My current Painting II classroom only has eight students in it (six girls

and two boys). This makes differentiation more individualized and easier
than with a large class. However, similar considerations are necessary and
must not be overlooked. The class demonstrates a fairly common distribution
of skill levels and different needs. One student clearly stands out from the
rest in ability to master the content. This is due mostly to his extensive
painting experience throughout his life. Two students struggle more than the
others. The middle five students make up a fairly even continuum of
proficiency.
There is a consistent correlation between each students self-esteem or
security and their success in their artwork. While this isnt necessarily a
cause-effect relationship, it can often be a spiral farther away from success.
Some of the developing or proficient students exhibit this self-consciousness
or lack of confidence in their ability, but the more this emotional and mental
state continues, the less they are willing to try hard in their art. Conversely,
the most experienced student is overly confident to the point of being closed
off to most of my constructive criticism. Most of the students in the middle
range are open to input and can be given confidence fairly easily when they
see that trying hard leads to an increase in learning and ability.
At the introduction of a new lesson or project, I provide the content
with verbal explanation, visual demonstration, written handouts,
interpersonal discussion, and physical demonstration of that particular
artistic skill. Generally, working hands-on is extremely helpful for
differentiating, as is providing instruction in a variety of modes. Most of our
class time is work time; students are working on their artwork individually,
and I give input and suggestions individually. We also have occasional
critiques which develop interpersonal learning skills. The layout of the
classroom is two long rows of tables, which allows for students to work
completely individually or near their peers as needed.
Two specific examples of modification that I have used for individual
students include extension for the most advanced student and
accommodation for one of the struggling students. The more experienced
student in the class was already familiar with using oil paint and painting
landscapes, which were both a main focus of our most recent project. I
encouraged him to develop other human figures in the landscape, since this
is an area he has a harder time with. Additionally, I have individually held
him to a higher standard of both quality and effort throughout the course,
because he can outperform many students without even trying very hard. I
also pushed him to consider his artworks meaning more (the rest of the
class was mostly focusing on developing the skill of using oil paint and

creating a landscape painting with the most efficient and controllable

process). This forced him to work on his weaker points of artistic thinking, as
well as increasing his focus and skill in the areas where he is already
advanced.
I had several accommodations for one of the struggling students
during this lesson and other parts of the course. One of the main differences
is that I spent more one-on-one time with her to give feedback and help her
gain understanding of the process. I also weighted her assignments with a
heavier value for effort and completion than skill or quality of the finished
product. I also took her verbal explanation of the concepts into account, as
well as her own reflection with a peer when I asked the students to pair up
and discuss what was going well and what they could improve. She also
benefited from extra encouragement and positive reinforcement, because
part of her problem came from a belief that she wasnt any good at art. I also
gave her the option to choose a fairly simple and straightforward photo to
paint from; this allowed her to focus more on the actual learning of the
techniques involved, without getting too frustrated or absorbed in tiny
details. Overall, my assessment focused on whether students followed the
correct order and procedures of the oil painting process, rather than the
quality or completeness of the final product.