What was said in the
article about teachers often giving
their students high expectations when it comes to interpreting art has held
true in my art experiences (Nordlund
& Speirs, 2010). It takes me back to an elementary
school observation I completed about a year ago. The teacher was trying to get
the students to understand the meaning behind Picasso’s paintings but she did
not seem to be getting very far. Her method was standing in front of the class with
a poster of Guernica telling the
students that the art was about a battle that happened in Spain. Even though
the students may have been able to regurgitate that answer, they did not create
any sort of deeper connection to the piece. Teachers often assume that their students are
able to make these deeper connections on their own but this is often not the
case (Nordlund & Speirs, 2010).
When a student is placed in an environment that fosters a deeper level of
thinking better results can be achieved (Nordlund & Speirs, 2010). In reality there
needs to be steps like the ones laid out in the article to help students grasp
everything they should be getting from important art pieces (Nordlund & Speirs, 2010).
Especially ones on a subject they may not be confronted with otherwise. Feminism
is not something that students, especially younger ones, often encounter in their
academic career. It is important for teachers to recognize this gap and prepare
to fill it.
The
article proposes a number of steps that should be included in a lesson in order
to foster a deeper understanding of works of art (Nordlund & Speirs, 2010).
These steps center around the idea that students’ opinions need to be heard and
valued and connections need to be made between what they are learning about
when it comes to the Dinner Party and
feminist art work, and their daily lives (Nordlund & Speirs, 2010). I would like to comment
on a few of these steps and the role the sketchbook plays in them.
The first step I will
discuss is the encouraging dialogue step (Nordlund & Speirs, 2010). In order for students
to expand, strengthen, and challenge their ideas a dialogue needs to open up (Nordlund & Speirs, 2010).
Students however, often struggle to start engaging discussions, are hesitant to
divulge their opinions, and need a moment to form collect their thoughts (Nordlund & Speirs, 2010).
A sketchbook allows students to log their opinions, thoughts, and ideas; later this
log can be used for a variety of things (Nordlund & Speirs, 2010). A teacher can view
the log and assess where gaps appear in student understanding, students are
able to reflect back on earlier beliefs they held and challenge these beliefs
with new information, and students can compile their thoughts in order to
create concise responses during verbal discussions.
The second step I would
like to discuss is the reflection step; in their article Speirs and Stewart
encourage reflection to take place and suggest having students journal in their
sketchbooks as a solution (2010). Using a sketchbook as a reflection tool
allows for students to reflect and synthesize information on many different
levels. They can utilize literary,
visual, and tactile methods as a way of deepening their understanding. They are
able to take the information they
learned from the lessons, guest speakers, and class dialogues and compile them
into one key pool of knowledge. They are also able to express things they may not feel comfortable sharing in front of the class.
A sketchbook is a pivotal
part of every artist’s studio but in the classroom the sketchbook can be taken
and used on a more academic level. It can help students compile and synthesize knowledge
in a creative and less threatening way. A sketchbook becomes a student’s
personal take away that a teacher can review and use to understand their
students. This understanding will then lead to better teaching practices. The InternationalSociety for Education Through Art actually has a web page where they talk about
the role a sketchbook can play in empowering students in their education (Briggs,
n.d.). It suggests letting students decorate and personalize their sketchbook
so they feel they have a space where they are free to express their own private
opinions in their own way free of judgment (Briggs, n.d.).
References
Briggs, P. (n.d.). The Access Art Sketchbooks in
Schools Project, UK. International Journal
of
Education
Through Art, 4(2). Retrieved from
Nordlund, C.,
Speirs, P., & Stewart, M. (2010). AN INVITATION TO SOCIAL CHANGE:
Fifteen principles for teaching art. Art Education, 63(5), 36-43.
Retrieved from
I enjoyed reading about your ideas about how we can encourage student's learning in the classroom in interesting ways. Sketchbooks are a really beneficial aspect of the art classroom. I do know, however, that teachers often abuse the sketchbook process. Like you said, students may know how to regurgitate an answer but they struggle to truly gather meaning out of a lesson when teachers do not adequately explain what they are looking for. From personal experience, seeing hundreds of blank pages in a sketchbook can be intimidating. Art teachers need to create a space that is totally comfortable and offers empowerment. I think sketchbooks are a great way of allowing students to have liberties in the art classroom.
ReplyDeleteAfter our class conversation with Brent Wilson and seeing his interest in journals has really persuaded me to take an interest in journals. However, if I choose to incorporate the use of journals in a classroom setting I might toss around the idea of making a journal optional, because I have had art classes were a almost full sketchbook was required and it was really a thorn in my side. I personally do not enjoy writing too much either, but I think I would allow an alternative option like some sort of 3D journal. I would be curious to research and see if anything exists in the realm of art and I think Brent Wilson actually touches on something like a 3D journal.
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