Ah watercolor--the bane of my existence some days. Every year, when I teach my kids to use watercolor, the paints inevitably become muddied and quickly wasted in the form of thick opaque globs and strokes in my students' artwork. As I don't want to go through all my refills by Thanksgiving this year, I feel I need a new strategy, which is where this week's lesson comes in. (After blatantly stealing the idea from Other Art Teacher) I am reteaching watercolor procedures to my older kids and swapping instructions for the younger ones.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Friday, September 7, 2012
Brainstorming (and Other Things)
This week, my students are learning all about brainstorming and thinking things through before starting a project. The younger students are being introduced to the concept and beginning to practice, while the older kiddos are jumping right in with brainstorming an idea and then developing it further via brainstorming and research. Taking those ideas, they begin to create art.
It's been a little hit and miss, depending on the class, but so far? I'll call it a tentative success. My students have not often been required to produce anything like brainstormed ideas before jumping into a project. A fair few were stumped when I ask them to list 3 things they could make art about. Or things they find interesting. Or cool. Or that they like. They could tell me unprompted about all their favorite things in the world or offer a multitude of suggestions during class discussions, but asking them to list those things on paper seems to be such an alien concept that they have trouble understanding how to even begin. It was an interesting (and somewhat frustrating) phenomenon to witness each class period.
It's been a little hit and miss, depending on the class, but so far? I'll call it a tentative success. My students have not often been required to produce anything like brainstormed ideas before jumping into a project. A fair few were stumped when I ask them to list 3 things they could make art about. Or things they find interesting. Or cool. Or that they like. They could tell me unprompted about all their favorite things in the world or offer a multitude of suggestions during class discussions, but asking them to list those things on paper seems to be such an alien concept that they have trouble understanding how to even begin. It was an interesting (and somewhat frustrating) phenomenon to witness each class period.
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