Art
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I am excited to introduce a full choice based art curriculum this year! During the 2014-2015 school year I observed art teachers and students working within a choice based model, then ran a trial choice based curriculum in my classroom with 2nd- 4th grade students. It was instantly a success! Students were excited to have control over their creative process and make something that was truly theirs, rather than a copy of my example. I saw their enthusiasm and growth and knew I had to expand the program to all grade levels. Within the choice based model students have the opportunity to choose their medium as well as explore ideas that are exciting to them. The art room is set up into centers or "Studios" based on material. Students use the "Studio Habits" to guide their art making. This approach has been studied and proven successful. Additionally it aligns with state and national standards for student growth and assessment. To ensure a smooth transition to choice based art, I spent my summer studying curriculum design and collaborating with other choice based art teachers both locally and nationally. Within this approach process is highly valued, if not more valuable, than product. I look forward to all the projects students will pursue in art this year!
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Studio
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"Studio Thinking is a framework designed by practitioners at Project Zero (the research arm of Harvard’s School of Education). Out of the Studio Thinking framework comes the Studio Habits of Mind, a set of eight dispositions that an artist uses. The wonderful thing about these dispositions is that they offer a language for critical thinking that spans across every discipline."
- Mariah Rankine-Landers, teachingchannel.org 8 Studio Habits Develop Craft: Learning to use tools, materials, artistic conventions; and learning to care for tools, materials, and space. Engage & Persist: Learning to embrace problems of relevance within the art world and/or of personal importance, to develop focus conducive to working and persevering at tasks. Envision: Learning to picture mentally what cannot be directly observed, and imagine possible next steps in making a piece. Express: Learning to create works that convey an idea, a feeling, or a personal meaning. Observe: Learning to attend to visual contexts more closely than ordinary “looking” requires, and thereby to see things that otherwise might not be seen. Reflect: Learning to think and talk with others about an aspect of one’s work or working process, and learning to judge one’s own work and working process and the work of others. Stretch & Explore: Learning to reach beyond one’s capacities, to explore playfully without a preconceived plan, and to embrace the opportunity to learn from mistakes. Understand (Arts) Community: Learning to interact as an artist with other artists (i.e., in classrooms, in local arts organizations, and across the art field) and within the broader society. Arts is in parenthesis here as it can easily be switched with other disciplines, like science or history. Studio Habits of Mind from Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education, Hetland, Winner, et al, Teachers College Press, 2007 |
TAB |
"Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) is a nationally recognized choice-based art education approach to teaching art. Developed in Massachusetts classrooms over thirty five years, and through courses and research at Massachusetts College of Art, the Teaching for Artistic Behavior concept enables students to experience the work of the artist through authentic learning opportunities and responsive teaching."
-teachingforartisticbehavior.org |
Ms. Severns |
As the K-8 Art instructor at Courtenay, my goal is to facilitate opportunities for all students to be creative and expand their critical thinking skills through art making. This year in Art, students will follow a TAB choice-based curriculum where they have the freedom to choose and experiment with materials in various “studios” or centers in the art room. I truly believe a choice based approach meets students where they are and provides opportunities for all students to be successful and challenged.
I spend my free time exploring Chicago parks and museums, cooking, and making art. I enjoy weaving, photography, and most recently have been trying to improve and develop my drawing skills. I graduated from the School of The Art Institute with a BFA in Education and Fiber and Material Studies. While there are many incredible places in Chicago, The Art Institute remains one of my favorite places to visit. |