Episode 7: Connecting with Art

This week, Beth speaks with Jessie Street from North Powder Charter School. The conversation centers on how connections with art can help both adults and students. Jessie’s work began part time with elementary and middle school students, and grew to include high school students through grant funding. 

Bringing art into the classroom can integrate into the curriculum,  supports social, emotional learning, or stand alone as art for art’s sake. It allows students to make connections and examine themselves. 

Classroom volunteers can make a big difference when prepping for larger projects. Using recycled materials can often be used for low cost/low mess projects. In Jessie’s experience, making art accessible by allowing students to show up as they are can help students grow in ways they did not expect.

Resources: 

Art Education Resources- Oregon Department of Education  

Lesson Plans and Activities- National Gallery of Art

Websites Every Art Teacher Should Know- The Arty Teacher

This week, Beth explores a unique classroom environment in Southern Oregon when she talks with Jaylene Crane. Jaylene teaches in a multi-age 6-8 grades classroom at Comet Academy Magnet Program (CAMP) in Gold Hill, east of Grants Pass. CAMP emphasizes project-based learning and the development of 21st Century Learning Skills such as communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.

To meet the needs of the different aged students in her classroom, Jaylene strives to create individual connections with students. Her self-contained classroom that also loops allows her to have significantly more time to build relationships with her students. Some ways Jaylene connects daily with her students include greeting students using their names, talking with students about what they like to do, and holding morning meetings. These connections then allow her to design projects to meet student interests or the gaps she identifies. 

Resources:

Project-Based Learning Helps Students Become Activist Citizens of the World - NEA

What is Project-Based Learning? - US News and World Report

21st Century Learning - Harvard University

OEA Grow is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network.

Comet Academy Magnet Program

What are the unique challenges of children in the foster system and how can we support these students in our schools? What do educators need to know about students in the foster system? These questions frame episode five with Colleen Arriola, a fifth grade teacher and parent who raised 10 children including seven adopted from the foster system.

Colleen shares her lived experiences as a parent and an educator and has many insights to share. Educators need to know that students in the foster system are currently in the middle of trauma, as they have been taken away from their families and everything that is familiar to them. Many foster children experience multiple placements, compounding ongoing trauma. Students may struggle to navigate school and its academic and social demands. Some of the specific effects of students’ trauma that we may witness in schools include an inability to focus, behavioral issues, impulse control, and difficulty trusting people.

Colleen also recommends that we prioritize building trust with students in the foster care system. Another priority is striving to create systems and routines so students know what to expect and what is coming next in their school day. However, as with all students experiencing trauma, each student is an individual and we as educators should avoid generalizations about students in foster care. 

Resources:

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)

Maximizing Academic Success for Foster Care Students: A Trauma-Informed Approach

OEA’s Becoming a Trauma Informed Educator Series

OEA Grow is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network.

In this week’s episode, Beth speaks with fourth grade teacher and union leader Melissa Grothe about the challenges and successes of connecting with the local community and how connection and belonging can impact teacher retention. Melissa is an educator with strong ties to the coastal town of Astoria where she grew up and currently works.

Educators new to the area don’t always feel connected to their community and this can sometimes lead to educators leaving their jobs. This issue isn’t limited to Astoria but also affects other small towns and larger cities, especially since the pandemic when many have been figuring out how to join back in community. How do we cultivate a sense of belonging in both the school at large and the rest of the community? How do we make social connections when we’re new to an area?

Astoria School District has used grant money to build connections and support for educators such as helping to secure childcare for educators with small children and hosting a listening session on teacher retention. These efforts help educators feel like the district is investing in them. Melissa offered some suggestions for schools to increase a sense of belonging, like developing welcoming materials to offer to educators new to an area such as a PowerPoint with local recommendations for restaurants and other businesses. Locals can also invite new educators out socially. For newly arrived educators, Melissa suggests contacting the local Chamber of Commerce to learn about the events and organizations in the community. Volunteering at local events is a way to show you’re invested in the community and also meet new people. 

Resources:

Astoria-Warrenton Chamber of Commerce

We All Need Belonging - Center for Inspired Teaching

Retaining BIPOC Educators Starts with Belonging - ASCD

OEA Grow is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network.

Welcome back to OEA Grow! Beth talks with Mindy Welsh, a Masters of Education student from Southern Oregon University. Mindy speaks to the value of understanding and connecting to the pedagogy of teaching versus just having the technical understanding of the practice of teaching.

Perhaps teacher burnout, high stress levels, and overall reduced sense of efficacy can be understood through a disconnect between pedagogy and practice? Mindy speaks to the philosophy of Holistic Education and how it may be a tool that authentically connects pedagogy to practice. Her Master’s of Education program is teaching and practicing this method with great success. Professors are modeling the practices and mindsets of Holistic Education in order that students can fortify a deep understanding of what Holistic Education means and how to implement it in a classroom.

Mindy shares new ways to build connections with students and teaching staff. This episode is filled with tips on how to become a better connected, more empowered educator. Listen in to grow! 

Resources: 

What is Holistic Education? 

The Center for Holistic Education

How to Handle Feedback

Welcome back to OEA grow! Today Beth chats with Ashlee Hodgkinson and Tina Tewes from Clackamas Community College. Tina is the High School Connections Academic Advisor and Ashlee is the Advanced College Credit Coordinator at Clackamas. In this episode, they share about their work supporting student transition from high school to either college or the workplace.

Their conversation describes the variety of ways students can achieve college level credits, technical education, or degrees while enrolled in high school. Ashlee explains a number of benefits this has for high school students. She shares the variety of college credit pathways that are available to high school students, most of which are dependent on their high school offerings and access to community colleges.

Tina shares the opportunity high school students have in enrolling in community college classes. She speaks to the opportunity and challenge this presents to a student and how her role supports their success in a demanding college-level class. This episode is a great example of how Oregon educators partner together to connect high school students to college and real-world learning and opportunities. Listen in to grow! 

Resources: 

Clackamas Community College High School Connections

College Credits While in High School 

Running Start Program  

Additional Professional Learning Opportunities  

OEA Grow is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network.

Welcome to Season 8 of OEA Grow, an educator-led podcast, by members and for members. This season we are focusing on connection and collaboration between educators, students, families and guardians, and the community that supports public education. We are all in this together, and our host Beth Aydelott, will facilitate conversations to help us grow into that mindset.

Beth is an instructor at Lane Community College and longtime OEA member. Her passion for connecting to her community college students will resonate in the conversations with others. Guests will reflect a variety of levels and roles within our public education system. There will be many things to learn as we take a deep dive into connection. Listen in to grow! 

Resources: 

Additional Professional Learning Opportunities

Eye on Equity

Interested in Hosting or Being a Guest on OEA Grow?

OEA Grow is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network.

Welcome back to OEA Grow! This episode is our second look into the world of Physical Education (PE), specifically adapted PE. Venus speaks with certified adapted PE teachers Lonzo Urbina, Brigette Brown, and Alana Burny.

The conversation centers advocacy for adapted PE within an inclusion model. Lonzo, Brigette, and Alana advocate for what all students deserve- highly qualified teachers with specialized training to meet the unique needs of students being supported by adapted PE.

How can we ensure students get the federally mandated instruction they deserve? These educators share the challenges and opportunities in current day PE instruction. They elaborate on the concept of participation in PE and what physical literacy really means. Lonzo, Brigette, and Alana urge you to reach out to your district to discover what they’re doing to commit to quality adapted PE instruction. Listen in to grow! 

Resources:

CAPE Certification

Adapted PE

Unified PE 

OEA Grow is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network. 

How does special education work without the comprehensive team that informs so much of the process? In this episode, Venus talks with Michelle Dunn (Adaptive PE Specialist), Niels Pasternak (Autism Consultant), and Brittany Herson (Occupational Therapist). Michelle, Niels, and Brittany talk about the work they do and how each role contributes to a more robust and student-focused special education program.

They share how each of their specialized lenses contributes to a more comprehensive special education program. They also explain how understanding the difference between consultation and direct service is an important component of effective implementation of an IEP.

This week’s guests describe how they also help general education students and those supported with a 504 plan. Like most educators, their roles are also impacted by high staff turnover. They reassure us, however, that collaboration and a positive perspective can help address many problems. Despite juggling a high number of students on their caseload, they manage to prioritize supporting the individual needs of students. Listen in to grow! 

Resources: 

Assistive Technology in Inclusive Classrooms

Consultation vs. Direct Service

OverComer for Adapted Sports 

Welcome back! In this episode Venus talks with special educators Alisha Chavez Downing and Alejandra Saechao. Alisha and Alejandra discuss the intersection of learning disabilities, lagging skills, and behavior. Two strategies, flexible thinking and planning, are woven throughout the episode.

Ever wondered how to better mainstream a student with significant behavior issues? Listen in to learn how to apply a student's strengths to their time in your class. Alicia talks about “spicy work” and how it creates an inclusive play-based intervention. Venus, Alicia, and Alejandra share several ideas on how to maintain positive relationships while also trying new behavior interventions.

This episode is filled with stories, tips, and strategies. Listen in to grow! 

Resources:

Strength-based learning 

Growth mindset for students

Unified sports in school 

Special Olympics Oregon 

Oregon Council for Exceptional Children