15/08/2019
Michelle
21st century teaching wants children to learn how to think outside "the box" yet some still require children to color inside the lines
Mark
Love the story but as a former Art Teacher I have to point out that many kids come to be frustrated with what they do on their own and truly appreciate the liberation that comes from finding out how to do something better! What's at stake is developmental appropriateness, what the goals are, and assessing the impact of the activity on the student... let's not romanticize this, too! THAT'S not being child-centric EITHER!!!
Beth
There are a lot if abstract artist that are famous who did not follow the "directions". Children need to be creative and it is the whole PROCESS and not the PRODUCT that is important. Not all trees are green not all pottery is round, not all teacher's ideas are everyone else's. Learning to follow directions is a process of it's own through critical thinking asking open ended questions and giving guidance.
Lorraine
The story “Willow” by Denise Brennan-Nelson deals beautifully with this issue. It really made me think twice about the comments I made about kids artwork 😀 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42o8JuaEAZc
https://www.facebook.com/brighterschooling/photos/a.526331450870114/1218302571672995
Once a little boy went to school.
One morning
The teacher said:
"Today we are going to make a picture."
"Good!" thought the little boy.
He liked to make all kinds;
Lions and tigers,
Chickens and cows,
Trains and boats;
And he took out his box of crayons
And began to draw.
But the teacher said, "Wait!"
"It is not time to begin!"
And she waited until everyone looked ready.
"Now," said the teacher,
"We are going to make flowers."
"Good!" thought the little boy,
He liked to make beautiful ones
With his pink and orange and blue crayons.
But the teacher said "Wait!"
"And I will show you how."
And it was red, with a green stem.
"There," said the teacher,
"Now you may begin."
The little boy looked at his teacher's flower
Then he looked at his own flower.
He liked his flower better than the teacher's
But he did not say this.
He just turned his paper over,
And made a flower like the teacher's.
It was red, with a green stem.
On another day
The teacher said:
"Today we are going to make something with clay."
"Good!" thought the little boy;
He liked clay.
He could make all kinds of things with clay:
Snakes and snowmen,
Elephants and mice,
Cars and trucks
And he began to pull and pinch
His ball of clay.
But the teacher said, "Wait!"
"It is not time to begin!"
And she waited until everyone looked ready.
"Now," said the teacher,
"We are going to make a dish."
"Good!" thought the little boy,
He liked to make dishes.
And he began to make some
That were all shapes and sizes.
But the teacher said "Wait!"
"And I will show you how."
And she showed everyone how to make
One deep dish.
"There," said the teacher,
"Now you may begin."
The little boy looked at the teacher's dish;
Then he looked at his own.
He liked his better than the teacher's
But he did not say this.
He just rolled his clay into a big ball again
And made a dish like the teacher's.
It was a deep dish.
And pretty soon
The little boy learned to wait,
And to watch
And to make things just like the teacher.
And pretty soon
He didn't make things of his own anymore.
Then it happened
That the little boy and his family
Moved to another house,
In another city,
And the little boy
Had to go to another school.
The teacher said:
"Today we are going to make a picture."
"Good!" thought the little boy.
And he waited for the teacher
To tell what to do.
But the teacher didn't say anything.
She just walked around the room.
When she came to the little boy
She asked, "Don't you want to make a picture?"
"Yes," said the little boy.
"What are we going to make?"
"I don't know until you make it," said the teacher.
"How shall I make it?" asked the little boy.
"Why, anyway you like," said the teacher.
"And any color?" asked the little boy.
"Any color," said the teacher.
And he began to make a red flower with a green stem.
~Helen Buckley, The Little Boy
(HT Amanda White)
