Art Class: Unit of Perspectives

I always thought it was normal...

I have been wearing glasses when I was 10. When I was in primary school, I had always envied my classmates who wore glasses (sigh) and I would often "borrow" theirs to put on. So, my wish was granted when I couldn't really see what my teacher wrote on the whiteboard and the school nurse sent a letter home asking my parents to have my eyes checked. I don't know if wearing people's glasses would worsen my otherwise 20/20 vision but it's definitely not due to doing desk work nor having any screens to stare at. 

Besides being short-sighted, I have astigmatism. I'm too chicken to go for Lasik or deal with its side effects so I have to make do with glasses. It wasn't until years ago that I discovered that people who have astigmatism view night vision differently. Both my parents need not wear glasses so I had to explain to them what I see and it was especially uncomfortable driving at night. The glare from other vehicles create halos and the lights radiating from each headlight/ street lamps make it hard for me to focus. Sometimes, I even need to squint to read the LED road signs. 

If we see everything through our lens, then mutual understanding would not come easily. That means all the more we need to seek first to understand than to be understood. This comes to my point about discussing perspectives in class. I showed some optical illusion artworks that could potentially mess with their perspectives due to preconceived ideas and using that as a common experience for class discussion. If you read this news about vulnerable children unconsciously or maybe consciously spending real cash on virtual games, then I suppose the game developer truly understood the targeted market/ players well to enable the consumers to part with their money willingly. Not all mode of payment require the use of credit cards, I know students who purchased cards from 7-11 stores because they wanted to unlock achievement levels or acquire accessories in the game. 

In the case of the gaming industry, they sure make a point to practise empathy so they can achieve their intended outcomes.

Art Class: Seeing is Believing? [Part II]

The upper primary children were given isometric paper (as shown in the first photo) to draw their names in 3D bubble letters. They were given isometric dot paper as they had experience drawing quadrilaterals in their Mathematics class. Some of the children had a lot of difficulties writing 3D bubble letters but they were determined to own their own 'glass paint' so they had to redo their work. Some words of encouragement definitely helps and also practical help from their friends to ensure no one is left behind.

The children's work are kept between wax paper, with the waxy side facing the glass paint. I've tried chicken rice paper and freezer paper and both worked well. Children should learn how to take care of their work, especially in the process of transportation so they can preserve it for the enjoyment of others. They were warned that it would be disastrous if the glass paint come into contact with other worksheets in their bag!

Art Class: Seeing is Believing? [Part I]

We started the lesson with the above question. Some children love to debate on this issue as they have personal real-life examples to share. Then we proceeded to watch Professor Richard Wiseman video on "assumption". While some have problems explaining the meaning of assumption, I just asked them if anyone check for faulty stools before taking a seat in class (Usually none of them do). So, by not checking, all of them are making an ASSUMPTION that their stools are good to sit. The children today isn't as gullible anymore. BUT, you can't always assume! The part about discerning facts from fiction especially online is still my thing. So, I like showing them another video "the ball" that is fun to watch.

Throughout the unit, we had discussion about various artwork and artists related to the theme such as the Ames illusion, M.C. Escher's work, notice the anamorphic skull in "The Ambassadors" painting, read story about "The contest of Zeuxis and Parrhasius".

Link real-life examples of what the children are learning where possible. For example, you can share the research by Kokichi Sugihara, a Japanese Mathematician and his 3D optical illusions that are used to help in reducing traffic congestion on freeways.