Hello! Welcome to the Art Nest!
I am hoping to use this blog as a way to reflect, research, document & share my adventures in teaching high school art. I hope you enjoy reading my “hummings.”
For my first blog entry I would like to take a moment to reflect on the importance of advocating for your art program. With an ever struggling economy, arts teachers are encountering many difficult mountains to climb. One leader in advocating for the arts is Elliot Eisner. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with his 10 Lessons the Arts Teach, I encouraged you to visit this site. I have a copy hanging in my classroom.
Inspired by the work of Mr. Eisner, I have assembled my personal, top 10 reasons students should experience an art education based on my own experience.
10 Fantastic Reasons to Take an Art Class
10. Art allows students to discover new talents that they may not know they have.
9. Art is for everyone, of all ages, backgrounds, & experiences. Everyone can engage in art in some way and everyone has something to offer. (I also cannot stress how important participation in an art class is for the student with special needs.)
8. Art encourages the development of divergent thinking among its students. Our world needs creative problem solvers and art provides opportunities for students to stretch & develop these muscles.
7. Art is interdisciplinary. Education through art does not end in the art room. Art extends into other subjects including music, mathematics, science, history, & literature.
6. Art promotes the development of judgment. In creating & critiquing art students are constantly asked to form judgments; forming judgments helps students to acknowledge successes & make revisions. Learning to make qualitative decisions over hasty decisions could help students make better decisions in other aspects of life.
5. Art is participatory. It allows students to be active learners.
4. Art class provides opportunities for exploration and discovery. It allows students to explore different forms of expression, various mediums, techniques, subject matter, & philosophies.
3. Through participation in art production, students learn practice, patience, & persistence.
2. In the words of my step-daughter, “Art class is fun.” It allows students opportunities to express their individuality, develop motor skills, & build self-confidence. It is a past time that they can share with their family and friends.
1. If students do not experience the many aspects of art in school, where else will they?
In my school, my fellow art teachers and I have implemented the following practices in order to promote our Art Program.
· Hang Up & Display Artwork. The school is a public place that many different people come and visit. Sharing what is going on in the classroom with visitors and especially students promotes the importance of an arts program. It shows that the art program is alive, thriving, & prominent.
· Art Shows. In addition to displaying artwork, holding & participating in art shows is also an effective form of advocacy. My high school holds a high school art show at the end of the year. We also work with the elementary and middle school teachers to assemble a District Art Show for Youth Art Month in March. We gather artwork from all schools and assemble them on traveling panels that rotate around the district. We publicize the show through posters and inform parents of students who have work in the show. We also schedule the show to be on display during the Monthly School Board meeting. The students, especially at the elementary level, are always excited to see work from the middle school and high school.
· Class Scheduling. During class scheduling we take time to thoroughly discuss the art offerings with our students. We show examples of projects and discuss educational benefits of taking each class. During my first year I also made posters to hang throughout the building encouraging enrollment in an art class. I am currently re-designing these posters to use again this year.
· Communication & Student Recognition. My district requires teachers to maintain a teacher page on the district website. I have used this as a way to keep parents informed of what is going on in class and the arts program. I also send home Blue Cards to recognize student achievement. I write a note when a student comes up with a great idea, creates a well crafted/designed artwork, improves in an area, or simply to recognize hard work. I discover that so many of my students are timid in their art-making because they doubt their abilities. Recognizing their strengths is important to helping them become confident artists.
From the bottom of my heART I firmly believe that an education in the arts is a vital and necessary part of the education of all students. I know that when I was a student I looked forward to art class more than any other class and it opened up many doors and opportunities for me. An education in the arts has inspired me to become an art teacher. I hope that through my role as a teacher I can also inspire my students to do great things.
Thank you for reading my blog! This week I will be collecting sketchbooks from my advanced 3D Design class to grade for the End of the Quarter. I plan on uploading photos of student work to share my sketchbook assignments with you.
Until then, stay creative!