Our class was fortunate enough to have a zoom meeting with a "in the trenches" high school art teacher, during this manipulated school year.
One of my fellow student asked, " How do you keep your students motivated?" She responded with that students generally are motivated, that art is an elective for them, they have made the choice to be there. However it is her job she feels to create a safe space that students love to come a space in which they feel safe to express their creative thoughts with a creative critique and helpful motivation by providing students with choice. She also explained that you (as an educator) become part art teacher/part counselor, just because it seems to be the nature of the subject. I asked about assessments and critiques and her use of them in lesson planning and in the classroom. She explained that she avoids the "sandwich", more often then not the student will focus on the negative in the middle of the sandwich and never hear the positive. Through her critiques she encourages the use of art words, and broadening the vocabulary in which her student use to define art. She liberally uses stickie notes for her students to critique others and avoids verbal/oral critiques until they are older, juniors or seniors. Lastly, to have a richer connection to a critique she may have the student artist as a question about their work and have others offer solutions, "what can i do to make my sky more stormy". This creates an opportunity for students to give suggestions and problem solve others work. Some of her strategies to engage students involve daily draw, beginning surveys. In the daily draw students take ten minutes of the class and draw, often with a prompt, for ten minutes. It loosens the art making muscle and is a practice that can only encourage growth. In her survey at the beginning of the year she may ask, "Do you consider yourself a good artist? and What is your favorite art supply?" She will then ask the same question at the end of the year and compare answersnto see the growth in these students. By partnering with an English teacher and creating a class called "Why wait?" they are creating an environment for these students to practice being an advocate for social justice causes. In the class students take on a cause in which they feel they want to support and with the combination of writing and art, they create solutions and a better awareness. Some of the topics in which the students named, were the removal of invasive species (buckthorn), or bigger world causes that may impact them. She encourages students to look at the bigger picture and she often reminds herself to do the same. Keeping in mind that she is teach future taxpayers, she wants these students to embrace the art experience and to take that with them in the future. To be an advocate for your art program is vital to the success and sustainability of it. These students will carry this experience with them into the future and remember and respect the art process.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI have a passion for the visual arts and love sharing it with others. I have enjoyed teaching all ages and love to incorporate art history and traditional disciplines as well as innovative ideas. Art is vital to who I am as a creator and educator. Archives
April 2021
Categories |