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.
Is there some sort of mental block? I feel like I should be breaking my instructions down even further. "Think of something to draw. When you have an idea in your mind, raise your hand. Okay, now write it down! No, don't draw--write!" Maybe that will help those struggling students make the leap? I guess we'll see, because I think brainstorming before beginning a project will become a regular thing.
All of this brainstorming started me thinking about my teaching methods. I am currently attempting to successfully teach using the Teaching for Artistic Behavior method of teaching, but I've been making observations and doing some research that has me thinking of just tailoring my own style. (This seems like a better teaching practice anyway. Adapt and modify!)
Let me just say that I love the concepts behind TAB. I want my students to have lots of choices and be able to authentically create art. The thought of a student body that is capable of creating thoughtful and original artwork that is largely intrinsically motivated is fantastic. But not necessarily realistic. I've been teaching with this method for about 2 years now, and its been my experience that a large amount of my students are just not ready for more self-directed learning. They are still trying to develop their critical thinking skills and really just how to slow down and think before doing in the art room.
Many of my students, given the great amount of freedom afforded in a TAB classroom, coast along creating art with little to no thought, substance or even aesthetic appeal. (Coloring an entire sheet of paper one color using a texture plate and calling it finished comes to mind. Or painting the entire paper black. Also, scribbling. In fourth grade.) Some of the things I see could, technically, be valid art--like color field or non-objective art for example--but only with true artistic intent, which is missing 9 times out of 10.
I also know my principal would love to see more polished artwork, which can, admittedly, sometimes be lacking. But I want my students to learn to create thoughtful and/or aesthetically pleasing artwork without resorting to "cookie cutter" projects or limiting their choices in materials. How do I accomplish that and give them experiences in everything they need to learn?
Here are some of my thoughts:
1. Create guidelines.
To start, I guess I need to develop some standard rubrics (which are a little difficult for me). What is a finished artwork? What must be included in a project?
2. Utilize brainstorming and research.
This week the kids created art using ideas they thought up and developed. It seems to me that should be standard for every project. I want them to get used to thinking critically and making informed choices rather than just impulsively making marks, et cetera.
3. Hands on Learning
I briefly mentioned this in an earlier post, but I really like the idea of replacing straight up teacher demos with hands on learning demos instead.
4. Problem based learning
I don't know much about this philosophy, but I feel it would be good to give students some simple problem-based assignments. I still need to research and think on this one.
5. Play time with materials
I figure, if I go with a centers approach to classroom set up, opening a new center should give my students a minimum one class to learn about and experiment with the new media. Play time, if you will. Similar to something I read once by John Crowe wherein students had art that was "play" and art that was made with "care" once they were familiar with the media (but far more limited I think).
Maybe I need to step away from thinking in terms of TAB specifically and focus just on "choice-based art" and "critical thinking skills". I sometimes think that in trying to follow these set "rules" of the philosophy, I'm hindering myself; it feels really complex and like altogether too much sometimes. I keep thinking, "I have to do things [a certain] way" even if I really need to change things up. It's a little hard to relax and let go sometimes!
Still, I think that I'm well on my way to developing a teaching style that fits both me and my students. I'm impatient to find something that really works, but it's only the third week of school. So for now, I will just try to curb my impatience and keep making observations so that I can further evolve my personal teaching philosophy and style.
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.
Is there some sort of mental block? I feel like I should be breaking my instructions down even further. "Think of something to draw. When you have an idea in your mind, raise your hand. Okay, now write it down! No, don't draw--write!" Maybe that will help those struggling students make the leap? I guess we'll see, because I think brainstorming before beginning a project will become a regular thing.
All of this brainstorming started me thinking about my teaching methods. I am currently attempting to successfully teach using the Teaching for Artistic Behavior method of teaching, but I've been making observations and doing some research that has me thinking of just tailoring my own style. (This seems like a better teaching practice anyway. Adapt and modify!)
Let me just say that I love the concepts behind TAB. I want my students to have lots of choices and be able to authentically create art. The thought of a student body that is capable of creating thoughtful and original artwork that is largely intrinsically motivated is fantastic. But not necessarily realistic. I've been teaching with this method for about 2 years now, and its been my experience that a large amount of my students are just not ready for more self-directed learning. They are still trying to develop their critical thinking skills and really just how to slow down and think before doing in the art room.
Many of my students, given the great amount of freedom afforded in a TAB classroom, coast along creating art with little to no thought, substance or even aesthetic appeal. (Coloring an entire sheet of paper one color using a texture plate and calling it finished comes to mind. Or painting the entire paper black. Also, scribbling. In fourth grade.) Some of the things I see could, technically, be valid art--like color field or non-objective art for example--but only with true artistic intent, which is missing 9 times out of 10.
I also know my principal would love to see more polished artwork, which can, admittedly, sometimes be lacking. But I want my students to learn to create thoughtful and/or aesthetically pleasing artwork without resorting to "cookie cutter" projects or limiting their choices in materials. How do I accomplish that and give them experiences in everything they need to learn?
Here are some of my thoughts:
1. Create guidelines.
To start, I guess I need to develop some standard rubrics (which are a little difficult for me). What is a finished artwork? What must be included in a project?
2. Utilize brainstorming and research.
This week the kids created art using ideas they thought up and developed. It seems to me that should be standard for every project. I want them to get used to thinking critically and making informed choices rather than just impulsively making marks, et cetera.
3. Hands on Learning
I briefly mentioned this in an earlier post, but I really like the idea of replacing straight up teacher demos with hands on learning demos instead.
4. Problem based learning
I don't know much about this philosophy, but I feel it would be good to give students some simple problem-based assignments. I still need to research and think on this one.
5. Play time with materials
I figure, if I go with a centers approach to classroom set up, opening a new center should give my students a minimum one class to learn about and experiment with the new media. Play time, if you will. Similar to something I read once by John Crowe wherein students had art that was "play" and art that was made with "care" once they were familiar with the media (but far more limited I think).
Maybe I need to step away from thinking in terms of TAB specifically and focus just on "choice-based art" and "critical thinking skills". I sometimes think that in trying to follow these set "rules" of the philosophy, I'm hindering myself; it feels really complex and like altogether too much sometimes. I keep thinking, "I have to do things [a certain] way" even if I really need to change things up. It's a little hard to relax and let go sometimes!
Still, I think that I'm well on my way to developing a teaching style that fits both me and my students. I'm impatient to find something that really works, but it's only the third week of school. So for now, I will just try to curb my impatience and keep making observations so that I can further evolve my personal teaching philosophy and style.
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