Torbett - Post #2

Teaching the Visual Arts

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 opens with a great question...."How shall we think about teaching art?"  Which, immediately made me wonder how I approach teaching art.  Do I start with fundamentals?  Technique? How Do I get them jump started?

As many of you know, our county (Catoosa) in Georgia, does not have a structured art classes available to students until the 9th grade.  No Middle School art program at all.  I find that hard to believe, and wonder if that may be the reason a lot of students have no confidence in their ability to create art when they come to my class (Graphic Design), or the other offered art classes.  Students simply have no faith in their abilities to create art, because they have never been "taught" it formally. Hmmmmmmm.

This lays a heavy burden on myself as an art teacher.  It automatically demands that I am extremely critical in my approach in teaching art to young "virgin" art students. Let's be honest.  Some students have natural abilities, some are just average at everything they do, and some need alot of help.  However, I still find it strikingly odd that almost none of them have confidence in their abilities to create.  So.....Where to begin?

Eisner believes that we must engage one's imagination....WOW!  I dont remember that word in the standards that I am imprisoned within.  Learning how to tie in standards with imagination would be the perfect starting point to a successful art class.  Also, another critical thing to consider would be feedback.  Making sure that you are positively influencing each child by making them feel comfortable to imagine and create.  Asking and LIVING the Questions with students can be another most positive approach to helping young "uneducated" artists feel comfortable in their abilities to create.

Chapter 4

Now that I have looked deeper into teaching art, I am drawn more closely in chapter 4 in asking the question..."What has the student learned?"  My question is how is that gauged?  By their standardized test? or by What are they "taking" from my class when they leave?

My class is basically (with the exception of the first 4 weeks of introduction to History of Art and fundamentals thereof), a project-based computer art class.  The technical form of my class lies with rigorous instruction on how to get students to learn the programs needed to create designs, followed by projects that allow them to be boundary less while creating, then place their creative message in a box that MUST be within dimensions.  I call this thinking outside the box, and then placing it all in the box. Much like a jewelery piece.  Much creativity goes into the making of a fine watch, but at the end of the day, it gets tucked inside of the jewelry box.

In Eisner's "What the Arts Teach Section, I paused and reflected on each:

Attention To Relationships
Flexible Purposing
Using Materials As a Medium
Shaping Form To Create Expressive Content
The Exercise of Imagination
Learning To Frame The World From an aesthetic Perspective
The Ability To Transform Qualities of Experience into speech and text

Moving to the next segment which discusses what to look for in finding out if your students are actually learning or "How Does it Show?"  Amidst all of the paragraphs following this, I believe that I typically judge what the student has learned based on the artwork that they create.  I am not always looking at quality, but I am looking at the aesthetics.  What they "took" from the project.  Which area they embraced.  What areas they could improve upon.  Etc Etc.  I hope this reflection made sense.