Art Class: Our Artist Talk

As an early career teacher, I have heard my fair share of advice from other teachers. One of them told me that the best students often have endless opportunities, if you can provide (the opportunities), give it to those who need it the most. She was referring to those students who are always so outstanding holistically that their names would always appears in mind or representing the school in something. They are also the ones who are likely to clinch awards and be selected for certain roles in school. The teacher said, look out for the mediocre students. They are also capable of doing a good job if given the same opportunity but they are more likely to be overlooked because they are less hungry. I think her bottom line is the best gets better overtime with practice while the average just remain average and in no time the gap becomes wider.

Talent alone don't feed you. Team work is emphasized in class as some children's self-centeredness scares me. 

Last week, some Primary One pupils spoke about their artmaking experiences to the public. It was held at Scape Mall at The Ground Theater. They wrote their own script first in school and after interviewing them, their own words are translated to a script. Since they are the ones presenting so using their own words would beat mine.

It was great to see parents cheering for the children (not necessary theirs) and I think the proudest moment would be to witness your own child growing from a struggling reader to someone who could read fluently in front of an audience. Credit goes to their parents for being so supportive and involved in their children's interest. Definitely purposeful learning for everyone. Guess the advice came in handy after all.

Art Club: Pupils' project.

The revised Bloom's taxonomy (Fig. 1) is a framework derives by Benjamin Bloom in 1956 to categorise the order of thinking skills where the tip of the pyramid display higher order thinking. With Create as a verb (Fig. 2), Art provides a platform for pupils to display acts of planning, problem solving and meaning making for improvements or radical innovations.

Figure 1. Extracted from http://thesecondprinciple.com/teaching-essentials/beyond-bloom-cognitive-taxonomy-revised/

Figure 2. Extracted from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/

While there are different versions of the design process or so called thinking process. The design thinking model (Fig. 3) by d. school, as the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University is referenced as it's often held in high regard for how interdisciplinary design thinking and creativity can be taught.  

Figure 3. Design Thinking Process

There is no lack of information of Design Thinking when you run a search online. I was worried that Design Thinking or its counterparts such as Maker Movement or STEAM education are a fad so I read up on the following articles just to wrap my head around these ideas first. You can also sign up for an account on Coursera for this course, Tinkering Fundamentals to get started.

Related articles/ books:

• Petrich, M., Wilkinson, K. & Bevan, B. (2013). It looks like fun but are they learning? PDF 
• James Haywood Rolling Jr (2016) STEAM Locomotion, Art Education, 69:6, 4-5
• Don Glass & Colleen Wilson (2016) The Art and Science of Looking: Collaborative Learning Our Way to Improved STEAM Integration, Art Education, 69:6, 8-14
• Kelly Gloss & Steve Gross (2016) TRANSFORMATION: Constructivism, Design Thinking, and Elementary STEAM, Art Education, 69:6, 36-43
• Kelly W. Guyotte, Nicki W. Sochacka, Tracie E. Costantino, Joachim Walther & Nadia N. Kellam (2014) Steam as Social Practice: Cultivating Creativity in Transdisciplinary Spaces, Art Education, 67:6, 12-9
• Sarabeth erk (2016) Designing for the Future of Education Requires Design Education, 69:6, 16-20
• AnnMarine Thomas, Making Makers: Kids, Tools and the Future of Innovation. (2014) Maker Media: USA
• Wagner, T. (2012). Creating Innovators: The making of young people who will change the world. USA, New York
• Brown, T. (2009). Change by design: How design thinking transforms organizations and inspires innovation. USA: New York
• Schell, J.(2008). The art of game design: A book of lenses. Morgan Kaufmann Publishers :USA

ArtScience Project

Here's a sneak peek to what I'm up to during the Summer break. I think the children will be thrilled to do more hands-on activities and create their own games when school reopens.

Artventures: School's Out! Summer's In!

Hi teachers! How did you spent first week of the Summer break? The pessimist in me tells me it's ending real soon. How nice to sleep in and losing track of time doing your own things. 

Just last Sunday, I've contributed an art activity for Pesta Ubin 2017. I'm lucky to have my friend, HT, to help out this year. We went to Pulau ubin the previous week to do some preparation. Thanks to the organiser, Ria, and Uncle Lim, the drink stall owner, who lend us his shop space so that we don't have to break our backs sitting on the ground. Our canvas were the treated coconut husks. Uncle Lim kept them for us and after sunning and sanding them, they were good for painting. Things were moving at a good pace but the sun was unforgiving. I love the smell, sight (grains) and quality of natural wood. I still marvel at how thoughtful the way nature works: you can have something to eat (coconut flesh) and drink (coconut water) and paint (husk) all-in-one compact design. You can view more pictures here. 

Equity & Equality

Do you discuss something deliberately in class that's not exactly related to Art? I like to start my first lesson (especially to a new cohort of students) explaining to my students about the difference between equity and equality by introducing them my propaganda wall. In school, everyone recite the National Pledge during morning assembly daily. Since they are not going to receive the same treatment from me throughout the year, I think it's clearer to be explicit about my actions by adopting a single word from the National Pledge and began my lecture.

Out of the Classroom!

I like seeing children learning beyond the four walls. To consider the environment as the third teacher, we've got another art room this year and we are doing away with furniture so that children can move more freely. Some small desks were bought with the intention of doing our class work in other parts of the school (like the school garden). The children can move around easily with the desk and make group work more convenient. Simple safety briefing were conducted first before usage and so far even the 7 years old are using them responsibly.

Art Class: Understanding Understanding

In art class, we adopt the Havard Project Zero Thinking Routines for assessment. You can view the video below:

I enjoy reading the children's writing especially when their artwork has a personal connection to themselves. Time will usually reveal what is significant to the children. I told them that I snapped photos of their work so that everyone can learn from each other. It has more relevance when they know they are going to view/ read something from their friends rather than of the teacher's work sample. Art is also one of those subjects where children can use their 'heartware' (soul) instead of emphasizing on the 'hardware' (end product). It helps when I know more about the children because it helps in planning the kind the lessons that are important to know and engaging to them as well. For example, if the majority of the children are responsive to music then perhaps we could study the lyrics/ text in a song/ poem.

At the same time, I'm also using the assessment to gauge how the children respond and think if the lessons were effective. Different classes of the same level can react differently to the same lessons. There are days where I question my decision to teach. There are also good days where the aura of the class is particular good that it feels surreal.