Letting students show you what they are ready to handle.
Some teachers like to dive into painting or clay at the beginning of the year as a way to create excitement for their class. If you are a new teacher this would be a horrible mistake. I have been teaching for more than 30 years and I’d rather stick forks in my eyes that do a painting lesson with a group of high school students I do not know, who do not know me, nor my expectations. You may also be building in unrealistic expectations and rewarding fun over the educational processes. I did a POST going over scaffolding projects, but here I want to cover scaffolding media.
When students ask me in the beginning days of my class “what are we gonna do?” I ask them, “What are you gonna show me that you can handle?” Every year begins with a drawing project. I tell my students, if you can handle drawing media, and clean up well, then you are showing me you can handle more complex stuff like painting. If you show me that you can handle painting well, then I feel confident you have the maturity to move onto sculpture with clay or plaster.
Each media has its techniques, challenges, and handling expectations. In a TAB setting with more choice, the choices expand as students demonstrate the maturity to handle those materials.
A progression generally goes from most easy to clean up with little danger to more difficult to manage explorations that may use tools like razors or hot glue. Messy watercolors do not cause permanent damage to brushes, while unwashed acrylic brushes may need to be tossed. A general progression of media may look something like this:
1. Pencil drawing (survey & assessment sketch)
2. Drawing with colored pencils
3. Pastels/Charcoal
4. Knitting/weaving/fibers
5. Watercolor pencils and water
6. Watercolors
7. Tempera paint
8. Printing
9. Acrylic Paints
10. Cardboard or paper sculpture (Hot glue & razors)
11. Wire/metal sculpture
12. Plaster/Paper Mache
13. Modeling Clay
14. Ceramic Clay
15. Oil Paints
If we get to charcoal, and the room looks like a coal mine exploded, I know not to progress beyond that until my students show me they can master cleaning the room and storing projects well. I know I can teach all of the art elements and principles with copy paper, crayons, and glue sticks. We can make paper sculptures with copy paper, and even color wheels with crayons. If that’s all my students can handle, so be it. I also let them know this. “You will show me what you can handle.” Supplies are too expensive to waste and our budgets are too small as it is.
If however, you are losing control because your students are board, or you have chosen to only do “cookie cutter” projects, then the problem is not “them” but you. Always reflect on your lessons and see if you are creating experiences that allow for personal expression or have you created a glorified sweat shop? More on that HERE and HERE, and HERE.
If you are a teacher seeking some pedagogy advice, you can read the Kindle version of my book for free HERE with your Amazon Account. If you are looking for scaffolded lessons for grades K through 12, organized by elements and principles, I have THIS book with over 50 lessons, and THIS second expanded edition with 52 more. THIS video will give you a peek inside the first book.
When students ask me in the beginning days of my class “what are we gonna do?” I ask them, “What are you gonna show me that you can handle?” Every year begins with a drawing project. I tell my students, if you can handle drawing media, and clean up well, then you are showing me you can handle more complex stuff like painting. If you show me that you can handle painting well, then I feel confident you have the maturity to move onto sculpture with clay or plaster.
Each media has its techniques, challenges, and handling expectations. In a TAB setting with more choice, the choices expand as students demonstrate the maturity to handle those materials.
A progression generally goes from most easy to clean up with little danger to more difficult to manage explorations that may use tools like razors or hot glue. Messy watercolors do not cause permanent damage to brushes, while unwashed acrylic brushes may need to be tossed. A general progression of media may look something like this:
1. Pencil drawing (survey & assessment sketch)
2. Drawing with colored pencils
3. Pastels/Charcoal
4. Knitting/weaving/fibers
5. Watercolor pencils and water
6. Watercolors
7. Tempera paint
8. Printing
9. Acrylic Paints
10. Cardboard or paper sculpture (Hot glue & razors)
11. Wire/metal sculpture
12. Plaster/Paper Mache
13. Modeling Clay
14. Ceramic Clay
15. Oil Paints
If we get to charcoal, and the room looks like a coal mine exploded, I know not to progress beyond that until my students show me they can master cleaning the room and storing projects well. I know I can teach all of the art elements and principles with copy paper, crayons, and glue sticks. We can make paper sculptures with copy paper, and even color wheels with crayons. If that’s all my students can handle, so be it. I also let them know this. “You will show me what you can handle.” Supplies are too expensive to waste and our budgets are too small as it is.
If however, you are losing control because your students are board, or you have chosen to only do “cookie cutter” projects, then the problem is not “them” but you. Always reflect on your lessons and see if you are creating experiences that allow for personal expression or have you created a glorified sweat shop? More on that HERE and HERE, and HERE.
If you are a teacher seeking some pedagogy advice, you can read the Kindle version of my book for free HERE with your Amazon Account. If you are looking for scaffolded lessons for grades K through 12, organized by elements and principles, I have THIS book with over 50 lessons, and THIS second expanded edition with 52 more. THIS video will give you a peek inside the first book.
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