Practice clarity

Before you can teach something, you have to have a clear understanding for yourself.

HOLY COW. You would think this would be obvious, but sometimes it just is not the case in a classroom. Everyone has experienced a particular lecture, where the instructor just did not really have things completely put together. Hopefully, the teacher just woke up on the wrong side of the bed, or maybe just stayed out too late with "colleagues" the night before. If one lesson, once in a while, gets a little screwy there won't be very many consequences for instructor or the students.

The real problems arise when a lack of clear instruction is a consistent factor in a teacher's performance. Students become confused, impatient, and incredibly frustrated. Interest in the assignment plummets, and students give up on whatever objectives they are supposed to be learning.

As an instructor is is imperative that you are able to work through new technologies and concepts in a logical, step-by-step method. You must be able to answer questions in a clear, concise way without repeating yourself one hundred times. Do not over-complicate things. Keep a new process as simple as possible, only introducing more complexity or separate options after students demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles.


All in all, a teacher should practice explaining. Write out the steps in the order you plan to address them. Maybe even practice your method on a friend or family member to see if your steps are actually as clearly laid out as you think they are. This preparation will make your classroom flow infinitely more smoothly, and students will feel like they have accomplished something new once you have finished.

Finding Space

GVSU Sculpture Space

As an art student, one of the greatest priveldges I have is access to an infinite amount of space and material. I have any tool I could ever need, for any project, at my immediate disposal. I am restricted in my art-practice in absolutely no way be materials and resources. I never have to compromise good ideas simply because I have no way to manipulate the material in the way I need to. I can cut, sand, bend, melt, harden, attach, strengthen, cover, clean any material I need to in order to fit my conceptual idea.

GVSU Woodshop Space

The whole point of being a student, of  course, is to be able to learn as many new technologies and techniques as possible. A lack of materials or tools would be a great hinderance on the learning process, and quite frankly, not very much good work would result. The only problem with being provided with all the tools, all the time, is that once graduation day hits those tools are gone. Students are left with an abundance of knowledge, but they must start from scratch with regards to actually applying their skills.

Dinderbeck Studio in Grand Rapids, MI

This point becomes very important not only for tools and materials, but for space to work and for peers to work with. If possible, I think that students should reach out while they are still in school in an effort to direct themselves after they graduate. I have recently begun this process myself by joining a studio group in Grand Rapids. By joining a group of artists who all work in a shared space, with shared tools, I have solved the main problem of graduation - how to make use of the skills you have just worked so hard for.

Fieldtrips

Everyone knows that Artprize is happening in Grand Rapids right now. People are traveling far distances to come and participate in the voting, and to do their part in clogging up the sidewalks. This event is enjoyable for all ages, young and old, every type of person, and even families. However, it is something that is generally experienced in ones own free time, on a nice weekend off work perhaps.

Recently, I visited Artprize under different circumstances. My sculpture class went downtown and looked at the art together as a group, students and professor. This type of classroom trip is a really great way to get students involved in any lesson, and it promotes deeper thinking about topics, and fuller investment and interest.

As an art instructor I plan on taking my students to as many events and out-of-classroom trips as possible. Even if I merely take my class outside to interact with objects on school grounds, I feel that this is a powerful way to get students excited. For example, taking kids outside to collect branches, leaves, or other natural elements for them to create their own still life is much more exciting than handing out images.

Ideally, it would be wonderful to take students to art museums, exhibits and shows. If the funding were available to go on a field trip every week I would do it! The interaction with art in students' community allows them to make connections that they might not have been able to in the classroom. It broadens their understanding of how art can be used and applied in society, and gets them excited about how they can become involved.

Finding Balance

I think that the beginning of the semester always starts off the same. No matter what degree you are seeking, what year you are in, or whether you think you are fully prepared for it or not - school can quickly become overwhelming. Balancing employment, social life, family, and education can be an incredibly challenging endevour.

School, in itself, has a list of demands that breaks down from large levels of requirements to small lists. To begin with, a student had better be making sure they are signed up for the correct classes, in the correct order, in the correct year. Once you are in the correct classes the lists of assignments and expectations piles up higher and higher as the semester goes on.

Art students in particular have a high level of stress in regards to their education. Not only is there a high demand for production, such as finished projects and assignments, there is also an expectation for quality. Conceptual thought, and the ability to convey ideas through art is a challenge to learn and to teach.

In everyday life, the stress of a student is not necessarily the most desirable way to live. However, I think that this experience is imperative to becoming a successful art educator. As a student, you develop skills such as time management, stress management and the ability to prioritize. More importantly, though, actually being a student gives you the ability to relate to what your students will be going through themselves. This understanding will allow you to have a richer relationship with your students that is based on empathy, but also on levels of expectations. If you made it through school yourself, you know how high to set the bar for your own students. You can push them to try new things and challenge themselves while still retaining a realistic set of expectations.

Photos as clarification

I have decided that a critical part of my lessons, once I start teaching, will be the inclusion of photographs during my explanations. If I intend on teaching complex strategies, such as mold making and casting, I will need to have proper documentation of the entire process, step-by-step. This might seem like an obvious realization for some, but the fact that I came to this conclusion while still in school is very important.

First of all, outside of an art school, you can't just set up a foundry in your spare room like you might with painting or illustration. The process is labor intensive, requires many different materials, and a lot of space to carry around molten metal. Needless to say, if I want to take images of the steps involved, I have to have a foundry to even do the work in.

So, this brings us back to my initial point - its a good thing that I realized the need for photos while I am still in a class with access to a foundry. Part of my Advanced Sculpture work will be attempting to establish strategies for teaching sculpture and foundry in a K-12 setting, and from this point forward I will be documenting every single step as I make my own work.

Cutting and bending steel rod.

The photos included on this page are a couple very initial steps in my current sculpture project. These photos will help to clarify the process and expectations of student work as we move through the casting process for the first time.

Fitting piece in preparation to take a mold.

   I also think that photos of my own work, rather than those found offline, are a positive reinforcement for students. An art teacher needs to bring out their own work every once in a while to set a positive example for their students. Let your students understand that you actually do know what your'e talking about, and set the bar high for quality work.

The wax cast resulting from a mold of my face.

Bio

New Semester, new classes, new ideas, and a new blog.

The purpose of this space will be to provide a common home for all the experiences, thoughts and inspirations I have relating to art education. In the past, any ideas or resources I have come across have been reviewed but never saved. My hope is that now, with a common space to house them, all the ideas I collect for lesson plans, art projects, teaching strategies, and other information will be stored here, and available to look at whenever I need to. Because of the format, this collection will also be available to other art educators, and will hopefully become a helpful resource.

I am currently a student at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I hope to begin teaching art at a high school level within the next couple of years. I have incorporated pages to include my own artwork, the work of students I have worked with, as well as space for ideas and resources.