Art Class: My Little Trainee Teachers

I had this idea brewing for a while as I want to cut down my instructional time in class. Most of the time, I do give my instructions through Powerpoint slides, using the visualiser or do a live demo. My latest attempt is through recording my instructions and demo and showing them the video so I do not have to repeat myself so many times. The children can watch the video while I prepare materials at the back of the classroom. I do get the occasional questions such as these even when instructions were written on the whiteboard:

• Ms H. where do I hand this in?

• Ms H. Where are the markers/ coloured pencils/ scissors?

With composure and poise, I answered all these questions without twitching my brows. So, now let me present you THE TRAINEE TEACHER BADGE OF HONOR:

From Term 2, I have started these with some of my classes where I will choose a few children to be my little trainee teachers. My selection criteria starts from the time I picked them up from their class. You need to be explicit about what you are looking out for. For example, I will observe how quietly and quickly they move and how they stay in line while we walk to the art room. After my instructional time ends, anyone with questions related to the task should first seek help from any one of the trainee teachers. If that trainee teacher doesn't know the answer then he or she should go to another trainee teacher and so on. If all trainee teachers doesn't know the answer then they can come to me. When that happens, the problem must be me...

Artventures: Cyanotype for Newbies!

Hi there! We get a break for every 10 weeks of curriculum time. I spent my week-long break visiting museums and doing some experiments. This was my first time trying out cyanotype. I bought my chemicals online (Jacquard cyanotype sensitizer set) as I couldn't find any supplier in Singapore. It comes with a set of instructions so it's quite manageable. Just mixing 10ml of solution got me 10 prints of varying sizes. As the solution is light sensitive after mixing, I was coating my watercolour paper in the dark and the darkest area in the house is... UNDER MY DESK!! So, while the papers were drying, I went out to gather some leaves to make botanical prints. 

Coating the paper in bad posture

Using a piece of glass to hold the leaf down

3-5 min is all it took for the exposed area to turn bronze

I might not do a shower in the future as it seems too rough on my prints

Add some hydrogen peroxide to the water solution for immediate oxidation to occur

Art Class: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (Part I)

This is my second time trying out the lesson unit for the Primary 5 children. I started the lesson by showing the children some gruesome  emotionally-impactful images caused by our plastic ocean and asking them to discuss what they see using the See-Think-Wonder framework.

Next, we watched the trailer Waste Land (2010) and we discussed about how artists use their skills and knowledge to raise awareness on a marginalized group of people and improve people's standard of living. It's quite impossible for me to hear from everyone in a class of near 40 kids so I had them make their thinking visible in their sketchbook about this issue.

I was really glad when I had a student who told me that his father told him about Rob Greenfield because I was going to show them this video:

Some time last year, pupils from the Art Club visited the Singapore Art Museum and heard a local artist, Tan Zi Xi spoke about her artwork Plastic Ocean responding to the same theme.

When I was conducting this lesson for the very first time, I was very new to the children having been posted to my current school. It was very challenging as the children had a very strong preconceived idea of what art is and they weren't ready to accept such lesson as art lesson. My current cohort of children have been with me for 2 years so I find that they are more receptive in terms of being engaged in art discussion instead of expecting a step-by-step approach to art making all the time. Like Elliot Eisner says, the curriculum is a mind-altering device. Most children accept what they were given, as such, it's important to balance my approach towards art and since we are in a position to make the necessary adjustments needed to suit local circumstances.

Art class: Class Rule

In art class, I give my youngest pupils only 1 rule because it encompasses EVERYTHING. It's quite similar to when asked what my birthday wish was when I was young and I said infinite wishes. Hoping to use them throughout the year. That greed never outgrow in me.

Some people think of children as blank slate or egocentric. At 7 years old, according to Piaget's stages of cognitive development, the children should move away from egocentrism. However, we can't assume that all children would naturally advanced towards the next stage of cognitive development at the same pace. Thus, our job is to support their growth to the next level.

If someone had "forgotten" to return the art materials, I will say, are you being kind to your friends who have to return them for you? If they choose not to wear an apron, I will say, are you being kind to your parents/ caregivers who have to wash or replace your school uniform? If they didn't wash their paintbrushes, I will say, are you being kind to your teacher who have to wash them for you. For the first few lessons, I always direct their attention to the only poster in the art room which I shamelessly printed off the web.

The children experienced a lot of group work during art class within a compressed time so they learn to cooperate and form a team because they will realise that they cannot innovate alone.

Art Class: Building Spaces (Part II)

Part 1 of this post is here if you've missed it.

After the children started to use masking tape to attach the cardboard. I've also showed them 4 different ways of cutting and joining cardboard. The samples are secured onto the wall so that they can use them as reference. It's also important to make them see that we have to begin with the end in mind. For example, I've explained to them that we are not using clear tape because it'll be harder for the paint to stay. Ever since I muttered the word paint, some kids were asking me ARE WE PAINTING TODAY? at every lesson until we actually start painting...

I have other boys who followed him and started inserting the smaller toilet paper tubes into the big ones to make bullets.

"It's a tank"

A secret entrance to the house

"This is how the elevator moves"

"Flying House"

"A special way of locking the bigger rolls by inserting the smaller ones inside"

The last GIF that I've shown has an interesting background. When the children were doing this, I remember thinking that they really shouldn't waste my smaller toilet paper tubes by inserting them inside the bigger ones since they were not going to be seen anyway. At the same time I was also telling myself not to interfere with their work just because I don't have enough tubes. So, can you imagine my internal struggle?

I was really glad that I did suspend judgements about how things are supposed to be and asked for an explanation. He started to show me excitedly about his discovery being able to act as a locking mechanism and I knew that I would never have thought of this. And this was done during the times when the children were not given any adhesive yet. Thus, this encounter reinforces the idea that children are able to think for themselves when given the appropriate tools and opportunities to support their growth.

At this point, I would say my favourite question of the day was from a girl who asked me: Ms Huang, when are you going to start teaching us real art? HA!

PAL: Before PAL.

In 2004, Victor Chan and the Dalai Lama went to Vancouver to give public talks about the need to educate the heart. Then the Dalai Lama Center for Peace + Education was found and it triggered a movement to include Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in schools, By 2013, 90% of schools in British Columbia had such programmes. 

Danial Goleman (2015) A force for good: The Dalai Lama's vision for our world, p. 184. 

In his book, he bases his vision on Science rather than religion. He reasoned that if he offers methods from Buddhism about moral ethics and inner peace (he termed SEL as emotional hygiene) then people might dismiss it as 'just religion' but if science says these methods work, then there will be more openness.

The Dalai Lama says that our existing modern education system is orientated toward materialist values. Therefore, we need an education on inner values to lead a healthy life. He often returns to the idea that the right kind of education will help in solving many world problems from global warming to economic gaps and conflicts.

Perhaps PAL came about because of these. Nevertheless, at least we have an understanding of why we are doing what we need to.

Resources on SEL is here.