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What Type of Winter Break Teacher Are You? (Ep. 448)

Timothy Bogatz — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 11:00:47 +0000

As we approach winter break, Tim takes the opportunity to discuss the different types of art teachers and how they approach their time away from teaching. He asks the question–what type of winter break art teacher are you? An Overachiever, a Relaxation Specialist, or a Creative? He says teachers may exhibit a mix of these traits, and asks you to reflect on which type you identify with or which type you may want to be. He closes the show with book recommendations for relaxation specialists and creatives, as well as insights into how famous artists may approach their winter breaks.

Full episode transcript below.

Resources and Links

Transcript

Tim:

Welcome to Art Ed Radio, the podcast for art teachers. This show is produced by the Art of Education University, and I’m your host, Tim Bogatz.

I want to do just a fun, quick episode today. We are almost at winter break and honestly, nobody has the time or the attention for an hour-long podcast the week before break. So we’re going to move through things quickly today, and I’m going to ask the question because I want to know what type of winter break teacher are you? I was thinking about this. I was thinking about how everybody deals with winter break a little bit differently, and I came up with three different types of teachers and how they deal with winter break. And they are the overachievers, the relaxation specialists and the creatives. And we’ll talk a little bit more about what makes up each of those types and maybe what you are, so think about that.

But before we get started, before we dive into the three types, a couple of housekeeping items. Number one, no podcast the next two weeks. As everybody’s on winter break, the podcast is going to be taking a break as well. So no episode on December 24th or December 31st, but we’ll be back on January 7th with the January mailbag. So Amanda and I are looking forward to seeing what questions come in and seeing what we can answer for you. So if you have questions, email me timothybogatz@theartofeducation.edu, or email podcasts@theartofeducation.edu. Got a couple of really good ones already, looking for a couple good additional questions and we’re excited to come back with the podcast on January 7th.

Also, in January, we are going to be doing Art Club. This is going to be Thursday, January 9th. And Art Club is part of the AOEU online community, so the Art of Ed Community, and part of that is Art Club, which is a monthly meeting. It’s a meetup where teachers get together and share ideas, learn some fun new tips and tricks, and make a little bit of art too. So our January Art Club is going to have Amanda and me on as guests. We’re going to be making art, we’re going to be doing some drawing. We’re going to be doing some giveaways and talking about the NOW Conference, so you are not going to want to miss the Live Art Club event. It’s going to be held on Thursday, January 9th from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central, and you can RSVP and mark your calendar in the Art of Ed Community. And if you are not in the Art of Ed Community, please go join. We want to have you there. We’re doing so many cool things. You can find it at community.theartofeducation.edu. We’ll link to that in the show notes and we’re hoping that we can see you there.

Now, let’s get back to talking winter break. Like I said, I want to know what type of winter break art teacher are you. Are you an overachiever, a relaxation specialist or a creative? And so, this is what I was thinking about with overachievers. The overachievers, and this is not derogatory, I wish I were an overachiever, to be honest, but these are the art teachers who cannot sit still. They can’t relax over break. Like their break is a time for productivity. It is a time for accomplishing things, getting things checked off the list, getting that to-do list done. And so, they might be starting planning for semester two. They might be at school, organizing in their classroom. They might be doing PD hours or courses or workshops or whatever to make them a better teacher. I know some teachers who are writing grants, applying for grants and trying to get art shows set up over break.

They might be looking for new teaching strategies or tools to implement after the break or reading about professional practice. There are a lot of great things that they can be doing to make themselves a better teacher. Now, again, that is not me. I need to take some time off from school when it’s break, but I know there are those people who really want to get things going for themselves. They want to set themselves up for success. In the second semester, they want to really just take that opportunity to get better at what they do. And like I said, props to them and it’s something that I cannot do, but I respect everybody who is doing that.

Type two, this is the relaxation specialist. And so, I’m thinking of those people that are trying to relax, so those are the people who are consciously stepping away from school-related responsibilities. And they’re stepping away from school, they’re focusing on themselves or their home or their family or whatever they are, whatever that may be for them, they are focusing on that. They’re focusing on rest, they’re focusing on rejuvenation.

And so, what does that look like? It could look different for everybody. They could be doing some traveling, whether they’re going on a quick vacation to relax, they’re going to a cabin, they’re going somewhere warm, whatever the case may be. They’re trying to relax, they’re trying to get away from things. And it could be spending time with their family. It could be catching up on Netflix. It could be reading books for enjoyment, something unrelated to art or to teaching. It might be practicing mindfulness or doing some other self-care routines. Maybe it’s hobby time, cooking or puzzles or whatever may be. I was going to say gardening, but it’s winter, so very small percentage of us are doing any gardening. Maybe you’re just out trying to get out in nature, even if it’s cold. Maybe you’re taking walks or getting outside for an exploration of some sort, connecting with nature. And there could be a new skill that they’re trying to come up with, a new hobby that they want to try and they’re finally having the time to do that. Something that helps them get away from school, something that helps them relax.

And so, I think there are a lot of forms that can take my question about relaxation and being an overachiever, is can you balance the two? Because I know there are a lot of people who want to get work done in order to set yourself up for relaxation. Like you want to relax, but there’s something nagging you. There’s that to-do list that needs to be done before you can truly relax. My wife is like this. I’m well familiar with the idea that you got to get those things done, and then you feel better that you can sort of compartmentalize that. You can put that to-do list away once it’s finished and then you can fully relax without having that worry.

And a lot of times, the same way as a teacher, I really like staying a little late on the last day before break or taking a few days before break to kind of prepare. And I would do that to get everything set up for the first day back. Like seriously, everything set up for the first day back. And then once it’s all ready to go, I have my lesson, I have my supplies, I have everything that needs to be done, ready to go to start semester two. And then after that, I do literally nothing. Like I forget that I have a classroom, I forget that I have a job. And then, we put that all away until we go back to school. And then I get back to school, I’m like, “Oh my goodness. Thank you to past me for setting all this up.”

Because you’re just able to relax. You’re able to chill out for a while and then you know that when you go back into school, everything is finished, everything is done. And honestly, it can be a little tough when it’s four o’clock on that last day before break, like break has started. Everybody’s out of there. Everybody’s been gone for a while, and the custodian comes, like, “Hey, hey, what are you still doing here?” And like I said, that stings a little bit, but it’s so worth it to be able to put that away and have a real break, but still be prepared for what’s coming when you get back to school.

All of that being said, we’ve not touched on type number three, our teacher type. Number three are the creatives. I’m thinking of the people who spend their break diving really deep into their own artistic pursuits. And so, maybe they’re working on some small projects, maybe they have a bunch of sketchbook stuff that they want to do. Maybe they’re trying to explore some new media or maybe they’re finishing some long-term projects or some paintings or creations that you’ve been working on for a long time. Maybe doing some winter art shows, or if you have an Etsy shop or an online shop, doing what you need to do to keep that going.

And maybe you’re collaborating with some other artists or doing some community art things, making gifts for friends, making gifts for family or doing a quick sketchbook challenge or trying to dive into that creative habit that you want to get started in the new year. Or one thing that I love to do is just visiting museums, visiting galleries, just because we all love to visit museums, whether it is just to feed your artistic soul, or whether you want some inspiration for what you’re going to create, that’s time well spent. And so I think having that free time that we don’t have during the school year is so nice, and being able to just dive into the creative endeavors that you don’t have time for otherwise and taking advantage of that opportunity is great.

So as I kind of described those and as I think of those, I would love to know like what type of winter break art teacher are you and what type do you wish you could be? Or if you are a creative, are you happy being a creative? Are you happy embracing that time? Or do you wish you could relax a little bit more? Or do you wish you could be a little more productive? I think I’m somebody who really likes to relax. And then after I have done that for a few days, I like to dive into a few creative pursuits. And so, I think I maybe have a foot in both, sort of straddling both worlds there. And so, I’m curious to know what other people’s thoughts are. And I think that might be the case. Like are you part of one? Part of another? Are you somebody who gets all their stuff done as an overachiever and then dives into their artistic pursuits? I think that’s definitely impossible. So I think you could in fact be all three. So I would love to hear from you. Email me if you have some thoughts that you want to share. I think we’re going to start a discussion over on the AOEU community, the Art of Ed Community. So if you want to jump over there and join the discussion, I’m curious to see what people have to say.

And I will also just add the disclaimer. Like none of these types of our teachers are better or worse. They just are. And you may fit multiple. You may not fit any of these. You may approach your break completely different from any of these. And it’s just something that I was curious about, something that I wanted to start a discussion on. Now, I will have a couple of resources in the show notes that can kind of help for anything, if you want to pursue your creativity a little bit more, if you want some help relaxing and stepping away from things, I think that could be good. So we’ll check out maybe some art challenges or some online prompts, if you want to dive into the creativity, maybe some mindfulness ideas or de-stressing routines. We’ll see what we can find, what we can put together. And honestly, if you’re an overachiever, you probably already have your to-do list, you don’t need any suggestions from me, but we’ll put in what we can.

Hey, a couple other things that I was thinking about. I wanted to give book recommendations for a couple of the three types, and I also want to talk about what famous artists are doing and how they may approach their break, so I wanted to explore those a little bit. So again, overachievers, you probably have your book list, you probably have your to-be read, so I’m not going to throw anything at you.

But if you are a relaxation specialist or you want to relax a little bit more, my book suggestion would be a book called The Art of Doing Nothing by Veronique Vienne. And it’s a great exploration of just kind of how to embrace doing nothing, like being idle, being still, and finding the joy in super simple, just those moments in life where you’re not hurried, you’re not feeling like you have to do something. And there are essays on the art of breathing, the art of meditating, the art of bathing, listening, waiting and there are just all kinds of great insights in there and some really practical suggestions for mindfulness and finding contentment in your everyday activities, whether you’re just sitting in a warm spot or sipping a cup of tea or opening a book that you’ve been wanting to read. So just the idea of doing nothing can be an art form in itself, and I think that’s a really worthwhile message. So again, that’s called The Art of Doing Nothing by Veronique Vienne.

Now, if you are a creative, my book recommendation for you is a book called Art Before Breakfast by Danny Gregory. This came out a while ago, and actually Danny Gregory was a keynote presenter at an old NOW Conference, and he was fantastic. Took us inside his New York City apartment, talked us through his creative day and all of the creative endeavors that he went through throughout the day. And that’s kind of what this book is about, just helping you incorporate creativity into your daily routine. And so, there’s some stuff for beginners, but a lot of the exercise, a lot of the ideas are valid for experienced artists like us, and it really shows you how to find joy in creating every day.

So there’s some humor, there’s some good anecdotes, there are artistic exercises as well. And so, even if you’re just taking a few minutes to draw or sketch or paint or do those things each day, it really helps you get into the idea of being an artist, of being a creative for the break. So getting into those habits is a great thing that you can do while you’re away from school. And I think this book can be motivating. It can give you a little push to, I guess, nurture your creativity, for lack of a better phrase. So just finding a few moments to create can be really worthwhile, and I think that’s good. So again, that is called Art Before Breakfast by Danny Gregory.

All right, and then two close things out, I had a few ideas of just what different artists, like famous artists would be doing over their break. So I decided to research just a few famous artists. I thought I could find some anecdotes. So just a few for you. Claude Monet in the wintertime, he really liked painting snowy landscapes. That’s probably not a surprise for anybody who knows Monet, but all around Giverny, just seeing how light was affecting the snow or highlighting the frost in the landscape. He loved painting. He’s definitely a creative.

Okay, Georgia O’Keeffe, she was more of a relaxation specialist. She loves nature. If you know anything about Georgia O’Keeffe, you know that she loves nature. She loved to find quiet and solitude. And a lot of times over the holidays, she would just kind of be exploring the deserts. When she was living in New Mexico, she would just kind of explore what was out there, explore nature, and that would kind of inspire some of her paintings, but she loved to get away from things and relax over the holidays.

All right, Frida Kahlo. Again, if you know her, you’re probably not surprised. Lively parties from Frida Kahlo. She loved getting people together, lots of music, lots of conversation, lots of art. So Casa Azul, her home, she’s creating a ton of vibrant work and just creating a vibrant environment for everyone to sort of embrace that joy of the holidays, embrace that creativity.

All right, van Gogh. He spent a lot of the holidays writing letters to his brother Theo. Again, not surprising. But he’d spent a lot of time kind of reflecting on artistic goals. He would be creating a lot of sketches, sending those to Theo. So he seems more of an overachiever, just still writing, still working, still going through things over the holidays. So maybe it’s creative, maybe it’s overachiever, maybe it’s a mix of both.

And then I thought about Dali as well. And of course when it comes to the holidays, Dali’s going surreal. That should not surprise you, either. He would design super eccentric, super elaborate decorations for his home. He would do illustrations, like he would be creative with his work, doing some holiday-themed illustrations and creating some really fun stuff when he was on his holidays. So just a few fun thoughts that I thought I could add to the discussion of what some different artists liked to do over their holidays.

Now, as we wrap things up here, like I said, quick episode, a few reminders for you. We’re going to continue this discussion of what kind of winter break art teacher are you. We’re going to continue that over on the Art of Ed Community. So make sure you come join us, come be part of that discussion and get ready for Art Club at the beginning of January. And if you’re not part of the community yet, community.theartofeducation.edu. We also put it in the show notes. Come join us there. It’s going to be awesome. Next two weeks, we’ll not have anything in the podcast feed. So no episode on the 24th, no episode on the 31st, but Amanda and I will be back January 7th with our mailbag for January.

And then finally, one thing going on over break, the NOW Conference. We have a December 31st deadline for $20 off the NOW Conference registration. So if you’re thinking, oh, I need to sign up for the NOW Conference, I haven’t done that yet, we want you to do that. Do it before the end of the month here in December and you can save $20 off the regular price of the NOW Conference.

All right, congratulations, everyone, on making it to winter break or almost making it to winter break. I know we’re close, but you have put in a semester of dedication and your creativity and your hard work as a teacher have made an impact. We know that you have put a lot into your classroom, and now that we’re going into break, it is time to do something for yourself. So whether you’re planning to relax and recharge, whether you’re going to dive into some personal projects or spend some quality time with the people you love, just remember that you have earned every single minute of this break. So celebrate the season, celebrate yourself in whatever way feels best for you because you deserve it. So a big thank you for everything that you do. So just enjoy this time to the fullest, enjoy your break as much as you can, and know that you are appreciated and know that you are valued.

Art Ed Radio is produced by the Art of Education University with audio engineering from Michael Crocker. Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast so we can join you again. And if you love the show, please jump over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify, wherever you listen. Give us a five-star rating and leave us a review. Now, I also said in the episode, we are taking questions for the January mailbag. If you have any questions about what to do after break, how to start a new semester, how to reset your classes after break, anything else along those lines, we would love to hear them. Email timothybogatz@theartofeducation.edu or podcasts@theartofeducation.edu with any questions you may have. We are looking forward to reading them and possibly answering them on our next episode.

The post What Type of Winter Break Teacher Are You? (Ep. 448) appeared first on The Art of Education University.

How to Use Neurographic Art to Encourage a Calm and Focused Mind

Kyle Wood — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 10:00:19 +0000

Summer is your well-deserved time to relax and recharge after a long school year. Make the most of your break and combine winding down with creativity by making neurographic art. Grab your favorite art supplies (or experiment with some new ones!) and kick off the warm days ahead by immersing yourself in a creative flow. Build an artmaking habit with neurographic art to enjoy a calm and focused mind—a nice reprieve from a loud and hectic year!

What is neurographic art?

Developed by Russian psychologist Pavel Piskarev in 2014, neurographic art is a structured yet free-flowing method of artmaking. Unlike traditional drawing which often focuses on replicating a specific image, neurographic art centers on creating organic, neuron-like lines and shapes. These lines are then transformed by rounding sharp corners to create a visually calming and aesthetically pleasing artwork.

Why is neurographic art the perfect creative exercise for everyone?

One of the significant benefits of neurographic art is its ability to unlock creative potential. Similar to Surrealist methods like automatism, the neurographic process is designed to bypass the critical mind. It allows individuals to express themselves freely without judgment or the pressure of achieving a perfect outcome. This freedom fosters exploration and experimentation, encouraging you to venture beyond your comfort zone.

Here are five more ways neurographic art can help de-stress:

Focuses on the process.
Neurographic art focuses on the act of creation rather than the final product. This emphasis on the process allows artists to embrace the joy of making art without getting caught up in achieving a specific result.
Eliminates mistakes.
The core techniques, like creating freeform shapes and rounding sharp corners, transform what may initially appear as an error into an integral part of the artwork. This freedom allows creative risk-taking and experimentation without fear of failure.
Engages the right brain.
The repetitive line work taps into the right brain, which is the hemisphere associated with creativity, intuition, and emotional processing. This right-brain engagement helps with generating ideas, a whole brain activity.
Improves focus.
The repetitive nature also can enhance concentration and focus. Practice mindfulness by directing attention to the present moment and the creation of each stroke.
Enhances emotional processing.
Neurographic art can serve as a tool to help process difficult emotions. The act of judgment-free creating can provide a safe space to express anxieties and frustrations in a visual way.

How do you make neurographic art?

The beauty of neurographic art lies in its simplicity. Generally, the process involves starting off with a very quick non-objective line drawing. Then, look back at the intersections and round off the corners. The steps are very straightforward for any skill level.

Take your neurographic drawings to the next level with these two hacks:

Close every shape.
Ensure all lines go to the edge of the composition or are connected to another line for cohesion and balance.
Mask around the perimeter.
A clean border will make the composition look more polished and presentable.

Try these neurographic prompts to get started:

We often assume requirements stunt creativity. Did you know the opposite is true? Creating parameters can be surprisingly liberating and encourage deeper creative thinking. Plus, blank pages can be intimidating, no matter how old or experienced you are! Give yourself a little push to think outside of the box and tackle your blank page with prompts as a guide.

Try these prompts:

Emotions
Choose an emotion you are experiencing right now (such as joy, sadness, or anger) and capture it with line quality and color.
Nature
Use lines to represent leaves, branches, or flowing water.
Music
Listen to a song and illustrate the sounds and emotions they evoke with lines and shapes.
Mandala
Begin your mindful drawing journey with a large circle divided radially. Start at the circumference and spiral into the center.
Maps
Close your eyes, imagine an ideal space, and pretend you are walking through and exploring. Draw lines and shapes to map out your journey.
Found Object Stencils
Trace found objects (such as a roll of tape or a pair of scissors) and repeat them to create overlapping shapes and a full composition.

How do you bring neurographic art into the classroom?

The benefits neurographic art can have for you can also apply to your students. It’s a versatile lesson idea and technique that can be a quick one-day lesson or a longer process in a full-blown unit. Plus, it requires minimal supplies, making it a go-to activity for guest teachers. It’s also perfect for the beginning of the year when you haven’t received your supply order yet or the end of the year when you’re out of supplies!

No matter what you and your students need, fit neurographic art into your curriculum with these ideas:

Warm Up
Dedicate five minutes at the beginning of class for a “mindful moment” with a small neurographic drawing.
First Activity of the Year
Use neurographic art as a fun and easy first activity of the year to get students excited about art and experience success!
Standardized Testing Week
Transform these long few days into a wellness week to give students tools to help them cope with stress.
Substitute Plans
Put neurographic art prompts in your folder of sub plans to keep things running smoothly when you are out sick. Chances are, your guest teacher will have a blast joining in too!
One-Day Lesson Idea
Make neurographic art alongside your students to de-stress and give yourself an extra day to plan the next lesson.

Neurographic art is an accessible and rewarding form of artmaking. It can nurture creativity, mindfulness, and emotional well-being in students of all ages and abilities. By encouraging free expression, eliminating the fear of mistakes, and tapping into the power of the right brain, neurographic art empowers the exploration of artistic potential and self-discovery. With all of these benefits, don’t hesitate to give it a try this summer! When you end up loving your calm and focused mindset, you’ll be so excited to bring this experience to your students in the fall. Grab your favorite drawing materials and let’s dive into a creative flow together!

What is your favorite stress-relieving art technique?

How do you foster calm in your summer routine and classroom environment?

The post How to Use Neurographic Art to Encourage a Calm and Focused Mind appeared first on The Art of Education University.

12 Art and Poem Pairings to Inspire Creative Expression in Your Art Room

Mariana VanDerMolen — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 10:00:07 +0000

Note: Be sure to review all resources and preview all artists before determining if they are appropriate to share with your students.

There’s nothing like a perfect pairing to enhance any dish or dining experience. Certain combinations of cheese and jam will bring out incredible and unexpected flavors. Plus, you can’t go wrong with classic pairings like mozzarella, basil, and tomato in a caprese salad. You can do the same in your curriculum! Serve up the perfect art and poem pairings to not only make connecting with and responding to art palatable to your students, but also curate an enriching interdisciplinary learning experience.

Discover how integrating poetry alongside visual art empowers students to express themselves creatively and construct a deeper understanding of both art forms.

Like visual art, poetry is a form of communication that conveys emotions, ideas, and experiences through language and imagery. Studying poetry enhances students’ ability to express themselves creatively and thoughtfully through visual art, writing, or discussions. Poetry also provides a rich source of inspiration for artistic exploration. It can spark students’ imaginations and encourage them to experiment with new techniques and mediums.

When you incorporate poetry, it:

Enhances critical thinking skills when students analyze and compare visual and literary elements.
Fosters creativity by inspiring students to form their own interpretations of shared themes and experiences.
Cultivates empathy and emotional intelligence through diverse perspectives, experiences, and cultural contexts.
Stimulates meaningful discussion with symbolism, metaphor, and narrative in art and language.
Deepens understanding and appreciation of art and poetry as interconnected forms of creative expression.

Infuse poetry into your curriculum to bring connecting with and responding to art to a new level! Choose one of the art and poem pairings below to explore with your students.

Access an artist bio for any artist on the list below in FLEX Curriculum. Each artist bio is at an eighth-grade reading level and includes a brief history, a list of notable artworks and achievements, famous quotes, and more. For information on how to get these artist bios for your classroom, fill out this short contact form.

**1. The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí & Remember by Joy Harjo**

Salvador Dalí’s painting, The Persistence of Memory, prompts reflection on the elasticity of time and the mutable nature of reality. The image of melting clocks invites viewers to ponder the transience of moments. In Joy Harjo’s poignant poem, Remember, the opening line “Remember the sky that you were born under” echoes the same theme of memory and the passage of time. Like Dalí’s imagery, Harjo’s verse encourages thoughtful reflection about the fleeting nature of existence and the importance of cherishing each minute.

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**2. Bottle Cap Snake by Felipe Archuleta & Mother Doesn’t Want a Dog by Judith Viorst**

Felipe Archuleta’s whimsical sculpture, Bottle Cap Snake, captivates with its playful and imaginative use of found materials. Crafted from discarded bottle caps and salvaged objects, the artwork exudes a sense of resourcefulness and creativity. Judith Viorst’s humorous poem, Mother Doesn’t Want a Dog, reflects a similar lighthearted tone with a surprise ending where the author reveals why “she’s making a mistake.” Archuleta’s sculpture embodies Viorst’s subject matter and invites the audience to embrace the joy found in unconventional approaches.

To explore this pairing with your students, make art with recycled, repurposed, and found materials. The Creating with Unexpected Materials Pack in PRO Learning gives you all of the ideas you’ll need to start your upcycled art projects.

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**3. Path in the Wheat Fields by Claude Monet & The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost**

Claude Monet’s masterpiece, Path in the Wheat Fields at Pourville, is the essence of serenity and contemplation. It depicts a winding path through golden wheat fields. The path imagery in Monet’s painting echoes the theme of choices and journeys found in Robert Frost’s iconic poem, The Road Not Taken. The painting and the poem evoke the idea of choosing one’s path in life, whether through a literal landscape or the symbolic journey of decision-making, on a well-worn path or “the one less traveled by.”

To explore this pairing with your students, brush up on specific media, techniques, and vocabulary in PRO Learning’s Impressionism at the Elementary Level Pack. Create impressionistic paintings to engage your students with art history and pick a project from FLEX Curriculum’s Impressionism Techniques Collection.

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**4. Believing in Kings by Delita Martin & The Bronze Legacy by Effie Lee Newsome**

Delita Martin’s powerful artwork, Believing in Kings, has themes of heritage, identity, and resilience, evident in the intricate layers of mixed media and the figure’s striking presence. The imagery in Martin’s work brings to mind the cultural pride and strength found in Effie Lee Newsome’s poem, The Bronze Legacy. Like Martin, Newsome’s bold declaration, “’tis a noble gift to be brown,” celebrates the richness of African American heritage and the importance of taking pride in the past while embracing the future.

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**5. Queen by Audrey Flack & From Blossoms by Li-Young Lee**

In Audrey Flack’s painting, Queen, symbols like a pocket watch to represent the march of time and a flower with fading beauty comment on the inevitability of change and death. Li-Young Lee’s poem, From Blossoms, employs ripe peaches as a parallel metaphor for the beauty in simple joys and the importance of seizing moments of vitality and gratitude. Both works contemplate life’s impermanence and the necessity of cherishing fleeting moments of loveliness and connection “from joy to joy to joy, from wing to wing, from blossom to blossom.”

To explore this pairing with your students, dive deep into symbolism and vanitas-inspired still lifes. Learn how to set students up for success in the Introduction to Still Life and Advanced Approaches to Still Life Packs in PRO Learning.

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**6. Guardians of the Void by John Behnke & The Land of Nod by Robert Louis Stevenson**

John Behnke’s, Guardians of the Void, depicts ethereal figures floating amidst swirling colors and shapes and evokes otherworldly exploration. Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem, The Land of Nod, transports readers to a place with fantastical creatures and surreal landscapes. Both works explore the realm of dreams and the mysteries of the mind where “the strangest things are there for me.” Together, they invite viewers and readers to journey into the depths of the unconscious, where reality blends with fantasy and imagination knows no bounds.

To explore this pairing with your students, experiment with various fantastical themes and learn about the influence of Surrealism in art with the Introduction to Surrealism Collection in FLEX Curriculum.

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**7. Suspended Time by Myrna Baez & The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry**

In Myrna Baez’s Suspended Time, there is a moody yet serene landscape where stillness hangs in the air and a lonely figure drinks in the serenity of the night. Wendell Berry’s poem, The Peace of Wild Things, transports readers to a place of solace amidst the wild elements of nature. Just like the figure in Baez’s scene, the speaker finds respite from the worries and anxieties of the human world. These works invite everyone to embrace the restorative power of nature’s beauty and “come into the peace of wild things.”

To explore this pairing with your students, incorporate nature into your artmaking. The projects in FLEX Curriculum’s Nature with Mixed Media and Creating with Nature Collections foster the same oneness with nature depicted in these two works.

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**8. Eye Love by Corita Kent & Citizenship by Javier Zamora**

Representing the letter E in Corita Kent’s Circus Alphabet series, the artwork, Eye Love, reflects her desire to reconcile love for her country with a commitment to justice. Javier Zamora dives into a similar sentiment in his poem, Citizenship. He ponders the immigrants and homeless at the Mexican border. Both the artwork and the poem challenge viewers and readers to contemplate the true meaning of patriotism and citizenship and urge them to confront societal injustices.

To explore this pairing with your students, hone in on historical and contemporary issues of freedom and social change. Discover projects in FLEX Curriculum’s Freedom and Social Change and Stories from Latino Artists Collections.

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**9. Pansies in Washington by Alma Thomas & Color by Christina Rossetti**

Pansies in Washington by Alma Thomas and Christina Rossetti’s poem, Color, both celebrate the vibrancy and beauty of color. Thomas’s artwork distills pansies into an abundance of color. Rosetti attributes the color red to the image of “a poppy’s red in its barley bed,” highlighting how color correlates to sensory experiences. Together, the artwork and the poem evoke a sense of wonder and appreciation for the kaleidoscope of colors surrounding us.

To explore this pairing with your students, focus on transforming color into words, experiences, and images. Use the resources in the Transformation and Color Collection in FLEX Curriculum to guide you. Additionally, piggyback off these works for a fresh way to teach the color wheel.

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**10. Winter Woman by Jason Garcia & How to Triumph Like a Girl by Ada Limón**

Jason Garcia’s Winter Woman portrays a female warrior adorned with winter symbols. It touches on women’s resilience to endure harsh conditions. Ada Limón’s poem, How to Triumph Like a Girl, also celebrates the power of women by likening them to horses, “as if this big dangerous animal is also a part of me.” Both pieces offer a powerful tribute to women’s strength and emphasize admiration for the enduring female spirit. It prompts viewers and readers to embrace their inner power and triumph in adversity.

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**11. Puffy Takes a Bad Turn by Chris Theiss & Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein**

Chris Theiss’ adorable ceramic sculpture, Puffy Takes a Bad Turn, is reminiscent of children’s books where inanimate objects come to life. Shel Silverstein’s poem, Where the Sidewalk Ends, memorializes a realm beyond the sidewalk’s end where such imaginative possibilities live. Both works celebrate the whimsical world of childhood where “the grass grows soft and white” and “the sun burns crimson bright.” They capture the boundless creativity and curiosity of youth and evoke a sense of wonder and possibility.

To explore this pairing with your students, experiment with unique ceramic techniques like Theiss’ sgraffito method. The Innovative Ceramic Methods Pack in PRO Learning offers everything you need to know about this technique and others.

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**12. Landscape with a Stone Bridge by Rembrandt van Rijn & Wild Geese by Mary Oliver**

Rembrandt van Rijn’s painting, Landscape with a Stone Bridge, and Mary Oliver’s poem, Wild Geese, conjure themes of loneliness, belonging, and existence. Rembrandt’s tranquil landscape visually represents accepting vulnerabilities and finding solace in the simple beauty of existing. Oliver’s poem aligns and pleads, “Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.” “Meanwhile, the world goes on,” just as the water in Rembrandt’s river continues to flow. Both works encourage viewers and readers to release their worries. It reminds them they are part of something vast and meaningful.

To explore this pairing with your students, dive into all things landscape and emphasize themes of place and belonging. FLEX Curriculum’s Exploring My Community and Artistic Practices Intermediate Collections offer students opportunities to make meaningful connections to the people and places around them.

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Incorporating art and poem pairings into your art curriculum enhances critical thinking, fosters creativity, and cultivates empathy. Contemplate the importance of recollection with The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí and Remember by Joy Harjo. Venture into the depths of the unconscious with John Benke’s Guardians of the Void and Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Land of Nod. Art and poem pairings provide a rich exploration of themes and experiences. It creates deep connections between two content areas through meaningful discussion. It also spurs the imagination and artmaking with boundless avenues to communicate images and ideas. Expand your students’ artistic horizons and serve these perfect pairings in your art room. Bon Appétit!

What art and poem pairing will you use to inspire your next lesson?

How do you make connecting with and responding to art engaging and immersive?

The post 12 Art and Poem Pairings to Inspire Creative Expression in Your Art Room appeared first on The Art of Education University.

3 Ridiculous and Spontaneous Ways to Bring Poetry Into the Art Room

Lindsey McGinnis — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Are you looking for a fresh way to hook your students through art, fun, and controlled chaos? Look no further! While many may view poetry as romantic, slow, or boring, there are forms of poetry that are anything but. Plus, incorporating poetry into your lessons is a great way to make cross-curricular connections, strengthen communication skills, and enhance contextual understanding of history, genres, and periods. Let’s specifically dive into the wild and unpredictable world of Dada. You may be surprised at how much your students will appreciate this quick break from their regularly programmed artmaking.

What is Dada?

Dada is an artistic and literary movement formed in response to World War I from 1916 to the mid-1920s. This war brought new weapons, communication, and transportation technology. In a world increasingly focused on machines and logical systems, Dada aimed to break the rules with chance, spontaneity, the unconventional, and the absurd.

In art, Dadaists explored new ways to use, transform, and combine traditional mediums, artforms, and experiences. Collage, photomontage, performance art, and found objects (such as Marcel Duchamp’s “readymades”) exploded! Artistic intent and voice were more important than aesthetics. In literature, Dadaists broke free from the rules of spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Why should I care about this obscure art movement?

Aside from Dada being a very influential art movement that precedented Surrealism and Pop Art (to name a few), Dada is a student favorite. If you have students who aren’t “interested” in art or aren’t comfortable with their art skills, they are bound to be future Dadaists! Because Dada is highly based on chance and spontaneity, it decreases the “scary” or “serious” factor of drawing in front of others and adds a huge element of surprise and fun. For your perfectionists, Dada will encourage them to “let go” and enjoy the process. This movement will also resonate with your secondary students who are in the developmental brain stage of testing authority. The ideas below will provide safe outlets for your students to express themselves while still learning about art, literature, and history!

Embrace the “nonsense” with the three activities below that merge art and poetry.

1. Cut-Up

There are many variations on how to do this but essentially, students cut words or phrases from a piece of text and piece them back together randomly. Do a similar process to create a “chance collage” like Jean Arp. Introduce Jean Arp with the artist bio from FLEX Curriculum. Students take scraps of paper and drop them onto a base paper. Then, they glue the paper exactly where it lands.

2. Automatic Writing

Many of us (including our students!) love to doodle. Like neurographic drawing, it helps maintain focus during staff meetings or classes and engages the creative side of our brains. If you apply the same mindless process to writing, you’ll get Automatic Writing. Set the scene for students to relax: dim the lights and play soft sounds or music. Students write whatever words come into their train of thought. Feel free to ease into this activity with a simple prompt. Use this as a warm-up to support your classroom management and a calm start to class.

3. Chance

Grab some dice and get rolling! Each number can refer to a specific word in a word bank. Alternatively, take an existing poem and turn it into a new, shortened poem. Each roll will determine the next word. For example, if you roll a three for your first roll, your first word will be the third word. Then, let’s say you roll a six for your second roll. Your second word will be six words from that. Repeat until you have a revised masterpiece!

Likewise, apply the dice roll to drawing to create fun illustrations and stimulate creative thinking. Create your own paper cubes to make custom drawing prompts like elementary art teacher, Candido Crespo.

Encourage your students to navigate artmaking with more risk, chance, and opportunity! Try the Transformation: Risk & Chance Collection in FLEX Curriculum. It includes six lesson plans for all age levels that also integrate color theory and contemporary art.

Switch things up in your art room and incorporate Dada poetry for a breath of fresh air from traditional methods and artforms. This new means of expression will spur your students to let go, trust the process, and focus on concepts over aesthetics. Plus, the connections will enrich students’ understanding of art, literature, and history during this era. Try the cut-up method or roll the dice to compose a new poem and collage, or introduce automatic writing to de-stress. Celebrate the unconventional with one of the three activities above to foster boundless possibilities!

Do your students love or hate Dada art?

How do you encourage students to let go in the art room?

The post 3 Ridiculous and Spontaneous Ways to Bring Poetry Into the Art Room appeared first on The Art of Education University.

12 Fun and Interesting One-Day Lessons for the Secondary Art Room

Kristina Brown — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 11:00:38 +0000

Note: Be sure to review all resources and preview all artists before determining if they are appropriate to share with your students.

In the world of education, the winter months can be hard. Sickness, testing, schedule changes, and weather complications throw curveballs into your days. Pep rally schedules and student absences halt your perfectly planned lessons. In addition, you observe an increase in mental checkouts from students. One-day lessons are lifesavers for these times of the year! While many think of these activities as time wasters, they are a prime way to engage new inspiration in your students. Even the AP Art seniors who have been deep in inquiry-based artmaking need a break from time to time. Whether you are new or a veteran to teaching in the art room, one-day lessons are a lifeline!

Here are 12 fun and interesting one-day art lessons for the secondary classroom.

1. Photography Scavenger Hunt

Create a list of prompts for students to photograph to spark creativity and visual storytelling. This activity provides an innovative way to use students’ observational and narrative skills. Photography prompts also offer a fresh perspective on everyday subjects within an environment. This no-mess and little prep lesson encourages autonomy and creativity for your students.

Procedures and Steps:

Distribute a list of prompts.
Set a time limit.
Students explore the classroom environment and take images that creatively capture the prompts.
Share images with an end-of-the-period critique.

Tip:

Challenge students to take only one photograph per prompt to mirror shooting with film. Students must frame their images carefully before pressing the shutter!

2. Round-Robin Drawing

This is a group-based drawing activity that allows students to draw without pressure. Students find this process fun and engaging while providing them with an opportunity to practice collaboration.

Procedures and Steps:

Pass out paper and pencils.
Students write their names on the back of their paper.
Students draw on their sheets of paper for 1-2 minutes.
Students rotate their papers to another artist.
The next person continues or adds to the previous drawing or artwork.
Continue rotating until each student has contributed to all of the artworks.
Pass the papers back to the original artist.

Tips:

Provide students with prompts or found imagery to jumpstart their ideas.
Use colored paper or various art materials.
Apply this activity to digital drawing! Instead of paper, students carefully pass digital devices to one another or rotate seats.

3. Exquisite Corpse

Explore the intriguing world of Exquisite Corpse drawings. Surrealist artists adopted this activity to generate collaborative artworks. Students love this game because it stimulates the imagination. Just as in the Round-Robin drawing exercise above, students contribute to one another’s artwork. However, there is a fun final reveal at the end!

Check out the steps to Exquisite Corpse, plus other Surrealism games for the art room.

Tips:

Increase or decrease the duration of drawing time.
Encourage students to draw and add details for the entire amount of time for each round.
Redraw favorite final creatures in their own style!

4. Visual Journaling

Visual journals are an excellent way for students to explore their thoughts and ideas in one place. Visual journal pages in the secondary art room are perfect for documenting students’ artistic processes. Check out various visual journaling lessons and prompts such as Guided Mindfulness and Visual Storytelling in FLEX Curriculum.

Procedures and Steps:

Introduce the practice of visual journaling.
Provide a list of text or visual prompts to use as a starting point.
Give students a time limit to create in their visual journals.
Use a gallery walk critique to present students’ spreads.

Tips:

Use washable markers to prevent page bleeding.
Old newspapers, magazines, or scrap paper provide fantastic collage materials.

5. Sunday Sketches by Christoph Niemann

Sunday Sketches are a fun and imaginative art activity by author, artist, and animator Christoph Niemann. His illustrations are in The New Yorker, National Geographic, and The New York Times Magazine. This exercise is about creating images from simple objects. Use it as a one-day lesson or a bell-ringer to stimulate visual connections with objects around us.

https://www.christophniemann.com/detail/sunday-sketches-2/

Procedures and Steps:

Provide paper and drawing materials.
Place random objects in front of each student.
Students observe the object from different angles.
Students create a drawing that incorporates the object.
Photograph the final illustrations.
Rotate objects and repeat for multiple rounds.

Tips:

Encourage students to look at the objects as basic shapes and forms to help create connections.
Transfer this activity to digital drawing and photograph an object and then digitally draw on top of the photograph.

6. Mystery Magazine Clippings

Are you looking for an opportunity to use those old magazines collecting dust? In this activity, students create a completed environment around a magazine clipping. This Mystery Magazine Clippings activity takes the overthinking out of creating! At the end of the lesson, students love to see what environments their peers concocted.

Procedures and Steps:

Pass out magazines.
Students cut out a small image from a magazine page such as a dog or a soda can.
Collect all clippings into a container.
Without looking, students select one magazine clipping from the container.
Students glue the clipping to a piece of paper.
Use different drawing materials to create a complete environment around the magazine clipping.

Tips:

Use it as a bell-ringer or icebreaker for class.
Repurpose random scraps of construction paper if magazines are not available.

7. Telephone Pictionary

Get ready for a collaborative drawing activity with guaranteed laughs. Telephone Pictionary is a drawing game that illustrates images from phrases. The final reveal of the text and phrases is worth the setup and preparation!

Procedures and Steps:

Provide each student with the same amount of papers as students playing. For example, 20 students equal 20 pieces of paper per student.
Students number the bottom right corner of each paper. For example, students number each page 1-20 for 20 students playing.
On the first sheet, students write a phrase, poem, or sentence.
Students pass their stack of papers clockwise to the next person.
Students read the phrase, flip page one to the back of the stack, and illustrate the phrase on page two with a timer set to 1-2 minutes.
Keep the illustration on top and pass the stack of papers clockwise again.
The following person will look at the illustration, move that page to the back of the stack, and write a phrase that captures the illustration on page three.
Repeat this process until all pages are complete.
Lay out the papers to reveal the full series!

Tips:

Check for understanding during each rotation by announcing the current page number to accommodate the game’s learning curve.
Provide examples of phrases for students to use that have a subject, action, and environment.

8. Origami

Infuse math and art with origami! This interdisciplinary activity is mess-free and a student favorite. Origami is great for in-between projects or as a break from traditional drawing activities. If you’re new to teaching origami, check out this article to discover how to incorporate origami into your classroom with confidence.

Procedures and Steps:

Discuss the origins of origami and its importance as an artform.
Show various origami folds starting with simple ones (such as a boat and fortune teller) and moving on to more complex ones (such as a crane.)
Give students paper options to fold.

Tips:

Provide students with step-by-step printouts or video demonstrations.
Instruct students to create patterns and designs on their paper before folding if origami paper is unavailable.
Create origami out of non-traditional materials and papers.
Use the origami forms as still-life subjects for the next unit.

9. Paper Airplane Competition

An innovative extension to origami is a paper airplane competition. Check out this website for resources on various paper airplane folds. Incorporate engineering and art by observing how the folds and construction affect hangtime and distance. Students love a good competition, especially with something they would typically get in trouble for making!

Procedures and Steps:

Pre-fold various paper airplanes to show different flight types.
Give students paper and the website above to select their paper airplane type.
Set a timer for 10 minutes of folding time.
Take students to the hallway or outdoors to test out their airplanes.
Take turns “flying” airplanes and measure distance or flight time.

Tips:

Utilize student helpers to record the distance or hang times of each airplane.
Review safety considerations with students before starting.

10. Scribble Drawings

Create a fully finished artwork from simple scribbles! This activity works well with all ages and doubles as a mindfulness technique.

Procedures and Steps:

Provide paper and pencils.
Students create scribbles on their paper.
Students observe and darken the forms or subjects within the scribbles.
Use the elements of art, such as value and texture, to complete the drawings to a finished state.

Tips:

Scribble on other students’ papers instead of their own.
Add watercolor or various art materials after scribbling.
Encourage open-ended creation to include both realistic and abstract designs.

11. Rotation Stations

This student favorite is an excellent way to explore various art mediums outside of everyone’s comfort zone. Introduce students to various mixed-media artists to generate curiosity and ideas!

Procedures and Steps:

Set up various stations with different art materials in each area such as watercolor paint, stencils, rulers, and ink and stamps.
Pass out one half-sheet of paper.
Provide foundational instructions for how to use the art materials at each station.
Remind students that the order of the stations will dictate how they may use each art medium. For instance, adding a full watercolor wash on their paper for the first rotation may prevent them from using other mediums as they wait for their paper to dry.
Divide students into small groups and assign each group to a station.
Students experiment with the art materials at each station with a timer set for 2-3 minutes.
Rotate and repeat until each group has visited each station.

Tips:

Allow students to revisit a station of their choice after completing the activity.
Reflect on experiences using various art materials.
Provide hairdryers or fans at the wet stations to speed up drying.

12. Job and Career Investigation

What’s a better way to show the real-world application of art than highlighting REAL art jobs? Incorporate artmaking and research by having students dig into real-time job opportunities. Websites like Upwork have a database of full-time and contract freelance jobs for artists. The listings provide pay ranges, the experience needed, and other job details. The website also allows artists to show their portfolios to possible employers. Researching these art jobs shows students how to apply their art skills outside of the classroom and see what’s possible for their futures. This activity also allows teachers to stay in tune with the ever-evolving art landscape!

Procedures and Steps:

Discuss various art careers such as illustrators, animators, graphic designers, and more.
Discuss careers that interest your students.
Demonstrate how to find jobs on search engines or career websites.
Students explore jobs and note pay, experience, and location details.
Divide students into small groups to discuss their findings.

Tips:

Transition into how to construct a resume and portfolio.
Check out the Local Art Investigators Lesson in FLEX Curriculum to explore, identify, and analyze the careers and works of local artists.

One-day lessons provide an opportunity to create without pressure while stepping away from routine. Whether it’s drawing wacky creatures for Exquisite Corpse or folding aircraft for a paper airplane competition, these activities offer flexibility when plans fall through or a much-needed break. There are a variety of ways students benefit from these activities; students can practice techniques, explore new ideas, and prepare for upcoming units. When choosing a one-day lesson, consider what skills you want your students to learn, review, or explore. Sometimes, these quick lessons can turn into inspiration for bigger projects! The next time you need a lesson for one day, try out one of the fun ideas listed above.

What is your go-to one-day secondary lesson?

How have you extended a one-day lesson into a longer-term project?

The post 12 Fun and Interesting One-Day Lessons for the Secondary Art Room appeared first on The Art of Education University.

Substitute Tips & One-Day Art Lessons

hillaryfieldsend@theartofeducation.edu — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 22:38:14 +0000

Substitute Tips & One-Day Art Lessons

Get equipped with a repertoire of tried and true substitute tips and quick one-day lessons from veteran art teachers. We want you to be able to pivot with confidence and continue to engage all learners.

Plan for Substitutes

Planning for an absence doesn’t have to be more work. Check out these tips to make prepping for and hosting a guest teacher as seamless as possible. Browse our sub plans by grade level for lesson plans specifically designed to be implemented by a substitute teacher.

How to Simplify and De-Stress Your Sub Plans This School Year

The Best Way to Tell What REALLY Happened While You Were Out

The Easiest Way to Leave Sub Plans With Tabletop Centers

How to Make a Sub Tub for Stress-Free Sick Days

4 Specific Things to Do to Set Your Subs Up for Success

How to Flip Your Sub Plans

Why Using Snapchat Is the Best Way to Make Sub Plans

The Top 10 Things Subs REALLY Want!

A Better Way to Write Sub Plans (Podcast Ep. 087)

Setting Your Subs Up for Success (Podcast Ep. 082)

Use Formatting to Create Easy to Read Sub Plans!

The Big Reveal: Unveiling the Art Room Makeover (Ep. 3)

5 Exciting Sub Plans for Right Now

Plan for Long-Term or Extended Leave

It can be scary to be away from our classrooms and students for a long period of time. Take some of the overwhelming aspects out of the process with advice from art teachers who have been there.

How to Be Present Even When You’re Not There (Podcast Ep. 028)

4 Ways to Navigate Long-Term or Extended Leave in the Art Room

8 Helpful Tips to Make Your Maternity Leave Less Stressful

How to Plan a Successful Return From a Leave of Absence

Plan for One-Day Artmaking

Keep these quick and fun one-day artmaking lesson ideas in your stash. Be prepared for when you have a schedule adjustment, or you are drained and just need a change of pace. Some of these lessons do require some prep and special supplies so take a peek now so you can be prepared later. And just because a lesson is labeled for a substitute, it doesn’t mean you, the art teacher, can’t implement the lesson yourself!

5 Exciting Sub Plans for Right Now

Don’t Miss This One-Day Lesson That Connects Poetry & Art Analysis

4 Fun Ideas to Unprogram in the Art Room to Alleviate Student Stress

6 One-Day Activities for the End of the School Year

A One-Day Clay Project Easy Enough to Do From a Cart

Engage Your Students From Day One With an Art History Remix

5 Art Lessons That Are Effective at Home or School

Simple One-Day Lessons (Ep. 307)

5 Successful One-Day Art Lessons for the Middle School Classroom

7 Easy Art Lessons for When You’re in a Pinch

4 One-Day Challenges for Your Art Class That Incorporate Math

15 Fun One-Day Elementary Art Lesson Ideas

4 Engaging One-Day Activities

3 Ways to Play in the Art Room

4 Ideas to Get Your Students Participating From Day One

The Perfect One-Day Lesson Video

Even More Simple One-Day Lessons (Ep. 308)

4 Engaging One-Day Art Lessons That Connect to Science

6 Fantastic One-Day Art Lessons to Engage Your Elementary Students

12 Fun and Interesting One-Day Lessons for the Secondary Art Room

10 One-Day Photography Activities to Keep Students “Focused” Until the End of the Year

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Transfer Printing

Methods for Early Finishers

Creating Art Outside

Sketchbook Ideas That Really Work

Planning for Substitutes

Games in the Art Room

Planning Instructional Videos

Learn how to get PRO Learning

A vast library of standards-aligned lessons with step-by-step instructions, a project photo, and student-facing handouts such as artist bios, assessments, and more.

Visual Journaling

Inspired by Mindfulness

Experimenting with Sketchbooks

From Ordinary to Fantastic

Middle School Morph

Sculpting a Community

Strong Shapes

Visual Documentation and Research: One-Day Lessons

Drawing Connections: One-Day Lessons

Building a Sketchbook Practice: One-Day Lessons

Meaning-Making Through Sketchbooks: One-Day Lessons

Learn how to get FLEX Curriculum

The post Substitute Tips & One-Day Art Lessons appeared first on The Art of Education University.

Visual Journals and Classroom Communities (Ep. 397)

Timothy Bogatz — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 11:00:42 +0000

In today’s episode, Tim welcomes first-time guest Stephanie Zeiler for a wide-ranging conversation. They begin by discussing visual journals and how they can make journals more engaging and more meaningful for students. They then talk about creating a welcoming classroom community, how we help kids find what they love, and how we can find joy in our teaching careers.

Full episode transcript below.

Resources and Links

Transcript

Tim:

Welcome to Art Ed Radio, the podcast for art teachers. This show is produced by the Art of Education University, and I’m your host, Tim Bogatz.

I’m excited to welcome on a new guest today, a high school teacher from Virginia named Stephanie Zeiler. I was introduced to Stephanie by Michael Bell, a friend of the pod and a former NOW Conference presenter. I’m going to keep the introduction short today, because I think Stephanie and I are going to have a LOT to talk about. When we’ve connected before, we’ve discovered some real similarities in the ways each of us teach. And because of that, the conversation just kind of goes. I don’t have a ton of questions written today, we’re going to start by talking about visual journals and then we’ll just see what happens after that! But Stephanie is here, and we are ready to go, let me bring her on now.

All right. Stephanie Zeiler is joining me now. Stephanie, how are you?

Stephanie Zeiler:

I’m doing wonderful. Thank you. Thanks for having me.

Tim:

Oh, you are welcome. I’m very happy that you’re on the show. I feel like we have a lot that we need to talk about. Before we get into all of that though, I would love to have you just give us an introduction. Can you tell us about yourself? Tell us about your teaching, whatever else you want to share.

Stephanie Zeiler:

I teach at Queen Anne’s County High School. I’m in year 27. Same school, basically the same room the whole time. I am the department coordinator for us. I am also the county’s lead visual arts teacher. I have also been the National Art Honors Society sponsor of the year. I got awarded that last year by NAEA.

Tim:

Oh, congratulations. That’s awesome.

Stephanie Zeiler:

Thank you. And I’m a scholastic gold key art educator as well.

Tim:

Very cool. That is a long list of accomplishments. I need to ask you though. After almost three decades in the same room, I feel like my room would just be littered with all of the stuff that I’ve saved over that long. Has your room just built up just a plethora of supplies in that time?

Stephanie Zeiler:

It has definitely. And we don’t have the best storage space or wall space or anything in our rooms. They’re not the most adequate for art education, so there’s a lot more in here. And students joke around, and once I come back, they’re like, “Oh, it hasn’t changed. Nothing has changed. There’s so much in here.” And then I was like, “Well, would you want it to change?” And they’re like, “I don’t think so.”

Tim:

Yeah, see, there you go. It’s a necessary evil. Yeah. I understand that. But we are not here to talk about art supplies. I did want to talk to you, like I said about a lot of things, but I’d love to just start the conversation with visual journals because I know that’s something that’s of interest to both of us, but for you, my biggest question, I think a lot of teachers’ biggest questions when it comes to sketchbooks or visual journals is just how do we get kids to really care about creating a visual journal? How do we get it to move beyond just a list of assignments or a list of prompts and turn that into something that they really care about and really want to do?

Stephanie Zeiler:

It’s been a process. We’re still learning it. My supervisor, Michael Bell, is like a champion of the visual journal.

Tim:

He loves a visual journal for as long as I’ve known him. He loves the visual journal.

Stephanie Zeiler:

And I know some of us were trying to find our way with that. So it wasn’t just a sketchbook and it’s still a learning process, but I found a lot more success now with my advanced classes. I find intro classes are harder, especially in classes where there are students who are taking because they have to take it versus-

Tim:

They’re getting their one art credit.

Stephanie Zeiler:

Yes. So the one thing that I love the way they work, we are actually a little plug. We are starting our first course next year, a visual journaling class.

Tim:

Oh, nice, nice.

Stephanie Zeiler:

Andrea Schulte, who’s a wonderful art teacher down at my sister’s school, Kent Island High School, Michael Bell and I are working on the curriculum now, working on what does that look like? What does that sound like? What does that feel like? And then we don’t have a model to go after right now. So we’re kind of building it together, which I think is amazing and it’s going to be, I think, authentic. So we’re going to be putting time in this summer building the curriculum, talking about the things. Michael’s given us some books and some supplies and said, “Do this.” But in the very best way because we know as artists, you have to do. That’s the best way we learn and create and communicate is by the doing.

So we’re excited about that. Again, it’ll be a process. So maybe a year from now we’ll talk about how that went.

Tim:

For sure.

Stephanie Zeiler:

With visual journaling, the first thing is you have to make it authentic, and some of that is you modeling it and finding the time to model it to the students. And I think it’s a place you have to build a safe space. So at least in my generation, when we came through art education, we learned that technique is truth and that product is king and the whole process, but we don’t balance the process with the product and the visual journaling gives you a wonderful place to teach process and a safe space.

And one thing I’m learning with my kids, I’m like, “Did you try it in your visual journal? Did you try it in your visual journal?” Before they do it on their project, which is the scary place to do it, or in their artwork, scary place. Where in a visual journal, you make it a safe space for them to try it. And if it doesn’t work, you either put another layer on top of it or you just say, “I didn’t like that and I’m not using it.” And that’s okay. Or they can make a mistakes and say, “Well, I’m not really sure this didn’t work this way.” So trying to build that safe space for them and allowing it to be like an everything book, not just a journal or a sketchbook, like all the things. For myself, I’m really working on now this year trying to figure out how to make it work better for my fundamentals classes.

But it’s definitely a place where you want them to experiment to put their truth on the paper, because I’ve learned too if a kid tries graphite and loves it and then tries charcoal and hates it, but they try in their visual journal so they get a little experience. They don’t like it, they do like it, but it’s safe. But then why would we have to make them do something in charcoal if they hate it? Again, why would we do that to them? Because we’re teaching them to not enjoy the art. So I am like, we’re going to try it in your journal, and if you don’t like it, you don’t like it and you don’t have to do it again. Because if we’re teaching value, we can teach value through graphite, through pen and ink, through paint. It doesn’t have to be a medium. And why do we have to make them be miserable for three weeks with something that they hate?

I know going through it, I hated it. Like some things and I’m like, I don’t really like that. That sucks my joy. So a visual journaling place is for them to be able to figure that out. It is the best place for them to find their voice, their artistic voice. Like Michael Bell would say, how do we paint our paintings? You learn to do that in your visual journal. What keeps showing up in your works? It’s a beautiful place to help teach mindfulness in art and ask questions like why do you think you did that? Did you like that? What are you taking away from that? And even if it’s, I hate it. It’s okay. It’s okay.

Tim:

That’s an important takeaway.

Stephanie Zeiler:

Absolutely.

Tim:

That’s still an important takeaway.

Stephanie Zeiler:

And I came from discipline-based art education that never set well with me. The visual journal is the place you build concepts, you learn how to do that, you learn how you process, and you also learn what keeps you from processing in certain directions by what you’re trying and doing. And you can start a conversation with students through their visual journaling. They might not speak to you very much at first, but then you start having a conversation with them about what’s happening in their journal, and then all of a sudden they start answering you and talking to you and showing you things, and you build trust and build a relationship through the journal. So I am still working on it, like I said, for my intro classes, but in my advanced classes, it’s been amazing to see what they’re doing in their journals and how it speaks to them.

Just a quick little story about it, I had a student last year, I had her as a junior. She didn’t talk too much to me, knew she liked art. Mom was a principal, wasn’t really sure how she felt about the art and was like, “Why are you taking another art class? You could be taking this or this.” But then Teagan wasn’t going to art school. So you can have a little more freedom and sometimes with things you do with them. And we started going down learning about, she learned realism, but then learned how to break the rules to do abstraction in a really awesome way and just kept taking classes. And then would do all this stuff in her journal. Just do it, do it, do it, and try, try. And then would put it in her pieces. And her mom wrote me a really nice email last year and said, “Thank you for giving our Teagan back to us. Thank you for giving her something excited to come to school for. She comes to school excited now and doesn’t hate it because she has your class and she gets to spend time in there doing those things.” And I’m like, “What a better testament to what the arts can do for people than that story right there.”

Tim:

Yeah, absolutely. That is beautiful. And like you said, when you give kids that safe space to create, to explore, to experiment, there’s so much that comes from that. And I think like you said, that story illustrates exactly why. But yeah, we want to give that opportunity to every kid.

Stephanie Zeiler:

And it’s also a place for them to find their fun, what they love. And like I said, not only what they don’t like, but also what they love. And is that fun? Yes. Well, do you want to do it again on a bigger scale? Yes. And then that’s how that develops into bigger projects so you can take what’s happening, that visual conversation they’re having with themselves, and you then take it into what they’re trying to express on a bigger scale.

Tim:

Yeah, absolutely. And one thing that I’ve found too, and I’d love to get your perspective on this, is that doing visual journal work really forces them to slow down and really go through all the steps of the art making process. Because if you’re not doing as much planning, they’ll just dive in and be like, “This is going to be my background.” They just don’t even bother with the back. They don’t really plan it all out. But when you are asking them to take notes and find artist inspirations and make sketches and figure out composition and try out color schemes, all of that really leads to I think a lot better work because they’re more patient, they’re more thoughtful, and they can come up with a better plan for what they’re doing. So do you see the same thing in your classroom when you’re asking them to do more in the visual journal? Like you mentioned the end product. Are you seeing that improve in quality when they are spending more time at the front end?

Stephanie Zeiler:

Yes. When they do. And visual journal is a great place to teach a creative process and to walk them through it. And again, like I said, anybody that teaches intro classes knows that that is a bigger struggle on the front end.

Tim:

Oh, absolutely.

Stephanie Zeiler:

But what I want to say is don’t give up on it when it’s frustrating. It’s very easy when something doesn’t seem to be going well, to be like, “Well, that’s no good.” It’s a really good thing to do. And it’s a really good process. And then as you teach them then, and they take more classes, it becomes route. They start doing it automatically. It becomes part of the process. And I was talking to a couple kids about what’s the struggle with you doing something in your journal? Because you just sit there and they’re like, well, I have a hard time coming out with the ideas and making it perfect.

I’m like, it doesn’t have to be perfect in your journal, that’s where you go to explore and experiment and try things out. And then you can look back at your whole thing and like, “Well, those marks were awesome and I love them, and I want have them show up somewhere else.” So then it’s almost like it’s their diary with their visual process, and they can always go back and reflect on it and carry it with them. So it’s a great place for that to do. It’s just also a place where, especially, again, I keep saying in the intro classes where it’s really easy to just get frustrated as a teacher because they’re not doing it, but that’s when you have to find the balance between process and product. And sometimes, especially in the intro courses, I have very high expectations. Sometimes you have to occasionally back off of them to get them to feel a little bit more successful, give them fewer guidelines on what they need to do. But say, we are working on overlapping and layering today. I don’t care what your subject matter is, or we’re going to pick something. I usually give multiple prompts for them because I think student choices really important for them. [inaudible 00:13:08].

Tim:

They have a better chance of connecting with something.

Stephanie Zeiler:

Absolutely.

Tim:

And they have a better chance of making authentic work if you give them options.

Stephanie Zeiler:

So I give them options, and then I’m always like, “Well, if something in your head just goes off and you’re like, wham, I have this idea.” I said, “Pitch it to me.” Because even if it doesn’t hit one of the prompts and it’s this great thought process, this great thing you want to do or try or it’s something you’re feeling or something you just saw, yeah, you can do that. You can absolutely do that.

Tim:

Yeah, it’s good. And yeah, I think that’s another challenge. Going back to that idea of creating a safe space for their creations, especially those kids who are first starting and they feel like everything has to be perfect. And so I’m always looking for lessons and ideas and experiments that they’re not going to look the best. And we emphasize the fact that that’s okay, and it’s a very difficult lesson for them to learn. And so yeah, I think any strategies that you can come up with to help them realize that not everything has to look realistic, not everything has to be perfect, I think can go a long way with them.

Stephanie Zeiler:

Yes.

Tim:

So shifting gears a bit, I know another thing that you and I have talked about before is just the idea of building a community in your classroom. I think you and I talked about kids having lunch in your room and just how you make your art room a place that students want to be. And so I guess my question for you is what are some of the ways that you do that as a teacher? How do you create a welcoming environment for your students? How do you help them make connections with you or with other students or with their art? How do you help them connect once they’re in your classroom?

Stephanie Zeiler:

So I kind of keep an open studio policy as long as they have permission to be in my room. If they have things to do, they can. And I try and schedule my planning over the lunch periods so that kids can come in and work if they need to or just have a safe space. I’ve had kids in class who they didn’t go on to do art things, but they had art classes with me and they just needed a place that was okay that they felt safe and protected and connected and could be themselves. I try and definitely build that in general in my class by making sure everybody’s ideas are safe and validated that they’re not picking on each other. I always correct language that is bad towards other people or other things or against art. I always tell the kids, “You got to stop using the word can’t. You’re not allowed to use can’t in the room.” And they are like, “Why?” I’m like, “It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. So we kind of take that out.” But I also try to build connections with the kids. So I always have discussions versus lecture style when we do things and I will do sometimes uncomfortable periods to get them to talk.

Tim:

And that was the toughest thing for me as a teacher to do that, because I felt like we always had to be going. We always had to be learning. And once I realized, once I had my own light bulb moment about how effective that wait time is, oh man. So anyway, sorry to interrupt you, but you’re [inaudible 00:16:30].

Stephanie Zeiler:

No, it’s so true. And they just want you to spoon-feed them the answer sometimes. And I’m like, “You don’t learn. That’s not how you learn and you’re going to forget it as soon as you walk through the door. If I tell you the answer.” I said, “My job is to be the guide and the navigator through your journey to give you a little insight and little expertise as you’re going, but it’s your job to figure it out.” And another thing you need to do is be a cheerleader. Always be a cheerleader. Always celebrate the positive stuff. Be lighthearted. There are some times where the kids are like, “Oh, this is really stressful and this is this.” I’m like, “I get it.” But I don’t dwell on bad behaviors or bad things that happen. I address them, we move on.

I’m like, “Tomorrow’s a new day everyone. Tomorrow’s a new day.” And I said, “Sometimes life gets in the way of life for you. For me.” I understand that, but where are we going to go from there? I had a student a couple of weeks ago say, “Why do you keep saying you care if I fail?”

“Well, I do because I care about you. I care about you. And failing is saying, you’re better than this. You don’t have to fail and don’t settle there.” And nowadays there’s more and more trauma-based stuff that comes into the class and they’re so bombarded by so many things. So you have to break down the walls to find their story, which is also a good place to find their story in their visual journals, but also start having a conversation to know their stories. If they see that you’re authentic and willing to get to know them and willing to support them and willing to forgive them when they mess up, but also to have structure built beneath them to keep scaffolding them up and keep pushing them.

That’s a safe place for them to come into your room. I had a mom who I just talked to this week whose son never really liked art or really felt safe. I always thought he wasn’t good enough. And I’m like, she said, your support with him. I said, it took a couple of weeks to get him to be like, okay, I’m giving constructive feedback. I try and use feedback over the word criticism because people have decided that criticism is a bad thing even when it’s constructive. So I try to say feedback. I found that’s a shift that’s been nice, it’s been good in the classroom. But the mom said, “He comes home and talks about art now. He shows me pictures of what he’s doing. He’s proud of what he’s doing.” She’s like, “You build confidence in him.” It’s an intro course. So at all successes, you got to celebrate them. And focus on the positive, give them a safe place to land, that mistakes are okay, but with it, again, still giving them some guidance to how they build their skills. But it’s okay if things don’t work out.

But then being in a room where everyone is welcomed equally and where everyone is supported and cared for, and I throw love around a lot, because you got to love yourself and you got to love the art, you got to love the journey. You love what you’re doing. And it’s hard when the kids don’t love what they’re doing to keep that going. But I try to encourage them to at least come after school sometime with me because sometimes, and in a class of 27, 30 kids, you don’t always get those connections, but when they come after school, you can start to tell a story. And I’m a storyteller, so I always try to tell stories to connect to things. And I like to use a lot of analogies and a lot of like, “Oh, think of it like this.” To stuff that they can relate to. And to they’re afraid sometimes to be expressive because they’ve been told that’s not okay, or they’ve been told that their ideas aren’t good. So building that safe space, that trust, where we treat everyone as equals and then we give them support.

But it’s so important to be a support for them. And I tell them, tomorrow’s a new day. I don’t care if we are butting heads today. I have that family mentality kind of way of teaching that it could be off, but tomorrow I’m coming in and it’s new slate, I’m welcome you at the door. I’m going to come around and talk to you. If I make a mistake or if I do something, I apologize. And we talk about it because they have to see that they have to trust you and they have to make that connection because if you’re trying to build a community or a safe place, community starts with relationships, and then the relationships start with connections and then connections start with people’s stories, and then you build that safe place. You build that where ideas are welcome, where they’re welcome and working through their story and your story.

That’s where the bond happens. And being just like, sometimes you’re like, if you just need a place to decompress during lunch, come on in. This is the same place. We listen to music a lot in class. I do allow them when we’re in independent study to listen to their own music sometimes because that’s where they inhabit their stuff. I have them do class lists where they pick music to put on, as long as it’s school appropriate and we play it, we put on there and then we celebrate stories. I allow them to ask questions to be curious because that’s the only way you learn in the world is to be curious about things. But they’re all kind of some strategies I put in place to-

Tim:

No, I think those are all good. I love the idea of encouraging curiosity, and the one thing that I kept coming back to as you were talking there is just the idea of starting fresh each day and then every day hyping your kids up. I think it’s important. I act so excited to see them every single day, whether I actually am or not, but I want to see that kid, make them feel welcome. Make them be excited about coming in for art.

Stephanie Zeiler:

Greet them at the door. Greet them at the door.

Tim:

Who’s excited about printmaking today?

Stephanie Zeiler:

And if you haven’t see-

Tim:

They’re not.

Stephanie Zeiler:

Yeah, I know, right?

Tim:

I feel like if I am excited enough, it might rub off on them. But yeah, then like you said, cheerleading for them, encouraging their ideas, encouraging their explorations goes a really, really long way.

Stephanie Zeiler:

And not allowing them to give up on themselves. I will go to the 15th time of doing something trying to get students not to give up on themselves and to see that they can do it, that they can be successful, and we talk all the time about what art builds beyond just art skills and there’s so much of that out there.

Tim:

Yeah, for sure. No, I think that’s a great point. And I want to ask you just, I guess one last question here, because I feel like with each one we just dive into all sorts of different things, but you’re talking about creating space that the kids like to be in, but as you’re creating that, it should be a space that you want to be in too. And so I’m thinking about, I guess one thing that we’ve talked a lot about on the podcast this year is finding joy in what we do and being joyful when it comes to teaching. So I would just love your perspective on that. What types of things are you doing to find joy in your teaching?

Stephanie Zeiler:

So I’ve been on a couple year quest, especially the last year about finding joy again. And I’ve been through multiple surgeries and I had stopped creating because my best friend and I had a studio and she passed away and I literally stopped creating for about nine years. I would start stuff and not finish stuff. So I went to this creative conference on a whim just with a bunch of other people who were looking to find creative people, not really knowing what it was going to look like, but it was all about your joy, finding your joy again. And some of that is like, what did you run to when you were a kid? What did you do for a kid? When you felt stress, where did you turn as a kid? Because that’s your money spot. That’s your joy. Because that’s before we were told who we have to be, what box we have to fit in.

We did that. That’s what we did. So it was a lot about rediscovering that and nature and trees. I climbed trees when I would be stressed, back then we would run out in the woods and be in the woods all day and you’d have creative play. And creative play was my joy. And climbing in trees and just laying in the tree branches was my joy. So I did the artist way book with a bunch of friends and we took myself on some artist dates and when my foot was enough that I could try hiking and climbing a tree, I climbed a tree and I sat in the tree for a while and watched the ducks on the water and I took hiking up again. And now when I go out in the woods, I have hundreds of pictures of inspiration of things to use.

And I started creating again. For me, to find joy again in creating was to create for no reason other than to give it away to somebody who was going to love it. And so I started with a couple custom mugs and a couple small things, and I was like, “How did I get so far away from this?” I put some music on and I just sometimes have a little dance party in between the creating and finding that joy and remembering what it was like to be as a child. And the other part of joy is just being grateful for all the things. So I’ve been practicing a little bit more meditation and grateful meditations, and when I get a little stressed, I’m like, there’s so much about my job that I love. So I already try to focus on those things versus the things that are weighing me down because it’s a pretty stressful place in public ed right now.

Tim:

Oh, for sure.

Stephanie Zeiler:

And then that’s what I try and talk and explore, and that when I do that, I try to direct kids when they do something really fun or whatever. I try story tell and bring some of that into there and find connections with the kids. Keep it lighthearted. I find times where we can joke around with the kids or give them little surprises here or there and share my passions with them because you can make connections. We can find connections with the students when we share a little bit about ourselves.

Tim:

Yes. Yes. Very much so.

Stephanie Zeiler:

We talk. I love horror movies and things like that, and I start talking about that and the kids are like, “What dude?” And if a kid asks me to listen to something or to watch something, I try my very best to at least do that.

Tim:

Yeah. See, I always hit them up for recommendations like, “Hey, what should I listen to? What should I watch?” And then that’s a great conversation starter.

Stephanie Zeiler:

And that kind of joy. And sometimes giving them a little bit more freedom of some things they can do in the class is helpful. And they sometimes don’t even know what brings them joy. They’ve lost a lot of connectedness to themselves, I think especially now since post-COVID and post a lot of that, and making those connections and finding that fun stuff, that connectedness, and I tell them too, what brought you joy? What brings you joy? We do some intro work with I am kind of things and identity and stuff. And let them figure out what do they really like. And I try and teach them their surface joy. And then there’s deep soul, gratifying joy. What does that look like? Me, deep, gratifying joy is going out into nature and doing some things and then coming back and doing some artwork. And then getting them excited about things, which sometimes it’s hard to do for teenagers, but-

Tim:

Right. But again, especially when you’re having a difficult time getting them to open up. But no, I think that’s a really important conversation to have and I think it’s good for them to think about those things.

Stephanie Zeiler:

Absolutely.

Tim:

Well, all right. Well Stephanie, we’re going to need to wrap it up there, but I feel like I could just talk to you for hours about all of this, so I’d love to have you back again sometime.

Stephanie Zeiler:

No, absolutely.

Tim:

But for now, thank you for the conversation. It’s been great and hopefully enlightening for a few people out there. So, thank you.

Stephanie Zeiler:

Thanks for having me. I really appreciate it. Have a good one.

Tim:

Thank you to Stephanie for coming on! I appreciated her stories, her sharing so many different things, and the stories she has to tell.

I hope that you can take some of that as advice, and I hope you found a few parts of the conversation that might be helpful to you. I hope to have Stephanie back sometime in the future and we will see what other ideas we can explore when she is back on. But until then, a big thank you to her for everything that she shared today.

Art Ed Radio is produced by the Art of Education University with audio engineering from Michael Crocker. Thank you as always for listening. I will be back next week with another mailbag with Amanda Heyn. We’ll talk to you then!

The post Visual Journals and Classroom Communities (Ep. 397) appeared first on The Art of Education University.

6 Secrets You Need to Know About Your Generation Alpha Art Students

Mariana VanDerMolen — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 11:00:53 +0000

Forget Gen Z—let’s talk Gen Alpha! Generation Alpha takes up the seats in your elementary and middle school art room now and in the foreseeable future. While they are a generation that demands attention, their influence on the global stage only continues to grow.

Assigning the first letter of the Greek alphabet to the first generation born entirely in the 21st Century is fitting. Born from late 2010 to somewhere near 2025 and also known as Generation Glass, Generation COVID, mini-millennials, or Screenagers, the first Gen Alphas just became teenagers this year. Their values and characteristics will sharpen with age.

Gen Alpha is up and coming on the global stage! Here are six secrets you need to know to help them succeed in your art room and beyond.

Adapting to the next generation of learners allows art teachers to remain relevant and impactful in the lives of students. Generation Alpha is still young and needs supportive, empathetic, empowering adults to set them up for a lifetime of success. While Generation Z students are older, they are still in our secondary classrooms. They desire to understand the “why” and are passionate about activism and collective voices. Read more about Gen Z here and download the helpful resource below to see the key values of each group with corresponding strategies.

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1. Gen Alpha is the first of its kind.

In many ways, Generation Alpha leads the way into a new world. Gen Alpha is predicted to be the largest, smartest, and wealthiest generation yet. Not only did Gen Alpha emerge the same year as the iPad, but they are also the first generation to grow up primarily or entirely in a world affected by COVID. Gen Alpha will introduce new ways of learning, working, and living in an interconnected, global landscape and will pave the way for all 21st-century generations.

Bring new energy Gen Alpha is sure to appreciate with these resources:

2. Gen Alpha views technology as a way of life.

Though not the first generation born into a digital world, Gen Alpha is experiencing a new technological reality filled with smart tech, AI voice assistants, and augmented and virtual reality. Gen Alpha has had screens placed in front of them as pacifiers, entertainers, and educational aids before they could talk, the results of which are life-long and yet to be determined. What is sure is technology plays a role in every aspect of Gen Alpha’s lives.

Respond in your art room by:

Introducing your students to digital artmaking tools and creative technology.
Exploring the benefits and challenges AI brings to your classroom.
Developing digital citizens capable of using technology responsibly.
Teaching students to manage their screen time appropriately.
Providing technology-free activities to help students decompress from screens.

3. Gen Alpha is big on ownership and independence.

Through their user-first technological experience, Gen Alpha has grown accustomed to having their needs and preferences taken into account. This desire to stand on their own two feet transfers into the classroom in Gen Alpha’s expectation for personalized education. They prefer learning at their own pace through highly gamified experiences. Gen Alpha is a generation of leaders who are taking their lives into their own hands.

Build the collaboration skills Gen Alpha still needs with these resources:

4. Gen Alpha considers family and connection vital.

Gen Alpha will likely spend longer at home than any other generation while they pursue post-secondary education and enter the workforce. The predominantly positive relationships Gen Alpha enjoys with their grandparents and millennial parents supported this likelihood even before the global pandemic. COVID-19 deprived Gen Alpha of key social relationships and resulted in the fear of familial illness and missing out on time with family.

Respond in your art room by:

Hosting a family art night for your school community.
Making a mural in a public place to foster connection.
Socializing with parents at after-school sporting events.
Including family-friendly activities in your annual art show.
Inviting students to explore themes of home and family in art.
Note: Be mindful of different home environments and if needed, focus on broader themes of community instead.

5. Gen Alpha is more social and visual than ever.

The effects of the global pandemic on Gen Alpha stretch beyond a family priority to a distinct desire for social activities that don’t involve a screen. Audiobooks and podcasts are on the rise, as is movie-going for the big-screen experience. Despite evident screen fatigue, the future of education for Gen Alpha still lies in engaging and entertaining visual, multimodal, and hands-on learning experiences.

Engage Gen Alpha in diverse learning experiences with these resources:

6. Gen Alpha still needs all the support they can get.

Gen Alpha is freer and more confident than their Gen Z counterparts. However, well-being remains a top priority. Physiological and psychological vulnerabilities resulting from constant exposure to technology are difficult to ignore. Screen addiction, cyber threats, decreased attention spans, and social-emotional deficits are only a few of these challenges. This makes the guidance and support of invested adults crucial to Gen Alpha’s mental, emotional, and physical wellness.

Respond in your art room by:

Integrating social-emotional learning through increased choice.
Starting with a mindfulness activity like a mantra or meditation.
Adopting a visual journaling practice to document and process life.
Incorporating music, movement, drama, and other forms of expression.
Slowing down projects to allow time to enjoy the artmaking process.

Your Gen Alpha students are the top players in the ever-evolving digital landscape of the 21st century. They are the first of their kind, integrating technology into every aspect of their lives. COVID-19 shaped their value for family and cemented a desire for entertaining and personalized multimodal education. As they strive to find balance and wellness in their technology-driven society, they look to you for support and guidance. The world may be rapidly changing, but your role in your students’ lives is more relevant than ever!

How do you connect with your Gen Alpha art students?

What stood out to you in this article and how will that shift your teaching approach this year?

The post 6 Secrets You Need to Know About Your Generation Alpha Art Students appeared first on The Art of Education University.

6 Truths Generation Z Art Students Wish You Understood Now

Mariana VanDerMolen — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 11:00:48 +0000

It’s time to spill the tea about post-pandemic Gen Z! It’s no secret that COVID-19 astronomically impacted the entire world and everyone in it. Yet for Generation Z, the pandemic was a defining event that affected the ideals and attitudes of a whole generation.

Born from the mid-90s to early 2010s and known as iGen, post-millennials, or Zoomers, Gen Z came of age during the pandemic and in the subsequent post-pandemic years. Though they remain digital natives and continue to be more diverse than any other generation, the uncertainty and distress during COVID critically changed this group.

Recognize these changes with your students so you can curate lit learning environments and instruction that slays. When you understand these truths about Gen Z, you will transform into an authentic, supportive leader with which students long to connect.

POV: You’re a Gen Z student in the art room after the pandemic and this is what you wish your art teacher knew about your generation… No cap!

1. Gen Z is pragmatic, adaptable, and ready to learn.

Thanks to COVID-19, Gen Z has developed new strengths. With a no-nonsense, less idealistic approach to life than their millennial counterparts, Gen Z-ers “dream with their eyes open” and set realistic, attainable goals. At the same time, they are used to evolving with quickly changing political, social, and cultural atmospheres. Though the pandemic concerningly impacted Gen Z’s soft skills, they are bouncing back with a willingness to learn and step outside their comfort zone that more than makes up for it.

Respond in your art room and:

Explain the why behind what you ask them to do.
Get SMART about how you set goals with your students.
Encourage risk-taking and trying new things.
Set artmaking in real-world contexts.
Develop 21st-century skills through creating.

2. Gen Z relies on the collective over the individual.

Gen Z knows how to work together more than ever after global efforts to stop the spread of COVID. They witnessed the power and importance of collaboration to achieve a common goal. With this knowledge, Gen Z harnesses their digital prowess to break free of boundaries, space, and time. They tap into their networks, rely on peer-to-peer reviews, and see the collective as the only way to impact the challenges they face as a generation. The pandemic adage “better together” rings true as they join efforts towards a brighter future.

Promote collaboration in your art room with these three resources:

Looking at Ideas for Collaboration (Ep. 285)
4 Ways to Incorporate Collaboration in the Classroom
Collaboration in the Art Room Pack in PRO Learning

3. Gen Z is finding their voices and using them for change.

With a new appreciation for the struggles of others due to the pandemic, Gen Z is more empathetic and determined to tackle the macro problems afflicting their world. From climate change to gender inequality, this generation is unafraid to harness technology to right the wrongs of their potent historical moment. Social media allows Gen Z-ers to communicate, mobilize, and rally like no other generation. But digital activism isn’t enough—Gen Z brings the fight to life by leading some of the biggest in-person protests over the past couple of years.

Meet your students’ need to voice their opinions with these suggestions:

Give students a platform to share their voices.
Explore art history for artivism and craftivism examples.
Introduce artists confronting challenges.
Incorporate digital artmaking opportunities.
Promote community connection and support.

4. Gen Z struggles even more with their mental health.

The pandemic’s isolation and unpredictability worsened Gen Z’s emotional health and well-being. This resulted in a full-blown mental health crisis. Nearly half of Gen Z adults report declining mental health and diagnoses such as anxiety and depression. Suicide attempts are rising and Gen Z feels immense pressure and ambiguity about their futures. They combat this by erasing stigmas around mental health, openly seeking treatment, and incorporating therapy talk and medication into their daily lives.

Support mental and emotional health in your art room with these resources:

5 SEL Lessons That Actually Work With Secondary Students
The Art of SEL, Episode 1: SEL and the Role of Art
Inspired by Mindfulness Collection in FLEX Curriculum

5. Gen Z values authenticity in forming identity and finding meaning.

Due to the economic limitations imposed by COVID, authenticity is an inevitable bedrock of Gen Z-ers’ lives in digital and real-life settings. Instead of hiding behind a veneer of perfection, Gen Z adopted an air of messy realness, showcasing their commitment to exploring different ways of being themselves. Gen Z is bombarded with information and influences, making it hard to wade through building identity and making meaning. They yearn for their leaders’ trust, support, and care in response to their vulnerability.

Encourage authenticity and meaning with the following tips:

Integrate opportunities for self-reflection.
Create space for failure and mistakes.
Make sketchbook practice meaningful.
Develop a growth mindset.
Plan for authentic artworks together.

6. Gen Z has earned the title of “Generation Resilient.”

Gen Z, or Generation Resilient, is growing up in a world of unrest and rapid change. Already in their young lives, they have experienced disruptions in their education, employment, health, and society. Yet they channel activism, adaptability, and collaboration to drive them forward toward change. Gen Z is aware of how the pandemic has accelerated their maturity and gifted them with resilience as they face multiple setbacks. Despite worries about what lies ahead, Gen Z is forging on, hopeful about what they will accomplish.

Celebrate Generation Resilient by finding fun ways to speak their language in the art room, like in these two videos:

Your Gen Z students want you to know they are pragmatic and need to know the “why” behind your requests. They think collectively and believe you are all better together. Activism is necessary for them and they want a platform for their voices. Gen Z’s mental health is still fragile, so your emotional support means the world. They value authenticity and are more resilient after what they endured during COVID. Most of all, they want you to know that Gen Z is back and better than ever! Bet.

If you enjoyed this article, check out a similar one all about Gen Alpha!

How do you connect with your Gen Z art students?

How will you adapt to your Gen Z-ers’ needs in your classroom management and curriculum this year?

The post 6 Truths Generation Z Art Students Wish You Understood Now appeared first on The Art of Education University.

Quality Holistic Tips to Care for Mental Health in Your Art Room (PRO Release)

Natalie Fenton — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 11:00:47 +0000

Art goes beyond teaching skills and techniques. As artists and teachers, no one knows this better than you. Caring for your students’ mental health and overall growth is ultimately more important than mixing the right colors to make green. The latest PRO Learning Packs and Playlists offer invaluable resources to enhance your teaching practice and directly contribute to the holistic care of your students’ mental health.

Nurture a safe space for creativity, self-discovery, and emotional well-being in your art room with these three easy tips.

If you are new to PRO, learn more about how you can get PRO for your classroom or district today.

Fill out this quick form!

1. Introduce weaving to foster mindfulness and a growth mindset.

Weaving nurtures both the tactile and emotional dimensions of creativity. The repetitive nature immerses students in the creative process, allowing them to find calm and focus amidst chaos. Being able to undo mistakes with relative ease encourages a growth mindset. Students learn to view setbacks as opportunities for learning and growth.

The Getting Started with Elementary Weaving Pack from PRO Learning takes weaving beyond the loom. It equips young artists with basic weaving techniques and a mindset to face life’s challenges with artistic grace.

2. Tap into the power of social-emotional artmaking experiences.

Provide a safe outlet for students to process their emotions and build self-awareness. Encourage them to channel their feelings, experiences, and dreams into their creative endeavors. Collaborative and individual social-emotional artmaking fosters empathy, allowing students to think of other perspectives and enhancing their emotional intelligence. This open dialogue ultimately promotes emotional well-being and resilience.

The Social-Emotional Learning Through Artmaking Pack from PRO Learning enhances your students’ holistic development. It provides you with art-specific knowledge and tools to seamlessly bridge the gap between traditional SEL approaches and art education.

3. Establish meaningful connections with your students.

Build quality relationships with your students to turn your art room into a space where they explore their creative potential and navigate the complexities of their emotions. When students feel seen, heard, and valued, they are more likely to open up, share their thoughts, and seek support when needed. Through genuine connections, you help them develop the social-emotional skills that form the foundation for their mental and emotional well-being.

The Relationship Building Playlist from PRO Learning provides valuable resources, strategies, and insights. These can support you in establishing meaningful connections with your students, ultimately enhancing their experience in the art room.

You don’t have to start from ground zero when it comes to teaching art and caring for your students’ mental health.

The Preparing to Teach Art Playlist from PRO Learning is your comprehensive guide with advice, tips, and strategies to curate a holistic approach to teaching art. It has relevant ideas for any art teacher—whether you’re preparing for your first year or are an experienced teacher.

Prioritize your students’ emotional well-being alongside their creative growth by introducing practices like weaving for mindfulness, tapping into the power of social-emotional artmaking, and establishing meaningful connections. These holistic strategies empower students to express themselves, cultivate resilience, and build empathy. Shape young artists today to become the well-rounded individuals of tomorrow.

How do you foster mental and emotional well-being in your art room?

Which PRO Learning resource are you most excited to explore?

The post Quality Holistic Tips to Care for Mental Health in Your Art Room (PRO Release) appeared first on The Art of Education University.

Embrace the Pause: Exploring the Benefits of Boredom in Art Classes

Rebekah Hower — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 10:00:39 +0000

In today’s fast-paced world, it seems like students have mastered the art of keeping busy at all costs. Maybe you’ve heard the statistic: the average attention span is a whopping eight seconds. With a multitude of distractions vying for focus, it’s no wonder students reach for their devices whenever boredom threatens to creep in.

As an educator, you’re no stranger to the dreaded phrase, “I’m bored!” You’ve got your arsenal of worksheets, activity centers, and other tools to combat boredom. But what if we told you that boredom could be the secret key to unlocking creative potential? It may sound counterintuitive, but boredom is a vital ingredient for artists seeking to push the boundaries of their craft.

Let’s explore the origin of boredom and how to harness it as a tool for growth and transformation. We’ll examine practical strategies for cultivating an environment that embraces boredom. Get ready to let go of constant stimulation and dive into the power of boredom.

Unveil the Truth: Debunk Misconceptions of Boredom in the Art Room

No matter how engaging an art teacher you are, we all have students who look bored at some point. For younger students, this may look like fidgeting and difficulty focusing. For older students, it may look like apathy, complaining, or reaching for screens. But did you consider that these behaviors may stem from cognitive difficulties, feeling lost, or not being challenged enough? Take the time to investigate where these symptoms are stemming from to provide helpful and appropriate strategies. However, if we know there is boredom present in our room, there is good news!

Let’s take a look at three benefits of boredom:

1. Boredom stimulates creativity and problem-solving.

Boredom sparks creativity by stimulating divergent thinking and making unique connections. It enhances problem-solving skills and encourages innovative approaches. Research demonstrates that those who experience boredom perform better in creative activities. These individuals generated more original ideas and persisted longer in challenging tasks. When faced with boredom, our brains actively seek stimulation, which can prompt us to find new solutions to challenges.

2. Boredom boosts productivity and focus.

Paradoxically, allowing ourselves to experience boredom enhances productivity and focus in the long run. By giving our minds a chance to rest, we replenish our mental energy and improve our ability to concentrate on tasks.

3. Boredom supports mental well-being.

Boredom fosters personal growth and a deeper understanding of oneself. It promotes relaxation and mindfulness and can alleviate stress and anxiety. Studies revealed that the brain’s “Default Mode Network” becomes active during boredom. Brain imaging shows the network activates when the brain is at rest. This network associates with creativity and self-reflection while also restoring brain function.

To help you determine if your students are truly bored or not, let’s take a look at where boredom came from. Do our current troubles of student apathy have a history that reaches further back than the iPhone?

Unravel the Mystery: Explore the Origins of Boredom

“Boredom” originated in 1852 in a Charles Dickens’ book, but the feeling has been around for much longer. Ancient philosophers like Seneca and historians like Plutarch mentioned boredom in their writings. It was compared to nausea by Seneca and associated with retirement by Plutarch. Christian tradition referred to chronic boredom as “acedia,” similar to sloth. In Ancient Greece, it was described as a sense of listlessness. Over time, it transformed into melancholia and later became known as “ennui” in French.

The transformation brought by industrialization in the 19th and 20th centuries not only revolutionized work, but also influenced mindsets and attitudes. With the advent of more efficient work processes and reduced manual labor, people gained more time and energy for leisure and entertainment. Similarly, we are witnessing a similar shift with our students today. The emergence of new technologies is reshaping their approach to learning and schoolwork, as they increasingly seek mental stimulation and entertainment.

Creating an art room culture that embraces boredom requires a deliberate shift in mindset. Teachers play a crucial role in balancing the nurture of boredom and engagement. In doing so, there can be remarkable outcomes! Allowing students the space to experience boredom enables them to generate more original ideas, cultivate resilience, and so much more. By recognizing and harnessing the power of boredom, we can unlock their full creative potential and foster their growth.

Here are eight captivating techniques and strategies to cultivate boredom in the art room.

1. Nurture boredom and your role as the teacher.

Encourage students to embrace moments of boredom as opportunities for exploration and imagination. Provide a supportive environment and times where they can express frustrations and experiment freely without it affecting their grades.

Here are some practical ways to do this:

Provide short “Brain Breaks” for students’ minds to wander or rest.
Utilize mindfulness activities.
Give a tactile activity such as play dough, sand, or water beads.
Create a visual sensory activity like a glitter bottle, eye spy books, or discovery bottles.

2. Model what to do when you’re bored.

To build rapport with your students and model the artmaking process, join them in creating art. As you chat with them, verbalize your actions and thoughts, including moments of being stuck or “bored.” This demonstrates the value of exploring different ideas and helps students learn how to approach similar situations.

3. Scaffold the brainstorming process.

Encourage students to take their time and think deeply before settling on ideas. Remind them true brainstorming involves exploring many possibilities. Students tend to rush through the process; they declare they are finished or turn to Google for immediate answers. However, we can provide guidance and emphasize the value of thoughtful brainstorming. This encourages them to delve deeper, explore multiple perspectives, and yields more insightful and original ideas.

Some practical ways to break down the brainstorming process are with:

Guiding prompts to stimulate idea generation.
Collaborative discussions to gain new perspectives.
Techniques and tools to expand thinking like mind-mapping, brain dumps, and journaling.

4. Balance structure with choice.

To create an engaging and productive learning environment, it’s crucial to find a balance among boredom and structure and choice. While students love freedom, research shows that they also benefit from having structure in their assignments. Providing parameters forces students to solve a problem with a starting point. By offering a mix of structured tasks and open-ended projects, students can discover the depths of their creativity. They gain problem-solving abilities and get to pursue personal interests. Challenge students to create with a limited set of materials or a restricted palette to push them out of their comfort zone.

5. Incorporate the Quiet 5.

Dedicate a portion of each class period to quiet reflection. This practice not only fosters introspection and mindfulness but also replenishes mental energy, improving productivity and focus.

Students can engage in silent, self-directed activities such as:

6. Use collaborative projects.

Assign projects that require students to work collaboratively and engage in dialogue with their peers. This can encourage them to slow down and listen to others. It can also make students think more deeply about creative choices as they verbally justify their decisions. Furthermore, it cultivates creativity, critical thinking, and communication skills.

Here are three examples of collaborative projects:

Found Object Sculpture
Students work in teams to create a three-dimensional sculpture using various found materials such as cardboard, recycled items, or nature. A great set of lessons to try is the Mixed-Media Sculpture Collection in FLEX Curriculum.
Collaborative Collage
Divide students into groups and assign them a theme or concept. Each member contributes individual pieces of artwork that align with the theme. Then, the group works together to assemble them into a larger collage. Try the Meaningful Collage Collection in FLEX Curriculum.
Storytelling Project
Pairs or small groups create a story or comic strip together. Use the Literacy through Storytelling Collection in FLEX Curriculum to get started.

7. Revisit old projects.

Encourage students to approach past projects in new ways. This emphasizes the value of reflection and the potential for new discoveries. It can help them see the value in taking time to reflect even when it feels repetitive or unproductive.

8. Make boredom bins.

Provide containers filled with everyday objects, found materials, and art supplies to inspire creativity and engagement during moments of downtime. These activities are a great alternative to screens and prompt students to use their imagination and be present with their thoughts.

Include the following in your bins:

Everyday objects such as rubber bands, paper clips, or kitchen utensils.
Obsolete items such as cassette tapes, CDs, or film canisters.
Found materials such as rocks, leaves, or twigs.
Art supplies such as leftover materials, colored paper scraps, or pipe cleaners.

In a world of vibrant colors and boundless creativity, boredom may seem like an unwelcome visitor. But we know it can be the secret ingredient for artistic growth. By debunking misconceptions and seeing boredom in a new light, we unlock a world of possibilities. Let’s shake things up and shift the art room culture! From quiet reflection to collaborative projects and boredom bins filled with quirky objects, we can create an environment where boredom becomes a catalyst for innovation. Grab your brushes, embrace the stillness, and let your creativity soar to new heights!

How will you embrace boredom in your classroom culture this year?

Boredom can feel uncomfortable! What steps will you take to support students who are hesitant?

The post Embrace the Pause: Exploring the Benefits of Boredom in Art Classes appeared first on The Art of Education University.

What Do New Teachers Need to Know About Classroom Management? (Episode 2)

Timothy Bogatz — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 10:00:45 +0000

In the second episode of the What Do New Teachers Need to Know? podcast, Lindsey Moss joins Tim and Janet to answer new teachers’ questions about classroom management for every level. Listen as they discuss the idea that student behavior is a form of communication, how you can structure your class time to help with management, and why being proactive can be such a game-changer. Full Episode Transcript Below.

Resources and Links

Listen to Episode 1: Starting the Year
See AOEU’s YouTube Series for New Teachers
See all of AOEU’s Resources for New Teachers

Transcript

Tim Bogatz:

Hello, and thank you for joining us on the What Do New Teachers Need to Know? podcast from the Art of Education University. My name is Tim Bogatz, and together with Janet Taylor, we have put together a series of 8 episodes directed at new teachers that share some of our best pieces of advice on a variety of topics.

Some of the discussions you will hear over the course of these episodes originally appeared on the Art Ed Radio podcast, and some are new to this podcast. Sometimes we will be answering listener questions, sometimes we will be giving advice, and sometimes we simply be having a discussion that shares our favorite strategies and advice. No matter the case, we hope that listening will be helpful for you.

I am joined now by two of my favorite guests, Janet Taylor and Lindsey Moss. Janet, how are you?

Janet: I’m doing well.

Tim: Awesome. And Lindsey, how are you?

Lindsey: Yup, surviving!

Tim: That’s the best we can hope for some days. So, that’s all right. We have a ton of classroom management advice to get from the both of you. Since we have two guests, I’ll try and stay out of the way today. But, I usually, can’t help myself with Janet here, and we still are going to talk a lot. But we’ll do our best to keep things moving along.

And we’ll dive right into our first question. This comes from Rebecca in Virginia. And she wrote an email that said, “My students behaviors are horrible, and I don’t get a lot of help for my administration. Other teachers say this is as bad as kids have been in a long time, are things worse this year because of the pandemic? Or is it always going to be like this? Can you help me with the worst misbehaviors?”

Lindsey, let me toss that one to you first, you can take any or all of that. Is it always going to be this bad? Is it worth unusual? What is your experience been this year?

Lindsey: Sure. Okay, so this is my 18th year teaching elementary. And I would say that, yes, this is the worst that I have seen, more difficult than last year too. Will it always be like this, Rebecca, wants to know? Good, please, I hope not.

Tim: Yeah, we hope not.

Janet: Yeah.

Lindsey: Like crystal ball. I don’t know that I can sustain, if this is the new plan. But I guess, okay, so she’s asking how to deal with the worst misbehaviors. I guess, for me, this year has been like the Schrödinger’s cat of classroom management, because two things are simultaneously true. Student behavior is completely a 100% external to you, it is not your fault. And also, it is very, very dependent on you, and thus, your fault.

So, both things are true at the same time. And now, that I’ve heard myself say that aloud, I don’t want to see a bunch of angry emails. So, from here on out, I’m going to say, it’s my fault and not your fault.

Janet: Was it collective?

Lindsey: Yes, the collective, it’s Lindsey Moss’s fault. So, unpacking the first thought that student behavior is external to you and you have very little control over it. I think, Janet can probably help me a little bit with this one too. But I think that for two reasons, number one, I think that all of our students have lived through trauma of varying degrees in the last 18 months.

There’s no way to really know what magnitude. You don’t know who just went through the pandemic, or whose family lost their job. And they had food scarcity, or who was stuck home with alcoholic parent, or you don’t know. So, you have to just assume that everybody has been through trauma.

But then, I think the second thing that we don’t have a lot of control over is that, the educational system is coping by creating more and more screen dependency. We had to do that. We didn’t have a choice. But I think there are side effects, behavioral side effects to that. Janet, what do you feel about the trauma part of it?

Janet: For sure. I mean, I was just talking to one of our doctors the other day, and she was reminding me that what our kids have gone through an experience like this is their reality, and we never had to deal with that. So, what we’re coping with, we’re coping through an adult lens. And this is just, crazy time, right?

Lindsey: Right.

Janet: So, as far as dealing with that trauma to give some, like little practical tips on that, I guess, I would always revert back to talking about Chris Cusack, when she was on the podcast, and who was the social worker that was at my kid’s school, so I know her pretty well. I wrote an article about that, too. So, you can reference those.

Lindsey: I love that article.

Janet: Yeah, and it’s just nice to revisit, right? Because there’s these points that we need to remember that we’re always leading with empathy, that behaviors are a form of communication. And that’s basically, what you’ve been saying, right? Lindsay, is that, this is external, it’s not about us in that regard. And whatever they’re dealing with, it’s coming out as behaviors.

And so, we really have to, unfortunately, come from this other lens that we’re maybe, not used to dealing with, or on top of everything that where ourselves dealing with, right?

Lindsey: Right. And to Rebecca’s point, I don’t think that’s going away super soon.

Janet: No, yeah.

Lindsey: So, I think, these strategies aren’t like interim strategies anymore. They’re like, long-term concerns as a teacher.

Janet: Yeah.

Lindsey: And I’m not really sure how to come to terms with that, as somebody who’s taught for 18 years, you really have to switch gears. And I feel I’m new right here with you Rebecca this year.

Tim: Yeah, I wouldn’t say, though, that a lot of what Chris talks about, are still going to be best practices, even if or when behaviors come down from our students. And maybe, we aren’t seeing just things escalate so quickly, or the severity. Maybe, goes back to where it was, still like leading with empathy and trying to figure out where your kids are coming from and listening to them. Those are all going to be things that we still want to practice. Those are all going to be strategies that should remain in place, I think.

Janet: And, going along, what you were going to say, I’m sure Lindsey more about the external or the stuff that is… How am I putting this? It’s been a long day for, right?

Lindsey: It’s Lindsey’s fault.

Janet: It’s Lindsey’s fault, no. But things that we can control versus what we can’t control. And I’ve been working with student teachers now, and quite a few of them, it’s pretty exciting. But the three top things that I always keep reminding them, what makes a great teacher, and probably, especially now is, coming with curiosity, and being reflective, and then responsive.

So, I think part of this is coming with that empathy lens and being curious about what you’re seeing and why that might be happening, whether that is an internal driver for that student, or I’m sure, Lindsey, you can talk more about this, what’s going on, that you can control, or that you can work with them. And that’s that reflective and responsive piece.

Lindsey: Sure. I guess, like when I was a new teacher, and a lot of times when I hear advice for new teachers, a lot of classroom management advice seems to be centered around like having a positive classroom management system, having posted expected consequences following through. And that is true, but I’ve always felt like there was something missing from that because, to me, that’s all reactive. For those situations to arise, you already had to have a kid sitting at your art able either thinking, this is not for me, I am not into this, or I’m feeling really insecure and not great about this.

So, I’m going to cook up something else to do right now. And so, when I say that half of it is my fault, it’s because for a long time now as a teacher, I really believe that like, really good classroom management is like, two prongs of like the pitchfork to keep back the angry mob. And those two prongs are relationship building and relevant content.

Janet: Yes.

Lindsey: And when I say it’s my fault, it’s because I’m in a pandemic too. And so, I’m not as good at building relationships with kids, as I maybe was 18 months ago. And I’m not as good as fussing out what’s really hot and hip right now to make relevant content.

And so, because I’m tired and burnt out, those two things aren’t coming as organically for me as they used to be. But I guess, the non-intuitive advice that I would give a first-year teacher is like, twofold. Number one, when you have some of these, like… Wait, I feel like we need to put an asterisk on this, because when she says bad behavior, this is a sliding scale, right?

Janet: Right.

Tim: That’s true.

Lindsey: I’m not talking about, if we’re talking about like furniture throwing, harming other students or a staff member, that’s not on you. That’s something that a social worker, a school psych needs to help you with. I’m talking about, like chronic disrespect, or people who are eloping leaving the classroom, or work refusals, those types of things that like, it’s not intuitive that when you see an angry bear, you go hug it. But that’s what you need to do.

Janet: Right.

Lindsey: When you look around the room, and you have a group of kids that are particularly challenging for you, that you look at that group, and you think, “Who here can I move the needle on?” And you invite that kid in for lunch with a friend, or you show up at their basketball game, or you get really interested in building a relationship with that kid. And then, secondly, the relevant content, I’m not a choice teacher, but I try to have a culture of yes in my classroom, where my kids know, this is what I’m presenting, but I want you to ask me to change it…

Tim: Right.

Lindsey: That they can put their own spin on it. And then, I’m going to say, “Yes,” unless it’s like, super expensive or crazy, right? But I think those two things really help. And then, you don’t have the management issues in the first place because no kid wants to leave a room where something cool is going on with a lady they like.

Janet: Exactly.

Tim: Exactly, yup.

Lindsey: Maybe, that’s an oversimplification. But I believe that that’s what comes way before any point system, our party, Think Sheet, whatever?

Janet: Yeah.

Lindsey: Yeah.

Tim: No, I think you’re absolutely right. And actually, it leads into our next question, kind of all right here. The next question leans toward creating relevant content and just getting kids going in the right direction, being proactive as we’re talking about. This is from Miranda in Florida. And Janet, I’m going to give this to you first.

Miranda says, “Do you have your students do sketchbook prompts or anything like that to start class? I think it’s helpful as far as having kids come in and get to work and not be too off task,” which she’s right about. She says, “But I’m afraid I’m wasting too much time. And I’m having a lot of trouble always coming up with new ideas, what would you suggest?”

Janet: This is a great question, because early on in my career, I did a lot of bell ringers. And I found that they were just not engaging or authentic or meaningful. I couldn’t get the information. They were great, because my kids would come in and they knew exactly what to do, right?

Tim: Right.

Janet: They’d sit down, they would do the bell ringer, but then they would sit and chat until I could get myself together or everybody was finished or whatever it was. And ultimately, they would finish that, and then they handed in, it would sit on my desk for like three months before I throw them in the garbage and never did anything with them.

Tim: Right.

Janet: What was the point of doing that, right? It’s just wasting paper. But the point at that time was to manage my classroom, so that I could manage 40 kids, and take attendance, and have some settled start. And then, and I always use sketchbooks in my classroom, but I’ve used them in a lot of different capacities. I’ve built curriculum from them, or in them, I guess you’d say, and we’ve used to do like homework prompts or like sketchbook prompts.

And you can’t even get me started on that because I’m very against homework, to be honest, if you don’t know that already. But I find it like just really inequitable and busy work and students just procrastinate on it, anyway. So, I do think that Miranda is on the right front in saying that sketchbooks directly in the art room are much more meaningful and authentic.

And a big piece of that is, when you’re using them to correlate or support what you’re teaching in the classroom, or the parts of the creative process that the students are at in their work, right?

Tim: Right.

Janet: So, yeah. So, for example, of course, right now, they’re great. And I’ve had somebody else asked me the same question not that long ago, like, visual journaling. It feels like, it’s taking me and my kids forever to do visual journaling, and they’re not really getting to the artwork, while A, that can be their artwork, too. And that’s okay.

But, and I should say, I always have to prompt this or start off and say that reminder that you’re a mandated reporter. And so, we need to be careful, because I always tell my students, this is their space. And when you’re creating this space for them in a world right now, where they don’t have, maybe feel safe, or feel things are out of control, that’s their space to control.

And it’s even more essential that you make it very clear that this is also something that you’re monitoring. And that if you’re concerned, you’re going to reach out to parents and staff and whatnot. But as far as props go, for example, if my students were starting off on a project or an assignment, artwork, whatever, I would definitely, have them work in their sketchbooks to do some brainstorming activities, and that could be the first five minutes of class or first 10 minutes of class.

And when you’re doing something like brainstorming or planning out an artwork, or maybe practicing with some conceptual thinking, then they can share with a partner or something like that, then it’s integrated into the work and it doesn’t feel like you’re taking away from the time in class, if that makes sense?

Tim: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yup.

Janet: I also use it a lot for practice mindfulness, practice media and techniques. There’s so many capacities that you can use a sketchbook. Another great idea is to actually, give a one-week prompt, and then students can work on a two-page spread or a page in their sketchbook and develop that five, 10 minutes of the beginning or end of class period every single day.

So, it’s not feeling like, they’re taking over the time, and kids want to finish. They’re like, “I just would rather do this, than do that.” Or even sometimes, especially now too, fatigue over a long unit, or especially in advanced classes, they’re working on portfolio development, for example, doing something where students can… You take a day.

It’s okay to take a class period and say, “Today, we’re just going to take a rest day. We’re going to doodle. You can draw whatever you want. Or we’re going to all draw a bunch of eyes, whatever it is.” Things that they love to do, like love eyes. I don’t know what it is, because that’s the eye that they love it so much, right?

Tim: Yup.

Janet: And let them indulge in that. There’s nothing wrong with that. And they’re still practicing their work. So, I don’t know, is that helpful?

Tim: No, I think all of those things are helpful. I have a couple of comments that I want to add on to what you’re saying. But first, Lindsey, I wanted to get your perspective on just what things look like at the elementary level for you? How do you start class?

Lindsey: Sure.

Tim: Do you use sketchbooks? Do you have prompts? What is a good way to begin class each day?

Lindsey: Yeah, I’m a big fan of sketchbooks as an early finisher activity. So, it’s more an end of class, or when you have completed a project kind of thing for me. But something that’s working really well this year, I have a friend who teaches music at a different building. His name’s Ryan Martinez. And he gave me this really great strategy. It’s called a Mood Meter. And I don’t know if he got this off the internet, or if he built it himself, but it’s basically, like a Google slide. And it’s a nine grid of like the same theme.

So, it might be a nine grid of cats. And one is very mellow, and the other is like scratching another cat’s face. I mean, they’re like, very nine really different cat emotions. And then, there’s like numbers in each corner. And he made a slideshow or found it with like 30 slides like this.

So, when my kids come in, as they’re coming in, I put the Mood Meter up on the screen or whatever. And they know that they can pick whichever one they are. And some days, they just tell people at their table, and that gets them chatting, but they’re on task chatting in an SEL way.

And sometimes, at the start of class, I’ll be like, “Who’s a one? Who’s a two?” I can’t tell you the number of times this year where I’ve gotten to like an iffy cat and a kid raises their hand and I’m like, “That’s good information for class today.” This kid is having a terrible day. And it’s good to know that, and it sounds really goofy. But at the elementary level, that is really helping me. They get in a hurry to get in the room because they want to see what it is like, “Oh, it’s SpongeBob today. Oh, it’s Harry Potter. Oh, it’s guinea pigs.” They’re just excited.

And I’m sure, you could make your own off the web or whatever. But yeah, it’s more of an SEL approach to starting class. But maybe, I would have never tried this previously in my career, but I feel like it’s saving me time in the long run this year. Because again, I’m want… Kids are self-identifying that they’re having trouble, and that helps at the start of class.

Tim: Yeah.

Janet: Oh, my gosh, Lindsey, you could have them pick which cat and draw in their sketchbook like them as a frazzled cat?

Lindsey: Yeah.

Janet: That would be amazing.

Lindsey: Where they make their own. They should make their Mood Meter…

Janet: Yes.

Lindsey: So, it we can be like, here’s the Mood Meter by Jaden, yeah.

Tim: These are great ideas. I was going to say, I’ll just come back to a couple of things, Janet, said really quickly to wrap up on Miranda’s question. Yeah, sketchbook prompts are great, but you don’t have to feel like they need to be prompts every day. You can say, “No sketchbook today, get out your projects and work,” or you can say, “No sketchbook today, we’re going to talk about this.”

But even more than that, I like Janet’s idea of just tying it into your project. I love it for just quick check-ins on assessment, where I say, “Write three sentences about how the project is going so far,” or like you said, brainstorming is great, quick critiques are great, or even just activities like show your work to someone else, and let them know what’s going well, and what’s not. And just small things like that.

So, it doesn’t have to be like silly drawing prompts. I mean, there’s a place for those, and they’re enjoyable. But if you can tie that into your instruction, and I think that’s even more of a benefit and take some of the pressure off of you, always trying to find something new. So, I think that’s worthwhile.

All right, next question. This comes from Maddie in Connecticut. And she asks, “Should I try to keep my classroom quiet? I feel like my kids are making work, and they’re creative, and they’re messy, and they’re loud, but that’s what art is, right? It seems normal to me. But I’m getting a lot of dirty looks from classroom teachers when they walk by my room.” That’s harsh. Lindsey Moss, you have a sour look on your face…

Lindsey: Yeah.

Tim: Can you talk about that when teachers walking by? So, would you care to step in on this one?

Lindsey: Sure. I have a loud room, and I’m proud of it. And I am blessed to work in a building where I don’t get the stink guy, but I do keep my door closed. So, maybe, Maddie that needs to happen, so that you’re not spilling out in the hallway. But I guess, my larger question would be, what is the metric of teacher success, is it compliance? Or is it engagement?

Tim: Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Lindsey: Because I would take engaged kids over compliance any day.

Janet: Preach it, Lindsey.

Lindsey: Yeah. And sometimes, that looks a little wacky. I have a kindergarten teacher here in my building, Betsy Smith, I love her. And she has a poem on her door. I’m sure you could find it online. But it’s something about a beehive and how to an outsider that looks really chaotic and loud and messy and crazy. But there is a highly organized system going on. And that you can’t know that just by looking, or you could just yell, “Engagement over compliance.”

Janet: Out of your door.

Lindsey: People giving you stink eye.

Tim: I was going to say like, I like the beehive analogy. I personally would say, my classroom was never quite that organized. But if other people want to believe it, I will push that. So, Janet, do you have things that you would like to add here?

Janet: Yeah, so I think very similarly, especially my classroom was always loud and noisy. And funny story is that, my classroom was right next to a science classroom, like literally wall to wall. And I teach jewelry metals. And so, it’s like very loud, lots of hammering, echoing through the hallways…

Lindsey: Machines.

Janet: Yes, yes. Very loud. And the teacher had to come over and tell me at times when she was planning on giving an exam or something like that because it would be too loud, right? I don’t blame her. And it became this thing where we’re like, “This is perfect. We can be in Kahoot now, about getting like soundproofing put into our room,” and pushed for that and curriculum meets, because you can’t… I guess, the other thing is, a lot of times people are like, “Well, I’m taking a test, you need to quiet down.” And it’s like, we are learning too and you can’t tell us what our learning looks like, and impede on our learning either.

And so, I guess there’s a difference between crazy loud like chaotic. You’re being a silly teacher friend to them, and actually, engaged classroom, right? So, there’s a difference between the two. And whenever I had evaluations, the paperwork always asked, and one of the questions was always like, “So, what does it look like in your classroom? What are the students going to be doing?” And I was like, “My room is noisy, kids are going to be working, they’re going to be social, there’ll be chatty, they’re going to be helping each other, they’re going to be, like you said, buzzing around the room at all times.”

And I feel very strongly the same way that it always looks like very chaotic. But it’s highly orchestrated, the kids know what they want to do, when they want to do it, and why they’re doing it. And to me, that’s the highest level of domain evaluation or whatever, right? Student learning.

But I will say, too, that classrooms look very different in high school, depending on the subject or the content area in art. So, for example, and I also find that it draws certain kids to certain areas.

Tim: Yeah.

Janet: So, the drawing kids, the drawing room is always pretty quiet. They’re very focused. They’re meditative. Jewelry metals, not so much. Sculpture, not so much, right? It’s a totally different dynamic. And ceramics, that can be pretty like, go either way, to be honest. It can get kind of loud and crazy, but also very quiet and focus.

So, I don’t know. I’m with you that I think, if you’re reflecting on your own, I guess, that would be my advice, or my thoughts to Maddie would be, if you’re thinking about your classroom, and you’re like, “No, my kids are really learning, they’re highly engaged,” then who cares what other people think. There we go.

Tim: Mm-hmm (affirmative). No, I think that’s been supervised, right?

Janet: Yeah.

Tim: They’re like, if your kids know what they’re doing, if you know what your kids are doing, and learning is taking place, I wouldn’t worry about it.

Janet: Yup.

Tim: So, I think that’s probably the best advice we can give. All right, next question comes from Hillary in Colorado. And she says, “My significant other is an elementary classroom teacher, and she talks all the time about how she can’t get kids to calm down. I am a high school art teacher and I have the opposite problem. I can’t get kids excited about anything. They’re apathetic, withdrawn, on their phones all the time, how do I get them involved? Or at least, how do I get them to do their work?” All right. So, Janet, we need the secondary perspective here.

Janet: It’s funny because…

Tim: Lindsey just throwing your hands up, like what can you do?

Lindsey: This is not my wheelhouse. I’m with the partner. It’s loud in here.

Tim: So, Janet, thoughts?

Janet: It’s funny, because my student teachers have been really observing that too. I’d be like, so in their clinicals, they did elementary, and then student teaching, they’re doing high school, or vice versa, right?

And so, they’ll come back and they’ll say, “You know what? It’s so strange, last semester, the noise in the elementary room was excited and happy, kids are bouncing around working on stuff. And then, I come to high school, and it’s like, you can’t get them off their phones. They’re completely apathetic. They don’t even look at me, if I ask them a question. It’s like one word answer.” And it was like, “There is a keen difference between that developmental age group, too, right? That’s not too crazy of a discrepancy there.”

But, okay, so how do you deal with that? So, I was just talking to a good friend of mine, and it was interesting, she said that in her department meeting, they were trying to figure out, like, what to do about this? And where do we go from here? And she said, “We’re kind of out of survival mode when it comes to pandemic,” and not that you’re not dealing with stuff, and not that it’s still not incredibly difficult. But that it’s just, you’re not in the first stages of the pandemic. When we didn’t know what was going on at all times, and you’re constantly putting band aids on this like, gaping wound, right?

And so, she was like, “Now, it’s time,” and the department has a lot of young, like new teachers, fresh teachers. And so, they also student taught in a pandemic. So, they are not totally aware of what it was like, pre-pandemic…

Tim: Right.

Janet: … which I do feel, I feel bad in some regard because it’s like, “Are they going like, this what I signed up for? Is this what teaching is?” And it’s like, really difficult because you’re like, “It wasn’t.” But anyway, so it really resonated with me because she said, “It’s time to go back to our good teaching practices, and get back to the basics and start again, in a way. And I thought, “Oh, that’s really interesting.”

And so, I was thinking about what are ways that we do that? And the first way is to set high expectations but lower others. So, it’s like, choose your battle kind of a situation. And it’s this constant balance maybe between what’s really important and what’s not necessary.

So, this student teacher was going into a classroom, and it seemed to him at that time that there was a lot of busy work going on, or a lot of step-by-step work. And the kids were just bored or disengaged. And so, there’s that balance that I’m kind of talking about. They need a lot of structure and support right now to give them space to express and be creative.

So, it’s like a really, like walking a tightrope, right? I want them to feel safe. There needs to be a lot of scaffolding to support, so it’s not so risky and scary, because they haven’t been doing this in a while. But also give them that space to express themselves, make it more meaningful, that kind of thing. Oh, did you have something you wanted to add?

Tim: No, go ahead. Go ahead.

Janet: Okay, because I’ll just keep on going. But other things like homework, bell ringers, like I said, you really have to assess, okay, “What is actually necessary right now? What do I need less work of myself, so that I can authentically connect with them, have more space for my own emotional capacity with my students.” And then, a lot of times, when things felt dull in my classroom, or my students were struggling with engagement, I would flip my activity around.

So, instead of me teaching them, like, traditionally demonstrating how to do something like, let’s say, we’re mixing colors, right? And I’m teaching you how to mix this, and then you go back to your table, and you fill out this worksheet, because you’re mixing your colors to match it, right? Instead, what if you flipped it around and said, “Okay, here’s your primary colors, go ahead and make an orange, like, figure it out.” And you don’t want to waste paint, and you do have to have those procedures in place on how to manage that in the first place.

But giving them that chance to explore the materials, puts the learning and puts the exploration and thinking back on them and engages that thinking brain as opposed to the going along the motions brain, if that makes sense. Yeah, so I also think like short bursts of really fun activities to help bring… Everybody moving, get up out of their seats a little bit. And then, of course, Lindsey, hit the nail on the head, it’s always about, you’ve got your procedures and expectations. But truly, it’s about building those authentic relationships.

And so, if you have specific kids, because before, we used to have maybe a few kids in our class that were really challenging to connect with. And now, it’s so many more. It’s like half the class maybe, or more. Looking for any and all connections that you can have with that student to pull them out of their apathy, and then kind of like pick them off one by one, as opposed to thinking about the whole collective.

Tim: No, I think you have a lot of good points. So, Janet and I don’t want to add too much. But I will echo the idea that engagement is going to be key, if you can find cool activities, like I just listed half dozen examples. That’s a great way to get kids less apathetic. Let them work with cool materials. Let them do cool things. Let them work with their hands, like they’re going to enjoy that.

And then, the second thing, and Janet mentioned this quickly, too, just choosing the battles you want. I will never fight the cell phone battle. I’m not going to sit there and like, “You have to put your phones away.” What I will do is compromise with them, “I’m fine if you’re on your phones, but when I’m talking to the class, if I’m giving direct instruction, that’s when your phone needs to be put away.”

And so, I would ask them, “I need five minutes of your time right now, put your phones away, eyes on me.” And that’s the battle I’ll fight. I need kids paying attention when I’m ready to teach.

Janet: Along those lines, that’s interesting about the cell phone specifically because that is a big deal, right? And a long time ago, I also was just like, “I’m not fighting this battle, I can’t take a phone away from them.” That’s like illegal, basically.

Tim: Right, right.

Janet: I can’t do any of that stuff. I’m not engaging in that power struggle. So, I would also try to incorporate that into my lesson where they had to take photos and document their work and whatever.

Tim: Yes.

Janet: Or also, letting them listen to their own music during studio time. You have set times that they can do that. And going back to this whole pandemic thing, it’s like, they’re also struggling with their social skills, right?

Tim: Yeah.

Janet: So, having especially those introverts out there, we know that we need space to fill our bucket. So, if you can tune out the class a little bit and have that space to really engage in your own self, that’ll actually, make most of those kids a little bit better. They’ll manage themselves. It’s like a coping mechanism.

Tim: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. Okay, so that’s all of our mailbag questions. I do have a couple things, I don’t know, Tim questions. I don’t know what we’re going to call them. But just things that I would appreciate getting your thoughts on. One would be, organization.

So, Lindsey, I’ll let you think for just a second, I’ll ask Janet first here, because Janet is just on a roll right now. And so, Janet, any organization tips that you would want to pass along to new teachers, because I think organization can, in a lot of ways play a role, maybe not specifically, in classroom management, but just allowing teachers to feel like, they have things in control, like they’re on top of everything that’s happening in their classroom. So, anyway, long way of me saying advice, please.

Janet: Mm-hmm (affirmative). So, even in classroom management, like the bigger overarching, you’re so right. The more that we plan ahead and feel good and rested, and this is what I’m going to do today. It allows you space when things pop up, so that you can triage along the way. I would say, that’s a big one, and I know that’s very difficult, especially as a new teacher, you don’t really know what to anticipate.

And so, organization is a big deal, and my classroom was not very organized, I will admit. I’m not a super organized person. But your prep time is super precious, there’s very little of it. Usually, I’m organizing while eating my lunch, et cetera, right?

Tim: Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Janet: And people are like popping in and talking to you. And you’re like, trying to focus. So, the more that you can plan ahead and have your materials, literally, like I write a list out of exactly what I need. So, I might not say like, cut paper for art one class is like a task. I might actually say, cut 32 sheets of paper, 9 by 12, it needs to be sulphite paper. And I’ll put the stack on the side, I’ll put aside the list on it, so that I know that when I have time to come back to it, I’ll cut that paper, for example.

In my case, in the choice classroom, I had it set up where all of my tools and materials were around the room and everything had labels on drawers. And I set up the system, so that students knew that as they came in, and, of course, the beginning of the semester, whatever, it’s a little different, but they knew that they could access certain tools along the way, right?

So, if they didn’t know how to use a tool, they couldn’t go use it. But they knew exactly, where the tool was. We would constantly review and model and demonstrate and talk through. If you need this hammer, it’s over here. If you need sandpaper, it’s over here.

And so, students start taking that autonomy on themselves. And so, you don’t feel so responsible for constantly doling out all of the materials. Now, that being said, a lot of teachers are like, “But then all my materials, kids waste it.” It’s like your favorite when they cut in the middle of a construction paper, that’s a little tiny dot that they want. And you’re just like, “My construction paper.”

But you take your materials and the ones that they can access, they can access, and you just put a few of those things. So, if I put a bunch of sandpaper out and I’m taking very jewelry metals specific, right? But if I put a bunch of sandpaper out, they’re going to go through that sandpaper very quickly.

And so, I always want to make sure I only give a little bit at a time. Then, I have other stations or areas where I would keep more usable, disposable, or what am I thinking like consumables, right? More consumable type of… Yeah, materials. And then, the precious materials are in another place.

And so, students always knew, and somebody mentioned this not that long ago, I was listening. I thought it was a great idea, like an art store or something like, you come up to the art store and you can purchase, you can buy something. Was that you, Lindsey? Did you say that?

Lindsey: We do that there, yeah.

Janet: Oh, I see.

Lindsey: My little guys even get in their car…

Janet: Oh, my God.

Lindsey: I mean, like, it’s a whole.

Janet: I should do that with high school. That would be amazing. Like, get in your car and drive to the…

Lindsey: They love it, and I always make that funny joke. When you get back to your seat, turn off your engine, so your cars can go through the art room wall. They love it, and hilarious.

Janet: That’s incredible. That’s incredible.

Lindsey: But if you’re seven, I’m hilarious.

Janet: Yeah. When you’re in your 40s, I think you’re hilarious, too. It’s good.

Lindsey: Got it.

Janet: Anyway, so yeah, so like an art store or something like that, where kids know that if they need something specific, something special, they can just come and ask you, and then you’re more reserved for those times as opposed to having to worry about constantly refilling, filling, et cetera. Now, of course, that’s high school. I know elementary looks very different.

Lindsey: Yeah, I mean, not to keep talking about compliance versus engagement.

Janet: Right.

Lindsey: But what you’re talking about, I have going on at the elementary level too. And it’s not a choice classroom. But I have a lot of things out too, because I feel like the less work I do with supplies, the more work I can do teaching and helping them develop with their making.

Janet: Yes.

Tim: Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Lindsey: And so, my room is really set up for self-service. It’s like, you mentioned precious materials, mine would be things that are sharp.

Janet: Yes, that’s true.

Lindsey: But otherwise, almost everything is like out in bins where they can reach it really easy. And also, getting back to this compliance versus engagement idea, and trying to have a classroom with a culture of yes. Sometimes, when you see something, then that triggers the idea like, “Well, I don’t really oil pastel,” but I can see she’s got this over here. I wonder if it’s okay, if I use it. And then, all of a sudden, you have a kid asking because they saw it. And then, yes, yes, you can.

So, I think having options out for them to see all the time is really important. But one thing I have noticed like, I tend to be a little bit scatterbrained and less organized. And I feel like kids really rise to the level that they perceive a room being. If you have a lot of junky broken crayons, they don’t take very good care of it.

Tim: Right.

Lindsey: So, I try to really call my supplies, and routinely, have them separated by color. So, just so they look organized, because to me, it’s like the better the system looks, the better they take care of it, which is counterintuitive, maybe. But that’s just what works in my classroom. So, it’s what you’re seeing Janet, but on the little person level.

Tim: No, I think you’re absolutely right about that, Lindsey. And just to toss my last few thoughts into what you both said, I would offer this advice for every teacher, like having supplies out where students can access them is a good thing. Having those supplies labeled is even better, and having those supplies labeled with pictures as well, of what goes in that tab, that container, that box is the best you can do. And it has just a ton of benefits for your students if you can keep things labeled and organized.

And so, I think, maybe that’s not something you get done your first year labeling and organizing all of the supplies in your room, but it’s something that you can work toward. And I think it’s a worthwhile goal.

So, all right, I think we’ve been talking for about 40 minutes now. So, I think we’ll go ahead and wrap things up here. So, Janet and Lindsey, thank you both. I appreciate your time. I appreciate the conversation. And I appreciate all of your advice.

Janet: Thanks, Tim.

Tim: All right. Thank you to Janet and Lindsey for that awesome discussion. And I know we talked for a while. But I do have one more thing I want to say before we go. One more thing that I think needs to be said. Just kind of a last piece of advice here.

Don’t be afraid to adjust and reset when it comes to classroom management. If you have a class that you feel like is slipping away, class that you feel like is out of control, you don’t have to continue to struggle. You can reset at any time. You can remind the students about your expectations. You can talk to them about what needs to be done, what you expect from them, what you need from them, and what part you’re going to play in the reset as well.

And like you said, you can do that at any time. It doesn’t have to be after a break. You don’t have to think, “Oh, we can wait until Monday,” or anything like that. Just when it needs to be done, do it, okay? Identify what in your classroom, what in your classroom management plan is working, identify what is not working, and share that information with your students.

You can just say something like, “If we’re going to have a positive and supportive and collaborative classroom, we need to do better than this. We need to do something different, because what we’re doing right now is not working for me as your teacher. It’s not working for you as artists. And it’s not working for your peers around you.”

And so, just remind them of your ongoing expectations and talk to them about how you’re going to achieve those things together.

Our next episode will be all about what New Teachers need to know about organization. We hope to have you join us! Thank you for listening!

The post What Do New Teachers Need to Know About Classroom Management? (Episode 2) appeared first on The Art of Education University.