Imagine walking into an art classroom and seeing all of the students hard at work. You wonder what the assignment is for the day because no students are working on the same thing. One student is making a strawberry yule log, another student is making a skull out of a spatula to represent a sugar skull from his Mexican culture, and you observe drawing, painting and sculpture projects taking place throughout the whole class. What does all this mean? Why are all the projects different? These are real life examples from art classrooms I have taught in that follow an art education philosophy called Teaching for Artistic Behavior. In this curriculum the students make the choice on what to explore because the child is the artist and they get to make the decisions regarding their art making. If I were to give a step-by-step assignment on how to draw and paint a flower you would probably see a hundred flower paintings that looked the same. Does this show you anything about the students and their interests or does this show you that I am actually the one who knows to draw and paint a flower? The person making all the decisions is the one doing all the learning and I want my students to be the ones making the decisions because this is where their learning and growth takes place. By giving them the opportunity to make choices in subject matter and medium they can explore work that is meaningful to them and they are engaged in the learning process because they have a say in the artwork they want to create.
Examples of the variety of student projects found in a single middle school choice-based art program
When I say I provide choice this doesn't mean that students are let loose in the art studio with no instruction. It is still my job to provide students with the tools in their toolbox to help them achieve their goals. This can take the form of whole-class instruction, individual instruction and helping students learn how to generate ideas and work with a theme or prompt. By creating a classroom setting with specific routines and structure I can help students work towards independence. This will happen more quickly with some, but by meeting each child where they are I can adjust my teaching strategy to differentiate learning to meet the needs of all learners.
Source: The Open Art Room, by Melissa Purtee and Ian Sands, 2018
Think Like an Artist
My goal as an art educator is to teach students how to think like artists. Artists don't just sit down and create a masterpiece from nothing, but rather they explore subjects that interest them, do research, come up with a plan, make discoveries and reflect on their process. As the students work through their projects, I can help them learn how to communicate visually and reflect on the art-making process. By providing the opportunity for students to self-regulate their artistic process I can better meet the needs of all learners. Another important part of my curriculum will be teaching students how to talk about their own art, the art of their peers and art in the world. By examining art, children can begin to make connections between the themes of art and how this connects to the larger world around them. Another important aspect of my curriculum will be introducing the ways in which art can be used to enhance the community, for example, mural painting or making art for those in nursing homes. This way of teaching art creates high expectations for each student and provides them with numerous ways to problem-solve, invent and share their ideas.