Today I was confronted with being a butt of a joke for dedicating my life to art and art education. It is awful (and hurtful to those of us who are artists and art teachers) that there is so much continued misunderstanding concerning what an art teacher does and why art education is important. Evidently we have left some gaps of information and it has created a stumbling block that we keep coming up to over and over again. Art Education is no longer the glue-macaroni-to-a-piece-of-paper activity that some may have experienced. It has changed and progressed dramatically. This is my brief attempt of filling in some of those gaps of misunderstanding by means of sharing a typical art lesson from inside the classroom.
Example of Student Work: Hope Tiles
Planning: Before the school year began, I spent my entire summer writing curriculum for the grades that I taught. Think all teachers have a carefree summer? They seldom do. This particular lesson was planned out under an overarching theme of "Persuasion and Visual Culture" that I chose based upon the 6th grade Visual Art State Standards and their level of development. I chose this due to the need for the students to recognize and question the messages and visual information popular culture is sending them through symbolism, especially since they are becoming a prime target group for advertisers and the media. The lesson covered seventeen state standards complete with vocabulary, mathematics, hands on learning with clay and the process of ceramics, art history, current news topics and social issues, as well as whole class and small group discussions, group critique, and written self-evaluation. I broke it down into days so it wouldn't seem so overwhelming - the whole lesson is eleven pages long. I was glad that I planned it out into day by day progress due to the necessary notes of revision I scribbled across the printed pages as we went along. The point is is that art takes what students have learned in the other subjects and outside of the school walls and allows the student to deepen their understanding and gain mastery. In order to do this, I need to be on top of my game with art history, current topics, different art processes and media, and the core subjects. I need to be able to research all of these subjects and creatively put them together to provide a solid, effective unit that is cohesive. I need to be on my toes and be able to revise or completely change the curriculum from year to year in order to stay relevant and best serve the students and their educational needs.
Covered Subjects in a Single Lesson: It's easy to see that the students had a wide array of interests and the results of this project are not cookie-cutter, but instead reflect their individuality. This is important! In so many other subjects, there is only one correct answer or one correct format that is important to a successful outcome. Discussions in the classroom were lively and interesting as the students talked about current issues that were important to them in brainstorming sessions with their class of peers for this project. Above we see their unique symbols about animal care and rights, taking care of the environment, creativity and energy, and the global community - and that's just four responses! They learned more about themselves and using visual communication effectively, as well as each other's interests. As a result of engaging the students' interests, they were motivated to spend much more energy on the clay project and researching their subjects outside of school. Motivation was not an issue. In fact, this project acted as a catalyst for family dinner discussions for several of the students, which only helps to support the powerful communal effect of art and its impact.
The Process of Creating: It's important to encourage the students to experiment and take risks with their projects. So many students would begin this project with timid, shallow carving and very little building up of the surface. They were doing great, but needed an extra bit of encouragement to go further with it. They were afraid of messing up. When in the classroom, any of my past students will tell you that I was rarely standing still. Instead, I was continuously making my way around the room to meet with each one of them as much as possible to encourage, guide, and support them during a work session. Some of the materials they may never have used before and they need to be encouraged to go for it and test out different ways of using them. So many students are afraid of messing up, but mistakes are sometimes the most powerful teachers by providing extensive use of creative problem solving. They can become happy accidents too! This idea is the very backbone of science and invention. We have to be willing to risk failure in order to progress and we need to nurture this philosophy of mind every chance we get with the future generations.
In-Process Critique and Fine Tuning: We are a learning community. In-process critiques were good experiences for the students to relate to each other's creations and provide constructive feedback while establishing a respectful, trustworthy learning environment. Craftsmanship and attention to detail were incredibly important to the success of their tile and were important in taking their designs to the next level. After guided small group critiques, the students knew what to strive for and to see their own progress. They gave helpful tips to one another as well - some were irritated with the fussiness of the clay surface, but through experimentation with the carving tools and water, they came up with successful approaches for clarifying their artworks and would share this with their group. Several professions rely upon craftsmanship and/or attention to detail. It's not uncommon for those going into forensics or into the police force to take art classes in order to improve upon their observational skills and attention for detail. We use craftsmanship everyday through our handwriting, in addition to cooking a good meal, knitting a sweater for Auntie Fay, building cabinets, rebuilding a classic car, cutting hair, the list goes on and on in everyday life for everyone, not just artists.
Evaluation and Reflection: It doesn't mean anything without evaluating and reflecting. What one did successfully or what one would change provides fodder for moving forward and gaining knowledge. Often I would have the students self-evaluate their work, after all, who has a better vantage point of effort and intent than the creator. This would count for a percentage of their grade. One would ask, "Well why wouldn't everyone give themselves an A+." You would think they would, but they don't. Actually, more often the opposite is true - they grade themselves too harshly due to either humility or feeling insecure. The students who do this are often times brilliant students who put in tons of effort, but they cannot see their own brilliance. It's my job to ensure that they see it and encourage their confidence in themselves. Now art teacher turned counselor? Haha. Well, really, any teacher would tell you the same. We do this a lot. We need to not only improve the students' cognition, but also support their emotional well-being. Since creative fields yield countless right answers, students tend to doubt their confidence and skills. The rest of their grade is my responsibility to give them feedback over their result, the art elements/concepts/goals, improvements, and participation according to the rubric specially made for that given project. The students are made aware of this grading rubric from the beginning so that there are no surprises. Yes, art is subjective, but with reflective and responsible rubrics, it can be evaluated successfully. Just because art itself can be playful and fun doesn't mean that it's not hard work. It is hard work that requires perseverance and the students should be rewarded with the grades they earn. This again allows for feedback for the student to build their confidence and allow them to see how to get to the next level and ultimately, mastery.
In summary, I do not teach art for arts sake. I do not teach art in order for students to just scribble upon pages, or color neatly inside coloring book lines. I do not teach art as just a fun thing to do to pass time. I do not teach art in order to offer an "easy A" class, and waste student time and tax payer's dollars. I do not teach art in order to provide classroom teachers with state mandated plan time. I do not teach art in order for it to be considered a "special" class that is the equivalent of indoor recess.
I teach art education because I am an artist that wants to give back to the community by guiding young minds to think critically about the world around them and be active in solving complex problems. I passionately believe in the power of art to incorporate all topics and subjects as a means to develop a better sense of connection and knowledge about our world while fostering communication and understanding.
Though hard economic times have gave way to cuts to art education programs, that does not mean I am any less of a professional than any other teacher or business professional. I have worked hard and am still learning. Absolutely everything I do in a classroom is founded in educational research which is constantly improving as we learn more about our cognitive abilities. I know that there are a trillion things that I did in the classroom that are all just parts of being a teacher that I did not mention (classroom management, motivation strategies, establishing learning community relations, etc.).
If you're a fellow art teacher, please feel free to add to this about what all you do on a typical day in the classroom. I would really love for this type of mentality about teachers, and specifically art teachers, to be stomped out. We shouldn't be treated as anything less than hard-working professionals who have worked hard to achieve what we have and will continue to do so.
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