I have found from my experiences as an art teacher that art education plays an important role in many students’ day to day education. For many students, art is seen as an outlet from the daily rigor of a school day. Students in art courses are asked to put their own creative twist into their work often in my classes, and this is not always the case in other school subjects. Students are asked to do something that is considered different in art classes compared to more ‘traditional’ subjects. Art education allows for students to utilize the right side of their brain and exercise the creative problem solving skills required in art based courses. I have seen students benefit much from this in my teaching experiences thus far. While some students may struggle in creating art for numerous reasons, students grow artistically and academically from persisting through a struggle rather than giving up. I fully recognize and understand that most of the students I teach will not pursue art as a professional career, but I feel that it is important to at least expose students to creative problem solving skills at some point in their academic careers.
Choices
Allowing students to make choices in their art has been something that has come up repeatedly in my teaching experience, and it directly relates to managing the art classroom. Providing students the opportunity to choose variations on their art projects benefits both the students and the classroom as a whole. In terms of management, engaging students in their art making helps the class run smoothly since students don’t have the ‘time’ to disturb others and get off track. I have experienced that this is a truly effective management tool. Another benefit from providing students the option to make their own choices in the art classroom is that students are able to put more of their own personal meaning into the work. For example, at the high school level my 2-D Design students created a collage based on an event, person, memory, or dream that has impacted them in some way, shape, or form. The students in this class were very engaged in the process and trying to visually represent their story, and therefore, the end products were exceptional. Since students put a lot of themselves in their art, they wanted to produce something that was of high quality. The final thing that I will address here in terms of student choice in the classroom is how these choices help differentiate the process and/or product for the students who may need it. I’ve experienced that allowing student choice is a simple way to differentiate and reach all of the students in my classroom at a given time.
Organization
Organization of the art classroom is something that has come up many times in my teaching thus far in my career. I have experienced so far the more organized I am in my teaching, the more organized my students are and the class will overall ‘flow’ better. For example, it is crucial for me to have a strong understanding of where everything is stored in an art room so I can find a material/equipment easier or quickly direct a student to where they need to go. Taking the time to know your classroom space is an effective way to manage time and students on any given day. Organization of a classroom is very closely related (in my opinion) to safety in the art room. While instructing students on how to use potentially dangerous equipment or materials, I’ve found that it is key to have a set procedure for these things. Safety is crucial in many art practices, especially if there are many people using the space at one time. In terms of instruction, it’s essential to take the time to address proper safety measures and procedures; this will help the art classroom function in a more orderly manner. When considering traditional photography for example, students will handle various chemistry to process film and paper prints. There is a set procedure in my current classroom where when students are done processing their rolls of film in the chemistry, they need to touch base with me in order to move forward with the process. This step is crucial for a couple of different reasons. The first one being that there is one chemical that should never be poured down the drain as it has the potential to pollute the water supply. The other reason for this step is to help avoid cross contamination of chemistry. This step helps serve as a simple reminder to students to put their chemicals back into the correct jug; if this step is neglected or improperly done, there is the potential for ruining an many students projects and costing a substantial amount of money. Overall, addressing safety issues in the art room is a crucial step in constructing an art class as it helps serve as a management tool for student behavior and flow of a classroom.
Choices
- Engaging Art Lessons
- Personal Meaning-Making
- Differentiation of Process and Product
Allowing students to make choices in their art has been something that has come up repeatedly in my teaching experience, and it directly relates to managing the art classroom. Providing students the opportunity to choose variations on their art projects benefits both the students and the classroom as a whole. In terms of management, engaging students in their art making helps the class run smoothly since students don’t have the ‘time’ to disturb others and get off track. I have experienced that this is a truly effective management tool. Another benefit from providing students the option to make their own choices in the art classroom is that students are able to put more of their own personal meaning into the work. For example, at the high school level my 2-D Design students created a collage based on an event, person, memory, or dream that has impacted them in some way, shape, or form. The students in this class were very engaged in the process and trying to visually represent their story, and therefore, the end products were exceptional. Since students put a lot of themselves in their art, they wanted to produce something that was of high quality. The final thing that I will address here in terms of student choice in the classroom is how these choices help differentiate the process and/or product for the students who may need it. I’ve experienced that allowing student choice is a simple way to differentiate and reach all of the students in my classroom at a given time.
Organization
- Effective Storage
- Procedures
- Safety
Organization of the art classroom is something that has come up many times in my teaching thus far in my career. I have experienced so far the more organized I am in my teaching, the more organized my students are and the class will overall ‘flow’ better. For example, it is crucial for me to have a strong understanding of where everything is stored in an art room so I can find a material/equipment easier or quickly direct a student to where they need to go. Taking the time to know your classroom space is an effective way to manage time and students on any given day. Organization of a classroom is very closely related (in my opinion) to safety in the art room. While instructing students on how to use potentially dangerous equipment or materials, I’ve found that it is key to have a set procedure for these things. Safety is crucial in many art practices, especially if there are many people using the space at one time. In terms of instruction, it’s essential to take the time to address proper safety measures and procedures; this will help the art classroom function in a more orderly manner. When considering traditional photography for example, students will handle various chemistry to process film and paper prints. There is a set procedure in my current classroom where when students are done processing their rolls of film in the chemistry, they need to touch base with me in order to move forward with the process. This step is crucial for a couple of different reasons. The first one being that there is one chemical that should never be poured down the drain as it has the potential to pollute the water supply. The other reason for this step is to help avoid cross contamination of chemistry. This step helps serve as a simple reminder to students to put their chemicals back into the correct jug; if this step is neglected or improperly done, there is the potential for ruining an many students projects and costing a substantial amount of money. Overall, addressing safety issues in the art room is a crucial step in constructing an art class as it helps serve as a management tool for student behavior and flow of a classroom.