The way art is taught can be very important in a student’s life. To understand the living, breathing passion that comes from the Arts can benefit every human. Art is the reflection of the world we have and will continue to live in. To reflect on art can create self, social, and societal awareness. Teaching art can:
Build social and critical thinking skills.
Problem solving is a large piece of experimentation through observation. This is introduced when students are given the opportunity to see problems and generate multiple solutions.
Widen the range of creativity.
Some students may view art as a possibility only if you are “talented”, but once they are exposed to the artistic process and all art/design, more opportunities are created.
Move students from fixed mindset to growth mindset.
When instruction and assessment is aligned with a growth mindset, students can view failure as a step forward.
Celebrate that art communicate humanity and the nature that comes with.
Art brings life, culture, and universal language. It can be a way for students to connect their personal life and desires to a larger community.
Give students an opportunity to express and communicate in alternative ways.
Visual communication helps students be honest about their ideas, thoughts, passions, frustrations, etc. Art is a way to share yourself with others.
Help develop the idea of judgement.
Through the practice of artmaking, an understanding of judgement can come through practice and investigating through existing artwork. Whether it is manipulation of material or success of an artwork.
How do “understand”, “know”, and “do” connect?
To create something beneficial for students, there must a big idea. An overall understanding of a broad concept can help students transfer life skills in and out of the art classroom. This helps connect the content being learned to the outside world. Once students inquire the content they are learning, then come independent thinking and artmaking. They can transfer knowledge and doing the skill that is in front of them.
What is instruction?
Studio Habits of Mind
Aligns well with standard based instruction because in Colorado, the standards align with the natural artistic process.
Develop Craft, Engage and Persist, Envision, Express, Observe, Reflect, Stretch and Explore, and Understand Art World
Understanding by Design
I begin with my big concepts and desired results, establish what I would want to see from students, then build how I would deliver.
Experiential/inquiry based
This method of instruction can be very useful to generate independent thinking and understanding. This can lead to motivation, asking questions, and development of personal interest. It also helps student hone different skills.
Reflection is a strategy to help students look back at the process and use comparison with different stages. Reflection establishes awareness.
How does instruction and assessment connect?
When I choose different assessment methods, it affects how students learn, grow, and transfer their knowledge. Assessment is a tool to understand your students on a deeper level to help design specific instruction to best fits their needs.
What are the types of assessment in art? Who is it for and why?
Authentic
An assessment that gives students an opportunity to perform a real-life task. It is a way to see students use skills that they will find outside of the art classroom.
Formative
An assessment that is acknowledged or performed within a process or project.
Summative
An assessment of the finished results that can include reflection. Reflection can gather all concepts learned within a lesson or project.
Performance assessments
An assessment that is collected while students are actively doing specific actions.
Assessment can look very different and can provide a range of results. Assessment can be a simple one on one discussion or a detailed reflection. Assessments are beneficial to students and teachers. It allows decisions to be made that will help students understand and teacher learn to fit the needs of their students.
What is the relationship with accommodations in assessment?
Because assessments can have a wide range of form, accommodations can be made easily. Teachers can add visual aids, literacy templates, different mediums and tools to help students communicate the best they can. When the student is able to demonstrate their learning and struggles, the teacher can make changes and adapt. What does assessment look like in relation to standards?
Assessment and standards align through backwards design. Once big concepts are collected, the standards are matched with multiple concepts. The standards help solidify different aspects of the lesson, then formative and summative assessment are implemented to understand how standard can best be used.