In a world full of dichotomy, black and white, right and wrong, democrat and republican, we may be tempted to take sides in teaching students to become free spirited, self-directed artists or force strict control with formula driven lessons that offer uniform results that are praised by parents and administrators. "Heart versus head" if you will.
My experience however is that the middle ground holds a sweet spot where students learn more deeply and create authentic, meaningful, personal works of art with a capital "A." Research found on the bottom of this PAGE, will illustrate the value of an indepth art education.
I was asked recently, "Why do you insist that all arts and crafts must be personal and expressive?" Here's my answer with some examples.
Other than in creative writing classes, most children are meant to listen, learn, and regurgitate information and not to express their "feelings." Formula projects and crafts without personal connections do teach some history if included, and kids learn to use the media in a very specific way, but really it's about following directions without personal connections. At the end, kids know if it's good or bad based on how well it looks like the sample. Without personal connections it has less personal value than beyond "I made that, it was fun." (Which is nice but ends there.)
With expressive lessons, ones where the student has the ability to incorporate themselves, it has deeper meaning and expression, which I think is the essence of what makes art ART. It takes hardly any effort on my part to incorporate personal connections for my students. Sometimes simple, sometimes profound. Why just make cookie cutter clay ornaments when kids can make an ornament to represent someone or something they love? Won't that be an enduring item over the same item every kid made? Why make just a basket with feathers or beads, when you can embellish it with items reminiscent of the animal they best think represents their own characteristics? Why make just a snowman, when you could have allowed students to dress it up they way they might, or doing something they like to do in the snow as a snowman? You use NO extra supplies, You waste NO extra time, but you have students who make the item you wanted them to make, AND it's personal, expressive, and far more valuable because they had to solve problems to make it. Choices mean decisions. Problem solving is a key skill all kids need to succeed as an artist, doctor, lawyer, or custodian.
Simple example here:
http://www.artedguru.com/home/i-hate-color-wheels-part-2
More deep here:
http://www.artedguru.com/home/abstract-expressionism
I ALSO believe that because we are school teachers serving students of all abilities and needs that are diverse, that we have a duty to include core connections in what we do in the classroom to help our students succeed in ALL their studies... That said, we already do.
When we grid, measure, and draw—we use geometry. When we make sculptures—we use engineering. When we mix colors—we reveal information about physics. When we create illustrations for stories—we learn about literature. When we review the styles of art from da Vinci to Banksy—we teach history. When we teach ceramics—we teach chemistry. When we write about art—we strengthen writing skills. When we create works of art, we solve complex visual problems in creative ways. Art is the meeting place of all subjects.
My shortest answer to "why do you insist that all arts and crafts must be personal and expressive?" Because it's ART Class.
This is my opinion, and every class and situation is different. Sometimes you just want to do a day or Origami, or make snowflakes, we've all been there, but that should not be every day, nor the majority of what we do. There are as many ways to teach art as their are teachers. I just feel, in my opinion, some ways of teaching are better than others, AND I DO NOT think my way is the ONLY good way, not by a long shot. I've been doing it for many years, have won some awards for what I do, but I have seen really amazing things from hundreds, if not thousands of other teachers as well.
Below is a side-by-side comparison to illustrate my point. The image below left (Monet Bridges) has been altered heavily to anonymize it. To see how I actually build a choice-based lesson, visit HERE.
My experience however is that the middle ground holds a sweet spot where students learn more deeply and create authentic, meaningful, personal works of art with a capital "A." Research found on the bottom of this PAGE, will illustrate the value of an indepth art education.
I was asked recently, "Why do you insist that all arts and crafts must be personal and expressive?" Here's my answer with some examples.
Other than in creative writing classes, most children are meant to listen, learn, and regurgitate information and not to express their "feelings." Formula projects and crafts without personal connections do teach some history if included, and kids learn to use the media in a very specific way, but really it's about following directions without personal connections. At the end, kids know if it's good or bad based on how well it looks like the sample. Without personal connections it has less personal value than beyond "I made that, it was fun." (Which is nice but ends there.)
With expressive lessons, ones where the student has the ability to incorporate themselves, it has deeper meaning and expression, which I think is the essence of what makes art ART. It takes hardly any effort on my part to incorporate personal connections for my students. Sometimes simple, sometimes profound. Why just make cookie cutter clay ornaments when kids can make an ornament to represent someone or something they love? Won't that be an enduring item over the same item every kid made? Why make just a basket with feathers or beads, when you can embellish it with items reminiscent of the animal they best think represents their own characteristics? Why make just a snowman, when you could have allowed students to dress it up they way they might, or doing something they like to do in the snow as a snowman? You use NO extra supplies, You waste NO extra time, but you have students who make the item you wanted them to make, AND it's personal, expressive, and far more valuable because they had to solve problems to make it. Choices mean decisions. Problem solving is a key skill all kids need to succeed as an artist, doctor, lawyer, or custodian.
Simple example here:
http://www.artedguru.com/home/i-hate-color-wheels-part-2
More deep here:
http://www.artedguru.com/home/abstract-expressionism
I ALSO believe that because we are school teachers serving students of all abilities and needs that are diverse, that we have a duty to include core connections in what we do in the classroom to help our students succeed in ALL their studies... That said, we already do.
When we grid, measure, and draw—we use geometry. When we make sculptures—we use engineering. When we mix colors—we reveal information about physics. When we create illustrations for stories—we learn about literature. When we review the styles of art from da Vinci to Banksy—we teach history. When we teach ceramics—we teach chemistry. When we write about art—we strengthen writing skills. When we create works of art, we solve complex visual problems in creative ways. Art is the meeting place of all subjects.
My shortest answer to "why do you insist that all arts and crafts must be personal and expressive?" Because it's ART Class.
This is my opinion, and every class and situation is different. Sometimes you just want to do a day or Origami, or make snowflakes, we've all been there, but that should not be every day, nor the majority of what we do. There are as many ways to teach art as their are teachers. I just feel, in my opinion, some ways of teaching are better than others, AND I DO NOT think my way is the ONLY good way, not by a long shot. I've been doing it for many years, have won some awards for what I do, but I have seen really amazing things from hundreds, if not thousands of other teachers as well.
Below is a side-by-side comparison to illustrate my point. The image below left (Monet Bridges) has been altered heavily to anonymize it. To see how I actually build a choice-based lesson, visit HERE.
| Monet Bridges Concepts: History (Monet & Impressionism) Painting Skills Vocabulary (Elements & Principles) Teacher Constraints: All parts were teacher directed Student Choices: None Outcome: All are pretty, uniform, and will be appreciated by the school and family. Results are predictable, and all have achieved "success." Students feel success if they have copied well. There is little room for "talent" to be expressed, the best work look most like the sample. Enduring Understandings: Direction Following (Did they learn "how to paint," or just how to make this one item?) Student's Take-a-way: That was fun! Praise from family. It's good if it looks like the sample. Room for improvement: Allowing students to paint their own dream garden, park, or outdoor scene. | Oldenburg Cakes Concepts: History (Oldenburg & Pop Art) Sculpture skills Vocabulary (Elements & Principles) Teacher Constraints: Triangular Prism Form Required Student Choices: Pie or cake Real vs imagined flavors Recipient considered Color Embellishments Outcome: Each is unique and speaks to the personality of its maker. Results are uneven, some are visually stronger than others but all are unique. Student choices are addressed in the rubric. Some students surpass expectations allowing "talented" students to shine! Enduring Understandings: Following Directions Problem Solving Form connected to function Engineering (Making forms) Student's Take-a-way: That was fun! I made significant choices. It means something to me. Room for improvement: Allowing students to choose their own food item that included a base form of their own choice. |
The converse is sometimes also problematic in my opinion; students having complete self-directed lessons in a studio environment. These sometimes lack core content connections. Though problem solving may be through the roof, and valuable, they may dig less deeply into media possibilities, gaining only a superficial understanding of the connections we make in art to history, literature, math, science, etc. I call this the island approach, art for art's sake. It's not "bad," but I believe a balanced approach is better.
Does EVERY lesson need to incorporate choice and core content connections? I'd say 90% or more should, 100% is an unrealistic goal. Scheduling, absences, stress, etc may require something simple to "get through the day." There's value for example, in teaching Origami for a day or so as a basic exposure, and point kids to where they can learn more. But even here, small origami units can be used to make a larger, personally expressive work of art...
In conclusion, do I think teaching formula projects is "bad?"
NO, but I do think they are not as good as projects that allow for choice and the incorporation of core content. Research backs me up on this.
I had a wonderful conversation on this topic with a reader of this blog. You can read about it HERE. But we speak about the reasons behind follow-along lessons and their prevalence in elementary programs.
For a lesson example that shows even more student choice, please see THIS POST on my blog or the "Piggy Bank" samples below. More information about Choice Based classes can be found at Teaching For Artistic Behavior with a nice explanation by Diane Jaquith.
Below: Students used plaster and tissue mache to create a bank that reflected something they wanted to save up for. Hover on the image to see their personally chosen theme.
Does EVERY lesson need to incorporate choice and core content connections? I'd say 90% or more should, 100% is an unrealistic goal. Scheduling, absences, stress, etc may require something simple to "get through the day." There's value for example, in teaching Origami for a day or so as a basic exposure, and point kids to where they can learn more. But even here, small origami units can be used to make a larger, personally expressive work of art...
In conclusion, do I think teaching formula projects is "bad?"
NO, but I do think they are not as good as projects that allow for choice and the incorporation of core content. Research backs me up on this.
I had a wonderful conversation on this topic with a reader of this blog. You can read about it HERE. But we speak about the reasons behind follow-along lessons and their prevalence in elementary programs.
For a lesson example that shows even more student choice, please see THIS POST on my blog or the "Piggy Bank" samples below. More information about Choice Based classes can be found at Teaching For Artistic Behavior with a nice explanation by Diane Jaquith.
Below: Students used plaster and tissue mache to create a bank that reflected something they wanted to save up for. Hover on the image to see their personally chosen theme.
If you need a resource to develop your lessons, THIS BOOK is one I wrote with 50 lessons that can be personalized and use nearly any media you have available for grades k-12. It's a starting point as you develop your own lessons. If you need more help with pedagogy, (how to teach art) Then THIS BOOK is one I wrote to explain my process developed over 30+ years. It's free on Kindle if you have an Amazon account. More of my resources can be found HERE. If you click on any image, you'll be linked to the book on Amazon.
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