Envisioning Studio Thinking
From: Holly Bess Kincaid
Teachers are constantly learning and growing throughout their careers. We love to learn! During the summer of 2014, I was fortunate to join fellow fine art educators from Virginia on the campus of George Mason University for the Virginia Center for Excellence in Education’s week long Leadership Seminar. Our time was filled with discussions about educational law, teacher leadership and I was introduced to concepts from the book Studio Thinking 2: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education.
One of our professors during the week was Kimberly M. Sheridan who is one of the authors of Studio Thinking 2. The week’s discussions helped me to add a framework to the way I teach my students to learn to think like artists. In my classroom, I encourage my students to improve their artistic skills, their studio habits and provide my students’ a choice in how they develop their visual voice.
As the new school year gets underway, I am investigating new ways to build on the Studio Habits taught in my classroom while reflecting on my own practice. Throughout September, I will be sharing strategies from my classroom that encourage students in the Eight Studio Habits of Mind: Observe, Reflect, Stretch and Explore, Understand Art Worlds, Develop Craft, Engage and Persist, Envision, and Express.
Studio Habits Bulletin Board
The Studio Habits can also guide art educators through self-reflection on our educational practice. During the summer, I took time to ENVISION and imagine the new school year. I reorganized my classroom for easier access for students to use materials of choice, creating studio centers and a 3D printer makers’ space, along with developing new curriculum units to support studio thinking. We set the tone for the artistic explorations our students will experience in the classroom studio environment. Each new school year begins with students and teachers imagining the potential in new lessons, strategies, and materials. What have you done over the summer that has helped you to reflect or envision a great year?
Diptic of images from the Capitol of Creativity
-HBK
This summer I created a new display for emphasizing the art elements that help accentuate an artist's ideas. I want to teach my students to interpret the message behind a work of art and finally to begin to develop their own artistic voice.
Posted by: Talitha Kiwiet | September 04, 2016 at 09:08 AM
Over the summer I reworked my curriculum to be a little less rigid in delivery. I have gone as paperless as an art room can go. Students transpose Google Classroom informative sessions into their sketchbooks and develop all ideas within the book. It's very freeing to not have to use the copy machine at all. You'd be amazed at the extra time I have in my room.
Posted by: Katy Hypes | September 04, 2016 at 06:43 PM
Oh! And I got rid of my junk collection shelf and turned it into a Art Books Library. Our school's library was "out of room" when a family donated forty new art books. So I found a home for those, and a couple hundred of my own that were taking up space elsewhere.
Posted by: Katy Hypes | September 04, 2016 at 06:48 PM
Thank you for the comments!
Talitha: The display you described sounds wonderful, do you have it posted online anywhere that we can see what you have created for the students?
Katy- I love the transition to using technology to really help with ways to manage an art room and lesson the waste of paper copies! How blessed you are to have 40 new art books donated for an in house art library. My students love to be able to dive into their own interests through art books. What are some of the favorite titles/authors of books that were donated?
Posted by: Holly Bess Kincaid | September 05, 2016 at 11:15 AM
I found Talitha's great display on twitter! I adore the light up question mark to encourage students to ask questions! Now, that is a BRIGHT idea! Check out her display here: https://twitter.com/inroom118/status/772445485122453505
Posted by: Holly Bess Kincaid | September 05, 2016 at 01:50 PM
I've worked on revising and enhancing my curriculum for the new school year.
Posted by: Tomica Lake | June 14, 2017 at 12:17 PM
I've worked on revising and enhancing my curriculum for the new school year.
Posted by: Tomica Lake | June 14, 2017 at 12:17 PM