. The thought of being separated from their cell phone is discomforting, and most of our students have not been prepared for this experience."
As you can see below, survey respondents indicated significant changes in areas, such as student behavior, to the impacts of Act
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10. Madison Metropolitan School District Music Educator, Terri Felton, articulated the current needs as, "We really need more mental health support for our students and families, and smaller student-to-teacher ratios so we can give students the help they need. It takes a lot of time to be a great teacher – time outside of the classroom to plan and connect, and time with students in smaller groups to connect, assess, dif- ferentiate and problem solve."
"If you could change one thing in education to make things better, what would it be?"
Bridget Haugen, a New Richmond High School visual arts educator, said, "Prioritize curiosity and learning over assessment and categorizing. This fixation that education has on assessment or testing is stifling risk-
taking and inquisitiveness. Even Einstein insisted that he had to fail many times to learn and get results. Fear of failure is crippling our youth and chipping at their self-worth."
Lisa Jones, music educator at West Salem Elementary, suggested, "Report cards: The reality about report cards is that it is a snapshot of where a student currently is in their learning. However, most of the parents see it as a 'permanent record' type of thing instead of just seeing where their child is and what to continue working on. In all reality, a little paragraph about student progress would be more beneficial than assigning a letter or number."
This concept of de-emphasizing grades while providing more descriptive, student- generated assessments is a passion of mine. Soon I will share research around this, provide examples that teachers can adapt and use, and host professional development for educators interested in learning more.
Danielle Penney-Edwards, an art and design educator at Ashland High School, stated, "Move away from the industrialized, test-driven model of education towards a student-driven. Creativity, Community, Collaboration and Critical Thinking – these
January 2023
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