Primary Sources in the Visual Arts

Utilizing Primary Sources-

Guiding learning from sources that are personalized and derived from real-world events can helps students take a vested interest in a topic. A letter from a soldier or one  of Van Gogh's artist statements will bring learning to a more interpersonal level.  



During week 4 of my class, Best Practices in Gifted Education, the idea of utilizing Primary Sources in history courses was discussed. Watching this video definitely illuminates the subject of primary sources for me:

 After reading about Primary Source inclusion in a history course, I than began my search for resources for Primary Sources in Art!

Sure, I can explain the torture and torment that Friday Kahlo endured or talk about how tumultuous, loving but painful Frida's marriage to Diego Rivera was or would her story and artwork hit on another level when presented from real footage of the artist?

  

Feed the Talent, Career Inspiration May Follow...

One of my favorite chapters from my classes textbook Best Practices in Gifted Education was titled, "Talent Development". As a high school Ceramics and Jewelry teacher, I have the amazing opportunity to develop artistic, visual-spatial and conceptual-talent everyday.  The difference however, for a GT student is that this development can shape the way his or her mind processes creative problem solving on another level (beyond the typical high school pupil). The challenge of thinking creatively for a Gifted and Talented teenager has the potential for learning and growth beyond the classroom; a career in the arts might open doors to a GT youth's future that he or she did not realize before an Art class (or really any class the student might demonstrate an aptitude).

While these two subjects (Talent Development and Career Development) might not have been directly correlated in our textbook, I see these two concepts compliment each other every semester I teach. In addition to being an art teacher, I am also a Career and Technical Education certified instructor. My art classes are modeled after college level courses and I work with art directors, graphic designers and professional potters in the community to tie the creation of art with a career.

A student may be identified as talented in visual-spatial relationships or creativity but may have only been given the opportunity to express these talents through small project in other classes or outside of school in community center classes, or individually. When a GT student is exposed to the highly-technical and conceptual journey of a high school art class that also explores creative career paths, I often see their eyes "light up" with possibility.

• Talent Development-

Students who demonstrate a strong skill in a particular area or subject should be mentored and inspired to foster his or her talent. When given the opportunity to explore, connect and express a talent, a powerful connection may be developed whose potential could influence a student's future.

• Career Education-

Educating students about  career paths and even shaping a class to address real-world applications in a career will help young adults to comprehend the options available to them beyond school walls. 

To guide my Career and Technical Education in career development, I often reference the CTE website:

http://sc.jeffco.k12.co.us/education/staff/staff.php?sectionid=8131



While reading the article, " The Development of a Career Education Program for Gifted High School Students"(link below).  I was inspired to not just bring career education in the arts to my classes, but to also bring the students to the field. I want to plan more field trips (rather than guest speakers) to video editing companies, pottery studios and jewelers workshops after thinking about the real-world applications mentioned in this article. 
ARTICLE LINK

Higher Level Thinking= Getting My Art Students to Think Deep!

Higher Level Thinking= 

  

Teaching my art students to think:

• analytically
• conceptually
• comparatively
• creatively
• critically   

A nice complement to Inquiry Based Learning to address the needs of Gifted and Talented students, is the implementation of Higher Level Thinking in the classroom.
  


When higher order thinking is utilized, learning will develop on a more personalized and fully-comprehended level when thinking skills  move beyond memorization or low-level recall.  Instead, critical, creative, reflective and metacognitive thinking skills can be taught in the classroom. 

As always, being an Art Teacher, my hunt for resources related to higher level thinking and how to implement this technique is always related to its application in a visual arts classroom.   I found two one resource specifically related to higher level thinking and teaching in the visual arts on Incredibleart.org.

Inevitably, Bloom's Taxonomy came up in my search for resources over and over again; fine with me, because I love Bloom's ideas and the way he addresses questioning and thinking on higher levels is absolutely applicable in my classroom. As a teacher, I'm always looking for new ways to integrate his studies. 

The article I found (link below), was awesome!  Not only did it provide a host of resources for art teachers and Bloom's taxonomy but it included a simply series of steps to use in the classroom (also included below).
Bloom and The Arts 

 I also found a great ppt. that could be used in any classroom for higher level thinking called, " Higher Order Thinking Skills in The Classroom (H.O.T. Skills).

 Two other resources I found specifically related to an art classroom included:
Fine Arts and the HOTS (higher order thinking skills) 

H.E.A.T. in the Arts Classroom 

I can use the information from both of these sites! Providing students in my classrooms, creative modes of artistic expression can give my students the opportunity to explore personal experiences through artistic investigation and personal inquiry. These are higher level thinking skills for sure! What's nice about these sites, however, is that they provide me with a base of ideas and reminders for how to take my art projects up a notch. 
 

  

Inquiry + Exploration= Comprehension

As Inquiry Based Learning is one of the strongest and most accessible teaching methods I can integrate for my Gifted and Talent art students (in addition to increasing the comprehension levels of ALL my students), I have included another post of resources.

I hunted for sites and articles that relate to the Visual Arts specifically. I found a few that did, indeed relate to my field and how I might approach this form of teaching in my Ceramics and Jewelry high school classes.






One of the articles I came across was entitled: "Multi-Curricular Inquiry-Based Learning" by
Carl Chambers. 

His premise is that "Inquiry-based learning is a natural human activity in which the learner obtains meaning from experience" and he includes that, "Using the tools and methods of scientists, artists, problem solvers, and citizens in society,students in an Inquiry driven classroom gain both a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them" .  

It was awesome to find that this article specifically addresses the visual arts. Chambers relates the inherent nature of inquiry in the artistic process and how art educators can further this form of learning when practiced with inquiry emphasis in the arts classroom.

In his article he writes,  "art educators must help people to understand that it is with the formation of questions and the pursuit of answers that we should initiate and carry out our essential investigations into the visual arts. Many art education theorists set forth inquiry as a traditional tenet of discipline- based art education. They feel that students who understand and use methods of inquiry in the use of art should be able to go beyond merely learning facts. As they acquire concepts and laws associated with the art disciplines and engage in characteristic acts of inquiry, they gradually can begin to understand the complete sequence of relationships involved. Such advanced learners will be those who participate in the discourse of the disciplines and use its modes of inquiry with ease".

Article: Multi-Curricular Inquiry-Based Learning, Carl Chambers

Also from Chambers article, a strong framework for planning Inquiry Based lessons was included; I've posted it below:

I also found a simplified, but effective use of inquiry in an arts classroom on Youtube. I would alter the level of questioning for my high school students, but I was able to draw inspiration from this teacher.

In addition to videos and articles, I came across a resource that I'd like to order. This book (link to amazon provided) looks like a great framework for getting Inquiry Based Learning going:

Amazon Link