Read & React Story

Story- I feel as though story is something I relate to in many ways. But the best way I can think is that my Father and Grandfather are great storytellers. Oddly enough all of my Grandpa’s (5 total) were/are great storytellers in their own individual ways. So it’s funny to me that I was in the story group- like Father like Daughter J  I also feel that the ability to tell stories lends itself to the gift of gab. But on to the reading. It also helps that I was in the story group.

“Because in many ways, stories are how we remember.” (Pink 2005). This idea translates to the idea of how way back in time before we could write, people told stories to pass on the information and history of their ancestors. A great way that I learned something better was to turn around and explain it to someone else a tell the story of how I learned it.

Pink makes another great point, “What begins to matter more is the ability to place these facts in context and to deliver them with emotional impact.” (Pink 2005) Our students are inundate with facts or even non-fact that they believe are facts. As teachers when we deliver not just a story but also our lessons we have to deliver it with emotion and excitement.

I am very intrigued by this idea of a hero's journey. The hero’s journey- “just the same stories retold.” (Pink 2005) with a Departure, Initiation, and Return. Being a newer concept to me, I was totally surprised when I considered all the classics they were talking about and how they each contain the 3 basic parts. I'm watching Captain American and it has all three parts as well. I wonder how much story writing would change for students if we taught with this 3 part structure in mind. Many pieces of art work that tell a story contain the hero's journey.

“Scratch the surface in a typical boardroom and we’re all just cavemen with briefcases, hungry for a wise person to tell us stories.” (Pink 2005)  with Reference to how Xerox feels they need to run their business- they keep a database of all their stories of how to repair rather than the use of manuals. My father used to work in this manor, rather than teaching the new technicians about lasers from a manual, they would spend a few weeks with him on the road, doing hands on work and learning the stories of how things can go wrong/right.

There are two more statements that Pink made that really stuck with me:

“If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive. ~ Barry Lopez” (Pink 2005)

“We are our stories” (Pink 2005)
Story was definitely one of my favorite senses!

Read & React Design

This chapter is not really my forte, but I did find the topic quite enjoyable.

The opening pages discussed an artist who visited school students and asked them to raise their hand if they were artists. The outcome of his question, they way less and less students raised their hands as they were older makes me so sad. I have fought very hard with my program at home to help my students realize they are all artists... But I still wonder what would happen if you asked my kids that when I was not around. I try to make it a point to always refer to them, as they are... artists, especially to their parents and the public. As Pink says, "it is a cautionary tale for our times." (Pink 2005) They need to continue to trust in their artistic decisions because it is those design types of decisions that will set them apart in the job market some day.

“Design, has become an essential aptitude for personal fulfillment and professional success for at least three reasons: good design is now more accessible than ever, design has become crucial for most modern business, and we’ll increasingly be able to deploy design for its ultimate purpose: changing the world.” (Pink 2005) That paragraph speaks volumes to the reasons our students and teachers need to be investing in the ideas and abilities of design. All of these reasons above shove the need for design for the future of businesses and even mankind; For design is everywhere around our students. It would be interesting to give my students the assignment to “keep a design notebook” or even “channel your annoyance” both of these activities would force students to stare at the designs that surround them, to analyze the choice that were made in that design, giving them a better understanding of how to design.

The CHAD school sounds like a dream come true!! Who wouldn’t want to teach there, I feel like I would love to be apart of their class to understand more about their “design-centered curriculum, which aims to use design to teach core academic subjects.” (Pink 2005)

“Design in its simplest form is the activity of creating solutions. Design is something that everyone does every day.” (Pink 2005) I enjoyed the idea of “why not” when it comes to designing a school that is aesthetically pleasing and comfort. I wonder if the choice to paint our entire school light poop brown and make it feel like a dreary hotel will poorly affect their test scores this year?!?! Especially considering those who made that decision were sent in to help clean up our testing score- Bahahaha, hate to say I told you so! Okay sorry enough of that rant. But my brain is pinging off a school from another country that Michelle talked about, where there are no classrooms, simply learning areas that are conducive to the different needs and styles of the students; Now that’s what I would call Great design.

Read & React 5

Lions and Tigers and Curriculum, OH MY!
Chapter 6 Eisner-
This chapter about curriculum didn't do a lot for me, but there were a few interesting tid-bits. The following quote makes me think about how my art fair is organized and what a simple snap shot it gives of my curriculum. “What I have suggested is the creation of educationally interpretive exhibitions that explain to viewers the features of the work on display and describe the forms of thinking that the child had to engage in to create such work”(Eisner 2002). Needless to say, I once again feel the need to do some serious reconstruction... just in baby steps. But SOOO many ideas are spinning around in my head that i know I will never settle for one great way for my curriculum. It will be forever changing like my students and myself.
The following quote makes me laugh out loud: “Thus, when policymakers and educational theorists define a curriculum for a school or a classroom, they are also defining the forms of thinking that are likely to be promoted in the school. They are, in effect, laying out an agenda for the development of mind” (Eisner 2002).   Wow, trying to think again about that snap shot of my curriculum and what that says about our artistic development... again, there is much room for improvement. 

Chapter 6 Freedman- This chapter offered an interesting view on curriculum. As we develop as teachers, our views on what curriculum should or should not be changes. Funny how we have been discussing the basic concepts for the common core and how our curriculum's need to give students the opportunity for creating, responding and presenting. "is a matter of revealing to students the ways in which curriculum is constituted through the actions of conducting research, reporting, "reading" and otherwise interpreting, planning and writing, and enacting, including the ways in which individual teachers come to understand curriculum structures and content and present these in class." (Freedman 2003) All of these ideas of what a really great curriculum should be are really beginning to connect together.
This is another one of those excellent art advocacy points that needs to be on a poster in the art room.
"and, in art education, the best outcomes are often those that are beyond 'the box' of the objectives in their creativity, imaginativeness, and originality. Art problems are authentic; they are some of the few problems in school for which the teacher does not know the answer." (Freedman 2003) This also a great reminder that there doesn't have to be 1 right answer, that there are many possibilities and that our students need to use this idea to keep that creative drive alive, always questioning and being okay with the unknown. I found that the scope and sequence for teaching visual culture examples for all art levels is something that is a great addition to helping with the development of big ideas for my curriculum~ Bonus :)


Visual Literacy White Paper-
Honestly this felt like a pamphlet for selling the ideas of teaching about visual literacy's. These were the lines that peaked my interest:

*  "To make meaning from the images, the ‘reader’ uses the critical skills of exploration, critique, and reflection"(Bamford).

*  "Visual literacy is what is seen with the eye and ‘seen’ with the mind. "(Bamford)

*  "Visual literacy also involves making judgements of the accuracy, validity and worth of the image." (Bamford).

*  "To be an effective communicator in today’s world, a person needs to be able to interpret, create and select images to convey a range of meanings." (Bamford)  PING-Kathy’s point about the three things our curriculum needs to do create, reflect and present!

*  "Visual literacy is a gradual process of gaining greater sophistication of perception, conception and visual and linguistic vocabulary." (Bamford)

The above points among many others were said in ways I had not heard before and allowed for more enlightenment on the ideas of visual literacy, if I wasn't already sold before, I certainly am now! The examples of visual syntax were interesting- may need to be a list in the room somewhere about ways to influence your art.

Part One Pink and Play chapter-
I was totally fascinated with the studies of the brain and the imagery used. If I wasn't so afraid of small spaces, I would totally want to do that.
I'm pretty sure I have read the chapter on Play for another class, but it was still a great review of wonderfully joyous things to think about. Pink makes several points that really impact what I need to think about with my students everyday.
*"He believes that laughter can function like a benevolent virus- that it can infect individuals, communities, even nations." (Pink 2005).
*"People rarely succeed at anything unless they are having fun doing it" (Pink 2005)
Both of these quotes put into perspective the ideas of how play and laughter can be used to elevate learning. Another point from Pink is the use of games to elevate learning, I'm not sure I totally agree with this idea, but I found it very interesting that Wardynski created the video games for the Army based on the idea of meeting people where they live. Isn't that what we as teachers should be doing each and everyday?!?! YES- So the more I read about gaming and how you can play, become someone else, experience something that maybe you couldn't in real life, might not be so bad after all. But I do have to say- What is anyone actually learning from games like GTA or Scareface.... NOTHING but bad attitudes influences and habits. From an educational standpoint, I agree children NEED to play... and since they don't go outside much anymore, they need to have an outlet for their imaginations. Looks like games are an options. I must admit when people ask me what I do for a living and I tell them I am an art teacher K-5, most respond along the lines of that must be nice, and I simply respond, I love my job, I get to play all day!

Daniel Pink’s interview with Oprah- 

Interesting, conversation, but I think I most enjoyed when Oprah said “And understand that it is only through story that you build connections.” Kind of ties into a lot of what Kathy says and how/what she explores in her art- Ping!

Read & React 4

Eisner-Describing Learning in the Visual Arts
Eisner even agrees with Dewey and Kathy- the importance of building a community where we can learn from each other. "It is also a function of what they learn from others as they become members of a community" (Eisner 2002). We develop that community feel in our current classes together. It is fortunate for me that even though I only see my students once a week, they are together in their home rooms as well and have that sense of community. After my students get to know me, we all try to take those risks together and I absolutely encourage the idea bouncing and discuss/learning. In the art room though I think it is very different than their classrooms. I have found that everyone seems to fit in, and many of those who may not fit in else where seem to feel right at home in our art room. "One of the potential virtues of situated learning is that it increases the probability that students will be able to apply what they have learned." (Eisner 2002) I think that they art room provides a more real world feel due to the types of discussions that students are willing to have, especially when you relate contemporary art to the contemporary issues- more of a risk taking conversation.
Eisner also made another great point that seems to be resonating, he spoke to the need for an experience that allows students to not only repeatedly use the media, but to experiment with it, find it's limitations and let the media guide the students choices. To just create with it. He likened this idea to the process of learning to play the piano, which I can relate to, it takes years and a lot of practice. I feel like this would be a great way to explain to parents why there child is coming home with experimental play art from different stations they are trying out and learning media play, rather than a bunch of finished products that doesn't truly allow them to investigate that media and it's capabilities.


Freedman-Interpreting Visual Culture
I was Pinging like crazy again with this chapter, resorting to a lot of thoughts from our Visual cultures class. Another ping from this statement, "The contribution of student interpretation to classroom discussion can be increasingly meaningful as they change their thinking through processes of critical reflection."(Freedman 2003) was to VTS. It is amazing to watch their wheels turn as they change their minds because of other ideas, or spending time away and thinking, only to come back so excited to tell me what else is happening.
"but a person does not have to visit an art museum to see forms of visual culture."(Freedman 2003)This point brings home the concepts that we as well as our other authors have been saying. Today's students are totally immersed in visual culture, heck it's probably even in their dreams :) Well it is for me!  But the reality is that our kids spend amazing amount of time taking in visual information and it's time to arm them with the skills to decode. I think about how often my students would (hopefully) change their perspective about a product or piece of information if they really understood what they were looking at.
PING- "The Impact of contemporary imagery has generated a wide range of sociopolitical and economic issues, including its influence on student identity, notions of citizenship, beliefs about democracy, and so on."(Freedman 2003) I'm Pinging from a comment that Michelle made in studio- but this statement and Michelle's point about needing to show our students contemporary art so that they can see how the artists are thinking and working with current topics! Great point, sometimes with the elementary art I am guilty of sticking to my old reliable favorites (oldies) and forgetting these is a whole new world of excited art that my students MUST be exposed too.
"If we want students to think critically about visual culture, they need to actively engage in reflecting on their own art and their responses to postmodern culture".(Freedman 2003) this keeps bringing me back to the idea of how important it is to spend time with your art and discuss it, reflect upon it, change it etc. I am looking for suggestions for quick and easy ways that my elementary kids can reflect on their work?
The following quote speaks for itself:
"The expanding realm of visual culture is not just worthy of study because it's out there, it is worthy of study because  it's in here; through art making and viewing, we shape our thinking about the world and about ourselves."(Freedman 2003)
And needs to be a quote on my wall for my kids, especially the final part of this thought. It makes me want to pose a very simple question to all I meet, Would you be who you are today without art?

Read & React Day 3

I am very excited to be talking about Richard Serra. I have never really know what to think about his art, but last summer while in the Toronto airport I stumbled onto his piece below Tilted Spheres. It was not until seeing his work and the sheer  magnitude of his work that I really started to appreciate it. Walking around the tilted spheres, it felt as though Serra had discovered a way to defy gravity... pretty sweet!

 

 

 



The Transmediation article speaks to a class many of us have take with Nick Kramer! I loved that class and how it opened my eyes to a totally different world and the way that now I analyze what I see a lot more and in a very different way. I really like how the article pointed out different exercises for older students, but some of the questions they were discussing are really great to be asking yourself about your curriculum every year.

"How do students make sense of what they learn?"

"What contradictions exist in the knowledge they acquire, invent, or interpret from the texts they read in classrooms?" (Ladislaus M. Semali  Judith Fueyo)

These questions are interesting from the stand point that we always have to put ourselves in our students shoes and try to understand what they are thinking or how they are thinking. In my art room I only get to see my kids once a week, so the down time can be great for them to process and really put some thought into their work, but it can also be too big of a time space. I also think it is important when considering contradictions, that we consider the things that they learn at home can be vastly different from what we are teaching them, and sometimes they are opposing views.
There was one other quote from the article that really spoke to me:
"Among the various aims we consider important in education, two are especially so. We would like our children to be well informed-that is, to understand ideas that are important, useful, beautiful, and powerful. And we also want them to have the appetite and ability to think analytically and critically, to be able to use what they know to enhance their own lives and to contribute to a democracy." (Ladislaus M. Semali  Judith Fueyo)
I just kept thinking can you imagine if when schools designed their curriculum's, they were thinking about these ideas rather than what is the state going to test our students on. The approach of a more rounded education is something that  needs to be emphasized in our schools, a lot of children are not being taught what they used to.

Freedman- These chapters were so much about the need for art history, but also the need for all of the views to be taught, including political issues, both sides of the story, artists of all kinds. It is also interesting that Freedman is connecting to the idea of symbols and visual culture. When I design my curriculum, I started with the thought of what looks cute and fits the standards, to now I design my curriculum to yes fit the standards, but to also actively engage my students interests so that they art they are making is meaningful to them. "Learning takes place based on cognitive connections, including those that relate to emotion, and more connections mean greater learning. Learning is dependent on student engagement, which is an indicator of emotional investment." (Freedman 2003)
It is not uncommon to get into a project and if most are not interested, we scrap it and find something better. Being able to teach students about those visual symbols has been very interesting considering how much information comes at them each day. "Visual culture includes symbolic forms that make us want to look." (Freedman 2003) Our students are decoding images and information frequently and giving those skills of understanding has opened a whole new door for artistic development for my students and myself.
 

Read & React Day 2

Eisner made several great points in chapters 3 & 4. I felt like he was going over a list of basic but essential ideas and attitudes that they teacher needs to embrace (also a great reminder). I once again found myself ping off things we had talked about in Studio class or things that would be beneficial to me in the studio class. I really enjoyed Eisner's evaluation of the materials we use, "This doing represents a transformation of a material into a medium. Materials become media when they mediate... They mediate the aims and choices the individual makes." (Eisner 2002)  When I make art other than for my students I don't typically let the supplies lead my art making decisions, but after a lot of thought in this matter, I am interested to see what changes I can make in my curriculum by simply changing the medium, and how this decision will affect the outcome of our projects.
For a good portion of the reading I kept thinking how I would enjoy being a fly on the wall of other's art rooms... see how they speak with students etc. "What a teacher says to assist a student can either advance or undermine they student's ability to solve the problem at hand."(Eisner 2002) I am constantly interacting with my students, but I am concerned that sometimes conversations we have may lead them in the wrong direction. I know that this knowledge comes with time, I feel that I'm much better than I was when I started three years ago, but i also remember how I felt when the conversation didn't go well with my teachers in school. It would be interesting to see maybe a documentary simply on the discussion of art with younger students, outside of VTS.
Eisner also offered an interesting thought process on what kinds of environments we create for students, we need to create an environment where they can create, risk take and learn from their failures. His example of using Mars as a creative place for students to think about  being, allows students to create without a lot of preconceived image of "exactly" what something should look like- they can be more creative without that fear of failure. The last thing that really stuck with me was this quote: "We need to treat teaching as a from of personal research." (Eisner 2002). This part of the chapter was interesting about how teachers find ways to make their job professionally easier and then get stuck in a rut, well this describes 1/2 of my department well, many are not risk takers, they are waiting for retirement-ers. It is has be so important to my journey as an artist and especially my journey as a teacher to stay fresh on the new things happening in the art world. I like this idea of treating my career as my education- forever learning. This idea may need to be given and remind so many teachers out there about the gifts of teaching.

More from the reading to come later- I need to make better sense of the late night readings before I post.
 

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.