School Art as a Student Reflection
EDU 302: Methods & Curricula in Teaching Art
I actually don’t remember any of my elementary school art teachers. Some of the schools I attended didn’t have art. Some of them we alternated art and music, but mostly I just remember music and band. Music and art can certainly be paired together in the umbrella of Visual and Performing Arts.
But, as far as visual arts, I do remember being part of a lesson plan experiment in second grade. We were making half masks, either out of papier-mâché or plaster. We sculpted the masks directly onto our partner’s faces! There were clear rules about safety, not to cover someone eyes, nostrils, or mouth, for example. It was, however, a complete mess. The period was too short for most of the masks to dry enough to be removed from the models faces. Being short on time made cleanup rushed, leaving a sticky mess everywhere, and washing hands in a bucket is nothing compared to trying to wash your face and dry it with paper towels.
We ended up scrapping the project and tackled masks again later with a pre-made base. I know because I’ve seen my final product in my mom’s closet, but I don’t remember making that mask at all. I just remember the process for the failed masks.
My takeaway as an educatorÂ
Teacher samples are vital for planning
Experiment and explore as a class
While completing a project and having something to show for your work and time is valuable, process is far more memorable and educational. It’s okay to experiment and explore new ideas and new territories with students, but it’s important not to skip the process yourself. Is there going to be a difference between your work and the students? Between doing something yourself and teaching it? Between working alone vs. in a class of 20+? Absolutely! But you can be best prepared by trying it on your own first before braving into uncharted waters with your class.
Students can also learn and have fun through discovering the process themselves! Clear, step-by-step instructions aren’t always mandatory.
My younger sister is graduating high school this year. She’s had a more recent elementary art education than I have, and called to tell me about her favourite projects. I was surprised that so many of them were so technique or vocabulary based! Similarly, in my observation of an elementary school, most of the projects were exceptionally stencil-like, “just follow the steps”, or otherwise school-arty or crafty. But the kids loved it! But perhaps what is most fun and what is most engaging are not always the same.
She enjoyed those the most if they incorporated multiple elements. Such as landscape paintings that focused on foreground, middle ground, and background when drawing, and tertiary color relationships when painting. She remembered the terms and concepts she was supposed to learn, but there were likely 20 squiggly hill landscapes. Would adding an element of importance to the place have been too many elements in one project?
She also recalled disconnected version of tactile and diverse arts. Such as printmaking with cardboard, or quilting with folding paper. I’m reminded of Brianna and Abby’s glue Batik “Textiles of Your World” project from last semester.
At what point does a process become too disconnected from the original form to merit doing? Or is it a contemporary exploration of affordable materials and methods?
