Open-Ended Lesson Planning

​This is not the time to panic, it's the time to re-think...

Because this pandemic hit in the second half of the school year, many schools have opted to go for enrichment over grades. If parents have lost jobs, or have no access to the internet, it creates a host of problems that makes traditional schooling impossible... That said, as this pandemic continues, before there is a cure, we will likely move to more rigorous online modes of education. I would encourage you to use this time now to experiment, collaborate, explore, and figure it out while the stakes are low. This is a tiny gift in a difficult situation. If there is talk in your district of cutting the arts in favor of "academics," stop reading and go HERE now.
 
Moving forward, lessons that focus on specific materials, used in specific ways, to create a specific product, will be difficult, likely inequitable, and potentially harmful. It's like requiring a cook to make you an omelet knowing they might not have eggs. If all students don't have the same material, at the same time, with the same access to the internet, we need a new way of thinking. Those who have a background in T.A.B. or Choice-Based education know where I am going... Open-ended, media-non-specific lessons that are open to broad interpretation. This may be new and uncomfortable territory for some, but I assure you, it is the most equitable, fair, and easy way to create art in this new environment.
 
So what does that look like? It usually starts with a broad theme. Let's take famous quotes about art as an example. Here's the lesson:

Share a few famous quotes about art or by artists. You might even be able to provide a list students can choose from that are completely "school appropriate." HERE are many. Demonstrate via a video, Google Slides, or even via a printed packet how a few sample quotes could be illustrated (Many are  HERE.) Focus on the fact that there is no "correct" answer.  

You can also see that this assignment could be done in pencil, crayon, markers, paint, and even a sculpted item could have a quote included on the surface. Work can be abstract, realistic, non-objective, simple, complex, and all will have solved the problem put forth. If you worry students might be slapdash in their approach, let them know your expectations... For my students, I'd like to see a sketch, a final image, and if the final image took them little time, perhaps they should make a second one.
 
This is just one example of an open ended prompt that is not media dependant. I have many more HERE you are welcome to use.

Some people are faced with time as an issue... "How can I teach art if it's just 20 minutes, once a week online?" Use those 20 minutes to introduce your lesson and students can work on it while they are at home at their own pace. There is no way to reasonably assume that in 20 minutes you have to walk 30+ students, from start to finish on a project. But a 20 minute introduction is enough time to walk students through your open-ended lesson and take questions. You can extend that time with video tutorials they can access while they work. I have a YouTube Channel set up for just this purpose... and if I get 1000 subscribers and enough attention, I can even earn a little money for my channel. You can it HERE.

Art is supposed to be an expression of the artist, their point of view, or process of discovery. The process is truly more important than the product. We have said that for years, but now it is time to live it. So as we move forward through this pandemic, be open to letting your students interpret your assignments more broadly. Only 2% of our students will enter an art-related profession. There is no need to think of the art room as a training ground or atelier. We must reach all our students where they are. Those with talent will let you know through their work. Your feedback on sketches will help them push to more sophisticated works of art. For the other 98%, they need exposure to art, to problem solving, and to feel safe to create without the constraints of making something that looks like their teacher's example.
 
More open ended, COVID19 lessons can be found HERE.