Week 7: Read and Reflect (3-5-15)

“Playing, Creativity, and Possibility” reading summary and reflection:

In Playing, Creativity, and Possibility, Olivia Gude discusses the importance of a curriculum that supports experimentation, innovation, and individualism. She reveals the ways that standardized teaching places constraints on problem solving skills. She explains how teachers often opt for a more traditional framework at times due to certain setbacks such as student anxiety and resistance. Students are often afraid to open up and share their ideas for fear of peer rejection. They are also sometimes resistant to creative practices because they are afraid of how they will be assessed or judged by teachers. Gude states that many students are used to conforming to societal norms and that this can affect how students engage in artistic practices. She describes how to cultivate creativity through opening up discussions and interpretations about art. And through her Spiral Workshop studies she expands upon Surrealist methods of “seeing into” explorations. Gude warns teachers to re-consider the ways we set criteria and guidelines within experimental play. She says that stringent rules can “impinge on a student’s intuitive choice-making.” (Gude, 2010).

Through creative play, investigations, and interpretation we are allowing our students to begin to make “nuanced observations of inner experiences as they engage in creative work”. (Gude, 2010).  Internalized activities are important as students begin to form self and create an inner locus of evaluation. For some students, this means that issues or emotions that are deeply personal or complex may emerge.  A nurturing artistic community can provide students with a support system in which communication becomes an important part of the creative process.

“Postmodern Principles” reading summary and reflection:

Along with aesthetic theory, comes the long talked about topic based on the elements and principles of art. Gude opens her article Postmodern Principles by highlighting the ways traditional strong holds are still apparent in classrooms despite the need for students to form meaningful connections in art. The author explains that formal ways of analyzing and making art should not be the main emphasis of a curriculum design. Gude describes the ways that the 7+7 method is not conducive to producing an authentic or motivating learning experience for students of the 21^st century. She proposes that now that 100 years has passed, it is now time for a new set of principles to be utilized that can lead to more conceptual art studies.  Her teaching strategies tie in the categories of: Appropriation, Juxtaposition, Recontextualization, Layering, Hybridity, Interaction of Text & Image, Gazing, and Representin’.

Perhaps, it is time that teachers consider what is important for their students to learn and match those objectives with the lessons that they teach. “According to a recent NAEA survey, teaching understanding of the elements and principles of design is the major curriculum goal (emphasis added) for art teachers at the beginning of the 21st century” (School Arts, 2001). I feel it is important for student artists of the 21st century to learn about art within various cultures (past and current). I also feel we should help to invigorate students so that they may begin to develop their own individuality and creativity. Though, I think it is great to teach students about the elements and principles of art, I think we should also help students think more conceptually about why the production of art is so important. Teaching the “why” behind art making is just as important as the “how to."

My proposed art activity based on Gude’s postmodern curriculum:

I think that the encouragement of creativity begins with teaching artistic inquiry. A lesson that I think could build upon this would be one based on Surrealism and Synectics. Students would be introduced to a book that is filled with artwork and synectic statements (ex. “If” by Sarah Perry).  The book “If” unfolds by examining “if caterpillars were toothpaste” and “if cats could fly” and it closes with an open ended “If…” At this point, the learners would be asked to extend the book by illustrating new innovative ideas into a composition. They could develop, decorate, and exaggerate their story pages by using Surrealism as an inspiration for metaphorical visuals. The activity would be closed with a pair-share and reflection.

Week Seven Questions:

When do you notice “discomfort” when you are teaching?

-when students respond to an art piece in a way that catches me off guard or that might even seem somewhat inappropriate to others.

-when I grade students I want to support their creativity, but I admit that I have a more difficult time assessing works of art based on “play.”

-when students do not want to engage in a project because they are so worried about what the person next to them thinks.

What (if anything) inhibits your creative development?

-Idea generation can cause me to buckle under pressure. It is comparable to writer’s block. Sometimes I just have to rid myself of that fear that comes with the “blank canvas.”
-Technology gets in my way at times. I find that it can distract me from my work. I just want to be a hermit sometimes and get away from emails, videos, and social media.

-Sometimes I want to research certain topics, but then feel persuaded to look at other artist’s work. I think Pinterest and Google images are great resources, but I don’t want them to pull me away from my natural instincts or creative abilities.  I feel original ideas are best so I am constantly trying not to fall into the “pretty picture” trap.