Teachers.Net Focus Session - The use of Art in the Classroom

Teachers.Net Focus Session
Monday, January 11, 1999
Art in the Classroom
Sponsored by

Kathleen - Eraser, thank you for agreeing to share your beliefs and ideas about the use of Art in the classroom at Teachers.Net tonight. Eraser teaches Art to children with "special needs" but knows that Art is beneficial for all children and adults. More than a prep time for teachers......:-) Eraser, take it away :-)
¤êrã§êr¤ - All children need a variety of experiences to assist them in exploring their environment. Through art, children learn to value their own uniqueness and to appreciate the individuality of others. The teacher needs to choose art activities of variety which will contribute to all aspects of a child's development.
¤êrã§êr¤ - Art provides an opportunity to augment creative expression, self discovery, self esteem and self concept. It has been documented that each work of art creates a sense of achievement in the child or children who create the art.
¤êrã§êr¤ - Social development is enhanced as children learn to cooperate during group art projects. When individual projects are combined as in art quilts, young artists gain a sense of individual contribution to a group product and develop a "we" feeling.
¤êrã§êr¤ - Small muscles, eye-hand coordination, dexterity, and a sense of rhythm are developed as children engage in art activities.
cherry - I teach in public school where the arts are not valued and it saddens me. How can we change that mind set???
¤êrã§êr¤ - are any teachers afraid to try art projects...because of the "mess"
Kathleen - eraser, I know that some teachers do avoid the mess
¤êrã§êr¤ - Cherry ...by demonstrating the learning value of art activities
deb - 2nd grade teacher. I am worried that I won't do it right.
jen/ca - not mess...sad lack of quality materials
Ippah - I certainly avoid certain art projects because of the mess
Cassandra - no because the students have pride in working on a project and cleaning up after for the next group....I teach 190 student in the art classroom per day
jen/ca - make that ANY materials, sometimes
cherry - I don't mind the "mess" but it makes my assistant crazy.
¤êrã§êr¤ - Once you plan for the mess and see that it's worth the experience...the rest is easy
Pat B - I feel so limited in what I can offer in the way of an "art lesson".
Doug - eraser-how do I know that i am not doing "cutesy art" versus meaning based art?
Carla - I love messy projects, especially w/ my youngest.
Kathleen - eraser, how is "Art" defined so that people undertand that it is not cut and paste color within the lines worksheets?
deb - what are some of the projects reg. tchrs could do? Is there any good books to buy? Remember I am not an art tchr.
¤êrã§êr¤ - art often adds to any subject, its a way of getting the kids up and moving...real learners engaged in the activity
jen/ca - monart is a great resource--very teacher-friendly and great results from my 2nd graders
cherry - eraser, are you familiar with the Mona Brookes method of teaching children to draw? What do you think?
¤êrã§êr¤ - art is about open ended questions...a chance for the kids to comtribute their ideas on a subject matter
Kathleen - eraser, there was a comment about being inhibited by the lack of quality materials. Are quality materials necessary for adequate art experiences?
Doug - eraser- when I use the arts as a response to a literature experience, i find that the experience is usually a retelling. How can their own experiences be woven into the project?
¤êrã§êr¤ - Mona Brookes...yes its a great book
Cassandra - projects can involve the elements of art line, shape, form, space, color and texture
¤êrã§êr¤ - in literature, Doug, the students can alter a story ending to suit their lives...and illustrate accordingly
¤êrã§êr¤ - Art does not have to be expensive...found objects or recycled objects are great
Kathleen - eraser, how is "Art" defined so that people undertand that it is not color inside the lines?
Doug - eraser- but my Kindergarteners tend to need input. Is there a general rule for shutting up and allowing children to explore?
¤êrã§êr¤ - Kathleen a definition is difficult...art is about everything...its a person's thoughts, ideas...put into visual expression
Pat B - I give the students opportunities to draw, but I'm sure that isn't enough. What else can I do to make it an art experience!?
¤êrã§êr¤ - Doug...I follow my instincts...there's good loud classes and there are disruptive loud classes...loud can be productive if you recognize the difference
Kathleen - eraser, I think Doug means, how much teacher input?
cherry - I would like some good sources for independent art activities that I can set up and put on the art shelf for the children to take on there own (after been shown the how-to's of course.) Do you have any web sites for this?
Cassandra - read to them while they are working about artists and art students Scholastic arts have excellent ideas.
¤êrã§êr¤ - Pat B...get some input from the kids with questions...NOT what is that? but tell me about this area of your drawing....it opens a new dialogue
¤êrã§êr¤ - http://www.auntannie.com
Pat B - But should I be trying to teach them about line, color, balance, etc? I don't know about any of that stuff!
¤êrã§êr¤ - Pat B ...line shape...the "elements of art" is for the art department...using an art lesson to suppliment your teaching invites the kids imagination
Kathleen - eraser, as soon as you say art "lesson" many worry that they aren't trained to do that
¤êrã§êr¤ - learning about volcanoes is cool but making one and seeing it erupt...knocks 'em out everytime
¤êrã§êr¤ - The art "lesson" is just part of the planning and its important to test drive the activity
Kathleen - eraser, where can the average, non-artist classroom teacher find guidelines or objectives that will help them plan art experiences for their students?
Doug - eraser- is the art lesson like writing (a work in progress), How does revision work into it?
¤êrã§êr¤ - there are many links that help the teacher http://www.dhc.net/~artgeek/index.html
Pat B - Eraser, could you give an example of a 2nd grade art lesson that I could use tomorrow?
¤êrã§êr¤ - http://daycare.miningco.com/library/weekly/bltrash.htm
Carla - eraser, is there any good literature available that I can refer to parents who always want a "product" or as I call it "COOKIE CUTTER ART?" - Preschool Teacher
¤êrã§êr¤ - the concept of enlarging...to make bigger..using georgia Okeeffe flower series...let the kids use pastel and silk flowers
¤êrã§êr¤ - Carla...there is a great book called "Don't move the Muffin Tins" its activity or process oriented
Cassandra - winter wonderland showing students forground, middleground and background. Terms to discuss near/far big/little narrow/wide example of winter wonderland artist grandma mary moses "sugaring up"
Pat B - eraser, great! It is very difficult for 7 and 8 year olds to allow their art to go off the page! This will be fun!
¤êrã§êr¤ - Cassandra...i also do Winter self Portraits and the proper way to dress....the kids love the cutting and pasting to dress their pictures of themselves
¤êrã§êr¤ - this is Kinderart...a good link http://www.bconnex.net/~jarea/lessons.htm
¤êrã§êr¤ - I have a web site at http://www.geocities.com/athens/oracle/1594 ....there are 2 great link pages
Kathleen - eraser, is displaying the results of art explorations important, or should it ever be down-played?
cherry - What kind of clay do you like to use with young children? I can't find one that works or it might be that I'm not setting it up right. It usually ends up on the floor, clothes, etc.
¤êrã§êr¤ - I find it is important to display the work...my web site always reignites the students to try their best
¤êrã§êr¤ - I use the regular terra cotta type firing clay
Kathleen - It seems hard to determine what is a child's "best" when it comes to art, yes or no?
¤êrã§êr¤ - using clay requires a setup...plaster batts to absorb water...a defined working area and a good plan of action what are the kids supposed to do with it
meeha/ece/tx - how young a child do you use the 'terra cotta' type clay with? with preschoolers are the fingers strong enough to mould it -- or do adults need to work with it first (air bubbles and all)
¤êrã§êr¤ - yes it is difficult...but when you know the child and the threshold for difficulty...it's easy to see when a child is abandoning a work or is really finished with a work
Cassandra - what grades do you teach, eraser?
Kathleen - let's talk about clay for a while..good questions
¤êrã§êr¤ - meeha/ece/tx my 4 and 5 year olds use the terra cotta {{but i make the high schoolers soften it for extra credit}}
Kathleen - eraser, does that clay have to be "fired"?
¤êrã§êr¤ - Clay is excellent for kids even the flour mixes work well
meeha/ece/tx - do you always fire the terra cotta?
¤êrã§êr¤ - I teach k-12 special education...learning and behavior disorders
¤êrã§êr¤ - terra cotta is a firing clay...drop in water without firing and it turns to mud
Cassandra - IST FIRING FOR HARDNESS 2ND FOR COLOR OR GLAZE
meeha/ece/tx - how long does it take to soften the clay -- and how does one know when the air bubbles are pretty much out of it?
Kathleen - eraser, what activities are helpful for soothing a distraught or angry child? Would best be something s/he can use independently
cherry - What about painting. Do you like to use an easel or have the children paint on the table?
¤êrã§êr¤ - Type a question like "how do I use art in the classroom" in ask Jeeves http:aj.com and he delivers alot of answers
¤êrã§êr¤ - an easle is best...but my kids use the table top...and it gets messy for sure. they know they are allowed to get as messy as THEY are willing to clean up
Kathleen - eraser, what activities are helpful for soothing a distraught or angry child? Would best be something s/he can use independently
¤êrã§êr¤ - Kathleen...i teach those types of kids and sometimes showing the world what you want to protect is NOT a good idea
cherry - But do you settle for the clean up being the best that they can do or do you expect them to clean up as we would like it to ultimately be?
¤êrã§êr¤ - I suggest cutting out pictures of things the child likes...basketball players, animals and I offer a safe envelope for later use
Kathleen - eraser, I don't understand your answer about "showing the world what you want to protect is NOT a good idea"
¤êrã§êr¤ - cherry...My room is always left as clean as when they arrived OR ELSE!!! LOL
¤êrã§êr¤ - if a child is distressed...the last thing he/she needs is to "perform" face a blank page and produce
¤êrã§êr¤ - Kathleen..my kids engage in self destructive behavior though...not the norm for most teachers i bet
Kathleen - I like the idea of allowing him/her to cut out pictures of things s/he likes..
Kathleen - So, scissors might not be a good thing to offer, could do paper tearing instead
¤êrã§êr¤ - Kathleen..yes that works well...giving credit to the childs world and offering a safe place for those things brings the child around
kate - I like the ideas of cutting pics too
cherry - Do you a lot with collages of various kinds?
¤êrã§êr¤ - Collage is great...but these days of magazine adds i have to edit alot from the pages LOL
kate - I also have a number of multiply handicapped students. Many hand over hand for even holding a pencil. Any resources for ideas when mainstreaming into art classes
Kathleen - yes, magazines used to be a great resource, but you're right, none of them is safe anymore
¤êrã§êr¤ - kate marbelizing paper or hand dyed paper is a great activity...are you ready for paper making? its a sure hit..but high maintainance
Kathleen - eraser, special accomodations for handicapped students?
kate - my kids will love the mags idea. lots of languager opportunities too
2323 - Eraser - have you done any paper moldings?
¤êrã§êr¤ - define handicapped...there are many things to do...but which handicap
Brutus - I used to teach multiply handicapped children. I have a book The Special Artist's Handbook Art Activities and Adaptive Aids for Handicapped Students by Susan Rodriguez
¤êrã§êr¤ - 2323 ...my high school kids did repros of famous works using paper making methods
Kathleen - Brutus, that sounds like an important resource for classroom teachers who are involved with inclusion
meeha/ece/tx - how about a child who can cut -- but doesn't demonstrate any sense of line (even when it is there in thick marker!) we do primarliy 'free-style' art, but they must be able to follow directions and cut accurately, too!
2323 - Is it something that could be done with 2nd graders?
¤êrã§êr¤ - meeha/ece/tx i have a great lesson for that..called "add it up alligators" e-mail me for it
Brutus - Meeha - try using a highlighter on the lines you want them to cut. I have had some success with that.
¤êrã§êr¤ - 2323 basic paper making is good for your kids...great results
kate - No language or effective communication systems yet found except some eye movement. No self directed motor skills, etc. I am painting with a hot wheel car in a box with one student as he is autistic and loves the car. Age 14. Lots of sensory, but I run out of ideas. Any resources for this level?
Kathleen - I tell the kids the scissors are the car and the line is the road, works with some
cherry - Do you do any sewing/quilting activities with your kids?
¤êrã§êr¤ - kate dipp marbles in primary colors and roll them over paper set in a pop-carton box looks like Jackson pollock stuff
¤êrã§êr¤ - cherry YES!! Faith Ringgold and her book Tar Beach is wonderful
¤êrã§êr¤ - cherry i used paper squares and sewed them together for a class quilt
Kathleen - cherry, I haven't..the kids have contributed fabric squares that are sewn together in the classroom with a sewing machine (adult operated)
¤êrã§êr¤ - My e-mail red114@geocities.com
¤êrã§êr¤ - wallpaper cut to small squares make a nice border too
Carla - My kids made a friendship quilt. This was an at home project. They were able to decorate their square with family with paints, jewels, etc. then all were sewn together to make a quilt. I also did this with self portraits.
cherry - I want to try a "peace quilt" in conjunction with a peace curriculum I'm trying to incorporate into my class.
Kathleen - cherry, that would be nice for Marting Luther King themes
¤êrã§êr¤ - cherry great idea....
Kathleen - eraser, is there anything you want to post into the transcript before we close?
cherry - Although the children in my class all work individually and not in groups or whole class lessons, the "Art " component to my class is very important. Thanks eraser for a great hour!
meeha/ece/tx - thank you, eraser!
¤êrã§êr¤ - my site http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/1594/ look for the kids projects and the 2 pages of links
Kathleen - I will go there soon, eraser! I'll bet it's a wonderful and inspiring site! Thank you and good night!
¤êrã§êr¤ - thank-you all...it has been a pleasure
cherry - looking forward to visiting your site and also getting ideas from your links. Thanks
¤êrã§êr¤ - {{grin}} it has been a labor of love