Poor behavior in our classes can be a challenging area for every teacher. Social media, instant gratification culture, and negativity in all forms of media are a few factors that are frequently thrown out there as root causes for poor behavior in our classes. I want to challenge these assumptions. Middle school students have always pushed boundaries despite what is going on in the world around them. Their brains are developing and they have a constant need for for that dopamine rush. Alongside that need for dopamine middle school students what to know that you care and that their ideas matter. Sitting in on intervention team meetings I often hear stories about struggling students that soar in my class. I do not claim that all of my students are perfect every day. I have my struggles. There are students that require extra care, redirection and attention daily. There are students that drive me up the wall frequently. However,I did notice a decrease in the amount of behavior challenges I faced with students when I shifted my educational philosophy. As art teachers and specifically TAB teachers we have that ability to reach our students minds through their hearts. Discipline-based art education (DBAE) focuses on aesthetics, art criticism, art history and art production. While this approach has its merits it often lacks buy-in from our students. When we restrict and limit choice in our program our students are going to push back. When we make all of the ideas and decisions we are telling our students that their ideas don’t matter. As a TAB teacher, I have had non TAB teachers push back with statements such as: “My project has choice. They get to chose the media or color scheme.”, or “Any time I give them choice they ruin it.” or “My students can’t make positive choices when I tell them what to do. Why would they make good choices on their own?” I understand that relinquishing control can be a scary process however, we need to trust our students. We need to show them that their ideas are valid. True learning takes place in the decision making. If we are the ones making all of the choices we are robbing our students of their learning. Providing choices and giving our students freedom does not mean creating a free-for-all chaotic environment. As teachers we can provide structure without removing choices. Teaching students and structuring our curriculum around the 8 Studio Habits of Mind (Lois Hetland, Ellen Winner, Shirley Veenema, Kimberly Sheridan, Diane Jacquith, and Jill Hogan, 2007) and the Artistic Thinking Process (Melissa Purtee) shows our middle school students that they are valued. It opens lines of communication between us and our students. I know my students better than I ever could have under a DBAE approach. Shifting from creating projects to creating artists changed my life dramatically. Students that were once behavior issues began to find success as well as their own artistic voice. Students that were checked out from school found a space where they could truly and safely express themselves. I’ve been able to reach the reluctant student that was placed into art because he had an ACL tear and could no longer participate in PE, even though Art was the last place he wanted to be. I’ve had students that were eagerly looking forward to dropping out of school develop a passion for art and see art school as a post high school option. These relationships were strengthened and were possible because of the shift in my teaching philosophy. Understanding and reaching the hearts and minds of our students is a powerful tool that can squash almost any behavior issue. Teaching for Artistic Behavior doesn’t require any special tools, a huge budget, or small class sizes. It does require a huge amount of research and willingness to meet students at their level. Teaching art is exhausting but can be so incredibly rewarding, when we take a deep look into all aspects of our students.
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Mr. Kelly BeachAs an art teacher, it is my goal that every student will leave my classroom with transferable skills that will allow them to be successful in whatever career path they choose. It is my mission to teach students to make careful observations of the world around them, find problems that need to be solved, envision a solution, and engage and persist through the problem solving process while constantly reflecting on their work and progress. Students are enabled to embrace their strengths and interests while sharing their own skills and ideas with their classmates. Through a Teaching for Artistic Behavior process, students embrace leadership positions and become teachers themselves. I feel that it is my job to encourage students to take risks, step outside of their comfort zone, explore new possibilities, and express their individual view of the world through the art making process. Archives
July 2020
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