As my busy schedule careened through December, I did not have a chance to write on any of my three blogs for over a month. I couldn't show favoritism and write one and not the others. Too many interests to pursue. I wish I had a single purpose, but like many creative-types, I have fingers in too many pies. My goal is to get back to writing about art, art-making, and the importance of teaching creativity to kids on this blog.
We did make one really great decision in December, which was actually prompted by the need to slow down and catch our breath. We enjoyed a stay-cation in Los Angeles. With everything this city has to offer, including lovely winter weather, it seemed crazy to fight the crowds to fly somewhere else. It was very nourishing to replenish my own creative juices in writing and art, and to plan for student art lessons for the next trimester. It does take a lot to juggle seven grade levels!
I felt the need to connect with some of the creative engine that fuels Los Angeles. The 30 year retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, a tour of innovative Disney Hall, and the grandeur of the Rose Parade floats sure helped! So did a trip to the snow, the desert, and researching historical sites for a tv show I'm pitching. No wonder we love Los Angeles. The individual threads woven by creative people into a tapestry of art experiences, coupled with the natural beauty is a magical elixir.
Showing posts with label teach creativity in school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teach creativity in school. Show all posts
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Saturday, September 27, 2008
The Next Art-Free Zone: Kindergarten
It used to be that when art programs were slashed in the elementary schools, at least kindergarten was the last bastion of painting, drawing, and weekly, if not daily, art projects. Who couldn't imagine that five-year-olds would at least be the lucky ones still getting to enjoy their right-brain creativity exercises. One expects to find creativity still lurking around the corners of the kinder classroom.
But alas, anything that resembles art has been banished in some kindergarten classrooms. I'll never forget the day a kindergarten teacher ran into the art room on Valentine's Day, stunned that the principal had just made an upsetting proclamation. The little kids were coloring pictures related to the holiday. When the principal had come into the room, she acted as if the teacher was doing something wrong with her class. The principal announced that there would be no more coloring in kindergarten! They had to spend all the time getting in their academics.
Unfortunately, this true story illustrates the preposterous stress schools face. Second, we've lost all perspective about kindergarten age children. Third, art is "academic," regardless of the wild misinformation out there.
Where to begin sorting this out?
Since education was commandereed by the accountability movement (not necessarily an all bad thing), schools are ranked on test scores. We all know this. Meeting this expensive demand means less money has been available for what used to be considered normal components of education and the school day. Just to arm students with never-ending practice worksheets preparing for the tests has gobbled up school budgets nationwide (and mowed down our forests).
School administrators are in a bind: they have to carefully mind their budgets, even while their staffs copy increasing blizzards of worksheets. Copy paper is their most expensive item, often breaking the bank. Having taught in three states, I can attest to this universal response to test-prep. Art supplies can seem expensive. If a principal doesn't grasp the importance that art brings to the school experience, not only does the expense look frivilous, but the time spent engaged in a right-brain, authentic, hands-on activity once a week does, too. Employing an art specialist? A school could get two aides instead to tutor low-performing kids in reading or math. It's a trade off. It's not balanced, but the bottom line is panic over test scores. Period.
One of the consequences of the accountability push is that kindergarten has become the most pressured grade of all, in my opinion! In Texas, and I'm sure in other states as well, some of what had been the second grade curriculum has been shoved clear down into kindergarten. Five-year-olds are expected now to write sentences before they can even hold a pencil. Their day too is filled with worksheets. Some kids with a lot of experience under their belt can do this if their parents or progressive preschool provided it. But this push comes at the time when more and more kids are not getting the normal early childhood preparation that might enable them to do this. It's especially true in many low income homes.
A rather narrow, anemic view of "academic" has developed. Teachers are expected to cover a big amount of material. It ends up looking like worksheets and textbooks. It feels entirely left-brain. It's analytical, not creative. There is no time in the school day for teaching innovative thinking. But somehow, the adults making these curriculum decisions believe children will be able to do this without instruction or time spent cultivating it. They'd never do that with spelling or math. Let's face it, we have gotten stupid with all this testing. We've lost sight of the children and how they develop.
But alas, anything that resembles art has been banished in some kindergarten classrooms. I'll never forget the day a kindergarten teacher ran into the art room on Valentine's Day, stunned that the principal had just made an upsetting proclamation. The little kids were coloring pictures related to the holiday. When the principal had come into the room, she acted as if the teacher was doing something wrong with her class. The principal announced that there would be no more coloring in kindergarten! They had to spend all the time getting in their academics.
Unfortunately, this true story illustrates the preposterous stress schools face. Second, we've lost all perspective about kindergarten age children. Third, art is "academic," regardless of the wild misinformation out there.
Where to begin sorting this out?
Since education was commandereed by the accountability movement (not necessarily an all bad thing), schools are ranked on test scores. We all know this. Meeting this expensive demand means less money has been available for what used to be considered normal components of education and the school day. Just to arm students with never-ending practice worksheets preparing for the tests has gobbled up school budgets nationwide (and mowed down our forests).
School administrators are in a bind: they have to carefully mind their budgets, even while their staffs copy increasing blizzards of worksheets. Copy paper is their most expensive item, often breaking the bank. Having taught in three states, I can attest to this universal response to test-prep. Art supplies can seem expensive. If a principal doesn't grasp the importance that art brings to the school experience, not only does the expense look frivilous, but the time spent engaged in a right-brain, authentic, hands-on activity once a week does, too. Employing an art specialist? A school could get two aides instead to tutor low-performing kids in reading or math. It's a trade off. It's not balanced, but the bottom line is panic over test scores. Period.
One of the consequences of the accountability push is that kindergarten has become the most pressured grade of all, in my opinion! In Texas, and I'm sure in other states as well, some of what had been the second grade curriculum has been shoved clear down into kindergarten. Five-year-olds are expected now to write sentences before they can even hold a pencil. Their day too is filled with worksheets. Some kids with a lot of experience under their belt can do this if their parents or progressive preschool provided it. But this push comes at the time when more and more kids are not getting the normal early childhood preparation that might enable them to do this. It's especially true in many low income homes.
A rather narrow, anemic view of "academic" has developed. Teachers are expected to cover a big amount of material. It ends up looking like worksheets and textbooks. It feels entirely left-brain. It's analytical, not creative. There is no time in the school day for teaching innovative thinking. But somehow, the adults making these curriculum decisions believe children will be able to do this without instruction or time spent cultivating it. They'd never do that with spelling or math. Let's face it, we have gotten stupid with all this testing. We've lost sight of the children and how they develop.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Girls Need Drawing to Express Themselves
In the last post, I talked about why boys need to have at least some of their school subjects presented in hands-on, authentic, creative ways. Well, girls need this too, of course. But their needs are quite different.
Letting kids draw during the school day activates their entire thinking process. Drawing is the way children think. They naturally draw as small children. Little kids are happy drawing. They don't make judgements about the quality.
But around age ten - twelve, all kids need instruction to help them do what they want to do -- draw more realistically to express their maturing ideas. Drawing becomes a struggle for some because they compare themselves to competent peers or adults. This seems to be a human development stage. Kids need help getting over the hurdle. How this was handled in your case probably still reverberates deep down. I've found this to be especially true for women decades later. A negative experience in art has lasting power because it hits the core.
Girls need art instruction because they don't tend to draw the things that boys do. They get stuck drawing such symbols as hearts, rainbows, and flowers. Ask any 4th or 5th grade teacher. It's universal. I was really struck by this when my daughter -- who always had lots of art opportunity in her experience -- started drawing those same cliches. They looked just like the ones I was doodling in sixth grade.
Around that time, a lot of girls start closing down -- either covering up their drawings or not drawing at all unless forced to do so like making a poster or report. They can see that their work doesn't measure up. This is especially hard on girls who have the rest of school mastered. They feel inadequate. The solution is not to cut out art. Duh! Girls need systematic instruction and encouragement.
Here's an article I wrote with simple art and teaching creativity ideas for teachers and parents. The publication is from Arts in Education Aid Council (AEAC). Look for "Welcome Back to the New School Year":
http://www.chatsworthchamber.com/attachments/f59/30d1221871470-2008-aeac-fall-volume-9-issue-1-aeac_vol9-issue1_r4_final.pdf
Letting kids draw during the school day activates their entire thinking process. Drawing is the way children think. They naturally draw as small children. Little kids are happy drawing. They don't make judgements about the quality.
But around age ten - twelve, all kids need instruction to help them do what they want to do -- draw more realistically to express their maturing ideas. Drawing becomes a struggle for some because they compare themselves to competent peers or adults. This seems to be a human development stage. Kids need help getting over the hurdle. How this was handled in your case probably still reverberates deep down. I've found this to be especially true for women decades later. A negative experience in art has lasting power because it hits the core.
Girls need art instruction because they don't tend to draw the things that boys do. They get stuck drawing such symbols as hearts, rainbows, and flowers. Ask any 4th or 5th grade teacher. It's universal. I was really struck by this when my daughter -- who always had lots of art opportunity in her experience -- started drawing those same cliches. They looked just like the ones I was doodling in sixth grade.
Around that time, a lot of girls start closing down -- either covering up their drawings or not drawing at all unless forced to do so like making a poster or report. They can see that their work doesn't measure up. This is especially hard on girls who have the rest of school mastered. They feel inadequate. The solution is not to cut out art. Duh! Girls need systematic instruction and encouragement.
Here's an article I wrote with simple art and teaching creativity ideas for teachers and parents. The publication is from Arts in Education Aid Council (AEAC). Look for "Welcome Back to the New School Year":
http://www.chatsworthchamber.com/attachments/f59/30d1221871470-2008-aeac-fall-volume-9-issue-1-aeac_vol9-issue1_r4_final.pdf
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