Read & React day 1

What a great first day, and tonight my brain is hurting in a good way, let the fun begin!

The Eisner text was so rich with information, art advocacy that I found it hard to speak to only a few of the points. Many of his points need to be displayed in the art room!
The first point that Eisner made over and over was how art is this essential part of life, how we all need it. For example, "Experience is central to growth because experience is the medium of education." (Eisner 2002) and "For young children the sensory world is a source of satisfaction, and imagination a source of exploratory delight." (Eisner 2002) Both of these speak to art being a basic need and how important art is for young children. When you speak of a world of sensory delight, I immediately think of K1, my kiddo that I discussed a lot last summer. He is legally blind, but as the year progressed he was able to even identify colors. But often times while we are working, we have to remind him to look at what he is doing, he still very much relies on all of his senses except vision and absolutely loves art.
Many times while reading the text, I felt that Eisner was making a references that are very relevant to what the common core is trying to do (which we have been doing all along), "The inscription of visual images makes vivid certain relationships. They help us to notice and understand a particular environment and our place in it." (Eisner 2002) and  "Similarly, if students are to learn to see and talk about visual qualities, they need occasions for such seeing and talking. (Eisner 2002). When students are given the repeated opportunities to talk about something and really take in the information given they are going to be so much more successful. Much of the first two chapters screamed for the need of Mary and VTS!
After our Symposium I'm hooked on Gude, but the Learning in a Visual Age article brought up many great points for the need for visual arts. The most important being that we bring to the table what most other classes do not. "They are also taught a remarkable array of habits not emphasized elsewhere in schools. These habits include observing, envisioning, innovating and reflecting " (learning in a visual age). As art teachers we need to know that we can provide students with tools that they will be looking for in the job force, creativity and innovation were brought up as important things that employers seek.
One last very important quote spoke to me for many reasons: "Gude has created public art that represents school curriculum and community values. She wonders: 'Why shouldn't every high quality school itself with products of student creativity?" (learning in a visual age). This speaks to the ideas we are discussing that art also needs to be presented. We need to give students the time and space to share and discuss and defend their artistic thinking even at a very young age. This also reinforces my own schools need to ignore what my administrator says and hang art EVERYWHERE!  I have been pondering on the idea that we would take art walks through the school and use them to discuss our art, as well as others. Use that time to identify where we see art that we wouldn't think we see art, such as taking a google street view walk and seeing what kind of art is in the city.

Pick a spark
Many of the sparks I was thinking about for myself personally, especially for our studio class, what a perfect time for these. But the one I chose for my students was "Yes and... never say no to an idea." I have chosen this spark for several reasons, I feel it will help my students get past their over awareness of how everyone including themselves, may judge their work. I also feel that my students are too often focused on if it is going out in the hall and once again how others will see this art. First I would start with "ideas" that my students and myself have been randomly putting together. Each child will pull an idea from the hat and no matte what, they need to make art about that idea, no matter how weird or silly this idea seems. This exercise repeated over time will help my students stop worrying so much about what others think, I also think they can sometimes have a hard time coming up with what they think is a good idea. This activity allows them to be more open to ideas in the future, allowing their creativity to flow without that protective block, it allows them to say yes to more ideas that are suggested by their peers.