“Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education” by Hetland, discusses the important lessons sometimes not seen that are learned in a “rigorous visual arts class”. These attributes are “Motivating and Instilling Passion, Cultivating sustained Attention, Combating Frustration, Working hard to meet a deadline, and developing the ability to delay gratification or working without seeing the endpoint”. Here are some ways these are passed on by a passionate Art Educator.
Motivating and Instilling Passion: Art is continually motivating. There is an intrinsic enjoyment in creating something that you envision with your own hands. Art Educators should model this passion and pass on their own excitement in creating to their students. “A good teacher loves what they teach”; a quote I’m not sure where it came from but I’m sure it’s true. Getting students involved in their school and world is one way to create motivation and engagement.
Cultivating sustained Attention: Art projects that require students to plan how to construct the piece along with how much time it will take will help in facilitating sustained attention. In ceramics as well as other media you have to plan your time carefully. With thrown pieces they need to harden enough to turn them upside down to trim the feet, and with handbuilt pieces the process of letting the pieces dry to the correct hardness is very important. Many other mediums also can be broken down into different construction parts. The students should be guided to plan out their studio time and any outside time they may need to spend in preparation for class time. Large projects should be discussed to see if the time needed is appropriate and the student will be able to complete the piece they envision in the time available.
Combating Frustration: Art Educators need to combat frustration in the classroom by helping students deal with unexpected problems. Instilling an attitude of learning from our mistakes or our failures is important. When practicing an Art we are doing just that. When our ideas don’t work the way we planned we re-plan or we are flexible to change. When working on technical skills the students often find what works best for them by practicing. Curriculum should give students time to practice skills without expecting a perfect outcome. Being a coach for learning from our mistakes can instill a good attitude towards trying new things in the future for our students.
Working Hard to meet a Deadline: In my own artwork I have found I need a deadline as well as a timeline for completing a project. When I don’t have a deadline I sometimes leave the piece and start another one when the first one was almost done! Art class should give students a chance to display their work. To display a piece that they are happy with may mean waiting until they have spent time practicing the technical skill. They then can work on a finished piece that they would like to display and they will have to complete before the deadline. They will gain pride in all the work they did and gain an understanding of how much time is spent creating Art.
Developing the ability to delay gratification (working without seeing the endpoint): Practicing technical skills is important in working towards being able to construct a piece of Art you are envisioning. Learning to work with a media until they acquire competency needs an attitude of not worrying about a finished product at first. In ceramics there needs to be much time spent practicing working with the clay before they worry about finishing a professional looking bowel or cup. The atmosphere should be one of practicing and experimenting with the medium and allow the students to develop skills gradually before putting importance on final outcomes. Eventually they will feel comfortable with the material and finished pieces will emerge.
Learning to work together and respect each others work and work space is another important objective gained through Art Curriculum. The classroom becomes a place where they can feel safe to learn and create. Students gain self-esteem and self-awareness in expressing themselves creatively.
Resources:
Hetland, L., Winner, E., Veenema, S., & Sheridan, K., (2007) “Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education”, Teachers College Press, New York, NY
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