| Art Education Papers |
[Content in Art] was
written in the Fall of 2001,
as part of my teaching
credential program.
Disclaimer: This work is
entirely my own. I bare all
responsibility for the
contents of this paper. All
opinion are my original work
and any quotes or ideas of
other authors are footnoted.
written in the Fall of 2001,
as part of my teaching
credential program.
Disclaimer: This work is
entirely my own. I bare all
responsibility for the
contents of this paper. All
opinion are my original work
and any quotes or ideas of
other authors are footnoted.
Content in Art
In January, I will begin teaching Introduction to Art, at Sierra High School in Manteca. My
students will be a mixture of freshman through seniors. Sierra is located in a relatively
new section of Manteca, many of the homes having been constructed in the last ten to
fifteen years. Much of the student body is drawn for economically middle-class families.
(Only 11.8% of students are eligible for free or reduced priced lunch, compared to 46% of
students’ statewide.) The student body is predominately White (51%) and Latino (30%). A
significantly smaller group of Asians (11.7%), African Americans (5%), and American
Indians (1.6%), round out the student population.
A few of my students may have a limited art background, but most will be in the art
classroom for the first time. In this introductory class we will focus on the basics of art
history and art practice. The art history portion of the course will follow the path laid out
for us by history and will be supplemented with projects appropriate to the time period
being studied. As an example, when studying Cubism, students will draw a still life and
then bring the image to the level of abstraction as a Cubist might, through use of dissecting
lines and various shading techniques. Western art will be the focus, but our study will be
supplemented with discussions of art created through out the world.
The art practice portion of the class will consist of several small projects, the ongoing
creation of a drawing portfolio and four to six big projects. Smaller projects, which can be
completed in one to three days will be will be done through out the semester. These will
reflect the culture or art movement being studied. Students will work on their drawing
portfolio two or three times per week In the drawing portfolio students will have the
opportunity to practice and master basic drawing skills, such as contour drawing or
gesture drawing. Big projects, one for each of the major time periods studied, will take up
several days of class time, in some cases requiring one or two weeks. For instance, after
studying African, North and South American and Oceanic art and learning of the
importance of masks to native cultures, students will create their own masks, which will
reflect ideas or values important to each student.
In the fall of 2000, Art was made the fifth standard in public education in California. The
State has recently adopted five standards for art education: Artistic Perception, Creative
Expression, Historical and Cultural Context, Aesthetic Valuing and Connections,
Relations and Applications. Though some private groups (The National Art Education
Association and the Getty Institute) have written and suggested national standards, none
of which are widely used, most states have chosen to write their own set of standards. The
California standards are based on the Getty Institute’s program Discipline Based Arts
Education (DBAE), which stress four important areas: art production, art history, art
criticism and aesthetics. DBAE is designed for use in all grade levels, particularly in a K-6
setting, but has more specific standards for use in the art classroom.
The first of California’s art standards, Artistic Perception, students learn to “identify visual
elements and principles of design using the language of the visual arts.” Essentially, the
students are taught how to look at art and begin analyzing and building a vocabulary to
describe artwork. For Creative Expression, students “apply the knowledge and skills and
demonstrate the process in creating original artworks based on personal experiences.”
Student’s artwork shows their knowledge of basic art techniques and reflects their
worldview and value system. Historical and Cultural Context students will “investigate
universal themes and concepts in historical and contemporary periods and styles in
cultures throughout the world.” Students will look at work from several different cultures,
including their own, to begin to place art history in the context of history, in order to, help
them to better understand their world. Students will use Aesthetic Valuing to “make
critical judgments about and determine the quality of visual artworks and art experiences
in accord with learned elements and principles of art.” In essence, students will be able to
say why they like or dislike a work of art and be able to back up their opinion. For
Connections, Relations and Applications, students “will develop competencies in problem
solving, communication skills, and management of time and resources all of which
contribute to lifelong learning and career skills.” For this last standard, students put
together the knowledge gained in the first four standards.
Manteca Unified School District (MUSD) does not have specific standards set for its
teachers to use, rather each teacher develops their own lesson plan outline based on state
standards (this may be different in fields other than art). I will build my class projects and
history lessons around the California standards, but will blend in ideas gleaned from the
work of the Getty Institute as well as other sources. For my student teaching, I will also
rely heavily on the plan set forth by my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Coates. Mrs. Coates has
taught high school art for nine years and has developed her own curriculum. In her
classroom, she does not use textbooks as a primary teaching tool; rather she relies on
overhead projection to show images of artwork and for note taking purposes. There are
books available in the classroom for students to read through and students in the
advanced class use them for research projects, however, beginning students do not
typically use these books. Since textbooks are not a major concern in this art classroom, I
did not focus on texts in my conversations with Mrs. Coates; instead we have spent a
significant amount of time discussing resources available to the art teacher. She has also
allowed me to look through her two extensive file cabinets, which are filled with lesson
plan ideas and lesson pans she has previously used. She is very open and willing to share
her expertise and she has referred me to several other good teachers to help round out my
knowledge of classroom organization and management.
Curriculum in the art classroom varies significantly depending on the teacher. As stated, I
will follow the plan Mrs. Coates is using, however I do have a different teaching style, a
different art history background, and a different focus on art styles than she. Additionally,
I will bring to the classroom a different knowledge base and a fresh perspective (since I am
new to teaching I will undoubtedly handle the classroom differently the Mrs. Coates
might). Most importantly, I will bring knowledge gained in the last four months (and
described in DLA’s 1+2) which I expect will help me to more effectively handle classroom
situations. For example, with DLA #1, I learned how to determine what a students needs
are and how I might best accommodate them. I also learned that it will be important to
balance what all of the students need with what they need to learn in my classroom, while
being mindful of their responsibilities in other classes and at home. With DLA #2, I
developed a plan for what my ideal classroom might look like. In my student teaching, I
will not have the opportunity to set this in place, but I will gain solid knowledge of how (or
if) this type of classroom works.
In January, I will begin teaching Introduction to Art, at Sierra High School in Manteca. My
students will be a mixture of freshman through seniors. Sierra is located in a relatively
new section of Manteca, many of the homes having been constructed in the last ten to
fifteen years. Much of the student body is drawn for economically middle-class families.
(Only 11.8% of students are eligible for free or reduced priced lunch, compared to 46% of
students’ statewide.) The student body is predominately White (51%) and Latino (30%). A
significantly smaller group of Asians (11.7%), African Americans (5%), and American
Indians (1.6%), round out the student population.
A few of my students may have a limited art background, but most will be in the art
classroom for the first time. In this introductory class we will focus on the basics of art
history and art practice. The art history portion of the course will follow the path laid out
for us by history and will be supplemented with projects appropriate to the time period
being studied. As an example, when studying Cubism, students will draw a still life and
then bring the image to the level of abstraction as a Cubist might, through use of dissecting
lines and various shading techniques. Western art will be the focus, but our study will be
supplemented with discussions of art created through out the world.
The art practice portion of the class will consist of several small projects, the ongoing
creation of a drawing portfolio and four to six big projects. Smaller projects, which can be
completed in one to three days will be will be done through out the semester. These will
reflect the culture or art movement being studied. Students will work on their drawing
portfolio two or three times per week In the drawing portfolio students will have the
opportunity to practice and master basic drawing skills, such as contour drawing or
gesture drawing. Big projects, one for each of the major time periods studied, will take up
several days of class time, in some cases requiring one or two weeks. For instance, after
studying African, North and South American and Oceanic art and learning of the
importance of masks to native cultures, students will create their own masks, which will
reflect ideas or values important to each student.
In the fall of 2000, Art was made the fifth standard in public education in California. The
State has recently adopted five standards for art education: Artistic Perception, Creative
Expression, Historical and Cultural Context, Aesthetic Valuing and Connections,
Relations and Applications. Though some private groups (The National Art Education
Association and the Getty Institute) have written and suggested national standards, none
of which are widely used, most states have chosen to write their own set of standards. The
California standards are based on the Getty Institute’s program Discipline Based Arts
Education (DBAE), which stress four important areas: art production, art history, art
criticism and aesthetics. DBAE is designed for use in all grade levels, particularly in a K-6
setting, but has more specific standards for use in the art classroom.
The first of California’s art standards, Artistic Perception, students learn to “identify visual
elements and principles of design using the language of the visual arts.” Essentially, the
students are taught how to look at art and begin analyzing and building a vocabulary to
describe artwork. For Creative Expression, students “apply the knowledge and skills and
demonstrate the process in creating original artworks based on personal experiences.”
Student’s artwork shows their knowledge of basic art techniques and reflects their
worldview and value system. Historical and Cultural Context students will “investigate
universal themes and concepts in historical and contemporary periods and styles in
cultures throughout the world.” Students will look at work from several different cultures,
including their own, to begin to place art history in the context of history, in order to, help
them to better understand their world. Students will use Aesthetic Valuing to “make
critical judgments about and determine the quality of visual artworks and art experiences
in accord with learned elements and principles of art.” In essence, students will be able to
say why they like or dislike a work of art and be able to back up their opinion. For
Connections, Relations and Applications, students “will develop competencies in problem
solving, communication skills, and management of time and resources all of which
contribute to lifelong learning and career skills.” For this last standard, students put
together the knowledge gained in the first four standards.
Manteca Unified School District (MUSD) does not have specific standards set for its
teachers to use, rather each teacher develops their own lesson plan outline based on state
standards (this may be different in fields other than art). I will build my class projects and
history lessons around the California standards, but will blend in ideas gleaned from the
work of the Getty Institute as well as other sources. For my student teaching, I will also
rely heavily on the plan set forth by my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Coates. Mrs. Coates has
taught high school art for nine years and has developed her own curriculum. In her
classroom, she does not use textbooks as a primary teaching tool; rather she relies on
overhead projection to show images of artwork and for note taking purposes. There are
books available in the classroom for students to read through and students in the
advanced class use them for research projects, however, beginning students do not
typically use these books. Since textbooks are not a major concern in this art classroom, I
did not focus on texts in my conversations with Mrs. Coates; instead we have spent a
significant amount of time discussing resources available to the art teacher. She has also
allowed me to look through her two extensive file cabinets, which are filled with lesson
plan ideas and lesson pans she has previously used. She is very open and willing to share
her expertise and she has referred me to several other good teachers to help round out my
knowledge of classroom organization and management.
Curriculum in the art classroom varies significantly depending on the teacher. As stated, I
will follow the plan Mrs. Coates is using, however I do have a different teaching style, a
different art history background, and a different focus on art styles than she. Additionally,
I will bring to the classroom a different knowledge base and a fresh perspective (since I am
new to teaching I will undoubtedly handle the classroom differently the Mrs. Coates
might). Most importantly, I will bring knowledge gained in the last four months (and
described in DLA’s 1+2) which I expect will help me to more effectively handle classroom
situations. For example, with DLA #1, I learned how to determine what a students needs
are and how I might best accommodate them. I also learned that it will be important to
balance what all of the students need with what they need to learn in my classroom, while
being mindful of their responsibilities in other classes and at home. With DLA #2, I
developed a plan for what my ideal classroom might look like. In my student teaching, I
will not have the opportunity to set this in place, but I will gain solid knowledge of how (or
if) this type of classroom works.
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Kathe Welch |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |