A Must Watch! Schools and Creativity

Senior research associate at Harvard's Project Zero: Why Thinking Matters

George Lucas on Visual Communication

21st Century Classrooms

Arts Integration for Deeper Learning

The Role of Education in the 21st Century...

Video About Creativity

Marvin Bartel

Art Ed Theory

Visual Culture Theory + Lessons

Nice thesis about visual culture in an art curriculum, along with thoughtful, concise lessons.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/112350772702011204689/posts/9ZLVQiz5e9B

Olivia Gude

Art education is so vast and always changing. Outsiders sometimes think I am making "hand turkeys" and "rainbows" with students everyday. I am quick to defend my curriculum, but my explanation often ends up being a complex, esoteric statement that gets lost in its audience. I believe this article sums up my beliefs about a 21st century curriculum. Give it a read.

 https://naea.digication.com/omg/Principles_of_Possibility

Choice and Intrinsic Motivation

Some students are motivated by extrinsic factors, sometimes known as the carrot and stick approach.  Others are motivated by a true desire from the inside- an intrinsic motivator, if you will.  Years ago, I worked at a school for one year where the students were not intrinsically motivated to create.  They would rush through projects without care or intention.  They would show me their products, asking "is this good enough?" or "am I done yet?"  Their attitudes led me to believe that their creativity was not properly fostered through their elementary art experiences.  Or perhaps they developed a helpless self concept in regards to their artistic abilities at some point.  Maybe they never valued art in the first place.  I do not know the reason.  All I know is that the students at my new school are different.

A majority of students at my new school are intrinsically motivated to create art, which makes nurturing their creative development a less complicated task on my part.  I value their artistic visions in the highest regard, and celebrate their unique ideas.  They take their time with the artistic process.  They articulate and explain their art to others.   They can come up with original, artistic ideas all on their own when we have "choice" days.  Although there are elements of choice in each project (which is a meaningful motivator for students), some days are dedicated to allowing the students to chose the content AND the materials for their art.  Choice in the art classroom gives students ownership of their art-  they are not reproducing the teacher's sample, or copying a masterpiece.  

 Even if the objective for the lesson is to learn a particular skill, like drawing a self portrait for example, elements of choice can still be imbedded into the lesson.  For example, students can choose their materials, they can choose their expression on their face, or they can focus on creating an original background.  Ultimately, it is important to remember that the students are the artist, not the teacher.  If students have a desire to take a risk with their art and try something different, this should be celebrated as long as the objectives for the lesson are still  being met by the student.  

Creativity should be at the heart of an art curriculum, not the production of pretty somethings to hang on walls.  Of course it is important to display products, because art loves an audience.  And many times, these products will be aesthetically pleasing, depending on the objectives of the lesson.  But art education is not solely about the end product- it is about the creative process, and the individual ideas behind those processes that hold relevance to the artist.

My journey as a teacher is a process.  I am continually developing my beliefs and ideas, modifying and adjusting, striving to be better than I was the day before.  What I do know now is that I want my students to love art on their own terms, to find their place, their own individual voice and style for themselves, not for someone else, a grade, or a reward.    Something seems to be working, and I think that it is the element of choice.   

Marvin Bartel and Drawing

Marvin Bartel speaks passionately about teaching children how to draw.  Some of his approaches are new to me, but I am slowly but surely embracing them.  However, old habits die hard.  Here is to reflecting and growing, with Marvin Bartel's website:

http://www.goshen.edu/art/ed/art-ed-links.html

Talking to Children about their Art

Children love to share their art with others and it is important that as adults, we know how to correctly and appropriately respond to their forms of expression.  Here is an informative article that helps break down how to talk to children about their art:

http://www.newdayschool.org/?p=593

Love and Logic

I am a huge fan of Love and Logic.  For those of you who are not familiar, it is a positive approach to discipline that is rooted in love and logical consequences.  It really works in my classroom and actually has helped shape my students into caring, reflective individuals.  There are several books by Dr. Jim Fay, founder of Love and Logic, for teachers and parents.  Check out the L&L website here:

http://www.loveandlogic.com/

Here is a nice Youtube video about Love and Logic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcJNQ68S2eU

Art in the Upper Grades

In grades 3-5, students take their creative abilities to the next level, learning through inquiry-based art units that are conceptually related to the content being learned in their general classroom.  These 6-week units incorporate not only art making, but art history, art criticism, aesthetics, and visual culture.  Similar to the younger grades, students are required to make their own artistic choices related to the content of their work and the materials that they choose.  Through this, students are able to create art that is meaningful and relevant to them. 

Assessment is used diversely both formatively and summatively in order to provide meaningful, informative feedback for both teacher and student.  Simply a letter or number grade can be quite uninforming, sometimes insulting, and reduces intrinsic motivation and desire to grow as an artist.  Instead, formative and summative reflections are an imperative part of the artistic process.  Reflections occur using written statements, 1 on 1 conferencing, and polls that are used to check for understanding as well as interest. Each project within a unit is assessed summatively using standards- based criteria.  Forms of summative assessment used  include descriptive feedback, conferencing, checklists, and rubrics.  These forms provide detailed feedback for the upper elementary student to reflect and grow as an artist.   

Art in the Lower Grades (K-2)

It is MEA weekend and I am excited to blog.  I have been reflecting about my teaching philosophies this weekend and feel that it would be important to share these beliefs to my readers.  What is art education?  What purpose does it serve in an elementary school setting?  These are loaded questions with ever-changing answers, and I will continue to explore the depth and complexity of them throughout my teaching career.

Students are given many opportunities for choice and independent thinking to foster their creative growth. Through playful exploration of materials and concepts, students become artistic inquirers, innovators, and storytellers, constructing their own knowledge about what being an artist means to them.  Skill development is embedded into all lessons where students can find balance between meeting standards-based objectives and growing as an artist. 

The experiences that young children have in art are focused on the process, never the product.  Although the product is used for proof of learning a particular skill (like drawing a person, for example), the focus is on the process, or experience, that the student went through to produce the product (examining the shapes within a human form, watching their body move as they dance and pose, and exploring different perspectives to capture the form of a person).  

Each student comes with a set of unique, artistic skills and it is important to recognize a student’s individuality as an artist.  Because students are coming from many different skill levels, assessment for these grades is largely based on effort and participation.  Letter or numeric grades for art projects are inappropriate at this age and are not used in grades K and 1.    Instead, Observational notes, 1 on 1 conferencing, and self-reflections for projects are used both formatively and summatively.  Students feel like equals that are growing together as creative individuals. 

Students learn through conceptual and thematic art units, which I have developed during my time as a PYP art teacher.  These units last 6 weeks, always connect conceptually (through the key concepts used in IB schools) to what students are learning in their classroom.  This enhances their understanding of the interconnectedness of learning in all subject areas.  My art POI is very new, and I am always modifying and adjusting it to make it better.  Just like the art we make, it is a process, not a product.