Hi! My students really enjoy hand-on activities rather than the text. Right now we are doing a project in pillow art. Even the boys like it. They would prefer making a pillow over going to an academic class. I will try to include a picture of one. How do I interest them in reading from the text? They enjoy slides, prints and overlays. But as soon as I bring out the text to show them an example of another artist's work, or to introduce art history, they lay their heads down, start to talk, some don't even open their texts! One student said he has books all day long and needs a rest from them. Tomorrow I will give them a survey to try to get to the bottom of this problem.
REFLECTIONS OF DANIEL PINK'S THEORY Mr. Pink has excellent concepts. He has left nothing out. It is very clear that these six senses are elements which lead us to monetary success in this world. The only problem is that our educational system has "missed the boat." The visual arts program seem to be the first to be removed from the curriculum when the budget is tight. What will be the source of right-brain education when art is taken out of the schools. It seems as though we are simking our own ship.
REFLECTIONS OF HOWARD GARDNER'S THEORY Mr. Gardner's theory has a survival technique for all economies including those on tight budgets. His theory emphasizes competency which can actually be realized with or without a strong visual arts program. In this global world of change, all one has to do is to master his five senses in order to be successful. I actually think mastering three will produce excellence in ones' career - the disciplined mind, the creating mind, and the respectful mind. The creating mind will have the tools to produce a synthesizing mind. The respectful mind will more than likely have the foundation for being ethical as well.
MY THOUGHTS ON ASSESSMENTS IN THE FINE ARTS Assessments in the Fine Arts is very important to the student, as well as to the instructor. It not only serves as a measure of improvement for the student, but it also puts the Fine Arts on the list of academics (as opposed to it being just a craft). Most educators still consider the Fine Arts as a class for weavers, an elective, or a break for teachers. The state needs to mandate tests for the Arts as well as for the core subjects. The fact that it has not been included as one of core subjects, puts a stigma on the Arts as being unimportant and useless. Many students even bring that same attitude with them in the classroom before even taking the course. Pushing art up to the top of the list of subjects begins with assessments. A pretest and a posttest need to be administered to each student in order to evaluate progress. And students need to know how they are improving. There needs to be an instrument by which to measure this improvement. Assessments of this type can even help to establish the Fine Arts as a major subject. Often too much emphasis is placed on crafts and instinct, rather than on mastery and technique. Pretests and posttests are the perfect tools to set the stage for this kind of accuracy. A final thought on assessment has to do with research. Most art instructors know that Visual Arts has its place in contributing to high test scores. They know that Visual Arts increase patience, discipline, visual acuity, accuracy, spatial acuity, and imagination. More research needs to be made in the area of assessing the correlation of the Arts with an increase in test scores - especially in the area of mathematics. If a correlation is found, I know this will make a powerful impact in the field of, not only Visual Arts, but also in education.
SECOND CLASS REFLECTION: Friday was very enjoyable! I had the students to go outside and draw trees. We started the basics of tree drawing in the classroom in our sketch books. Everyone was responsible for five items: their pencil, cup of oil pastels, drawing board, clip and blue paper. I brought plastic sheets on which to sit. We spread the sheeting around the back campus of the school and pretended we were at the Bahamas. Everyone selected a tree to sketch. The activity included sketching the tree and then adding value to it. One student even came to me and said, "Now I see more in a tree than I used to."
REFLECTIONS OF MY TEACHING EXPERIENCE THREE: Weeks before retiring, a few thoughts linger in my mind. What am I leaving behind; and what am I going to do in retirement?
I have been working since I was 16, and teaching for 37 years. I am convinced that I need to pass the torch now to the younger generation of teachers. They have the technical skills to work with this computer- generation. I move slower. Kids need someone with energy. I am getting forgetful. Students need teachers with good memories. At the same time, I know our generation of children enjoy and appreciate the older teachers - "the grandma images." Children understand the shortcomings and difficulties of the elderly and children do like to help them. It gives in the child a sense of responsibility and develops their compassion and respect for the elderly. Children love to create and engage in fun activities. So in my retirement, I would like to continue to make children smile. I will not miss teaching because I intend to continue it, but on a small level - just like my grandmother did for me. My mother used to say that one should make a contribution in life to the future generation. Most art teachers don't do backdrops for programs any more, and they don't consider bulletin boards as a canvas. But in a few more weeks, I can give all of that up and finally say that I have taken a long journey and left behind a footprint.
Hey! I see you got the slideshare to work. Good for you! Looks great. All the best on your retirement. You will be missed.
ReplyDeleteHi! My students really enjoy hand-on activities rather than the text. Right now we are doing a project in pillow art. Even the boys like it. They would prefer making a pillow over going to an academic class. I will try to include a picture of one. How do I interest them in reading from the text? They enjoy slides, prints and overlays. But as soon as I bring out the text to show them an example of another artist's work, or to introduce art history, they lay their heads down, start to talk, some don't even open their texts! One student said he has books all day long and needs a rest from them. Tomorrow I will give them a survey to try to get to the bottom of this problem.
ReplyDeleteFOOD FOR THOUGHT
ReplyDeleteHas the world of visual technology destroyed our children's motivation to read? Is the written letter becoming as obsolete as a record player?
REFLECTIONS OF DANIEL PINK'S THEORY
ReplyDeleteMr. Pink has excellent concepts. He has left nothing out. It is very clear that these six senses are elements which lead us to monetary success in this world. The only problem is that our educational system has "missed the boat." The visual arts program seem to be the first to be removed from the curriculum when the budget is tight. What will be the source of right-brain education when art is taken out of the schools. It seems as though we are simking our own ship.
REFLECTIONS OF HOWARD GARDNER'S THEORY
ReplyDeleteMr. Gardner's theory has a survival technique for all economies including those on tight budgets. His theory emphasizes competency which can actually be realized with or without a strong visual arts program. In this global world of change, all one has to do is to master his five senses in order to be successful. I actually think mastering three will produce excellence in ones' career - the disciplined mind, the creating mind, and the respectful mind. The creating mind will have the tools to produce a synthesizing mind. The respectful mind will more than likely have the foundation for being ethical as well.
MY THOUGHTS ON ASSESSMENTS IN THE FINE ARTS
ReplyDeleteAssessments in the Fine Arts is very important to the student, as well as to the instructor. It not only serves as a measure of improvement for the student, but it also puts the Fine Arts on the list of academics (as opposed to it being just a craft).
Most educators still consider the Fine Arts as a class for weavers, an elective, or a break for teachers. The state needs to mandate tests for the Arts as well as for the core subjects. The fact that it has not been included as one of core subjects, puts a stigma on the Arts as being unimportant and useless. Many students even bring that same attitude with them in the classroom before even taking the course.
Pushing art up to the top of the list of subjects begins with assessments. A pretest and a posttest need to be administered to each student in order to evaluate progress. And students need to know how they are improving. There needs to be an instrument by which to measure this improvement. Assessments of this type can even help to establish the Fine Arts as a major subject. Often too much emphasis is placed on crafts and instinct, rather than on mastery and technique. Pretests and posttests are the perfect tools to set the stage for this kind of accuracy.
A final thought on assessment has to do with research. Most art instructors know that Visual Arts has its place in contributing to high test scores. They know that Visual Arts increase patience, discipline, visual acuity, accuracy, spatial acuity, and imagination. More research needs to be made in the area of assessing the correlation of the Arts with an increase in test scores - especially in the area of mathematics. If a correlation is found, I know this will make a powerful impact in the field of, not only Visual Arts, but also in education.
SECOND CLASS REFLECTION:
ReplyDeleteFriday was very enjoyable! I had the students to go outside and draw trees. We started the basics of tree drawing in the classroom in our sketch books. Everyone was responsible for five items: their pencil, cup of oil pastels, drawing board, clip and blue paper. I brought plastic sheets on which to sit. We spread the sheeting around the back campus of the school and pretended we were at the Bahamas. Everyone selected a tree to sketch. The activity included sketching the tree and then adding value to it. One student even came to me and said, "Now I see more in a tree than I used to."
REFLECTIONS OF MY TEACHING EXPERIENCE THREE:
ReplyDeleteWeeks before retiring, a few thoughts linger in my mind. What am I leaving behind; and what am I going to do in retirement?
I have been working since I was 16, and teaching for 37 years. I am convinced that I need to pass the torch now to the younger generation of teachers. They have the technical skills to work with this computer- generation. I move slower. Kids need someone with energy. I am getting forgetful. Students need teachers with good memories. At the same time, I know our generation of children enjoy and appreciate the older teachers - "the grandma images." Children understand the shortcomings and difficulties of the elderly and children do like to help them. It gives in the child a sense of responsibility and develops their compassion and respect for the elderly. Children love to create and engage in fun activities. So in my retirement, I would like to continue to make children smile. I will not miss teaching because I intend to continue it, but on a small level - just like my grandmother did for me. My mother used to say that one should make a contribution in life to the future generation. Most art teachers don't do backdrops for programs any more, and they don't consider bulletin boards as a canvas. But in a few more weeks, I can give all of that up and finally say that I have taken a long journey and left behind a footprint.