art at the center

Tod Spedding, Grades 2/3 TeacherThe International School of

MontereyMonterey, California

a presentation to The European Council of International

SchoolsAnnual Conference

November 2004

Students in a self-contained second

grade classroom worked in a single

medium (soft pastel chalk) weekly over

an extended period. The process of

image-making, and the body of work

produced, reveals much about the

individual student, and the worlds of 6-

8 year olds generally.

Agenda• Background

• The Work

• The Significance

• Next Steps: Making Thinking Visible

Understanding Goals• art is a powerful vehicle for deepening understanding: of myself, my friends, and

my world

• soft-pastel chalk is an ideal medium for use with younger children

• children develop an understanding of a medium; this takes time

• the work reveals a reservoir of imagination and affinity for play/self-

expression consistent with other aspects of the childrens’ development

Personal Aims

• to solicit your feedback

• to provoke three questions:is art in the classroom important?

why is it important? how important is it?

Zoe

Zoe

Zoe

Zoe

Zoe

Zoe

Zoe

Zoe

Zoe

Zoe

Zoe

Bennett

Bennett

Bennett

Bennett

Bennett

Bennett

Bennett

Bennett

Background• The International School of Monterey

• Caterina

• the medium

• the process

• the group critique

• teacher’s role

• into the community

The International School of Monterey

Background

The International School of Monterey

Background

Caterina

Background

the context

the context

the context

the context

the context

the medium

Background

the process

Background

the process

Background

• students work for about an hour on Friday afternoons

the process

Background

• students work for about an hour on Friday afternoons

• use 18” x 24” sketch paper

the process

Background

• students work for about an hour on Friday afternoons

• use 18” x 24” sketch paper

• “two for me, the rest for you”

the process

Background

• students work for about an hour on Friday afternoons

• use 18” x 24” sketch paper

• “two for me, the rest for you”

• completed work is stacked in designated area

the process

Background

• students work for about an hour on Friday afternoons

• use 18” x 24” sketch paper

• “two for me, the rest for you”

• completed work is stacked in designated area

• sessions close with group critique

the process

Background

• students work for about an hour on Friday afternoons

• use 18” x 24” sketch paper

• “two for me, the rest for you”

• completed work is stacked in designated area

• sessions close with group critique

• work samples are hung for public viewing

the critique

Background

teacher’s role

Background

teacher’s role

Background

• be patient

teacher’s role

Background

• be patient

• be a purveyor of positives

teacher’s role

Background

• be patient

• be a purveyor of positives

• create a positive/attentive milieu: an attitude of work/play

teacher’s role

Background

• be patient

• be a purveyor of positives

• create a positive/attentive milieu: an attitude of work/play

• point out interesting ideas: foster reciprocal feeding

teacher’s role

Background

• be patient

• be a purveyor of positives

• create a positive/attentive milieu: an attitude of work/play

• point out interesting ideas: foster reciprocal feeding

• practice procedures

teacher’s role

Background

• be patient

• be a purveyor of positives

• create a positive/attentive milieu: an attitude of work/play

• point out interesting ideas: foster reciprocal feeding

• practice procedures

• surround kids with their work

teacher’s role

Background

• be patient

• be a purveyor of positives

• create a positive/attentive milieu: an attitude of work/play

• point out interesting ideas: foster reciprocal feeding

• practice procedures

• surround kids with their work

• emphasize process: generate body of work (with occasional

masterpieces)

teacher’s role

Background

• encourage routine reflection: what am I

seeing? tell me about your picture?

teacher’s role

Background

focusing on skills

teacher’s role

Background

focusing on skills

• skills embedded

teacher’s role

Background

focusing on skills

• skills embedded

• attitude: assume developmental trajectory re medium: kids need to slap, splat, create mud, then move beyond it

teacher’s role

Background

focusing on skills

• skills embedded

• attitude: assume developmental trajectory re medium: kids need to slap, splat, create mud, then move beyond it

• use all of paper; fill the white space

teacher’s role

Background

focusing on skills

• skills embedded

• attitude: assume developmental trajectory re medium: kids need to slap, splat, create mud, then move beyond it

• use all of paper; fill the white space

• use of color: hot/cool, what works (discussed within critique), awareness of color references: color wheel, color

books

teacher’s role

Background

focusing on skills

• skills embedded

• attitude: assume developmental trajectory re medium: kids need to slap, splat, create mud, then move beyond it

• use all of paper; fill the white space

• use of color: hot/cool, what works (discussed within critique), awareness of color references: color wheel, color

books

• point of view: experiment/explore, get close, take an interesting angle

teacher’s role

Background

focusing on skills

• layering: becoming aware of near-middle-background

teacher’s role

Background

focusing on skills

• layering: becoming aware of near-middle-background

• observe and push habits/stereotypes

teacher’s role

Background

focusing on skills

• layering: becoming aware of near-middle-background

• observe and push habits/stereotypes

• experiment with textures

teacher’s role

Background

focusing on skills

• layering: becoming aware of near-middle-background

• observe and push habits/stereotypes

• experiment with textures

• use of outlining

teacher’s role

Background

focusing on skills

• layering: becoming aware of near-middle-background

• observe and push habits/stereotypes

• experiment with textures

• use of outlining

• why does her hair have to be brown? what’s wrong with

purple?

teacher’s role

Background

focusing on skills

• layering: becoming aware of near-middle-background

• observe and push habits/stereotypes

• experiment with textures

• use of outlining

• why does her hair have to be brown? what’s wrong with

purple?

• seeing: observe what’s in front of you

teacher’s role

Background

focusing on skills

• layering: becoming aware of near-middle-background

• observe and push habits/stereotypes

• experiment with textures

• use of outlining

• why does her hair have to be brown? what’s wrong with

purple?

• seeing: observe what’s in front of you

• making connections with writing

into the community

Background

into the community

Background

Background

into the community

Background

Basically, it’s a picture with lots of designs. I put in boxes, and they’re full of

colors and lines. I disguised my name, because it’s really cool. The ice cream came from Zoe, these

colors came from Skye-Marie. The idea of the hot dog just

came up.

Reece, Grade 2

into the community

into the community

Background

into the community

Background

This is from Tiger Rising (a novel by Kate DiCamillo). The part I was

thinking about was when they (Rob and his mother) were looking out the window and his mother was saying,

“Look, Rob, isn’t that the prettiest color of green.” She was there every morning with Rob. I put Rob’s hair up and down because I thought he

didn’t just have flat hair like his mother.

Reeve, Grade 2

Art as a vehicle for deepening understanding.

the work

the workCaterina

Elijah

Audrey

Reeve

James

Skye-Marie

Caterina

Caterina

Caterina

Caterina

Caterina

Caterina

Caterina

Caterina

Caterina

Caterina

Elijah

Elijah

Elijah

Elijah

Elijah

Elijah

Elijah

Elijah

Elijah

Elijah

Elijah

Elijah

Audrey

Audrey

Audrey

Audrey

Audrey

Audrey

Audrey

Audrey

Reeve

Reeve

Reeve

Reeve

Reeve

Reeve

Reeve

James

James

James

James

James

James

Skye-Marie

Skye-Marie

Skye-Marie

Skye-Marie

Skye-Marie

Skye-Marie

The Significance

The Significance

• art as a reflection of proclivities/intelligences

The Significance

• art as a reflection of proclivities/intelligences

• art as a vehicle for building self-esteem/self-efficacy

The Significance

• art as a reflection of proclivities/intelligences

• art as a vehicle for building self-esteem/self-efficacy

• art as a vehicle for revealing the worlds of children

The Significance

• art as a reflection of proclivities/intelligences

• art as a vehicle for building self-esteem/self-efficacy

• art as a vehicle for revealing the worlds of children

• art-making as an opportunity for thinking: exploring, experimenting,

inventing, reflecting, seeing

The Significance

• art as a reflection of proclivities/intelligences

• art as a vehicle for building self-esteem/self-efficacy

• art as a vehicle for revealing the worlds of children

• art-making as an opportunity for thinking: exploring, experimenting,

inventing, reflecting, seeing

• art as a vehicle for fostering an enjoyment/love/passion for self-expression

The Significance

• art as a reflection of proclivities/intelligences

• art as a vehicle for building self-esteem/self-efficacy

• art as a vehicle for revealing the worlds of children

• art-making as an opportunity for thinking: exploring, experimenting,

inventing, reflecting, seeing

• art as a vehicle for fostering an enjoyment/love/passion for self-expression

• the art milieu fosters an exchange of good ideas, and interesting ways of

seeing/perceiving

The Significance

• art as a vehicle for exploring ideas, and deepening understanding of the

curriculum

The Significance

• art as a vehicle for exploring ideas, and deepening understanding of the

curriculum

• art as an opportunity for exploring points of view and perspectives

The Significance

• art as a vehicle for exploring ideas, and deepening understanding of the

curriculum

• art as an opportunity for exploring points of view and perspectives

• art as an opportunity for observing how I’m similar to and different from my

classmates; art as a opportunity for observing/reflecting on how I’m unique

The Significance

• art as a vehicle for exploring ideas, and deepening understanding of the

curriculum

• art as an opportunity for exploring points of view and perspectives

• art as an opportunity for observing how I’m similar to and different from my

classmates; art as a opportunity for observing/reflecting on how I’m unique

• art as a reflection of my current psychological state

The Significance

• art as a vehicle for exploring ideas, and deepening understanding of the

curriculum

• art as an opportunity for exploring points of view and perspectives

• art as an opportunity for observing how I’m similar to and different from my

classmates; art as a opportunity for observing/reflecting on how I’m unique

• art as a reflection of my current psychological state

• art as a reflection of my general milieu/atmosphere/impressions

The Significance

• art as a vehicle for expressing big ideas

The Significance

• art as a vehicle for expressing big ideas

• art as an opportunity for observing maturation, habits of mind, stereotypical

thinking

examples from six areas

art as a vehicle for deepening understanding of the curriculum

art as a vehicle for recognizing stress

art as a vehicle for observing mood

art as an opportunity for exploring point of view and perspective

crossing medium

art as a reflection of essential qualities

The Significance

art as a vehicle for deepening understanding of

the curriculum• The Life & Times of Marc Chagall

• You Are What You Eat

• Migration

• Snow White

• Tiger Rising

The Significance

The Life & Times of Marc Chagall

The Significance

You Are What You Eat

MigrationMigration

The Significance

Snow White

The Significance

Tiger Rising

The Significance

art as a vehicle for recognizing stress

The Significance

art as a vehicle for observing mood

The Significance

art as an opportunity for exploring points of view

and perspectives

The Significance

art as an opportunity for observing maturation

The Significance

crossing medium

The Significance

art as a reflection of essential qualities

The Significance

Next Steps: Making Thinking Visible

Ron Ritchhard’s Intellectual Character: What is it, why

it matters, how to get it

Ron Ritchhard’s Intellectual Character: What is it, why

it matters, how to get it

focuses on fostering intellectual character: habits of mind, patterns of thought, dispositions of thinking that direct and motivate thinking

available through Harvard Project Zero http://pzweb.harvard.edu

Ron Ritchhard’s Intellectual Character: What is it, why

it matters, how to get it

art as an opportunity for thinking

Ron Ritchhard’s Intellectual Character: What is it, why

it matters, how to get it

art as an opportunity for thinking

open-minded/flexible curious reflective

seek understanding

strategic/planful

probing

Ron Ritchhard’s Intellectual Character: What is it, why

it matters, how to get it

video documentation in two areas:

the critique

the student interview

Understanding Goals• art is a powerful vehicle for deepening understanding: of myself, my friends, and

my world

• soft-pastel chalk is an ideal medium for use with younger children

• children develop an understanding of a medium; this takes time

• the work reveals a reservoir of imagination and affinity for play/self-

expression consistent with other aspects of their development

Personal Aims

• to solicit your feedback

• to provoke three questions:is art in the classroom important?

why is it important? how important is it?