Art with Choices


There are several approaches to teaching art and throughout my career as a teacher I always try to engage the most students with a passion for creating art. Year after year I develop class projects, see how the students respond and modify the project for the next year. To me the teacher directed class project seems to be missing the element of creativity, self expression and the excitement of creating something new. 

I recently found out about teachers that are buzzing about what happens when art projects in classes are directed by the student. This approach to teaching art is called Student Choice. There are two well developed methods for student choice called Teaching Artistic Behaviors and Studio Habits of Mind. Both of these approaches are similar and encourage independent thinking, problem solving, and allow students to develop the skills and thought process that allows for the creation of original works of art. 

I am excited to see where the journey into student choice art instruction will take us. I anticipate students that will be able to choose what messages they want to express, practice the skills they need to develop, and feel the pleasure that comes from making art. 

The Creative Process

Creativity is a strange animal. There really isn't a set of instrucitons you can read and learn how to be creative. With an growth mindset, anyone can learn to develop a more creative mind. The idea is to develop divergent thinking skills, or realize there are multiple solutions to the problems we face in the art studio. 

Safe Boundaries

With student choice, I am willing to open up the world of artistic possibilities for each and every student. It will be exciting to see the creative process unfold for each student. As artists they will help each other along, learn from each other, and reflect on the process and outcomes of their peers. In order for this to be possible we do need to establish an understanding of mutual respect for all artist in the classroom and members of the Glacier High School community. 

I've never done this, what do I do?

How can you learn to make art if there are no directions? This can be an intimidating realization however it's what artists do everyday when they get out of bed. How am I going to create? What should I do next? It won't take long for you to realize the answers to these questions will unfold through the process you take to create your artwork. 

 Assessment and Grades

A brief discussion about assessment and grading art. How can a person possibly grade artwork if every student is creating a completly different type of artwork? Is it possible to quantify or judge the quality of an artwork? Could you walk through an art museum and hand out grades to every work? 

Drawing Choices at Glacier:

Pencil

Water Soluble Graphite

Ink

Color Media

Charcoal

Color Media

Paint choices at Glacier High School:

Sumi Ink

Water Color

Gouache

Acrylic