January 27: Assessing Learning in Art

Why do we assess learning in art? How can learning to self-assess in art transfer to other subject areas? Life endeavours?

We assess learning in art for much the same reason we assess students in other subject areas, it provides a way of informing students and their parents of the curricular expectations in regards to the work assigned. Assessment is also necessary to meet provincial standards and requirements. On a positive note, assessment provides teachers, students and parents a regular and consistent measurement of student growth as they progress through the art program.

Self-assessment is the application of metacognition to your work. And in art is a very valuable skill. Knowledge of your own thoughts and factors that influence your thinking and ultimately your actions as a result of your thinking and learning is something all humans do, but as teachers we can help students develop and expand. At a young age we can model for children. We can do think-alouds and then graphic organizers and soon it becomes second nature. Self-assessment in art is a very valuable skill. When self-assessing in art we look for technique, style, symbolism, and meaning. Similar attributes can also be sought it literature and cinema, as well as the other school based subjects science and math (technique), and English, history and social studies (all of the above). In each subject are we teach a different vocabulary to characterize the assessment.

Self-assessment brings awareness to a student’s work, it forces thought about both the final product and the creation process that will serve the child well when participating in other processes. Students can remember to look at both details and the bigger picture something that is helpful not only in assessing their artwork, but in solving math problems and writing papers.

January 25: Art Education in Contemporary Classrooms

To understand and actively engage in art, a knowledge and understanding of art must be cultivated at a young age. Some of our students will come from art rich environments where knowledge and skills were developed alongside an appreciative attitude with respect to artistic endeavours Many of our students will not have the benefit of such an environment, so our task will be to awaken or instill a positive attitude about art. . Art education is essential to the development of the whole child. Art curriculums serve teachers and students as the foundation from which teachers build lessons that will reach both ends of the student spectrum with regards to art experience. This means that the art we teach our students must reach beyond mere crafts and template projects to methods that would encourage not only the practice of artistic skills like drawing and painting, but also an understanding of what it means to create art, what art is and the history of art. We would be ensuring of course our students really understand the depth of art outside of aesthetic purposes, by engaging them not only in creation but also in research, viewing and discussing artworks of each other’s and in museums. Giving of course a more rounded view and understanding.

In order to have this ideal art education, one that would set students up for a later connection and relationship to art, it is essential that we as teachers ensure the curriculum allows time for these activities. Thus it is important to set aside separate time for art classes with the understanding that it is a stand-alone subject in many ways. It is true that art may be easily be integrated but it is important to ensure that the goals and outcomes are taught and that children are given that time to experience art in such a manner that the develop appreciation for art. In doing this we also must remember to acknowledge the different skills and backgrounds of our students and use this to encourage their individuality and creative growth, allowing them to learn from the world around them and from each other.

In allowing this accepting, inclusive and separate program time children are able to think in new ways leading to a higher level of understanding in all their learning. It allows them to observe, and explore the world around them more fully without worrying as much for the memorization and repetition of a standard lesson. While this new class and new subject may have difficulties with different abilities in its learners and the pressure of mainstream learning the benefits outweigh the difficulties and in assigning value to art programming as necessary not nice we reap benefits that are lifelong for our students.

January 20: Understanding the Learner

Complete Discussion Questions #5 & #6 at the end of the article “Understanding the Learner”.

5. To create a holistic portrait of one’s class you have to have an understanding of your individual students and where they are on a number of developmental planes. To do this in my classroom I will strive to not only know where the child is in terms of development, but also to find out the background, including language and culture that may have influenced their development. To gain this knowledge I will question the students and form strong working relationships with the parents so that we have open communication and cooperation between home and school. This develops a deeper understanding of the child which will enable me to create deeper levels of support for the child in his/her growth and exploration. Involving the parents is something I see as key to fully engaging the children and ensuring that they feel both safe and confident in expressing themselves in my class. Through this open acceptance and communication we will learn about each other and create a holistic portrait of the class.

6.
Knowledge of holistic development is key to providing appropriate instruction for my students. Each student develops individually and will often differ from their peers in how and when they fit the requirements for different stages. In a Kindergarten class for example you may find some children young for their age still in the here and now mainly kinesthetically focused while some may be more advanced and have begun to develop older concepts like time and distance which is not present in the less advanced stage symbolic representation renderings. Because stages can vary so greatly and because each child has their own unique story, experiences and interests, understanding holistic development allows you to cope with differences in the classroom in a way where all the students benefit and grow accepting the amazing uniqueness in what they are able to create.

January 18: Perceptions of Childhood

What preconceptions do you hold about the nature of childhood and children? How do these ideas affect your understanding of the role of the teacher and the nature of the content of art education? How did your experiences today confirm or change your pre-existing ideas?

When I think of childhood I think of freedom, innocence, fun and fresh-air. I think that the biggest preconceptions I hold of childhood are that childhood is a time of total innocence and a time of great exploration. My childhood held a lot of freedom, coming from a small town and spending a lot of my time in nature I was forever free to explore and experience my surroundings. My Dad drilled into me from a young age to always question the world around me, never be afraid to challenge what I knew and what others knew. I think that curiosity and questions are a large part of everyone’s childhood and crucial to growth and development. In terms of childhood I think of it in terms of innocence hopefully to the harsher realities of the world, they are not yet influenced by world issues, or by sarcasm or cynics.

This idea that childhood is a time for growth and exploration, that children are innocent and free affects my understanding of the role of a teacher because it allows me to be more open to growth. Especially growth on an individual level, in understanding that children need to question and experiment it helps me understand the need for flexibility. It shapes my view of the teacher’s role in that it allows me to see the teacher more as a guide, someone to assist sometimes, but mainly to support and encourage the student to move forward on their own and at their own pace. I think it also strongly shapes how I view and understand the content of art education. Because I see childhood as a time of freedom, I view art education as a process with a lot of room for interpretation. Most importantly, my understanding and ideas about childhood define what I feel should be the content of art education in shaping it to be an open concept. Art can and should be observed in the world around the child, so that he/she may appreciate it and try it. Art education should encourage and foster skills, at the same time that it strongly supports creativity and originality.


Today in watching James and the Giant Peach I found many of my ideas reinforced. The film reinforced my belief in the importance of imagination and the importance in believing in the capability of children, while I believe children hold an innocence a purity of sorts that allows them to see black and white good and bad more clearly I don’t believe that their innocence impairs their understanding. As we saw the importance of family and James part in that family it reassured me that children can actively contribute to our world with their own views and ideas and art is an amazing medium to allow them to explore, experiment and contribute with their voices and skills.

How do Sylvia Kind’s ideas about children’s art relate to those you have held? How can they guide you as you approach practice?

Sylvia Kind’s ideas about children’s art expand my previously held ideas and beliefs. Kind’s article, Windows to a Child's World: Perspectives on Children's Art Making, reinforced for me the range and abilities of children when it comes to art. The idea Kind puts forward about understanding each child’s needs, preferences and abilities puts me as a teacher in a mindset where I can work to challenge and engage them. The emphasis Kind places on the ability of children especially serves as a keen reminder that children are capable and we must engage and challenge them. The ideas about kinaesthetic learning will be key in guiding me in my practice, especially with the young children with whom I plan to work. Working with our whole bodies and range of movement to create art will be important. Engaging the students bodies in art, using different movements and exploring the physical world will be things I will take from this article and keep in the forefront of my mind from now on when working with children. It will also influence me in remembering that as children can be involved I should be sure to stimulate them with many different environments and materials to keep them stimulated and actively engaged and exploring.

January 11: Discuss your best and worst art experiences

My best experience in art that I remember happened a little later than elementary school. I was in tenth grade and had a new teacher for the first time and she was an amazing influence on me. It is hard to pinpoint just one experience as the best because she opened me up to so many great experiences in the three years I had classes with her so I guess I will go with one of the first projects that ended up getting through to me. I don't remember the exact guidelines but it involved choosing a song and creating a piece that embodied it. Our only restriction was we all had to ensure it fit on the piece of paper she gave us. I choose the song "99 Red Balloons" because at the time my friend and I were obsessed with it, although I knew very little about the song beyond thinking it had something to do with War. I struggled with the project at first in researching the song and its lyrics and then with how I wanted to use it. I had an idea and I wanted to draw it in shades of black and grey with only the balloons in color but none of my sketches worked the way I wanted. My teacher Ms.L stepped in and worked with me. Ms. L not only helped me learn some new and very important skills while we worked on this project(such as how much a little shading can help!) but she introduced me to a broader range of materials than just pencil and paint. The final project was something I hadn't thought I was capable of and couldn't have imagined when i started out. It made me proud that I had actually drawn something that looked good! This experience is so memorable because it really helped me grow. I had never had the opportunity to learn skills for drawing or painting or just actually any art skills because it was not focused on in my schools, however this experience taught me I could create and that I could learn the skills to draw or paint beyond finger paintings and stick men. It was my first time creating something I could actually call art and the growth and learning as well as the pride I felt when I completed it are what made it so good and so memorable!

As for a negative experience thats harder. I think it would have to be more general as nothing specific comes to mind. probably just the general lack of art education I had access to until high school. I was never taught about art and so I didn't think it was something I could learn, I kind of believed that you either could draw or you couldn't, you were either good at art or you weren't. I think earlier exposure to the actual creation of art would have made the arts on a whole more accessible. I guess my worst experience is that I barely had any experience, heck I barely even crafted in school.