The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards identifies knowledge of students and high, worthwhile goals as two key attributes of accomplished teaching.  I witnessed clear evidence of both in class visits last week.  MPA teachers know much more than their students' names and they are diving into their work.

When MPA teachers say to a student, "you can do it," they mean it because they know how to sequence lessons that develop their students' skills and confidence, and they mean it because they know the student to whom they are speaking.  Whether it is creating a first pinch pot, texturizing a circle for 3-D effect, or theorizing about the characteristics of a curve, everyone in class has a can-do attitude.

Creating such a safe and comfortable space in class permits early leaps in complexity as well. From twelve different kinds of circles, beginning drawing students move on to a composition, exploring the many elements of composition by tapping their own creativity and newfound technique in consultation with their teacher.  In 20 minutes, small group analysis of an algebraic function quickly turns into a group presentation by all members about that function, complete with a graphic representation and generalizations about the function.

MPA students also learn early and often to articulate what they are doing.  Whether it is a whole class introduction to wedging clay, hypothesizing about functions, or understanding an assignment, the give and take with teachers and among students is a core component of each class.  Beyond learning by doing is the ability to explain, using a specific vocabulary, what it is that one does in a class.