Student (at) Work!

A High School student throwing a mug on the wheel

A 4th grader creating his 2D Navajo pottery

High School Student's glazed hand-build mug from a slab

5th grader's logo design in progress..

10th grader's narrative storyboard photography

9th grader's toothbrush holder ceramic design

David Hockney inspired photography composite assignment..

Use of line in photography assignment..

Ceramic mask inspired from another culture..

High School self-portrait drawings..

High School ceramic container with decorative feet..

A Taste of my Art Education Teacher Portfolio!

Artist-Teacher

I was surfing the web and came across an interesting titled book: Artist-Teacher: A Philosophy of Creating and Teaching.. The title made me think..

The term artist-teacher, teaching artist, and artist-educator have been used in recent years to qualify a commitment to each of these roles (art and education). Emphasizing the word artist in one's title clarifies the importance of creating art. This term is more than just a descriptor but an actual concept for bringing art making philosophies into the classroom. It may be that the best teachers are not pedagogy experts but those who actively embrace their studio thinking processes in the classroom. Every art teacher should teach relevant curriculum that they are excited about! Re-inventing what it means to be an art teacher involves being an artist and applying this passion in the classroom. By viewing the classroom through the discipline of art, this space becomes a canvas in which the artist-teacher manipulates the students and curricula like the elements and principles of design. As a philosophy of teaching, artist-teacher is not considered a dual role but it involves the integration of artistic experiences in the classroom. I feel these two activities - teaching and making art - actually supporting one-another, despite being difficult to balance.

After reading the SYNOPSIS, I was even more intrigued.. I think I will add it to my holiday wish list! Fingers crossed!

"I can't draw."

I have heard many students in my fieldwork say "I can't draw!" I usually respond with a number of responses.. "you might surprise yourself.. rome wasn't built in a day.. don't compare yourself to anyone except for yourself!" Here is a piece of art history I found that is truly inspirational.

Henri Matisse was born on December 31, 1869 in France. He became a famous artist by the year 1900. By the age of 78, he became a cripple and had to remain in a wheel chair. He could barely move his fingers due to arthritis. That didn't stop him. As you see in the picture, Matisse began to cut out shapes from colored construction paper and had others glue them down for him to make a collage. He did this all from his wheelchair. Soon he became so lame that he was stuck in a bed. That didn't stop him either. When he painted one of his last paintings, he was rolled on his bed in the church.

"I consider it my best piece of work. I hope that the future will justify this opinion by a growing interest," Matisse said before he died in 1954 at the age of 84. Even though he was old and crippled, he decided that nothing was going to stop him. Will anything stop you?

The Word: "Standards"

I appreciate the evolution of education, of couse I do, but it just seems as if everything has become so "standardized." CHILDREN ARE NOT STANDARD. Neither are our budgets, our locations, our communities and everything else that goes along with teaching our future. Instead of trying to have our children reach the same test scores, goals and achievements, wouldn't it make more sense to look at each child as an individual and teach to their strengths? 

 Standard 1: Creating, Performing and Participating in the Arts

Students will actively engage in the processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts

(dance, music, theatre, and visual arts) and participate in various roles in the arts.

Standard 2: Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources

Students will be knowledgeable about and make use of the materials and resources available for

participation in the arts in various roles.

Standard 3: Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art

Students will respond critically to a variety of works in the arts, connecting the individual work to

other works and to other aspects of human endeavor and thought.

Standard 4: Understanding the Cultural Dimensions and Contributions of the Arts

Students will develop an understanding of the personal and cultural forces that shape artistic

communication and how the arts in turn shape the diverse cultures of past and present society.

Self Reflections

I think that self reflections can be used as a valuable assessment. If you structure the questions around your learning objectives students will be able to work on a number of skills. They will work on their writing skills while having the learning objectives of the lesson be reinforced. HERE is an article about the benefits of self reflections and assessment strategies.

Reflection on Today's Class: Collaboration

Today the following question was brought up: How do you teach collaboration effectively?

This made me reflect upon my experiences working in groups/collaborating.. because you can't expect people to learn how to work positively in groups simply by putting them in groups. Plenty of people who have engaged in group work possibly still do not know how to work well in groups. Learning requires instructions, guidelines, and feedback. Every member should have a chance to "share the stage" and provide for the group. It should be the job of the teacher to explain the project, possibly even do a demonstration of collaboration, break down tasks for each member of the group, and let the collaboration begin from there. A teacher cannot simply expect for collaboration to be effectively learned if thrust upon students without guidelines. At the end of the project, students should reflect upon why the task at hand was necessary to preform as a group and why their job was necessary to meet that specific group goal.

just some thoughts!