I will now explore ways to assess how well my students understand each of these three 'big ideas,' one at a time.
“Art, although it has had a variety of purposes throughout history and different cultures, should have purpose, and should be meaningful.”
In order to stress this to my students, I would teach them about some of the many of purposes art has served around the world, throughout history. I would spend time showing and explaining artworks to them which were used for each of these purposes. We would also spend time talking about art as a language; for example, how artists use color to express mood. Over the course of the year, I would show them multiple works of art. I would spend at least half of the year asking them questions which make them think about what the artist intended their work to do for the viewer, and why they created the work the way they did. I would probably have the students write their answers in an art journal.
I would look for journal entries that show they understand the connections among function, artists’ intentions, and the language of art. The inclusion of each of these considerations in their writing, in a coherent way, would probably show that the students understand how they are related.
My goal for them would not only be for them to come up with thoughtful answers to my questions, but also for them to learn to ask their own thoughtful questions about art. To assess the students’ abilities to ask thoughtful questions, I would change the routine that involved me asking them questions, and would give them the opportunity to come up with the questions themselves. I might ask a different student each day to write one question on the board concerning the artwork, and everyone would answer the question in their journals. Some days they may simply write, and some days we would discuss the questions as a class. Another idea would be for the students to write their questions in their journals, and then answer them. A class discussion may also follow this activity.
In order for students to see how this truth plays itself out their own artwork, I would give them projects that would allow them to express their ideas using visual language. These projects should make them aware of the of the decisions they make while creating art, and their purposes in making them. I have been reading through Engaging the Adolescent Mind by Ken Veith, and have been impressed by the way he wrote a ‘visual problem’ at the beginning of every lesson. Instead of merely giving his students a series of steps, he gave them a problem for them to solve using visual means. I think this gave the students ample opportunity to express themselves by making art that was meaningful to them. It also made it clear that we, as artists, have a reason behind every part of the art-making process; each piece of art is the result of a number of meaningful decisions. Making students aware of this should help them to place importance upon the choices they make during the creative process, strive to express themselves in a way that can be understood by the viewer, and inspire them to ask questions about the art of others.
I would assess how well the students applied the language of visual art to express their ideas or solve a problem by asking them questions about their art. I would ask them how the choices they made in material, color, line, form, etc. work to solve the visual problem presented to them at the beginning of the project. I would also ask them what ideas inspired them as they created their artwork.
“Art, although it has had a variety of purposes throughout history and different cultures, should have purpose, and should be meaningful.”
In order to stress this to my students, I would teach them about some of the many of purposes art has served around the world, throughout history. I would spend time showing and explaining artworks to them which were used for each of these purposes. We would also spend time talking about art as a language; for example, how artists use color to express mood. Over the course of the year, I would show them multiple works of art. I would spend at least half of the year asking them questions which make them think about what the artist intended their work to do for the viewer, and why they created the work the way they did. I would probably have the students write their answers in an art journal.
I would look for journal entries that show they understand the connections among function, artists’ intentions, and the language of art. The inclusion of each of these considerations in their writing, in a coherent way, would probably show that the students understand how they are related.
My goal for them would not only be for them to come up with thoughtful answers to my questions, but also for them to learn to ask their own thoughtful questions about art. To assess the students’ abilities to ask thoughtful questions, I would change the routine that involved me asking them questions, and would give them the opportunity to come up with the questions themselves. I might ask a different student each day to write one question on the board concerning the artwork, and everyone would answer the question in their journals. Some days they may simply write, and some days we would discuss the questions as a class. Another idea would be for the students to write their questions in their journals, and then answer them. A class discussion may also follow this activity.
In order for students to see how this truth plays itself out their own artwork, I would give them projects that would allow them to express their ideas using visual language. These projects should make them aware of the of the decisions they make while creating art, and their purposes in making them. I have been reading through Engaging the Adolescent Mind by Ken Veith, and have been impressed by the way he wrote a ‘visual problem’ at the beginning of every lesson. Instead of merely giving his students a series of steps, he gave them a problem for them to solve using visual means. I think this gave the students ample opportunity to express themselves by making art that was meaningful to them. It also made it clear that we, as artists, have a reason behind every part of the art-making process; each piece of art is the result of a number of meaningful decisions. Making students aware of this should help them to place importance upon the choices they make during the creative process, strive to express themselves in a way that can be understood by the viewer, and inspire them to ask questions about the art of others.
I would assess how well the students applied the language of visual art to express their ideas or solve a problem by asking them questions about their art. I would ask them how the choices they made in material, color, line, form, etc. work to solve the visual problem presented to them at the beginning of the project. I would also ask them what ideas inspired them as they created their artwork.
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