T3W6 - P2 Art
This week's lesson objectives for the P2s were for them to complete their half-and-half artworks and to have them observe and discuss some Singapore-themed SYF artworks that featured the half-and-half technique. The discussion served as a trigger for their next art project, which was to create their own Singapore-themed artwork using the half-and-half technique!
In a bid to convey the 3 'completion' requirements for their half-and-half artworks clearly, I employed visual aids in the form of images on a slide. Additionally, I went through all three requirements (an outline, title and artist statement) so they were clear on what was expected from them and got them to share why they thought each was necessary. Having seen that the P2s struggled with writing their artist statement, I gave them a few words that they could start it with ("My artwork is about..." / "In my artwork, I have shown..."). I also set aside 15-20 minutes for them to complete their work, and used a timer to display the time they had left. This allowed students to check their own progress against my requirements, and to pace themselves.
For the introduction to Singapore-themed half-and-half artworks, I employed the timed 5x2 looking challenge to get the students to make deeper observations about the artworks they saw - they were tasked to look at the artwork for 30 seconds and note down 5 things they spotted. However, students struggled with noting down what they saw as they had difficulty spelling the words. I later modified the instructions to specify that spelling was not crucial for this looking challenge and that they could use symbols/letters to represent what they saw, so long as they could share their observations with the class verbally.
Finally, upon my mentor (Angie)'s suggestions, I tried to keep my questions open-ended during the discussions (e.g. "Is there anything interesting that you noticed about this artwork?" "what does it remind you of?"), and I'm glad I did! I experienced first-hand how open-ended questions were able to empower the students as they formulated their own responses. This allowed students to see that differing opinions were not something to be afraid of but rather celebrated as we heard interesting and insightful sharings that encouraged students to see from others' perspectives. However, knowing that I have a tendency to provide answers rather than questions, I still have much more to learn in order to better build on my students' responses in guiding their learning!
In a bid to convey the 3 'completion' requirements for their half-and-half artworks clearly, I employed visual aids in the form of images on a slide. Additionally, I went through all three requirements (an outline, title and artist statement) so they were clear on what was expected from them and got them to share why they thought each was necessary. Having seen that the P2s struggled with writing their artist statement, I gave them a few words that they could start it with ("My artwork is about..." / "In my artwork, I have shown..."). I also set aside 15-20 minutes for them to complete their work, and used a timer to display the time they had left. This allowed students to check their own progress against my requirements, and to pace themselves.
For the introduction to Singapore-themed half-and-half artworks, I employed the timed 5x2 looking challenge to get the students to make deeper observations about the artworks they saw - they were tasked to look at the artwork for 30 seconds and note down 5 things they spotted. However, students struggled with noting down what they saw as they had difficulty spelling the words. I later modified the instructions to specify that spelling was not crucial for this looking challenge and that they could use symbols/letters to represent what they saw, so long as they could share their observations with the class verbally.
Finally, upon my mentor (Angie)'s suggestions, I tried to keep my questions open-ended during the discussions (e.g. "Is there anything interesting that you noticed about this artwork?" "what does it remind you of?"), and I'm glad I did! I experienced first-hand how open-ended questions were able to empower the students as they formulated their own responses. This allowed students to see that differing opinions were not something to be afraid of but rather celebrated as we heard interesting and insightful sharings that encouraged students to see from others' perspectives. However, knowing that I have a tendency to provide answers rather than questions, I still have much more to learn in order to better build on my students' responses in guiding their learning!
In my interactions with students, I have learnt that questions help student develop meta-cognition, expand and deepen their thinking. Asking good questions to induce answers that students derived at through discussions and probing will enable them to construct understanding that is enduring. As teachers, I believe a pertinent part of our role is to help our students develop their own perspectives, establish their beliefs and foster curiosity. What do you think is your role as an Art teacher is? How do you think it could differ from that of other subjects?Do check out this article on questioning techniques. =)
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theconfidentteacher.com/2012/11/questioning-top-ten-strategies/