Art Class: Form & Balance

Recently, I attended a workshop by Dr Andrea Kantrowitz. The activities were more practical than theorical which was something we could adapt in school and I was curious about how she linked ideas. There were bits and pieces of work that I had done in school before but not in a context which she had shown us during the workshop. For example, the participants manipulated papers in pairs and groups interchangeably and using paper circuits in a dark room. 

This term, my students started with a story about Roberto The Insect Architect. Alternatively, you can show this animation. Then, we talked about an artist, Han Sai Por (1993) artwork and artworks from another paper artist. Based on prior experience, I think it's a good idea to show the students a few ways to cut and fold the papers and I always tell them you can't learn to be a good swimmer by watching a few swimming videos, you've got to practise it on your own. 

They are using white glue instead of the glue stick as they stay on longer. Asking them to recite a dot is a lot before using the white glue does the trick! My consolation was that I had only one kid who smeared the glue all over his hand 😩. The white glue were distributed in smaller containers to each group of students and applied with an ice-cream stick. 

Art Class: Lines

I'm finally using my two boxes of recycled stones that a teacher brought to the art room! This year, I'm using these stones as an anchor for my students' artwork. More precise, the pipe cleaners required something to hold onto and I think it's an added interest to the overall display.  After treatment, I sort the stones into two sizes. Reason being, my newcomers are still young and I would like to take precaution when giving out materials to the different classes especially when it comes to unpredictable characters. The bigger stones went to classes where I could trust everyone to handle them with care.

Another safety tip is folding the ends of the pipe cleaners over so that the wires will not poke or scratch easily. After a revision on their understanding of the types of lines, the children used the pipe cleaners to make line art. These lessons would be a prelude to their drawing class. 

Reads: What the Art Teacher Reads

A few years ago, my friend, R, and I formed a collective to participate in an art project where we encouraged people who insisted they couldn't draw. Based on our teaching experiences, we encountered children who had reservations about their drawing abilities. Perhaps without positive drawing experience, they would turn into the adults who grew up thinking that they could get by without art.

While this book does a good job in covering the breath of art programmes in schools, it would capture more attention from new teachers.   

Art Class: Happy 2020!

Happy 2020! I made a few large banners during the last term of school in 2019 and my students helped to paint them. India ink was used to draw the outline as the effect can't be achieved by any commercial black markers.

Art Class: Last Day of School

On the last day of school, my students played an adapted drawing game which is available online. I used thicker paper to make the dice for durability. I had all but one boy who couldn't grasp the concept of rows and columns despite multiple explanations by his frustrated friend 🤷. They loved this silly game and even requested to bring the materials home.

Art Class: Museum-Based Learning

Museums that work frequently with schools would usually have their own set of museum etiquette that teachers could go through with students prior to the visit. Before we bring our students to the museum, my colleagues and I had a recee session so that we could coordinate our movements and staggered our visits to specific artworks.

While technology affordances allow us to look at images up close with the click of a button or even vitual reality that arouses our stimulus, nothing beats looking at the actual thing. When we see the actual work, we see a lot more subtleties or self-corrected misjudgement. For instance, the classroom projection shows Mono Lisa (by Leonardo da Vinci) almost the size of the projection screen. In real life, it is just approximately one-fifth the size. Her translucent veil could easily be missed if not pointed out. Furthermore, the artist was so technically competent that the paint strokes are hardly visible.

The museum visit is quite fundamental at the primary level. However, frequent museum/gallery goers know that the experience is beside the work. If you visit an art exhibition on the opening night, you can learn something from the collectors, patrons, writers, curators or attend other talks available. You just need to be physically present. There are different kind of dialogues and questions when the contexts are different. You can interact with different people who are as interesting as the artworks shown.

Housekeeping: Early Finishers (New!)

Take these tongue depressors and think of some wacky scenarios! I'm always on the lookout for quick to clean up activities for my early finishers. These activities can be placed at an easily accessible spot and doesn't take up a lot of time for maintenance. Students will draw a stick from a container and complete the task.