Art at RMS

From "Collage Book Making" - Middle School Elective, By 'R'

In taking a new approach to art education, it is important to examine the benefits and characteristics of the shift away from a "teacher-centric" approach, toward a more student centered approach. It is new for me and new for the students. It is abundantly apparant to me, that my students are learning in ways that have not been available to them before. They have full access to a real art studio. My students can invent and create and think and dream in a whole new way. My students make connections between their own art and the work of professional artists, past and present. They think about art outside of the classroom. They talk about their ideas, successes and failures, describe what they have attempted and why, and plan their next projects. They are the next step in the process of "What are will be".
~Nan

"ART IS IDEA, IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO DRAW, PAINT AND SCULPT. AN ARTIST SHOULD BE ABLE TO THINK" ~ Gordon Woods

(What follows was taken from The Knowledge Loom Web Site.)


Choice-based teaching and learning delivers in-depth curriculum in the context of student-centered work.

PERSONAL CONTEXT -- Choice-based art education regards students as artists and offers students real choices for responding to their own ideas and interests through art making.

PEDAGOGICAL CONTEXT -- Choice-based art education supports multiple modes of learning and teaching.

CLASSROOM CONTEXT -- Choice-based art education provides resources and opportunities to construct knowledge and meaning in the process of making art.

ASSESSMENT -- Choice-based art education utilizes multiple forms of assessment to support student and teacher growth.



http://knowledgeloom.org/tab/index.jsp

This rabbit sock puppet was crafted by almost 6 year old "A", almost entirely by herself, over about four class periods. She discovered a book about making puppets in the puppet center and, using this as a refernce, collected all the pieces and parts she needed. She used the low teperature hot glue gun to attach most of the parts. When it was done, she made a valentine for the rabbit to hold in it's mouth. "A" recently discovered the RMS web log, and was very eager to see her work in this space.

"The essential goal of art teaching is to inspire children to behave like artists--to try on the artist's role--to feel what it is to gather an art idea on one's own and act on it. The goal is to reveal to children that art comes from within themselves--not from the teacher." - George Szekely, Encouraging Creativity in Art Lessons

"I found these strips of paper that were about ½" wide, and I rolled them into a circle and I stacked them. -J, age 7

After facing many design problems, this student finally completed his marionette to his satisfaction. He remarked "It still has some problems, and it's not perfect, but I learned a lot that will help me next time".