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A MAGAZINE FOR COLORADO’S ART EDUCATORS
Clay
EVERYTHING
Potter’s Wheels
YOU NEED TO TEACH
CERAMICS
Lead Free Glazes
Lesson Plans
Kilns
Slab Rollers & Equipment
amaco.com 2.
Tech Support
9. A Summer of Extraordinary Experiences by Barabara Jack
5. President’s Message by Vanessa Hayes-Quintana 7. Letter from the Editor by Alexandra Overby
11. Painting by Numbers or Painting Through Understanding: The Merits of a Reflective Teaching Practice by Patrick Fahey and Liz Buhr
61. CAEA Executive Board and Division Representatives Council Directory 61. CAEA Task Force Chairs and Publications Directory 62. Regional Representatives
Page 11. Painting by Numbers or Painting Through Understanding: The Merits of a Reflective Teaching Practice
Table of Contents
In This Issue
In Every Issue
18. You’re Invited! Teachers from Denver Public Schools Experience a TASK Party by Barth Quenzer and Alexandra Overby 23. Classroom Rescue Part II by Vanessa Hayes-Quintana 42. 50 x 50: Recovering the Classics Design-a-Thon Exhibition and Event by Jody Chapel 47. My Love/Hate Relationship with Art History by Tracy Boberg Nichols 55. The Forest of Technology by Abi Paytoe Gbayee 56. Congratulations Anne Thulson by Rachael Delaney 57. The Emergent Curriculum by Barth Quenzer 59. Youth Art Month Art Walk in Greeley, Colorado by Lauren Thurman
Page 42. Page 18. You’re Invited! Teachers from Denver Public Schools Experience a TASK Party COLLAGE is published by the Colorado Art Education Association Vanessa Hayes-Quintana – President Alexandra Overby – Editor Rosemary Reinhart & Elisabeth Reinhart – Copy Editors Janet McCauley – Layout Design & Production Please submit all materials to: COLLAGE Editor: Alexandra Overby, alexaoverby@gmail.com
50x50: Recovering the Classics Design-a-Thon Exhibition and Event
Cover Photos: Bottom Left: Student artwork from Painting by Numbers or Painting Through Understanding: The Merits of a Reflective Teaching Practice by Patrick Fahey and Liz Buhr, Top: Scratchboard drawings by Tracy Boberg Nichols for her Art History Timeline, Bottom Right: Sculpture by Jessica Carrion-Struck, Fall 2016 RedLine EPIC Arts Exhibition
COLLAGE is published tri-annually. Submission deadlines for COLLAGE are: Spring Issue - February 1; Winter Issue - October 1; Fall Issue - July 1. Email all submissions to alexaoverby@gmail.com. Contributions of articles, photos, and artwork are encouraged. Submissions of text should be emailed as Word documents. Accompanying photographs of student work or students at work is encouraged. Do not include images within a Word document. Images should be in .jpg format and sent as separate attachments. Refer to the attachment and the file name in the body of the e-mail. Whenever possible, include captions and, in the case of photos of original student or teacher artwork, include names of artists. Submitted items may be edited for clarity, length, and format. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and publication does not imply endorsement. Lesson plan submissions must include lesson objectives, appropriate assessments, procedures, standards applications, and materials.
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The friction between teaching innovation and working within institutional compliance delivers a burden squarely upon art educators. In these exhibitions, 100 Colorado art teachers share work that responds to the contemporary school climate. Two tandem exhibitions offer individual responses to the themes Radical Compliance and Wayfinding to Sustainability.
MAY 6—JULY 2, 2016 A local chapter of the National Art Education Association, CAEA is the leading professional membership organization exclusively for visual arts educators in Colorado working to advance visual arts education to fulfill human potential and promote global understanding.
Metropolitan State University of Denver–sponsored research group Theory Loves Practice brings art educators together monthly to cultivate contemporary arts practices in our classrooms.
EVENTS
TASK PARTY
THEORY LOVES PRACTICE Living Catalog MAY 20, 6—8 pm
Artists share reflections on their latest work in a forum for discussion.
JUNE 3, 5—8 pm A playful, improvisational maker event during the first Friday art walk. Participants of all ages will respond to and create “tasks” to inspire connection in our community!
GALLERY HOURS Tuesday — Friday 11am to 6pm Saturday 12 pm to 5 pm
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Center for Visual Art | 965 Santa Fe Dr., Denver, CO 80204 | 303.294.5207 | msudenver.edu/cva
President’s Message
President’s Message by Vanessa Hayes-Quintana
Greetings CAEA friends! Thank you so very much for trusting me to lead our fantastic organization as your new president. CAEA will be 80 years old next year, and I am honored for the opportunity and privilege to be part of a tradition of artistic growth and strength in the great things we create together. I believe that being an effective leader requires one to be open and mindful of people’s needs, and to support and serve those who trust you with their care. I’m here to facilitate the success of your great work. I’m here to give you the tools you need to continue making your magic. We truly have one of the premiere art education organizations in the country. This means that all of us together are – in a cliché metaphor kind of way, the rich fabric, the smoothly running engine, the intellectual superhighway – a piece of the puzzle in making CAEA great! There is superhero talent in our Colorado art educators. Again, I’m honored to be part of our amazing group.
CAEA will be 80 years old next year, and I am honored for the opportunity and privilege to be part of a tradition of artistic growth and strength in the great things we create together.
During the next few years, I plan to establish more professional development opportunities for our members and strengthen our ties to both ArtSource and Scholastics. If you haven’t participated in ArtSource or Scholastics, think about jumping in. For example, my work in an adaptive program comes with few tangible rewards. I jumped into Scholastics last year and one of MY students received a Gold Key award! This is an unbelievable accomplishment for a student attending my school. You could also take time to connect with an “ArtSourcer” and get their perspective on the week-long art-making adventure. ArtSource is held in June and scholarships are available. CAEA organizes a fabulous fall conference and, during the past couple of years, we’ve expanded the conference experience through summer opportunities in the western and southern regions. For those unable to attend the spring conference held in the Metro region, we’ll continue to hold our summer satellite conferences. Ben Quinn is organizing a twoday event at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, and Robin Wolfe hosts another at Adams State University in Alamosa. If you are looking for a place to show your work, the CAEA member exhibition is a unique opportunity. Art teachers use a series of prompts developed by Michael Cellan to create fresh work. Michael then schleps our work to shows in all corners of the state. The 2016 show will begin this May at the Center for Visual Arts in tandem with the Theory Loves Practice group show. Another opportunity you won’t want
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During the next few years, I plan to establish more professional development opportunities for our members and strengthen our ties to both ArtSource and Scholastics.
TEACHERS and ARTISTS DESIGN YOUR OWN MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE AT REGIS UNIVERSITY PAINTING & DRAWING T ART HISTORY ART EDUCATION T AND MORE
Work in your own studio – Meet with faculty for critiques Flexible schedules and multiple start dates
REGIS.EDU/SHSS | 800.944.7667
to miss are the CAEA teacher and student-teacher scholarships. CAEA reviews scholarship applications in April. Refer to www.caeaco.org for information about all of these opportunities and events. If you have great ideas about organizing additional professional development opportunities, let me or your area representative know. I would love to see more people be part of CAEA. If you want to be part of making things happen, come participate! Bring a friend! We make a lot of magic here in Colorado, and I know there’s more where it comes from! Wishing you all a warm spring!
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“The Real Purple One with an Olive” Media: Acrylic on Canvas Size: 16” x 20” 2013
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Letter From the Editor
Letter From the Editor by Alexandra Overby
Ah…Spring. A time for renewal and rebirth. The weather is warming up (somewhat) and there are glimpses of flowers and green grass to come. While most people think of spring as a time to refresh and clean out their spaces, many art teachers are knee deep in art shows, grading, and a myriad of spring events at our schools. We are truly in the thick of things during this time of year and I, for one, am in survival mode most days! It’s hard to think about renewal and new approaches when it feels like there is an event almost every night of the week.
new approach to curriculum design in art education. Gude started by defining a project as something that is planned or designed to achieve a certain goal. The strong art project “de-familiarizes” the known and causes students to experiment and try new approaches. Gude implored her audience to rethink their approach to curriculum and develop lessons as “vehicles of artistic investigation” that stress the importance of process over product. We should allow students to explore and stretch their artistic abilities by offering open-ended problems to solve. She ended her proposal by asking one thing: to have each teacher drop one project from his or her curriculum and add a new contemporary art-making (i.e., process over product) approach.
I was blessed to be able to attend the 2016 NAEA Convention in Chicago. It was a great experience to be able to see amazing exhibits (Van Gogh’s Bedrooms at the Art Institute of Chicago was crowded but worth it), walk downtown Chicago and see historic architecture, and support my fellow Coloradoan art teachers at their presentations. It was truly the break I needed – a chance to get away from the everyday routine of the classroom, reconnect with old friends, and shake up my perspective a little.
Gude implored her audience to rethink their approach to curriculum and develop lessons as “vehicles of artistic investigation” that stress the importance of process over product.
The take-away moment for me was to hear Olivia Gude, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, start off the annual Curriculum Slam. For the past three years or so, the Curriculum Slam has been an annual event at the convention in which selected teachers and artists present their
One project? I think I can handle that! This is my goal for the rest of the spring semester – to shake things up a little in my classroom and bring in a new contemporary art practice that my students and I haven’t tried before. Furthermore, I will work on not controlling the outcome on their efforts.
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Instead of insisting on a rigid rubric that specifies particular quantities of visual elements (e.g., students will demonstrate three types of line), I will aim for assessing them on their investigation and approach to art making.
My goal for the rest of the spring semester – to shake things up a little in my classroom and bring in a new contemporary art practice that my students and I haven’t tried before. What about you? What can you do to renew your approach to the classroom? One example may be having a “challenge” day – give your students an unexpected art material or subject to work with for one class period. Maybe you could get the students outside for a day to create, or make the students the teacher for the day. You could look at ART21 (http://art21.org) for inspiration or visit your local contemporary art museum or gallery. I know I am looking forward to visiting the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver (http://mcadenver.org) to see the work of Arne Svenson, a photographer who deals with themes of surveillance. How about some professional development this summer? In Colorado, ArtSource (http://www. myteacherpages.com/webpages/acolorado/) has a wonderful summer institute that is guaranteed to inspire and renew your passion for art making and teaching. Think 360 Arts (http://think360arts. org) has an Institute for Creative Teaching that will broaden your perspectives and energize your practice. And, of course, there are many amazing
Helping you reach your writing goals
Rosemary Reinhart Elisabeth Reinhart www.editorialpathways.com
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opportunities out of state – Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Teacher Institute in Contemporary Art (TICA), and the National Gallery of Art Summer Teacher Institute are just a few programs that could reawaken your passion for teaching. Maybe your way to change things is to gather the courage to submit a presentation for the CAEA conference? All of you have individual strengths and amazing lessons that others are dying to learn about. Maybe you are a writer – how about write an article for Collage? Both presenting and writing an article involve some work, but it is a powerful experience to share your craft with others and, additionally, a great advocacy tool for you and your program. Don’t forget that our own CAEA members are exhibiting Radical Compliance along with Wayfinding to Sustainability at the Center for Visual Art (CVA) May 6 – July 2, 2016. (See the ad in this issue for events held at the center in conjunction with the Theory Loves Practice group through Metropolitan State University of Denver.) Both exhibits address issues in education and teaching practice. We hope you can come and support your fellow art educators and be inspired to join us in an upcoming call for art in the future. A big thanks to CVA and Michael Cellan for organizing this event! By the time this issue reaches you, there may be only a short time left for you to work with your students. Make it count. Shake things up a little. Give your students an experience that inspires them to try new things and brings them confidence to permit themselves the chance to experiment. What one thing can you do?
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A Summer of Extraordinary Experiences by Barbara Jack
My summer of 2015 was packed with several professional experiences that are quite memorable – from painting in New Mexico to doing K-12 Deaf Art Curriculum development in California. And, then, the very exciting finish to my summer before returning to teach was my trip to the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. to study the art of the Renaissance. I was highly honored to be chosen as one of 51 participants for the 2015 National Gallery of Art Teacher Institute. I was able to collaborate and learn with teachers of Art, English, History, Math, and related subjects from all over the country. The National Gallery of Art (NGA) hosts this sixday Teacher Institute each summer. It is designed specifically for teachers, and the hospitality extended to us was warm and impeccable. The Teacher Institute has rotating historical eras/subjects every three years. The program emphasizes the social and cultural context of Renaissance art in Italy and Northern countries between the 14th and 16th centuries. The Renaissance will continue to be the theme for the next two years, and then a new era of study will be chosen to focus upon. (They are taking applications now for Summer 2016! The link for more information is at the end of this article!) Our hugely varied experience gave us an opportunity to look deeply into understanding the development of oil-painting techniques, understanding the role of prints/printmaking in disseminating new ideas, using works of art as primary resources in classroom instruction, incorporating art into interdisciplinary teaching, and strengthening students’ visual literacy. Through lectures, gallery talks, and hands-on activities, we analyzed Renaissance artworks and focused on interdisciplinary teaching strategies, and
even journaling. Our activities were designed to meet our personal and professional enrichment needs. A demonstration of Venetian painting techniques and a site visit to a printmaker’s studio at Georgetown University rounded out the Institute’s course of study. The National Gallery of Art is a uniquely historical and beautiful building filled with gorgeous galleries, and we spent most of our time learning and studying there. Since it is on the National Mall, it is within walking distance of many other museums, memorials, restaurants and tours as well as the Capitol and the White House. When we were finished each day, many of us explored the area, which gave us even more time to collaborate, share ideas, and get to know each other. One of our group members immediately created a Facebook group so we could continue to stay in touch, and we have! This experience is professional and personal development at its best. The multiple materials the National Gallery of Art gave us to bring home were unbelievable and extensive. The National Gallery of Art also provided us with a link for participants to access all the lectures and information discussed during the week. I am still looking through and learning from all of these. Throughout the week, the details, stories, and technical information, symbolism, historical and background events behind the paintings and sculptures, were highly insightful, and reminded me yet again of how fun it is to delve into a period in history to rediscover its art. It has been exciting sharing so much in-depth information with my students and colleagues. I was struck by so many approaches to faces and hands in all media, especially seeing the works in the museum setting, and how they convey emotions and expression,
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wishes and hopes, symbolism and nuance. Universally, from the past to our present, hands and faces communicate and connect with everyone. Because I teach students who are deaf or blind, concentrating on and studying these especially spoke to me.
Telling stories about the artists and their times, along with studying their works, is an integral and valuable part of teaching eras and movements in art history, as well as reminding every other content area that art is vital to student learning and applicable in any subject! STEAM ahead! The National Gallery of Art Teacher Institute was an amazing, rich, extraordinary experience for me and I shall never forget it. I encourage you, your colleagues, and teaching friends of any subject to apply now for the 2016 National Gallery of Art Teacher Institute on the Renaissance! I promise you will love the experience. Pass the word! NGA 2016 Summer Teacher Institute applications are being accepted right NOW. For more information, please contact: http://www. nga.gov/content/ ngaweb/education/ teachers/teacherinstitute.html
The painting featured is by Renaissance artist Giovanni Francesco Caroto circa 1515, entitled: “Portrait of a Young Boy holding a Child’s Drawing,” which is at the Museo di Castelvecchio, Verona, Italy. This may be the earliest known painting depicting a child’s pride in his work. I have included it here because it embraces WHY we LOVE to teach ART, and how 500 years ago, children were just as excited about their creations as ours are today!
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Painting by Numbers or Painting Through Understanding: The Merits of a Reflective Teaching Practice by Patrick Fahey and Liz Buhr At the 2015 CAEA Fall Conference, we gave a workshop about Reflection and Collection in the visual arts classroom. Here is a video conversation in which we continue the discussion about the concepts addressed in the workshop: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_jeNN0pjnh0a0dGWnhBSlg5dGM/view?usp=sharing During the workshop–and even before, during our preparation–we asked: Why reflect on teaching? Why reflect on anything, for that matter? The educator John Dewey explained that experience is essential to learning. However, to be meaningful, an experience has to be reflected upon to be understood. Taking the time to consider an event and situate it in the myriad of experiences we encounter leads to a clearer understanding of these events. This is an essential phenomenon to becoming an authentic human that allows us to move past the abstractions we encounter in daily life.
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Knowledge versus Understanding We live in a time of relentless information; we are bombarded by facts, figures, and images that may or may not be truthful. And while information is important, it can be problematic. It is finite, becoming obsolete or misrepresented over time. Consider: · Pluto is a planet. Pluto isn’t a planet (based on new information about size and location). · Diamonds are the hardest substance. Ultrahard nanotwinned cubic boron nitride is the hardest substance. · Witches at Salem were burned at the stake. According to Richard Trask, a town archivist for Danvers (formerly known as Salem Village), New England still followed English law, which listed witchcraft as a felony punishable by hanging — not burning at the stake. · Red, yellow and blue are primary colors. Depends. Are you talking about light (additive) or pigment (subtractive)? What color system? Prang, Munsell Color System, Process Color, Printer’s Primaries, CYMK or Four-color System, Ostwald System, or Schopenhauer/Goethe Weighted Color System? And given that most of us (and our students) are confronted with screens and monitors each day, shouldn’t our attention be turned to teaching additive color information? Information or knowledge is fleeting and can be inaccurate. How we come to see relationships, parts to whole, ambiguity, and consequences, for example, is different; it is about understanding. The two are often confused. Additionally, having information or knowledge doesn’t mean you understand.
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A story: When I was an undergraduate, I had a foundation class in color. We spent the entire semester studying various color theories through numerous exercises. Our first project was to create a 20-step value chart using only white, black and grays (greys) from newspapers. Once accomplished, we had to find yellows, blues, and reds of similar value and intensity and match them to the gray (grey) scale by cutting them out of magazines. Then we had to reproduce this chart, as closely as possible, using oil pigment, replicating the colors, values, and intensities mined from magazines and newspapers. Then it was on to Color-aid paper. Using the 314 sheets of colored paper from this package, we created more charts demonstrating color relationships: complementary, analogous, split-complementary, double-complementary, simultaneous contrast, monochromatic, triadic, and others. I had a lot of charts and a lot of information about color. Then the test—what did we know. The instructor told us to create a painting that demonstrated our understanding of color. The subject matter for the painting was our choice and we had three weeks to complete the work. We struggled and, as I recall, the instructor was not satisfied with our work. Our final attempt at using color left most of us deflated. To be honest, our paintings were awful. We knew a lot of information about color, but did not know how to use it. We did not understand how it worked. It looks like art, but learning color by painting—and then reflecting on how particular colors are created, how colors evoke emotion, and even how colors create tension—leads to understanding how color works in relationship to the real world and the real act of painting. What looks like teaching can often times be a presentation about information; in reflective practice, teachers consider how to lead students to their own insights about concepts and materials.
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Collecting and Reflecting: Understanding Your Personal Practical Knowledge If Senate Bill 191 did anything, it did demand a focused discussion about why and how we should reflect on our teaching and our students’ learning. Collecting and analyzing the “lived experiences of the art classroom” provides a way for art educators to see that there is a sense of cumulative growth in their teaching and their students’ learning. Consistent collection over time creates a habit of listening and watching for learning within art-making practices. When we engage in a reflective practice of our teaching, we shift from only delivering content— whether it is painting, art history, sculpture, or any studio practice—to collecting (images, conversations, sketch journals) to examine and more fully understand our instructional practice and our students’ learning Technology has increased our capacity to communicate. Increasingly, wikis, blogs, flip cameras, tablets, and laptops are used to efficiently transmit information and inform our learning and teaching. Social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, as well as texting, have replaced face-to-face conversations with unintended consequences. But, considered carefully, these avenues of information can provide meaning with context and reflection. Our studio classrooms are places that are often walked by and sometimes wandered into, but rarely experienced fully by others (administrators, peers, and parents). A walk through and even an observation does not give the whole picture. With technology, we have a real-time opportunity to open the doors to the classroom for our leadership and community. Websites, blogs, and social media are great places to begin collecting and sharing the teaching and learning that is evolving and flourishing in our art-studio classrooms. Our reality, our new normal, is reflective teaching; we can resist, retreat, or engage. Resisting and retreating is about ourselves. If you are still reading, you want to engage in this process. Put simply, engagement is about collecting student work and documenting student action as a part of the process of reflecting on your teaching practice.
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Next Steps First: Consider what you want to reflect on and document. Start small. It’s easier to reflect on why a particularly class worked—or didn’t—rather than to reflect on your entire year of teaching. Begin by focusing on one particular class and one particular art experience/lesson; perhaps think about three or four students in the class. Reflect on, “What do I expect students to learn? How will I know if they have learned it?” and review the learning target for the day or the proposed outcomes of the art experience. Use your phone and sketchbook/journal to record actions, comments, and dialogue between students. Reflect on the significance of these statements and conversations in relationship to the goal of the lesson. You will need to consider what you want to listen for and observe during the lesson. Think about it like a vacation! What are you interested in remembering and what do you want to share with friends? (You can, and should, involve older students in this documentation if you are feeling overwhelmed.) You need to document the process of the creation of art. Avoid taking “snapshots” without a context. Your goal is to unveil the emergent artistic behavior: How are students making artistic decisions? How are these decisions similar or different among students? What is the role of reflection by students during and after the act of making art? What are students saying? Document and present the beginning, middle, and end of the artistic creation. (This does not have to be of one particular student—although it could be.) Again, consider having students share in the documentation, if appropriate. Second: When you begin to “paste together” your documentation and descriptions of learning and teaching, remember that your images and comments about them need to highlight discoveries and insights. Avoid descriptions such as: “First Jessica created a color wheel to learn how to mix paint. Then she experimented with color. Finally, Jessica decided to paint a dream image.” When you focus on discovery and insight, the same experience might be written as: “In this image Jessica commented that, ‘Yellow and blue make green. I can use this color to make grass.’ As she continued to create her color wheel, she often suggested possible ways for how she might use each color. After experimenting, Jessica noted that she could probably create ‘a thousand colors’ if she needed to. Here is a video excerpt of her talking about the process of making new colors. After thinking for a while Jessica announced, ‘I’m going to paint the dream I had last night.’” Documentation shows students that their work is valued and provides an archive that traces the history of the class and the pleasure in the process of learning experienced by the students. When putting together your images and descriptions of learning and teaching in your art room, keep in mind the following: Use verbs that demonstrate learning/thinking. In the process of making, creating, exploring, or experimenting, the student: declared, explained, commented, questioned, planned and anticipated, recognized, questioned, assessed by, judged, questioned, observed that, created by, intended to, explored by and realized, experimented and found, acknowledged by saying/doing, experimented and then realized, analyzed by, combined materials and stated, resolved by, etc. Another way to think about this is to have the students comment and/or explain their learning. Include your own prompts (questions) that encouraged your students to reveal their learning/thinking. Show the beginning, middle, and end of their making when possible. You want to present the creative process in addition to the final result. Be aware that you are showing this over time through the lens of opening the doors of your classroom. No need to polish it up and present it, rather show what’s happening in the art-making and learning process.
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Comment on affective qualities exhibited during learning/thinking. The student: looked puzzled, confident, seemed surprised, hesitant, confused, expressed frustration, excitement, displeasure, curiosity… Consider using your school district’s teacher rubric and the visual arts Quality Teaching Standards for your reflections. (Found at: http://www.caeaco.org/page-1781045) Third: Play. The best way to learn about blogs and websites is to play with them. This is a great goal for the summer. Before you play, you might want a brief overview on how things work. There are many options to choose from and most of these sites can be made private: How to do Wordpress: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Jv47_VIBOQ Beginners guide to Weebly: http://hc.weebly.com/hc/en-us/sections/200354313-Beginner-s-Guide-toWeebly How to create a website with Wix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keHipasAAVs Go to https://csuvisualresources.wordpress.com/help/ for assistance with Photoshop, Adobe, iMovies, Google Docs. You will find helpful tutorials to walk you through the process of creating documents with these services. Uploading video to YouTube: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/57407?hl=en Examples of websites/blogs documenting teaching and student learning can be found at: Goal and Performance Portfolio https://meghanandrachelexpeditionaryartunit.wordpress.com/ http://creativethinkinglab.weebly.com/ http://knjteachart.weebly.com/ Finally: Remember this is a process that takes time and practice. You should keep in mind the folowing: As much as possible, documentation can be student driven. Take small steps. Play. Reflect as you go; have some guiding questions to focus your documentation. Now off to play and document! _________________________________________________________________________ Dewey, J. (1934). Art as experience. New York: Perigee Books. Trask, R. (1992). The devil hath been raised. Danvers, MA: Yeoman Press.
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Attention Colorado Students Age 5-18!
Plan now to participate in the 3rd Annual Colorado Kids Create Drawing Contest endorsed by Governor Hickenlooper! Grand Prize is a weekend stay at Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch. Copic Art Kits for 1st-4th place winners in Elementary, Middle School and High School divisions.
This year’s chosen artwork will be used to illustrate the Colorado Kids Create e-book “Home on the Range.” 100% of all book sales goes toward a scholarship fund for children to attend The Non-profit Heart-J Center for Experiential Learning housed at Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch in Loveland, Colorado. Drawings should reflect images from the western song, “Home on the Range” such as pictures of nature, flowers, birds, deer, mountains, streams, fishing, hiking, campfires, etc.
The deadline is April 1, 2016 but entries can be electronically submitted anytime thoughout the year so it’s easy to participate in the fun.
Join Colorado Kids Create as we encourage and empower artistic self-expression in Colorado students. Details at www.coloradokidscreate.org
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Y ou’re I nvited! T eachers f rom D enver P ublic S chools E xperience a T ASK P arty by Barth Quenzer and Alexandra Overby
What does professional development look like for you? Sitting in an auditorium listening to someone talk? Learning about something not related to your content area? If you are a Denver Public Schools (DPS) Visual Art Teacher, you were in for a big surprise on the last day of professional development for the 2015-16 school year. The district-wide focus of our professional development this year was to refine our application of the Student Learning Objective (SLO) process. We worked in small cohorts to develop and implement our plans and felt confident that we had a much deeper understanding of how to effectively use this practice. This was our second year of examining the process and applying it to our classrooms. Next year, we hope to structure more of our professional development around the idea of instructional shifts and curriculum – how can we make our classroom experience even richer for our students? To start this new direction in our learning, the teacher-leaders and our visual art coordinator decided to host a secret TASK party in order to shake up our ideas of thinking about art education and spur some creative mayhem.
The rules of the TASK party are to (1) Take a Task, (2) Make a Task, and (3) Have fun!
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Playing “London Bridge”
Melissa Calvert, from North High School, shows off her puppet
Making a “snow” angel. Later on, the foam shapes were used for a snowball fight Mask making and a goggle contraption
All photos by Saul Chacon, East High School photo student
Kim Sheek, from East High School, and her “emotive eyes”
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What is a TASK party? Contemporary artist Oliver Herring, who wanted to create a space in which people could socially interact with each other in unexpected ways, developed a TASK party. A TASK party is much like performance art, in which the audience becomes part of the organic process of the event. There are only two rules to the party: (1) If you take a task, you must add a task and (2) you must have fun. As a participant, you may receive a task such as “Make a mask for someone and make them wear it” or “Find two other people and create a human sculpture.” Herring’s TASK parties range in size and time – small parties last about an hour or two while public events can last up to two days! (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=TlEYbZhuco8) Our TASK party was held at East High School. We found students to be our DJ, photographer, and videographer and enlisted the help of the DPS Arts department to set up the scene. The party started by the teachers entering the space through streamers and lights and hearing the upbeat music. They were invited to take a task from the box and then interpret it with the supplies around the room. Thanks to RAFT (Resource Area For Teachers, http://www.raftcolorado.org/), we had cardboard boxes, foam shapes, paper, wire, etc., for the teachers to use. Once a teacher completed a task, they had to write a new task to add to the box and the process started over. Each TASK party is unique in its energy and flow – it’s all dependent on its participants. At our party, there was a definite sense of hesitation and a fear of the unknown at the beginning. Once a few educators started some tasks and began demonstrating how fun the tasks could be, the participation level increased to almost everyone. There were unicorn horns adorning people’s heads, towering sculptures out of cardboard, puppets, a conga line, singing, and even a group of teachers who were “rowing” across the floor. TASK parties embrace contemporary art concepts such as process over product, relationships of the participants, and the sense of play. The act of participating and the performance of the players are the important aspects of the event. After the party ended (we wrapped it up in forty minutes), we went back to our small groups and debriefed. We discussed how participating in the TASK party made everyone feel and what the implications could be for the classroom. Teachers started to brainstorm about how to use this activity for the beginning of the school year, at art night events, and for staff development at their school. We shared a small video on Herring from ART21 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlEYbZhuco8) and an article from Art Education about a teacher who uses TASK in the classroom (Gillespie, J. (2016). Oliver herring’s task in the classroom: A case for process, play, and possibility. Art Education, 69(1)). Finally, we invited the teachers to imagine what art education could look like – how can we incorporate more 21st century practices in our classrooms? Our TASK party was an exciting way to end our professional development for the year. We hope that the activity brought a new sense of energy and adventure to the teachers and that they may pass on the act of play to their own students, and maybe even a little productive anarchy.
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Painting area
Michelle Garrison, from Farrell B. Howell Elementary, shows off her creative head ware
Building the tallest sculpture possible
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Classroom Rescue Part II by Vanessa Hayes-Quintana
I’m often asked, “How do you deal with students
who have difficult behaviors?” Managing difficult behaviors in the moment can be daunting, and we all have varied thresholds for tolerating difficult behaviors. The ebb and flow of our day-to-day teaching allows us to reflect upon interactions we have with our students and think of new ways to approach situations that perplex us. I hope to add to your repertoire of ideas that support your intentional responses to assist in both your students’ success and your sanity!
ing their year down, celebrating accomplishments, and preparing for summer, we also receive new students. With students coming and going, and through the rearrangement of classes, the school year contains many “first days” of school. Teaching a student population considered high risk is challenging. The challenges become greater in an environment when also managing high-risk students diagnosed with significant emotional and developmental disorders and when norms are continually being reestablished and when procedures are being learned and relearned.
My school building is a very transient environment. All students work to meet their social-emotional goals before returning to their home school where they can find success in a typical classroom. Most students stay between a semester and a year. In the midst of these “stable” tenures, other students will swoop into the classroom and remain for a month or so before disappearing. As a result, we continually restructure classes to best accommodate changing student needs and manage maladaptive behaviors. When most teachers are wind-
Teaching a student population considered high risk is challenging. The challenges become greater in an environment when also managing high-risk students diagnosed with significant emotional Collage Spring 2016
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Installation by Joliet Learning Center 6th-12th grade students, Fall 2016 Red Line EPIC Arts Exhibition
and developmental disorders and when norms are continually being reestablished and when procedures are being learned and relearned. When you start to feel as if you’re more of a listening-and-following-directions teacher, remember that there is not one magical “fix-it” strategy to make all of your classroom management problems disappear. A strategy that works one day might be completely ineffective the next. Try not to become discouraged if what you are doing isn’t working. Students come with lots of baggage, and you can’t be the only one who helps them “fix” everything, especially in a typical school setting where you have hundreds of students to attend to. Give yourself kudos for your hard work! You put in A LOT of effort!
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If you’ve tried strategies and they don’t work, it’s probably not because you’re doing them wrong! We are not trained psychologists, and many times we find ourselves thrust into the position of the trained psychologist. Remember, you can never put a price on the connection made with students when they know you truly care because you have taken the time to make sure that they can make art about the things in their world that matter to them. Know about what is important to them and show them that you care. When comparing teaching in a typical classroom to one primarily serving students with severe emotional disabilities, I’ve learned that art helps more than other subjects because the sensibilities you exercise as an art teacher lend themselves to responding most effectively to difficult behaviors. In the art classroom, the breadth of available choices can exacerbate difficult behaviors. Yet, it is also that realm of choice-making which offers the most flexibility to manage difficult behaviors.
Guide students to work in longer and longer increments of time until they are able to function during most of a class period.
In my classes that have between one and eight students with para-educator support, a successful day will have students being able to spend some time working academically, even if for a few minutes. When students are able to work, they are coping with their social/emotional difficulties in a healthy fashion. The space of coping is certainly desirable, however, students may occupy that space for only a few moments. As you reflect and plan your approach to students, consider the amount of time students are able to spend on tasks. As you implement interventions, consider what amount of time is reasonable for them to remain on task as they progress? Guide students to work in longer and longer increments of time until they are able to function during most of a class period.
What Is Your Mindset? It can be discouraging to work with difficult students! The art content is important, but engaging work isn’t always enough to keep classes going. Before diving into strategies to assist students with difficult behaviors, first consider your personal mindset. You need to be good and gentle with yourself.
In your interactions with students, what mindsets do you need to be aware of? Ask yourself, what is missing? What are my biases? What are my personal triggers? What student behaviors really get to me? Where do interactions with students seem to come to a standstill or fall apart? What skills can I learn to overcome obstacles?
It’s always better to prevent behaviors than react to them. Beginning with yourself, think carefully about the talking points of this article. Consider adjustments you can make in your interactions with students to support their success. It would be helpful to have a particular student in mind to craft a plan around. It’s always better to prevent behaviors than react to them. It’s especially important not to over-react. Beginning with yourself, think carefully about the talking points of this article. Consider adjustments you can make in your interactions with students to support their success. It would be helpful to have a particular student in mind to craft a plan around. You might use some ideas directly from this article or give your own voice to them. Remember, it’s still art and the possibilities are endless!
Keep in Mind That It’s Not Personal Student behavior has nothing to do with you, don’t take their attacks personally. Students are going to hurl expletives at you, they’re going to threaten you and call you names. You cannot control students, you can only guide them. They will misbehave! They're mad at the world and you’re simply there as their sounding board. MOST IMPORTANTLY: You are in charge of the environment you create and how you act and react to student behaviors. Don’t mirror student behav-
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iors back to them. For many reasons, these students expect that you will react inappropriately to their attacks. They are generally accustomed to adults responding inappropriately to them. When you don't fulfill their expectations, it often surprises them. They will dig in hard and really let you have it. When they hurl the outrageous at you, acting like monkeys throwing feces at the zoo, remember, you’ll be fine! You’ve been there. You’re a strong, confident person who doesn’t need the approval of a scared, hurt 16-year-old.
In the heat of the moment, remember that students are not upset with you. They're upset with the world, and you can help. Their tantrums will pass, and you will be fine! Give students a reflection of themselves that shows their potential. You can get your most difficult, combative, low-cogSculpture by Jessica Carrion-Struck, Fall 2016 RedLine EPIC Arts Exhibition nitive, checked-out students to buy into their potential. In the heat of the moment, remember that students are not upset with you. They're upset with the world, and you can help. Their tantrums will pass, and you will be fine!
Mindfully Create Non-Threatening Interactions • You want everything about your verbal and body language to be calm and non-threatening. Instead of expressing your anxiety, make sure that your • facial expression conveys kindness, kindness, kindness, and patience. • Your tone of voice is slow, soft, and non-threatening. This is about solving problems rather than
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ask questions you are developing rapport and trust with your students and gaining their perspective in how to assist them. They will see that you care and you’ve created buy-in with them through the understanding gained during the question-asking process. This, in turn, creates a healthy and supportive environment.
The truth is that when you ask questions you are developing rapport and trust with your students and gaining their perspective in how to assist them.
“getting a piece” of a student who has made you mad, or reacting emotionally. Remember, you’re the adult in charge. • your posture gives them physical space that reflects the emotional space they need to work things out. Consider • bending down to the level of the student. • standing alongside the student rather than directly in front of them. Are you not sure what to say or do? This is totally natural! If you’re not sure, the best thing to do is ask questions.
Ask Questions! Interactions with students can be complex! If you’re not sure what to do, or if you’re not sure about what to say, the best thing to do is ask questions! Asking questions might make you feel vulnerable or as if you’ve lost control of a situation. You don’t need to be perfect! In fact, it’s best if you’re not. If you’re not perfect, then you can share and relate to the students. The truth is that when you
Ask at least three questions to gain understanding of your students and their thinking. You can say, “How can I help you figure this out?” or, “What are you having trouble with?” They’ll often answer honestly. You can ask about how they’re feeling, how their work is going, what they are trying to accomplish, what they want or need, etc. Your follow-up questions can look like, “Do you want to tell me about that?” or, “Do you need some time to collect yourself?” or, “Can you think of a way to fix this?” or, “I’m not upset with you. You’re not in trouble. What is your plan?” You can say, “Which choice would you like?” Then repeat the choices. If they refuse to choose, you can say, “I’d rather you make the choice, but if you can’t, then I will.” Then encourage them to make the choice. It’s okay to say to students, “You know, I mess things up all of the time. But, I’m still in charge, and I will still do what’s best for you.” Or, “What if we make the choice together?” You can ask, “Are you stuck? What can I do to help?” Sometimes a student doesn’t know what they need. You can ask, “Can I help you? Where are you stuck?” A great way to manage persistently difficult students is also a great way to begin the problemsolving process. The psychologist working in our building guides us to pay special attention to how we feel when interacting with a student who is acting out. It is likely that the student is feeling what you’re feeling. If you’re feeling agitated in the inter-
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action, ask the student, “You seem to be agitated, tell me what’s up.” In the vein of asking questions, you can say, “Help me understand. What do I need to know?”
Have Expectations for Class Behavior and Performance I have three class expectations: Be safe. Be nice. Do your best work. The intention of my classroom expectations is to boil everything down to its finest detail in procedures, interactions, and, in this case, expectations. I have found these three expectations cover most classroom scenarios, and they lend themselves to the physically and emotionally safe environment. Simple expectations are important for students who process slowly or have difficulty decoding. Receiving the simplest possible instruction is important when students are emotionally escalated, or who may hurt themselves or others in their anger.
I have three class expectations: Be safe. Be nice. Do your best work.
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Be Safe Based on any combination of feelings, when a student demonstrates escalated behavior, they are unable to access all the skills and knowledge that they can when they are calm. In some circumstances, they cannot do this even when they are calm. Most of the strategies I discuss revolve around this premise. Before students are available to learn, they must feel: • Physically Safe • Emotionally Safe Students feel safe when they are provided structure, flexibility, consistency.
Safe Handling of Materials I always allow students to use materials until they show me they can’t handle them (even in jail, where students automatically expect you to hold the “good tools” back). Until students give me a reason not to trust their judgment, they are allowed the responsibility, and I term it as such – a privilege
and a responsibility. I say, “I am very strict about using dangerous tools. I know you can handle it, but everyone gets the disclaimer. If the tools are used for ANYTHING except their intended purpose, you’ll be finished with them for good. You may not walk around with them. If you even pretend to use it as a weapon, you’re done. No second chances. Great! Let’s have fun and make clay!” I’ve only ever had three students lose privileges with tools. Of course, we need to exercise prudence in all individual circumstances. I can’t allow students who cut to use X-ACTO knives. (Sharp objects are also not allowed in jail. :))
Safe Communication
Safe communication is about developing safe relationships! It applies to teachers and students. As a teacher, you need to be consistent with students at all times, even when the students are acting outrageously. If you're communicating safely one day, then becoming reactive the next, you've lost all of your credibility.
If you're communicating safely one day, then becoming reactive the next, you've lost all of your credibility. Safe communication means • establishing and maintaining non-threatening verbal and body language. • creating physical and emotional safety. • showing empathy to the student, maintaining the student’s dignity, and still upholding your high expectations. Evaluate and reflect on your interactions with your students. You can say, • “This must be tough, let’s see what we can do to make it easier.” • “Even though your choice wasn’t the best, let’s figure out together what you can do to make it better for next time.” • “You were so upset. Let’s talk about what went wrong.”
• “I know you’re not going to speak to me, but I’m reminding you of this expectation.” (Don’t forget to follow through with your expectations, even if a student stonewalls you.) • “You can trust me to stay calm while you’re upset. I’ll help you get through this.” • “Let’s make a plan so when Jack upsets you tomorrow, you’ll already know what to do. Would that help?” ”It’s okay if your plan doesn’t work out perfectly, we’ll practice to make it better.” (Notice the term better instead of right. “Better” eases the pressure to “be perfect” and allows for multiple interpretations.) After making a plan with a student, you can say, • “Remember…” (Establish a visual cue for the plan so you may use it when you’re busy in the classroom.) • “I’m not angry. You’re not in trouble. What is your plan? Show me your plan,” to a student who is reactive. Let Students Know “I can’t read your mind!” During times of conflict, pay attention to how you feel when you are interacting with a student who is “acting out.” It is likely that the student feels what you are feeling. If you are feeling agitated in the interaction, ask the student, “You seem to be agitated. Tell me what’s up.” “You look upset. Can you tell me what is going on?” I like to say to students, “You know, I really suck at reading minds. I don’t know what’s going on unless you share with me.” Handle conflicts and disrespectful behavior no matter how long it takes; see the problems through.
Pay attention to how you feel when you are interacting with a student who is “acting out.” It is likely that the student feels what you are feeling. Call Out Lying It’s okay to call a student out when they are lying. It’s also okay to tell a student that you don’t believe them. As with all of these scenarios, there are varying degrees of lying. In mild circumstances, you can say, “Is that the truth?” When you are certain that a student is not being truthful, don’t back
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down. See the problem through until it is solved. Lying can be a sticky problem for students who find themselves repeatedly lying. Some students will hold to their lie and try to make you the bad guy for not believing them. This can happen for many reasons. When you’re dealing with a student who is known to lie, you can tell them what you may tell your own child. “When you aren’t truthful, it’s not my job to determine if you’re being truthful now. If you want to me to believe you, then it’s your job to show me you’re trustworthy. This means that you need to be truthful all of the time. It may take a long time before I believe you again, but I’m sure you can become trustworthy.” Eventually, most students will admit their indiscretion. When they do, allow them to repair the interaction by moving forward and saying, “So what can we do now to make this better?” Allow them to solve the problem with your support. If you’re not sure about what to say or do with a student who you suspect is lying, start by asking questions, and lots of them! Provide Genuine, Specific Praise I like to say to students who have difficulty with connecting with others or who sabotage their own work to maintain a low self-image, “If it’s good, then it’s good. You can’t take that away!” “You’ve done a great job slipping and scoring, look how strong your pot is.” And walk away. These students always know if you’re full of it! They won’t respect you if you give them hollow praise. If you’re not sure what to say, ask them what they think. This feeds that process of creating trust. Stick with it.
Be Nice: Create a Culture of Belonging Students often don’t want to participate. Even when students choose not to participate, you may still continue to nurture the classroom culture of respect and belonging. Regardless of how students may react, always invite them into the fold. Always welcome them. Never stop inviting them. You can say, “Everyone join the circle. You don’t have to
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share, but everyone needs to be together in the circle.” Then wait for them. It may take a long time. It may take an entire class period. It may take an entire semester. You can get quite creative with how you invite students to participate. It’s okay to bribe them, give them incentives, tell them you want to hear from them, etc. One of the best ways to solicit student participation is to develop projects in which they can become personally invested.
Regardless of how students may react, always invite them into the fold. Always welcome them. Never stop inviting them. I inform every one of my classes, “In this classroom, everyone’s ideas are safe. Everyone’s opinions are valid. You don’t need to agree, but everyone is going to be respected. That means that everyone is allowed to express their opinions without repercussions from anyone. No one is to disparage anyone else.” I also always inform my students, “You can hate each other’s guts, but you must always show respect to everyone’s opinions. Everyone has the right to their opinion.” Hold to this mantra through safe communication while also remaining aware of interactions among students in the class, and protecting students who are being targeted.
Prevent Students from Targeting Peers There are times you will have a student who targets others with their behavior. You can say to a student targeting another student: • “Focus on your work so she can focus on hers. Have a seat. Come on, let’s sit.” (Move closer to the aggravating person, think of proximity to the person – side stance. Use a non-threatening, soft, calm tone of voice.) • When the student redirects their attack to you, you can say, “I’m here to make sure you leave her alone. Let’s come over here,” or, “I’m staying right here,” then redirect the student to another topic or work. Move them if possible or necessary. • Many students who target others are potential leaders. Point this out to students to help them
redirect their leadership potential in a positive direction. If they are persistent or upset, students will often combat with more verbal attacks. Remember, if a student is emotionally escalated, they are unavailable to process their world until they are calm. Often they’ll physically push their way towards their “victim” or towards you.
Remember, if a student is emotionally escalated, they are unavailable to process their world until they are calm. Sometimes I’ll say, “I’ll stay right here. It’s my job to make sure everyone can do their work. I would be a pretty bad teacher if I left you alone. You wouldn’t want that.” I only speak if the student isn’t. Sometimes I don’t speak at all. I allow space in verbal interactions and movement. Students can be slow processors of information, so they need this space. It’s okay if they continue their verbal attacks. Be aware of their movements, and safety. They’ll eventually regain calmness in that space, or they’ll need to leave to do so. Girl in front of Keith Harring inspired, Teagan Seiverin, "Diva Princess"
Here are some strategies: • Redirect away from the person to something else, or go outside the classroom. • Take a walk. • Provide quiet space for de-escalation. • You can simply sit next to a student and not say anything. Or, “How’s it going? Do you want to work on the design?” Let’s work together.” • When they don’t answer, it’s okay. You can tell them, “Let me know when you want to get started,” then sit quietly. • Return in a few minutes and offer the invitation again. Maybe put work with materials in front of them, then leave their side.
Avoid Engaging in Oppositional Behavior and Power Struggles Power struggles occur when a student’s perception of what they need does not match the behaviors you are seeking from them. The expectations of both parties clash, and a power struggle ensues. A power struggle engages a student into a state of agitation. You want to avoid this if you’re going to get anywhere with the student. Even when you’re calm, the student will remain upset.
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A student who is agitated is not emotionally or physically safe. They’re not going to suddenly stop and say, “Oh man, Mrs. Q. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful. I didn’t mean to bother Joe.” Remember, no one wins a power struggle. This means that even if you force a student into obeying your command, they aren’t going to do it again or easily, and they aren’t going to have learned how to appropriately solve problems or why problem solving is important. Basically, power struggles are a lose-lose proposition for everyone. Make the interaction about solving the problem, being respectful of their peers, not about the power struggle between you and the student. You don’t want to create an additional problem to handling the peer conflict. This means that you may need to ignore some verbal abuse. This will be addressed in the next section.
Basically, power struggles are a loselose proposition for everyone. Make the interaction about solving the problem, being respectful of their peers, not about the power struggle between you and the student. Reduce the student’s perception of the adult/child power differential. This doesn’t mean that you are relinquishing power or that students are “getting away” with being disrespectful. You’re in charge of how you act/react. Remember that during crisis and conflict, student cognitive abilities decline and you need to assist the student in returning to a calm state. They are unable to access their ability to reason. Using safe communication techniques and safe body language, “coax” the student into calmness. THEN, you can process the incident. Students often need to learn exactly why it’s important to solve problems, and learn how to solve
problems. You are their example of how to do this when they are in conflict with you. Power struggles don’t allow problem solving learning to take place. You can guide a student, sometimes very slowly, to buy into exhibiting the behaviors you need to see in the classroom without relinquishing your authority. Create trust and respect in the classroom environment. When the student is receptive, discuss with them the pros and cons of your expectations. There are two things happening when you do this. First, connect your expectations with their perceived need to belong or understand. Connecting personally to situations will help them internalize purpose and later exhibit appropriate behaviors. Second, while with them, guide them through how you’re going to work things out. For example, they explain their feelings. You explain your expectations. Then you both discuss the situation and the possible outcomes and make decisions. After you’re finished, do a recap how you solved the problem together and remind them that you did it calmly. Praise them for the job well done! In most other circumstances, they may not know if or when they have appropriately or successfully solved a problem.
Know that It’s Okay to Disengage! You don’t need to respond to every expletive or threat in the moment. Of course, these things must be documented, however, they don’t always need a response from you. Especially if there is a larger issue on the table to work with. To maintain or reestablish calm, always allow students an “out.” A trapped student will respond in much the same way an animal may respond if they feel danger. If a student has a way out of a situation, the chance of an outburst lessens significantly.
To maintain or reestablish calm, always allow students an “out.” If a student has a way out of a situation, the chance of an outburst lessens significantly.” It’s okay that you don’t respond to everything a stu-
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dent says or does. Pick your battles. This does not mean that you are relinquishing your authority. You can simply walk away. It’s okay to say, • “I need some time to think about what to do. I’ll be with you in a minute.” • “I’m really busy helping the class right now, I’ll be with you in a minute.” • “I’m not feeling very patient right now, I’ll be with you in a minute to help you figure out what positive choices you can make.” You can ignore behaviors that are aimed at drawing you into a fight. Don’t play! You can say, • “I’m not going to argue with you” and leave the interaction. • “You don’t look interested. I’ve got these things over here you might like. You can look at them when you’re ready.”
Sometimes students won’t allow you to assist in the problem-solving process as a way to avoid solving the problem. They will claim to be detached from others, or have no friends, or be malcontent with situations. However, they won’t engage in the process of making their situation better. It’s acceptable to disengage from interacting with these students when their safety or the safety of others isn’t at stake. Disengaging also sends the message that you’re not going to be part of this behavior. It’s also acceptable to intervene, there are many ways you can keep the student engaged depending on the character of the situation. Responses can look like: • “I understand you’re upset. If you’re upset, and you don’t tell me what’s going on, I don’t have a chance to fix it or make it right. If you won’t
Present behavior options as choices rather than making threats. Never make threats. Work to build collaboration. Especially during times of conflict. Threats are not the same as consequences or choices. If you have given a student choices that they refuse to make, then you can restructure your request. For example, if a student is verbally abusive and talks over you, you can say, • “You can make the choice, I’m fine if you’re sitting quietly in the classroom, or you can yell out in the hallway.” • They’ll say, “I’ll yell if I want.” • Then you can say, “Yes, you’re correct, you can yell, out in the hallway.” Deliver expectations. Allow them space. Walk away, or call for help.
It’s acceptable to disengage from interacting with these students when their safety or the safety of others isn’t at stake. Disengage from Manipulation Do students “hold you hostage” or stonewall you?
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let me make it right, then you don’t have the right to remain mad at me, and this conflict is
over.” • “But, I’d like to do what I can to make it right.” • “I’d like the chance to help you. Let me know when you’re ready.” • “You can share if you like, but if you don’t, then I’ll be making the decisions for you until you’re ready.” • “I know you’re ignoring me, you don’t need to talk. I’ll still make my expectations clear. Please remember that you need to…(state your expectation).” • “I’m really bad at reading minds. You’ll need to tell me what you need before I can help.”
Teach Appropriate Boundaries Many students with difficult behaviors have trouble with accepting and/or understanding boundaries. They must first be taught what appropriate boundaries are, then those boundaries must be reinforced and maintained. Correct students politely when boundaries are violated. This allows them to see that the function of boundaries is part of maintaining the health of ourselves and our communities. Don’t be afraid to tell a student that something they are saying is in appropriate. Try to offer an appropriate substitute for their behavior whenever possible. Thank them in advance for the positive behavior you’re looking for. Be clear and specific about what you expect of students and remind them until you think you’re hearing your own voice echo in your sleep!
You can also cope with upsetting behavior by reminding yourself that a student’s outrageous behavior will occur in the presence of any adult, you simply happen to be the one in their presence at that moment. Maintain Your Emotional Boundaries You do not need to become part of, take on, or be personally invested in students’ emotional or social difficulties to help them navigate the problems they
face. You do not need to lose yourself or be drained by them. Whether real or perceived, a student’s problems can remain their own. • Understand that students make choices independent of you. Although they might be in your presence or make choices as they engage with you, their choices are their own. • If their behavior is upsetting, remember you can remind them what is appropriate after they are calm. You can also cope with upsetting behavior by reminding yourself that a student’s outrageous behavior will occur in the presence of any adult, you simply happen to be the one in their presence at that moment. • You can demonstrate care while maintaining your personal boundaries. Sometimes you may need to say, “I don’t share that information with my students.” Or, “It wouldn’t be appropriate to share that information with you.” • Let students know that you can help them find support in appropriate places. • Do not push a student to reveal more than is comfortable or to continue to relate when it is becoming uncomfortable. • Show that you are interested in them personally by creating meaningful assignments that cater to their passions and interests. Students may use charged subject matter in their work. Create ways to appropriately discuss topics in the classroom setting. Be clear about subject matter that isn’t acceptable. • If students share information that is inappropriate or too personal, you can ask that they discuss another topic. You may need to inform them that the information they are sharing isn’t for everyone to hear, and that they keep that information private for themselves or their close friends or family. • Get to know something about your students. Keep it light. You can say, • “How was your game?” If they say horrible, you can respond by highlighting a positive, “I bet you played hard!” • “I’m so glad you’re feeling better today.” “I love the unicorn on your shirt.” “Are those new shoes?” “Tell me about your weekend.”
Do Your Best Work I ask my student repeatedly to be the best example
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of themselves with their behavior and art making. Making positive academic and behavior choices results in the student’s sense of ownership. Marilyn Zurmuehlen told us, the person making the decisions is the person doing the learning. Expect everyone to do their best, have high expectations for everyone! No matter what! Don’t dumb down anything for your students. This disrespects their potential and doesn’t allow them to rise to the occasion of greatness! You CAN break down the work! You might need to do so until you’ve hit the lowest benchmark of progress. I often go all the way down to kindergarten levels of cognition or abilities before finding a student’s threshold. BUT, students can always do the work!
Don’t dumb down anything for your students. This disrespects their potential and doesn’t allow them to rise to the occasion of greatness!
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• Reassure them that you’ll be there to help them make choices, or, if their behavior shows you they need help, you’ll be there. • I tell my students, “I want you to make your choices, with your behavior and your work. I’ll always allow you to make your choices. If you’re in a bad place, or are having difficulty choosing, I’ll always help you. Sometimes, I’ll make your choices for you, then I expect you to do so on your own when you’re ready.”
The person making the choices is the person doing the learning. Sometimes when students are not able to choose, you can say, “I know that it’s hard sometimes to do what you need to….” Allow time and space for processing. Tell them, “Hey, take your time.” Sometimes students want to choose everything. You may need to give them possibilities piecemeal, or curb the choices you introduce.
Many students have gaps in their learning that don't follow general patterns of knowledge because they've missed so much schooling due to their disabilities. For example, you would think that if they know how to whip up a batch of cookies, they might also know that flour is a solid, and eggs are a liquid. One of my students, as a junior in high school, thought the world was flat because maps are flat. This is a bright girl who simply did not possess the background knowledge necessary to understand the shape of our planet and how gravity keeps us all safely tethered to the ground. Students simply need material broken down into smaller steps. Although it can be difficult, keep it simple and interesting. Keep you or another support at their side, guiding them through the process. Notice I say “guiding,” not “doing,” the work for them! Because the person making the choices is the person doing the learning.
Remember that Feelings are Okay, Poor Behavior is Not
Allow the student every opportunity to make the choices for their behaviors before you do it for them. If you need to, make the choice for them, then allow them the next move. • You can say, “Come over here to collect yourself, you can join the group when you’re ready to work politely.”
You can validate the feelings of a student while reinforcing your expectation of positive behavior, and use this opportunity to teach students different
Students often use their feelings to justify their behavior. You can validate the feelings of a student while reinforcing your expectation of positive behavior, and use this opportunity to teach students different ways to cope with poor feelings so they can practice. You can make a plan, then follow through with seeing how it goes. In every situation, make sure that students first have the opportunity to understand what behavior is unacceptable. Second, and more importantly, students need to know what they should be doing or learn an alternative positive behavior they can use to replace the poor behavior. This is important because a student’s behavior always serves a purpose for them. Even if it is inappropriate.
Remember what a great teacher you are! And, remember, there is something to love about every one of your students! you’re upset, I’m going to remain calm ways to cope with poor feelings so they • “Iandknow help you get to a good spot.” • “Come to me when you’re upset. We will work can practice. it out.” If you understand why a student behaves the way they do, you can help them find an alternative positive behavior to replace the negative behavior. Helping students understand how to communicate appropriately in spite of their strong feelings is a skill, a skill many adults don't even possess.
• “Thank you for, (insert positive behavior here…)” • “Thank you for sitting quietly and working on your drawing” when a student is off task.
Have the students come up with the ideas for monitoring themselves. They'll recall their ideas when in crisis and they will begin to internalize their choices. You can say,
Rigidity addresses a student's inability to see another’s point of view. This is usually evident in assisting autistic students, since we live in their world, they don’t live in ours.
• “No one can take away your feelings. It’s okay to be frustrated. You can feel however you like. Let’s find ways to express how you feel appropriately. What could you do differently next time you’re mad at Jake?” • “It’s okay to be upset. I know how upset I get when I feel like someone isn’t listening. What is another way you could have solved the problem?”
Instead of insisting on having things your way, it's better to begin with interests in the hope of getting them engaged. Remember we live in their world, they don't live in ours. • Figure out what motivates them and use that to learn. It’s okay if they only like the color yellow, or if they only like the Box Trolls. Think of the million things that can be done with their area of interest. Use that as a springboard to draw
Address Rigidity by Adapting to Their Thinking
Keith Harring inspired installation, Joliet Learning Center Spring 2015.
• “You were upset weren’t you? It didn’t work out so well when you tore up Jake’s art. What is another way you could have shown how upset you were?”
them into other activities. • Asking questions here is imperative. You can tell your student that you’re trying to learn about them so you can help them. To help you, help them. They love this!
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• Always have a plan. Always inform them of changes far in advance. • You can make a game of “What’s coming next!” to create excitement. • Frame expectations as procedures to avoid power struggles. You can say, “This is how it’s done” rather than “This is how I want you to do it.” • Repeat, remind, and review because they'll forget. • Use lots of visual cues for everything! It is fine to explain why you make decisions, yet rigid students are often not persuaded by the purpose of your decisions. Sometimes you have to say, “This is one of those times when you need to be flexible.” This also may not work, even if they know you are already being flexible with them. Give them time to come down from feeling as if they need to hold to their position. They may become more flexible after feeling less escalated. Students with autism or who possess a rigid sense of justice have difficulty when they perceive someone is getting something they aren’t. I will explain, “What’s fair is not what’s equal. What you need at this moment is different than what Sam needs. You both get what you need. These things are different, but fair for you both.” I'll have this conversation repeatedly with the same students, and it does seem to help with avoiding a “meltdown.”
Since autistic students are the center of their world, in the moment of processing through a problem that isn’t going anywhere, you can describe how the others around them are being flexible. Since autistic students are the center of their world, in the moment of processing through a problem that isn’t going anywhere, you can describe how the others around them are being flexible. This may appear in the form of having another student make a compromise, then point out that the student has given up something important or has helped them. Then let go of the problem. When you do this, you are, for just a moment, showing the student another world they may use later to compare their behavior. I have seen an autistic student later make
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amends in their own way after seeing that their behavior resulted in someone else’s sacrifice. Knowing what sets your student off or what motivates your student is also important. Reframing your point of view can help rigid students. For example, if something goes wrong for a student, in an attempt to assist we might say, “It’s okay…” I have a student who will respond by screaming, "It's not okay. What are you – stupid??!!" With him, I say instead, "It looks like we have a problem. I'm sure we can fix it, I'll help." When students are stuck or feel something isn’t repairable, I often will say something like, • “You can trust me. It will be okay. Let’s fix this together.”
• “Yes, this is difficult. That’s what learning looks like sometimes. Don’t worry, we’ll get through this. I’ll help you.” • “I promise I’ll help you.” • “Let’s come over here and get calm. We’ll come back to that when we’re calm.” • “I can’t communicate with you when you’re yelling. I’ll be back when you’re ready to speak calmly.” • “Let’s take some deep-belly breaths. Relax. Nice and slow and deep.” Figure out what helps calm the student. Get calm with them if they’re open. Help Students Maintain Focus When a student is unable to remain focused on a task, regardless of whether they are interested in it, you can use a myriad of interactive phrases: • “Come over here and sit in this calm space. You may come watch the demonstration when you’re ready to join the class and participate appropriately.” • “What should you be working on right now?” • “Show me what you created!” • “What are you going to do next on your drawing?” • “Okay, try coloring the next square…” • “When you finished shading this area, come show me what your next move will be.” • “What can I do to help?” Have students share around their table what they are doing. This is like a small “time out,” a transition without movement. It helps students learn listening skills, and gives them ideas. You can have students share ideas with the class during work time. Make them a “safe” space or a “personal” space: • Provide them a space to stand and move while they work. Maybe at a corner table, or a table near you. • Make table-size or full-size partitions. • Provide headphones to reduce auditory distractions. • Reduce visual and kinesthetic distractions by
having them face a space that’s not cluttered and/or is away from general classroom movement. • Remove distracting visual stimuli from their immediate surroundings. You can say, “It’s hard to concentrate with everyone talking and moving around. Come over here and you can have your own private corner to think and work.” • Enlist the help of the class. “Hey, Adam is having a tough time concentrating when it’s noisy. Even though we don’t notice it, noise hurts his ears. Let’s help him by talking like Pooh Bear.” • You can say, “Since writing isn’t your thing, you can tell me your answers and I can write them down. We can do it over here privately.” Other strategies that can help students to focus include: • Break a task into guided steps, “First me, then you,” or, “I’ll help you, then you try.” • Provide two things to work on, switch back and forth. • Assign classroom jobs. • Provide incentives for working on tasks in incrementally longer periods of time. • Give students brain breaks. • Use rhymes or songs to help them focus on tasks or procedures. • Break down assignments to their smallest components. Use perception checks often. • Have procedures for EVERYTHING! Students who have difficulty focusing LOVE kinesthetic projects, such as paper maché, origami, FOBOTS, and other fine motor skill building such as tracing, cutting, and folding paper.
Understand Your Student’s Motivation What need is your student trying to fulfill? All of their behaviors serve a function, a purpose. This might be conscious or unconscious. Students are trying to remain in control of their world in any way they can. Some students are motivated, yet unable to harness their ability to focus. Some students would rather die. You get every one of these kinds of behaviors! You can ask them, “What do you need?” They may
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not know. You can redirect, “How about if you help me file paper when you’re finished?” This is great motivation for those who are eager to please and need focus. You can work out incentives. What would they work for? You can usually find something a student is interested in doing. You can offer, “I know you’re not interested in this work. How about you work for fifteen minutes and I’ll have a video game for you to play for fifteen minutes.” Then you can wean them from their incentive. This can work with any incentive that is incrementally phased out and with ANY cognitive level. If you can find a positive behavior to replace the negative behavior that fulfills their need, you’re on the right track.
Have a Procedure for Everything Teach, reteach, and reinforce those procedures throughout the year. Put visual systems in place to reinforce the procedures. For example, “I’m looking for… (fill in the blank).” Be specific, be kind. You can ask a particularly difficult student, “Would you like Amber to help you get ready for class?” (Amber may already be a trusted responsible class helper.) You can do this quietly to maintain student dignity.
Be specific, be kind. If you have a token system, have tokens ready to quietly place next to students who are complying. Maybe pass out three or four. Sometimes students want those tokens so they try harder to be the first next time. Break down and explain EVERY aspect of what you want to see students doing. “I’m looking for everyone to walk to their seats without using any words. I’ll know you’re ready when you’re sitting quietly at your seat looking at me.” Repeat. Repeat slowing, quietly, and clearly until everyone
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Close up of installation by Joliet Learning Center 6th-12th grade students, Fall 2016 Red Line EPIC Arts Exhibition.
is following directions. Say, “I see two people who are ready. I see five people who are ready. I’m looking for everyone to show me they’re ready.”
Repeat again. “I’ve got 55 minutes to wait.” “It’s so much more fun to make art, but I’m patient. I can wait.”
You can say, “It feels scary right now. Those are your feelings. Look around, everything is okay. Your feelings are telling you to be scared, but everything is okay.”
Get to Know Families
Have the student try to: • breathe deeply. • visualize. • use the environment as evidence that everything is okay. • talk through the things that are calming. Ask: • “What do you do at home when you’re upset?” • “What makes you feel better about things when you’re upset?” • “Is there someone you talk to that you trust?”
I love to let students know that their parents and I are tight! Take time to call home often to let parents know how great their kids are. Then when you call them about the tough situations, they’ll be more apt to listen and work as a partner with you in their learning. Sometimes, I’ll say to a student, “Let’s call dad, maybe they can help you with your day.” This is a huge, genuine and specific way to praise students that gets lots of mileage. If students are misbehaving, have them explain their behavior to their parents on speaker phone in private. This eliminates you as the bad guy, and allows the student to own their behavior. This is probably the most effective way I’ve managed really egregious behaviors.
Teach Self-Monitoring Is a student not doing what everyone else is doing, even though you asked? Meet with the student privately. You can ask, • “I noticed that when the other students are starting to paint, you begin walking around and talking to your friends? What can I do to help you focus on your work?” • “Let’s make a plan. I notice that it’s tough for you to work for a long time. Do you have any ideas about what you can do to take a break and then begin working again?” Notice that these scenarios show the student that: • You are following through with your expectations. • You are having them “own” their behavior by offering choices.
Teach Self-Talk Telling a student to “settle down” isn’t the same as teaching the student to soothe themselves.
Follow through with the student to make sure they’ve returned to a “safe place.”
Provide Regulating Activities Regulating activities help students with selfmonitoring. Place a time limit or condition on these activities. They include: • repetitive walking. (Ask “Would you like to take a five-minute walk?”) • taking a break by doing an activity such as drawing, coloring, or playing a game. • using manipulatives such as squishy toys when appropriate. (I have had only two students for whom squishy toys were appropriate. Usually manipulatives become distractions and projectiles.) • listening to rhythmic music on headphones. (“You can use your music while you’re working.”) • engaging in rewarding behaviors that help a student feel connected to another. (You can say, “Is there someone you feel comfortable talking to?”) Remember what a great teacher you are! And, remember, there is something to love about every one of your students! Tell them – and have fun!!!
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50 x 50:
Recovering the Classics Design-a-Thon Exhibition and Event by Jody Chapel
E ast High School (Denver Public Schools) is proud to have participated
as a Colorado host of 50x50: Recovering the Classics Design-a-Thon. Held at East’s historic library in December 2015, the event was part of a national effort to have rolling exhibits of 50 classic book covers displayed in all 50 states by the summer of 2017, and to help to nurture communities of book lovers in the process. Along with East librarians Carliss Binder and Robbie Marks, the National Art Honor Society and Design Studio student organizations played key roles in the organization and promotion of the 50x50 event. After the event and exhibition at East, 50 of the 120+ student classic book-cover re-designs were chosen by Tattered Cover staff to be on exhibit at the Colfax location through December 2015. As a sponsor, the Tattered Cover also judged and provided prizes for winning student designers. Fifty student covers were also exhibited at the Denver Public Library’s central location through February 2016 and then traveled to the Ross Cherry Creek branch library for exhibition through March 2016. Students either chose their classic titles from a list of books in the public domain or were randomly assigned covers to be re-designed. Students were then responsible for researching and brainstorming ideas to be created through painting, drawing, photography, or digital design. Through these events and exhibitions, the national and student organizers hope to ignite a renewed interest in classic books. Check out East’s event website at http://east50x50.weebly.com/
Background on Recovering the Classics “In 2013, Recovering the Classics asked designers from around the world to reimagine covers for great books in the public domain. This spring, we announced a partnership with the New York Public Library, the White House and the Digital Public Library of America to bring the covers to libraries and schools nationwide through special edition ebooks….We’re looking for libraries, schools, book stores, galleries, local civic organizations, and others across the country to create their own events around the covers – exhibits, readings, school activities, or design-athons” (http://50x50.us/).
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“Selfies”
(Exactly where I want to be!) Lesson Plan for Grades K–8
Creating self-portraits is a snap with this easy technique In this lesson plan, facial proportions and features are traced onto clear film, then layered over a background of a student’s own choosing — a location where she or he would most like to take a “selfie.” These self-portraits may go to the moon, the bottom of the ocean, or anywhere else the imagination goes! DickBlick.com/lesson-plans/selfies-exactly-where-i-want-to-be
FREE lesson plans and video workshops at DickBlick.com/lesson-plans. For students of all ages! ®
Alliance for Young Artists Writers
&
Visit DickBlick.com/requests/bigbook to request a FREE catalog!
Request a FREE catalog!
800•447•8192 DickBlick.com
California AEA Winter 2015.indd 1
12/23/14 8:17 AM
Share your creations with over 5,000 visitors inside the famed Denver Museum of Nature & Science! Join over 100 amazing makers who are bringing interactive experiences with light, sound, textiles, arts, leading edge tech and more. Our maker space fills up quickly for this event, so contact us now to talk about your ideas. We’d love to help make your vision a reality inside the Faire!
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My Love/Hate Relationship with Art History by Tracy Boberg Nichols
I am having a torrid love affair with Art History. I didn’t always love him like I do now. I’m sure we were introduced briefly in my youth but I don’t remember when exactly. Like most couples, we got to know each other a little better in college. I thought he was interesting and exotic but most people who met him thought he was boring, a little tedious, and long winded. After college, we met occasionally here and there. I had a crush on him but he would say we were just good acquaintances. Then, a few years later at an interview for an art teaching job, the interview committee was mystifyingly interested in how well I knew Art History. It was a classical school and they seemed to be in awe of him. They assumed I knew him well and asked me all sorts of questions about him. I told them what I could remember from the time we’d spent together. You’d think I was being interviewed about my time dating Prince William! (Mostly, I remembered a couple of his good friends – Claude, Vincent, and Leo – because they were gorgeous.) I came away thinking that Art History must be much more important. In all honesty, I felt like a loser for not having paid as much attention to him as I could have. Fate destined us to be together because I got the job and Art History and I were assigned to work together. There was some resentment involved in how much I had to talk about him. But as we spent some more time together, I began to see the possibility of a great future together. For one thing, Art History has been all over the world and knows eons of interesting people. Believe me, he is a fantastic storyteller! He’d tell stories about Ancient Egyptians and Greeks, modern artists, and architects. It was like he knew them and brought them to life. He wasn’t boring at all. He reminded me that people today wouldn’t know anything about the ancient civilizations or other cultures without the art and architecture that people before us have left behind. His favorite quote is from B. Sills: “Art is the signature of civilization.” He made me look at history in an exciting new light. When he’d tell me about Africa, it was like I was there making sophisticated and sublime bronze sculpture heads 1,000 years ago. This was around the same time as Notre Dame Cathedral was being built in France, Angkor Wat was being built in what is now Cambodia, and Eric the Red was sailing along the coast of North America. He gave me lots of great ideas for art projects too. When we were looking at Edvard Munch’s The Scream, he reminded me that people are attracted to books, movies, music, and art that project strong emotions. He told me that The Scream is a modern symbol of terror because it evokes that feeling with unparalleled strength. We made an art project inspired by The Scream called The Laugh showing a strong feeling of joy and laughter.
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As we spent more time together, I saw what a great team we were making and how our kids were even benefitting. I was falling in love – with Art History. My story doesn’t end there. I wanted to share the richness that I discovered in Art History with my students. I bought those long horizontal art history timelines and posted them along the floor and ceiling of my art room. But I didn’t really refer to them or use them to teach. My knowledge of Art History was like my desk – lots of stacks of interesting information but not in any particular order. To fix that problem, I gave myself an assignment with two goals: (1) I would design and make my own Masterpieces of Art and Architecture Timeline that is useful in my classroom all year long and (2) I would make it beautiful so it would look great in my home as a work of art. I spent months researching and cross-referencing what most scholars agree are some of the greatest masterpieces of art and architecture in recorded history. I did the same thing to find out the greatest gamechanging world historical events for each century. Linking these together helps me share Art and World History as a fascinating narrative of genuinely interesting and important people, places, and events. It’s far from scattered, boring, or tedious! Making the Art History Timeline Poster was one of the most fascinating and thrilling experiences I’ve had. I learned so much and felt like I had traveled the world: • to follow Hokusai as he made his 36+ views of Mt. Fuji woodcut prints in Japan; • to see the geometric Islamic tiles at the Alhambra Palace in Spain where M.C. Escher was inspired to design his tessellations; • to read through the gold-leafed leather pages of the Book of Kells with Irish monks; • to climb in a hole in the ground in France during World War II with a group of teenagers to rescue their dog and discovered the prehistoric Lascaux Cave paintings with a 17-foot-long bull painting on the ceiling; • to see Van Eyck make the first oil painting on wood panels; and • to see an American artist invent the paint tube, inspiring a group of French artists to begin painting outside for the first time - the Impressionists. I spent well over 1,000 hours researching and doing the artwork for my Art History Timeline Poster. I drew and etched each image on the Timeline in scratchboard because I wanted to make the images look unified and I like the way scratchboard images look like woodcuts. I scanned them into the computer and used Photoshop. Each image took 3-4+ hours to draw, etch, and then digitally refine. I guess you could say that when I finally finished working on The Art History Timeline Poster, I was headover-heels in love with and happily married to – Art History. And we lived happily ever after…well…mostly. I got the Timeline published and people are finding it, remarkably, on the Internet and it’s making its way around the world. I made a free download booklet of Look and Find Art History questions on the website that go with the Timeline Poster (www.timelinestaircase.com). Furthermore, I’m creating Art History Activity pages that are to be used in conjunction with the Timeline Poster.
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What I leaned is that when you spend more time to get to know someone or something really well, your appreciation skyrockets. Then, getting passionate about something makes you want to share it. “If you don't know history, then you don't know anything. You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree.” – Michael Creighton It’s important to see and know this remarkable tree we belong to. Hopefully you will get to know Art History well and you too can fall in love. Take it from Rick in the movie Casablanca: “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
The published Art History Timeline is 5 feet tall and 2 feet wide. It is printed on parchmenttoned poster paper.
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Working on my drawings for the Timeline
These are my scratchboard drawings for my Art History Timeline. I made my own clip art.
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When I introduce a masterpiece to my students, I point out where we are on the timeline. I explain that each stair step is 100 years (a century) and each diagonal switchback is 1,000 years ( a millennium).
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This is a close-up picture of one of the sections showing the masterpieces and the major historical events that took place in the century.
I made color copies of my Art History PowerPoint slides and glued them on a mat board. I use the poster each class period and I can refer to the posters as we work on art projects in that particular unit. I like how the visual repetition reinforces the information. The poster reminds me and the students how things fit together. Then, I can point out the color images of a masterpiece to the same images on the Art History Timeline and show where they fit in the scope of history and in relation to other art and time periods. This Timeline poster is a larger version I had blown up for my classroom.
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I had a design problem to fit more artwork and events from the last 300 years, so I made an expanded section at the top of the Timeline for the 1700s to the present.
This is another poster I made from my PowerPoint of some of the important artwork students should know from Native American art.
More of the scratchboard clip art I made.
More of the scratchboard clip art I made.
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The Forest of Technology by Abi Paytoe Gbayee
Wyoming Art Education Association President (Email: abi@wyarted.org) The saying that “you can’t see the forest because of the trees” is one which aptly seems to describe technology. What forest are we even in? Do we even remember? How can we get our bearings so we can lead others who are looking to us to confidently walk down unknown paths? It is important to step back and take a look at the big picture in a day and age where technology is a term which describes an ever-changing set of hardware and software systems, the place where vocabulary and terminology continually increase in complexity. So, in stepping back from the trees, trying to ascertain the true size of the forest, I will admit to becoming overwhelmed. Who has the answers, the resources, the knowledge, or at the very least, who is asking the right questions? For many years, I didn’t think there was anyone who might know the way or was even on the path ahead of me.
I have found myself part of a bigger community, one that is big enough to have smaller communities contained within it. Some of these groups are found through the National Art Education Association (NAEA) listed as Issue Groups, and some of these support communities are on Facebook or found at state, regional, and national conferences. Thankfully, I was wrong. I have gained a new perspective on the many, many resources available to me. However, it is more than just resources. I have found myself part of a bigger community, one that is big enough to have smaller communities contained within it. I think about these smaller communities as places of immense value and support. They are groups of people with similar interests, circumstances, and needs. These are some of the places I go to find support, to give support, or even to ask questions. Some of these groups are found through the National Art Education Association (NAEA) listed as Issue Groups, and some of these support communities are on Facebook or found at state, regional, and national conferences. The Art Education Technology (AET) Issue Group, which is part of NAEA, is a great one to belong to when faced with what seems to be an insurmountable task of using technology or media in the classroom, needing to integrate technology into curriculum, or staying at the leading edge of what is possible with emerging technologies. Having been personally lost in the forest of technology, I find it encouraging to know that AET is a community whose purpose and mission align with my interests and needs. As we get lost looking at the trees, sometimes it is enough to know there are resources and communities to help put the forest in perspective and people to walk the path alongside of us.
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Congratulations Anne Thulson
National Art Education Association Pacific Region Higher Education Art Educator of the Year “I first met Anne in 2008 when she generously opened her classroom space to mentoring my student teachers as they navigated their way through the complexities of teaching for the first time. Right away, her dynamic and engaging classroom and the ease with which she was able to effectively and purposefully teach interdisciplinary and critically informed curriculum in the K-12 environment impressed me. She demonstrated to my students the strategies and approaches necessary to building and teaching smart, dynamic and innovative lesson plans, inspiring my students to push beyond their assumptions of what art education should be to what art education could be. She taught my students the discipline of research and the importance of processes and the need to take risks as an artist and an educator. Anne is a highly dedicated, curious, and innovative art educator who deserves to be recognized for her significant contributions to the field of teaching. She is the type of advocate, scholar and educator that others aspire to be.�
-Rachael Delaney
2016 Pacific Region Division Award Winners
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The Emergent Curriculum by Barth Quenzer
If we listen carefully, if we look closely enough, we will hear the faint murmurs of the curriculum. What is the source of curriculum in the arts? Does it arrive into the classroom through textbook or manuscript? (Not likely.) Is it derived from a formula or another prescribed method? (Not really.) Are the origins of curriculum external or internal? (Well, both.) I will argue that curriculum is embedded within the students, teachers, and the learning environment. Our role as educator is to tease this curriculum out, to unearth it. We do this by listening and observing with our full perceptive sensibilities. To do this well, we must be attuned to the reverberations of life, ourselves calibrated to the developmental aptitudes of our young, and deeply vested into theories of learning. “…there is an original world, a natural and social world in which the child is involved corporeally and affectively.” – Maxine Greene I believe curriculum can be offered as an invitation, just as a story or poem is offered to the imagination. For the student, the curriculum must be alive, itself a living, breathing thing. It is a substance to be felt, experienced, and molded through action and deliberation. For the teacher, the curriculum is an instructional space where the genius of the child is discovered and honored, where the ideas of students are personified, nurtured, shared, and realized. The term emergent curriculum, I believe, most closely resembles these aims.
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Elizabeth Jones (2012) provides us with a historical summary of “the emergence of emergent curriculum” starting with Maria Montessori’s pioneering focus on manipulatives in the physical environment during the first half of the twentieth century. This is followed by the thinking of Arnold Gesell’s focus on the child’s physical and social-emotional development in the 1940s; Erik Erikson’s theory of developmental stages in the 1950s that emphasized the role of play in the years three to five; Piaget’s theories of cognitive development; and Loris Malaguzzi’s preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy in the 1960s (Jones, 2012). Jones defines the concept of emergent curriculum as being “built on the strengths of the child...open-ended and self-directed…lending itself to a play-based environment…[emerging] from the play of children and the play of teachers…co-constructed by the children and adults and the environment itself…[and] focuses on the process of learning” (pp. 67, 68). Jones provides a simple scenario in which students and teachers coconstruct the curriculum: “[Teachers] notice children’s questions and invent ways to extend them, [they] document what happens, and invent more questions” (p. 67).
I will argue that curriculum is embedded within the students, teachers, and the learning environment. Our role as educator is to tease this curriculum out, to unearth it. It is this noticing of children’s questions that serves as a source of curriculum for the arts. Parker Palmer (2007) in The Courage to Teach leaves us with a vivid metaphor, one that I believe we should take to heart when considering our source of curriculum. Palmer says that good teachers “possess a capacity for connectedness. They are able to weave a complex web of connections among themselves, their subjects, and their students so that students can learn to weave a world for themselves” (p. 11). As we “weave” our curriculum, we must be mindful of the connections students are making. We must notice the questions they pose. We must acknowledge their ideas as they arise. We must find ways to unearth the genius hidden in our students so that they too can “weave a world” of their own. References Flinders, D.J. & Thornton, S.J. (2009). The Curriculum Studies Reader: Third Edition. New York: Routledge. Jones, E. (2012). The Emergence of Emergent Curriculum. Young Children. National Association for the Education of Young Children, March, pp. 66-68. http://www.naeyc.org/yc/article/the-emergence-of-emergent-curriculum Palmer, P. J. (2007). The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
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Youth Art Month Art Walk in Greeley, Colorado by Lauren Thurman
The community of Greeley, Colorado came together on Friday, March 4, 2016, to support the school district in the first-ever Youth Art Month art walk at various downtown businesses. Twenty-one different schools participated and exhibited over 900 works of art. Portraits by students in grades K-12 were on display at the Academy of Natural Therapy. Here guests listened to music from local artists and added to the collaborative cardboard-sculpture heads. At the Joe Molina Gallery and Studios, all of the high schools came together to showcase their talents in their end-ofyear show. There was also a flash mob Crosswalk Dance! All of the arts were truly represented at this first-ever-event. See more about the event at https://greeleycreativedistrict.org/2016/02/19/district-6-art-walk/#more-71600. Thanks to the sponsors: Greeley Creative District, Boettcher Foundation, ACE, City of Greeley Government, Colorado Creative Industries, Downtown Greeley, Consider It There, and Greeley-Evans School District 6.
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CAEA TASK FORCE CHAIRS & PUBLICATIONS Title
Name
Commercial Spring Conference Scholastics Youth Art Month Arts Advocacy Awards Web Master
Lloyd Bourdon Lisa Adams Pam Starck Justine Sawyer open Kim Williams Robin Wolfe & Michael Cellan Tiffany Holbrook & Christina Martinez Alexandra Overby Rosemary Reinhart & Elisabeth Reinhart Janet McCauley
lrabourdon@gmail.com Ladams7@cherrycreekschools.org tplbstark@aol.com justine_sawyer@yahoo.com
Social Media Collage Editor Collage Copy Editor Collage Layout
caeaawards@gmail.com lcross@d49.org Tiffer_1122@yahoo.com alexaoverby@gmail.com rsrhart@gmail.com janetmccauley@comcast.net
CAEA EXECUTIVE BOARD & DIVISION REPRESENTATIVES Title Executive Board 2016-2019 President President-Elect Vice President Interim Treasurer Secretary Past President Division Representatives Elementary Multi-Level Middle School High School Private/Ind/Charter Museum/Gallery Supervision Higher Education Retired Student
Name
Vanessa Hayes-Quintana DJ Osmack Ben Quinn Alexis Quintana Rachael Dalaney Elizabeth Licence
caeapresident@gmail.com dosmack@jeffco.k12.co.us bennyquinn@hotmail.com lexi.quintana@me.com
Amy Marsh Carrie Mann open open Sam Mizwicki open open Teresa Clowes open open
elicence@comcast.net abeth127@yahoo.com carrieartmann@gmail.com
sam.mizwicki@gmail.com
tclowes@rmcad.edu
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CAEA REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
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Title
Name
North West North Central North East Metro Metro East Central South Central South East South West West Central
open Sharon Jacobson-Speedy Christina Martinez Kim Chlumsky Rachael Dalaney open Lisa Cross open Kari Pepper open
Email speedywheat@aol.com martinezch@hcosd.org kmchlumsky@gmail.com
lcross@d49.org kpepper@bayfield.k12.co.us