Different Strokes for Different Folks
October 11, 2014
Summary
There are many thoughts and ideas regarding what should be included in art curriculum and how it should be taught. Differences range from the freedom allowed in choice-based art education that encourages student directed lessons to more structured curriculum that focuses on specific guidelines, materials, and art supplies. Some believe lessons should concentrate on thinking and concept development as fundamental art skills where others believe lessons should focus on style, materials, techniques or genres of art. Although these methods are different in many ways, they all have one thing in common—a desire for students to develop creativity, cognitive skills, and an understanding and appreciation for art.
Key Points
In Smoke and Mirrors: Art Teacher as Magician, Nan Hathaway (2013) discusses the use of choice-based art education in the studio classroom. This type of approach moves from teacher directed to student directed lessons. The classroom is carefully planned and arranged into an artist studio consisting of various work centers. Students are viewed as artists and are provided creative freedom and encouraged to choose their own methods of artmaking. The teacher facilitates learning, encourages, and supports artistic behavior rather than directing and demanding a predetermined outcome. As a result, students learn to “collaborate with other artists, explore, try, fail, practice, dream, and reflect” (Hathaway, 2013, p. 12).
In chapter three of Engaging the Adolescent Mind, Ken Veith (1999) describes art curriculum created with an enduring idea that teaches the life lesson of inner exploration. This way of teaching art is unique because each lesson is created with questions, activities, and projects specifically chosen to promote inner exploration and self-examination. A variety of lesson choices provide numerous art experiences and exposure to various methods and mediums while directing the student to explore their inner self. Integration with other subjects enhances the students’ learning with a more complete understanding of the unit and themselves. Veith believes art curriculum developed in this fashion encourages creative problem solving, provides opportunities for students to take risks, influences the use of various materials, and produces personally expressive results (p. 71).
In Visible Thinking: Using Contemporary Art to Teach Conceptual Skills, Marchall (2008) describes an art curriculum guided toward teaching conceptual skills through the use of contemporary art. In this approach careful choice of contemporary works of art are made to provide a visual for students to observe, examine, scrutinize, critique, and study. The processes observed are then tested, practiced, and applied to the student’s own artmaking. Consequently, the focus of the lesson is on “thinking and concept development as fundamental art skills” rather than learning about “style, materials, techniques or genres of art” (Marshall, 2008, p. 44). Students are provided with strategies such as conceptual collage and metaphor to create artwork. An example given in the article is a collage of songbirds wearing helmets and carrying guns. In this piece, the artist uses powerful and recognizable visual imagery to create a collage that is simple yet complex. Through this process of creating a visual contrast, students are encouraged to reconsider previously held beliefs about specific images.
Personal Reflection
As I read the articles this week I identified with each of the authors. All the approaches had positive aspects and I can see myself using features of each one in some way in my classroom. While choice-based art education provides students with the opportunity to explore and use creative freedom, it requires space and a well-developed, well-planned classroom design. My classroom is small and there is very little room for roaming around. Having back-to-back classes that range from kindergarten through eighth grade presents another challenge. Some stations appropriate for middle school students might not be appropriate for kindergarteners. Again, a well-developed, well-planned design would be needed. The use of contemporary art is woven throughout my curriculum. I believe the inclusion of art history is needed. It brings insight and understanding to art education that cannot be replaced. Of all the articles I read, Vieth most closely fits my teaching approach, although all my lessons do not focus on inner exploration. I can see application from each of the articles I read, designating specific days to choice-based art stations, incorporating contemporary art lessons described by Marshall, and incorporating Vieth’s lessons as a unit on inner exploration.
References
Hathaway, N. E. (2013). Smoke and mirrors: Art teacher as magician. Art Education, 66(3), 9-15.
Marshall, J. (2008). Visible thinking: Using contemporary art to teach conceptual skills. Art Education, 61(2), 38-45.
Vieth, K. (1999). Chapter 3: Encouraging personal expression (pp.45-71) in Engaging the Adolescent Mind. Worcester, MA:Davis Publications.
October 11, 2014
Summary
There are many thoughts and ideas regarding what should be included in art curriculum and how it should be taught. Differences range from the freedom allowed in choice-based art education that encourages student directed lessons to more structured curriculum that focuses on specific guidelines, materials, and art supplies. Some believe lessons should concentrate on thinking and concept development as fundamental art skills where others believe lessons should focus on style, materials, techniques or genres of art. Although these methods are different in many ways, they all have one thing in common—a desire for students to develop creativity, cognitive skills, and an understanding and appreciation for art.
Key Points
In Smoke and Mirrors: Art Teacher as Magician, Nan Hathaway (2013) discusses the use of choice-based art education in the studio classroom. This type of approach moves from teacher directed to student directed lessons. The classroom is carefully planned and arranged into an artist studio consisting of various work centers. Students are viewed as artists and are provided creative freedom and encouraged to choose their own methods of artmaking. The teacher facilitates learning, encourages, and supports artistic behavior rather than directing and demanding a predetermined outcome. As a result, students learn to “collaborate with other artists, explore, try, fail, practice, dream, and reflect” (Hathaway, 2013, p. 12).
In chapter three of Engaging the Adolescent Mind, Ken Veith (1999) describes art curriculum created with an enduring idea that teaches the life lesson of inner exploration. This way of teaching art is unique because each lesson is created with questions, activities, and projects specifically chosen to promote inner exploration and self-examination. A variety of lesson choices provide numerous art experiences and exposure to various methods and mediums while directing the student to explore their inner self. Integration with other subjects enhances the students’ learning with a more complete understanding of the unit and themselves. Veith believes art curriculum developed in this fashion encourages creative problem solving, provides opportunities for students to take risks, influences the use of various materials, and produces personally expressive results (p. 71).
In Visible Thinking: Using Contemporary Art to Teach Conceptual Skills, Marchall (2008) describes an art curriculum guided toward teaching conceptual skills through the use of contemporary art. In this approach careful choice of contemporary works of art are made to provide a visual for students to observe, examine, scrutinize, critique, and study. The processes observed are then tested, practiced, and applied to the student’s own artmaking. Consequently, the focus of the lesson is on “thinking and concept development as fundamental art skills” rather than learning about “style, materials, techniques or genres of art” (Marshall, 2008, p. 44). Students are provided with strategies such as conceptual collage and metaphor to create artwork. An example given in the article is a collage of songbirds wearing helmets and carrying guns. In this piece, the artist uses powerful and recognizable visual imagery to create a collage that is simple yet complex. Through this process of creating a visual contrast, students are encouraged to reconsider previously held beliefs about specific images.
Personal Reflection
As I read the articles this week I identified with each of the authors. All the approaches had positive aspects and I can see myself using features of each one in some way in my classroom. While choice-based art education provides students with the opportunity to explore and use creative freedom, it requires space and a well-developed, well-planned classroom design. My classroom is small and there is very little room for roaming around. Having back-to-back classes that range from kindergarten through eighth grade presents another challenge. Some stations appropriate for middle school students might not be appropriate for kindergarteners. Again, a well-developed, well-planned design would be needed. The use of contemporary art is woven throughout my curriculum. I believe the inclusion of art history is needed. It brings insight and understanding to art education that cannot be replaced. Of all the articles I read, Vieth most closely fits my teaching approach, although all my lessons do not focus on inner exploration. I can see application from each of the articles I read, designating specific days to choice-based art stations, incorporating contemporary art lessons described by Marshall, and incorporating Vieth’s lessons as a unit on inner exploration.
References
Hathaway, N. E. (2013). Smoke and mirrors: Art teacher as magician. Art Education, 66(3), 9-15.
Marshall, J. (2008). Visible thinking: Using contemporary art to teach conceptual skills. Art Education, 61(2), 38-45.
Vieth, K. (1999). Chapter 3: Encouraging personal expression (pp.45-71) in Engaging the Adolescent Mind. Worcester, MA:Davis Publications.
