"Walk me through a typical lesson..." Asks the principal. The students file in, we have yet to get a handle on our procedures on transition from their homeroom teacher to art (a shortcoming on both of our parts), so more like come in loudly, fighting over chairs and who can sit where. Jeremy and David find seats together, but of course they are the distracters of the group. Sofie and Maggie sit together and talk about rainbows and unicorns. eventually they all find seats. After a call and response they look to me for the beginning of the lesson. I start by describing the project of the the day and show examples, or I don't start with the project but begin with the Artist of focus, or I by pass art all together and read a story that will connect to the project. Sometime the students need the story as a transition. After this segment of the lesson we discuss the project in depth and the content of the project, what elements are involved, what techniques are used. Most, but not all, of my lessons are DBAE (Discipline Based Art Education). So there is theory connected with technical skills and art with in project lessons. We usually begin with a discussion or brainstorm session where all of the class is encouraged to participate. It may look like, today we are going to paint a landscape what elements of the composition are in a landscape? We define the elements with some prompts, then with the horizon line we discuss what the "skyline" may include, trees, skyscrapers, church, mountains, etc. Students practice drawing landscapes in their sketchbooks for sketchbook practice. After some drawing time, students are transitioned to the project. Materials distributed, paint shirts on, ten minutes before the end of class they begin cleaning up, brushes safely in water, paint shirts off. This year lessons were at the end of the school day so the younger group dismiss a bit early for dismissal purposes. We have a good time, we learn art history and context, we learn about different media and technique.
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One of five lessons I needed to compile to create with remotely teaching, was DaVinci hands. I have two students in my family that were assigned the lesson, so we decided to have a drawing lesson/drawing contest. Everyone joined in, my husband, freshman daughter, the two students 5th and 8th grader, and the second grader. We did four timed drawing and one longer untimed drawing. We discussed DaVinci's life and the times in which he was the "renaissance" man. We focused on his anatomy drawings. We learned about bone structure and tissue. It was a family activity and it got art homework done. Thankful for diverse teaching opportunities that were not obvious or possible amidst pre-virus hustle and bustle.
Listed below are a few links that have a variety of resources for art teachers moving to and an online art teacher role.
The Art of Education website has a variety of articles. I will go back to read a ton more, and look into the Coronavirus Webinar. Since I am currently teaching under these circumstances and strange times. Cassie Stephens has been someone I follow. I am not always on board or a fan, but I like that she posts her successes and sometimes not so hot attempts. I gather that we are roughly the same age however she has been "in the field" way longer, extremely creative in a playful way that I don't always approach art ed with I appreciate her honestly, and like any recipe, I can't follow the rules and usually tweak it to my own means to an end. She has been posting a lot of online "teachering" however not a complete fan of her units. Again, very creative and engaging for younger students, for sure! Artsonia was mentioned and recommended by my cooperating teacher. He might have used it for the multiple lessons listed, which it appears there are many. He mainly mentioned it to me as a way to grade, share work with parents, and fundraise. I am thinking that the grading and communication with parents during this quarantine has been augmented to online instruction and helpful. I found the fundraising component interesting and something to investigate in the future. Student work is uploaded and parents can order a variety of products with the work printed on it. It is a means to generate money for your art program. Art to remember. I am guessing there are a lot of cliches goin on here. I have not dug around in depths, however like Ms. Stephens I am sure to glean some good ideas that can be manipulated and injected with art history, or technique, different materials. There is a list of around 5 online "teachers you should watch" Cassie Stephens made one of the 5! theartofeducation.edu/ cassiestephens.blogspot.com/ www.artsonia.com/teachers/lessonplans/ arttoremember.com/about/resources/lesson-plans/ Just before our spring break the children from kindergarten through 3rd grade painted a landscape in the round on a chinet plate, in anticipation to create a woven tree or rainbow. As we packed up and headed out for our spring break we knew that school would be cancelled at least until April 6th. So the plates remain landscapes, waiting for the hands that painted them to return. I have one child in the age group, so I decided to bring that project home for my family to enjoy *wink*! I did not read Weaving the Rainbow, by George Ella Lyon to my children. The book is the base or beginning of the lesson. K-3rd grades are my target range, at home we had a 2nd, 5th, and 8th grader. Bless them, they were such good sports. During this time of #saferathome, I still continue to teach, online, and at home.
As a weaver this lesson is like breathing, simple and easy to execute.. The results are impressive and the kids feel quite proud after accomplishing the all the steps. Kudos to Ms. Cassie. https://cassiestephens.blogspot.com/2013/04/in-art-room-tree-weaving-with-third.html During this #saferathome time in history, I am blessed to have art education test subjects that live at home with me that range in age from eight to fifteen. I had wanted to end my school year with this project, tying it into Cinco De Mayo. We read an African story, Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky, by Elphinstone Dayrell. For more depth we could discuss other cultures and their response to the existence of the sun and moon. How do WE respond to the sun and the moon? How does the earth? I think the project is a great way to express some of these aesthetic questions.
Since we are indefinitely not returning school for the time being, I implemented this project with my children. I decided to critique it, we soldiered on yet our rating wasn't that high, Maybe it's just cabin fever, it snowed four or more inches yesterday... All four had different adverse reactions to the project, one walked away... The positive take aways included the manipulation of materials, from foil, styrofoam plates, yarn, and paint there is plenty of variety and choices within the material. However, everyone in my household felt that the project was too prescriptive. I will admit it is very colorful and maybe another day we might have been more receptive. They did an awesome job and I thanked them for letting mom experiment on them! https://cassiestephens.blogspot.com/2014/11/in-art-room-mexican-sunmoon-weavings.html What Skills Have I Attained That Make Me an Art Educator, above and beyond the call of duty?4/3/2020 One of the things I appreciate about returning to college, the required learning, reflection, and further training. We are asked to exercise our comfort zones of research, theory, philosophy, and practice.
I don't normally draw, however I draw close to 20 or more hours on an assignment so far there have been about 9 assignments, that's a lot of drawing. The Thursday before our extended spring break, the last time we would have class in the classroom for the year, we were to free write. I'm guessing that collectively, much like 9/11 we were in a state of shock. "What does this mean?" "What will we do?" "How do we go on from here?" I will have to say that it has jolted me. Needless to say we didn't free write in class, the title of this post was the starter. The current situation and cancellations has caused me to rethink how fast, how hard, how much I have been making myself achieve. I admit the amount of work, my family of 6, cooking for a school of 60, teaching art K-8, weaving and selling as a business, administrating the parent organization at our school, running recovery meetings, going back to school for a second degree, three internships, being a friend (I'm sure there is more).. SO when asked, What skills have I attained that make me an art educator? Many. Leadership. Psychology (although not formally trained). Writing. Communication. Passion and desire, I argue are not skills but are vital to being an educator and inherent. Leadership. I have been in many organizations and the president and Vice President on the boards. My vision in these groups has always been community minded, encouraging involvement, celebrating unique gifts of the members, valuing traditions, but embracing innovation. Flexibility and fluidity is vital to success and growth. Valuing other and encouraging them to contribute in their unique ways is sustainable. I see this relatable to the classroom. Each child is an individual. It is human nature for us to categorize into good and bad. Students often (even my children at home) criticize instead of celebrating the positive. There is time for criticism, however a great leader offers encouragement and inclusiveness. Correcting comes in passion and desire. The passion is what pushes me to instruct my vision. However, I often lead with a watchful eye, instead of a heavily correcting tongue. Psychology, or might I say mindfulness. These days with the amount of mental health awareness and need to support those who suffer is pertinent. It is imperative to pay attention to the needs of children who suffer so we can break cycle, and create a healthier society. In recovery meetings the focus is on the solution, and often that solution is not focusing on the problem. Changing perspectives and looking at things from a a different spin. As an art educator, encouraging students to focus on the present on where the child is in the classroom, thinking about creating. That might be the only hour in the day they really enjoy, making the best of that and being the positivity if not just support. That does not mean it will be easy. Moments often look like a power struggle. Children who are often disturbed by home life or social situations bring it to class by being obstinate, refuse to comply, disruptive and loud, and can dominate the learning that may not be happening because of their behavior. Once educators can understand the at the behavior is fear based, that the child is in pain, compassion can be key in how to address the behavior. It's also is important the child doesn't dominate the learning environment so it takes a great amount of care in navigating situations this delicate. Writing. I need to document. In the positions I have held I have had to make my thoughts clear. I hav years of experience, in marketing and advertising, creating agendas, and writing reports. I have applied for grants and written resumes. I have learned a whole host of verbiage in order to get the point across. Communication. Much like writing it is a skill I have been practicing for years. I have been teaching to adults over a decade and presenting to audiences through my positions. Public speaking is something I have had to practice and refine. In speaking to groups it is important to get the information across but also engage the audience into active listening which is a gift. Often I revert to tasteful humor, it usually pulls the audience back into the discussion. In art education, it is key to have a sense of your audience. Basically, are they listening? Am I being heard? Often inviting the students into a conversation or discussion get them thinking and listening to each other. That redirect can often be a gateway in which I can reenter instruction. Being informed of my audience and flexible in my leadership and instruction are key components in my role as an art educator, as a contributing member of society, mother, daughter, sister, friend. When looking to the teaching, awareness, or inclusion of aesthetics in art education, a philosophical approach is necessary. Philosophy in art education should cause both educator and student to “think and express oneself clearly, carefully analyzing problems and issues considering alternatives, drawing connections and crafting strong arguments and sound decisions through the application of reason”(Anderson/Mcrorie). There were two perspectives mentioned in both articles on which to view art’s existence, universalism/formalism and pluralism/contextualism. Universalism/formalism is the ideal that form is a universal language and the principles of art and design are the foundation. In pluralism/contextualism art has a purpose beyond decoration or form, but rather functions as a means of communication. Both of these perspectives are important considerations in which to categorize a larger view of educators approach in their class specific curriculum.
These articles were written in a time when art education was going through a seismic shift. There was (and still is) an examination of formal ideas of art and art world and how formal techiniques, aesthetics, were included in art curricula. The high art ideals collided with the immediacy of street art, conceptual art ideas, and art of the people, as descibed in the feminist theory. This created a dynamic climate in art movements as a whole, and in art education. I was a student through this time period. Art educators in my own experiences taught technical formalism, in my elementary school, where we focused on materials and how they were used. Contextualism was introduced in high school, where it was expected to create original work that would communicate an idea or inform my audience. In college the focus was on discipline, technical ability, and craftsmanship, however once a foundation of skill had been attained the contextualism had a huge role. Why do you do what you do? Why do you create? Why are you an artist? What makes YOU an artist? In my education, I focused on a discipline, fibers. I wanted to learn to become the artist I have become and my love for the visual arts has brought me to a turning point in my personal career, becoming an arts educator. In reflection of my path to where I have been and arrived, I can see connections to the formal and contextual approach to arts in education for the 21st century. In the article A Role for Aesthetics in Centering the K-12 Art Curriculum (Anderson and Mcrorie) the combination of formalism and contextualism allows for an infinite range of imagination, collaboration, the integration of skills and techniques. It enables students to effectively communicate their ideas in visual form. The Lankford article, Aesthetics in Art Education, was an excellent collection of theories and perspectives which are essential foundations in which to approach the viewing and analyzing of art. We need this nomenclature to define art, the philosophy behind it’s existence, and educators need a foundation to understand why we teach what we do. It was suggested in the teacher preparation of the Lankford article, that knowledge and skill both in studio practice and of aesthetics and ideals should be practiced and taught. In both articles the balance of contextualism and formalism is encouraged, it is up to the individual educator how that is defined. There is not a “one size fits all” art program. I was a resident teaching artist and intern in the inner city of Milwaukee. I also worked with behaviorally challenged and non verbal students in the Milwaukee public schools. In contrast, I currently teach in a parochial school in the city of Menomonie. Art is universal in its ability to communicate through it’s aesthetics, what it communicates is unique to the climate in which it is presented. Adjustments must be made to the audience. Balancing technique, materials, form, with critical thinking, using art history examples and encouraging them to communicate their own voice. The response can be entirely different in these different environments. The “success” of learning through a curriculum mindful of aesthetics, equips the student with critical thinking and creates “a cohesive and comprehensive account of meaning and purpose of art and its methodologies for making, understanding, and appreciating art”.(Lankford) Knowing that there is no right or perfect outcome, but adhering to theories and standards as a guideline, the student’s unique experience is vital. Life is more enriching when one is not centered on self. As art educators we need to find that center, the context in which we come from, as mentioned in the theories surrounding multiculturalism. We need to propel our purpose out of self, not disconnected from who we are but refining what we can all evolve into, however there is no destination; we will constantly be changing and hopefully refining ourselves into better humans. In both of the articles I recognized a fluid process to planning, that needs of the student or educator may shift. However, like in aesthetics we need a foundation or criteria to keep us on course with social justice and service learning.
In Elizabeth Garber’s article she characterizes the teacher’s social justice role in education as empowering teachers as “leaders capable of contributing to a social change and justice both inside and outside of schools provides a basis for belief in the possibility of social justice.” Students will have experiences that they can take beyond the classroom. She weighs “the importance of teachers seeing themselves as intellectuals- that is, as professionals able to conceptualize, design, and implement ideas and experiences in educating students- rather than as technicians implementing prepackaged content and instructional procedures… teachers are able to determine content that validates their student’s bases of understanding and experiences.” This is only possible if the educator is in tune with their personal enrichment and flexible in their own life experiences and response to the world that surrounds them and the students they educate. Taylor reinforces the ever changing shifts and response that is necessary in social justice and service minded theory by stating that the keystone to service-learning pedagogy is reflection. “Service-learning students, teachers, and community participants are actively involved in the constant production and reproduction of the service project through reflective discourse, writing, exhibition, and critique” Through this vital reevaluation, “service-learning theory and language are also constantly reflected upon, reconsidered and altered.” To reaffirm this, Taylor defines that a service-learning project must be a continually evolving process to be considered a postmodern work of art, and that even when the course or semester is over, the service learning project is never completed, re affirming that like our own theories we must continue to evolve and refine our response to the world around us and the way we educate. I often say, if I think I know all the answers, I am in trouble. I also know that listening is often more effective than pressing my point of view. In the case of social justice and service-learning, I have often been surrounded by strong points of view, taught in urban, inner city, or underprivileged-at-risk students, while our family qualified for “underprivileged” assistance programs. I have people in my life that are a contrast to my thinking. There is a necessity in acceptance, willing to learn from the differences, but looking for the similarities. If we focus on what is different or wrong we will never meet on the common ground. As we began class one day,”do you think you are going to be asked about what standards you teach, what you teach?” Most of us looked blankly. We were then told our art program is ours, what we choose to teach is our program, we must own it. As much as that gives us freedom it comes with responsibility. We will need to continually inform ourselves if social justice becomes part of the curriculum we choose to focus on. Service-learning vital to a wholesome human experience, it can only enhance the lives we touch and educate. “Service-Learning as a Postmodern Art and Pedagogy”, Pamela G. Taylor (2002) “Social Justice and Art Education”, Elizabeth Garber (2004) I consider the art history, materials, level of difficulty when planning or teaching a lesson. I plan for grades K-8 so my breadth of projects is larger than the chunks of K-5, 6-8, or 9-12. I never thought I would have been called to teach younger children but it just seems to be the way I have been guided. I hear from our Kindergarten and 1st grade teacher that her students were very disappointed that they couldn’t have art everyday. The day after the first day of art this year, the students were sad that they would have to wait a whole week. I enjoy the teaching of adults, and how they can be self directed but often they can also have similar challenges as little children because we all have an inherent need to be heard or understood, especially when we need assistance.
Before a lesson I scan the room and troubleshoot. What equipment will I need? what might distract the students? What area of the room needs to be focused on or drawn away from? What materials need to be out? What needs to be inaccessible? I consider my ability and materials available to me. I may connect the content to the bible passage of the school year (we are parochial, this year courage, firm, strong, and all things in love...) or to the lesson the music curriculum is studying. For expressionism we used Prokofiev”s Peter and the Wolf, connecting sounds of the instruments, to a visual of the instrument, and to perhaps the emotion, energy or movement that sound might have (what it might look like). I try to make as many connections to the world that surrounds the project so even if one element, "like my sister plays the flute and that is like a bird sound", the child can take that learning beyond the classroom. The theory and practice behind visual culture based art education is an interesting approach to teaching and engaging students in the visual arts. The three articles used to bring these theories to light and for review and reflection, encouraged and argued how crucial the use and importance of critical thinking, like other theories, is for students.
In the article The Disconnect Between Theory and Practice in a Visual Culture Approach to Art Education, Rebekka Herrmann cautions multiple times that visual culture art education if not carefully implemented thoughtfully considered may become “teacher directed without research or inquiry on the part of the student”, “the student is again forced into a teacher determined product”, or “Even though questioning and discussion occurs, the lesson is teacher directed and guided toward a particular end on which the artmaking project is based”. I found some if not most Herrmann’s arguments contradictory. In placing responsibility into the hands of the students to discover an idea “worth investigating” requires the art teacher to have the knowledge and ability to LEAD discussions and engage students in a meaningful investigation. “They must also have enough knowledge of art history and contemporary art to present meaningful examples of artists who have dealt with similar issues in a variety of ways.” It would seem in her argument to “provide opportunities for investigation and research that can result in artmaking rather than focusing primarily on technical skill acquisition” is limited. Why can’t there also be skill acquisition? In her argument it seems that the art teacher still controls the outcome, which is ultimately the purpose of an educator, to instruct and teach. It seems her concerns are in the teacher’s control of ideas, and it is difficult to define, however I do agree that we need to empower the students with a more meaningful approach to the contemporary art world as she states. The approach from Arthur D. Efland’s article, Problems Confronting Visual Culture, was a bit more palatable. Not wanting to divorce oneself completely from fine art studies (technical acquisition, art history, formalism), recognized again that “works of fine art play their principal role. They belong in the art education curriculum, not to give us aesthetic experiences, though they do that well, but to remind us of our human potential.” Authur also cautions that visual culture will experience growing pains like any new movement, in “its excessive breadth since the number of genres covered by programs in visual culture can be so enormous as to become unmanageable in the time allotted for teaching the arts”. He explained the postmodern era defined by Arthur Danto, “One zone is the art world where the fine arts serve as it’s main preoccupation, while the other regions include the mass media and the popular culture… Boundaries that once kept these zones apart have either disappeared or are in the process of erasure”. Acknowledgment of the changes that occur is extremely important, it would seem evermore important for a contemporary and future art educator to be well versed in art history. Written in 1997, I found the article, Art Education for New Times, by Paul Duncum fascinating. I tried to place myself into the year 1997 and how technology affected my life personally. A mere three years earlier email was simply, a black screen, with white text. Duncum does not warn but informs readers that, “ it is crucial for art education to acknowledge that while visual communication survives, it has changed it’s form. Imagery is now infinitely more plentiful, pervasive, immediate, and ephemerial, than ever before. And proponents of the information highway promise a high level of interactivity.” As discussed in our topics of advocacy, aesthetics, multiculturalism, and now visual culture the primary goal of education in the arts is to encourage critical thinking, while creating a structure in which creative learning can occur. In my instruction I embrace flexibility, willingness, and openness and search to find balance in theories that all seem to have some validity. We need to acknowledge the interrupting nature of visual/ mass media/ information highway noise and find a place for it in the education of art, but in balance with the foundation of art history, manipulation of materials, and critical thinking skills. |
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
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