It's been an odd time to try to learn art, and an even odder time to learn how to educate. Much of the kind of art that students enjoy working with is physical and hands on: painting, ceramics, and sculpture. Almost every child likes to draw, and can find opportunities to do so. I suspect what they look forward to at art class is to work with mediums they can't elsewhere, and in a remote world it's hard to provide that experience.
With that said, I myself have a lot to learn about managing a classroom, engaging with students, and keeping a group on task at a set pace and time. Being able to cooperate with CAC has been a blessing so far, even with the limitations of a Zoom call and being limited to projects the kids can create from home. I've been continually impressed with the young students ability to utilize the remote environment and adapt to the new setting as quickly as many adults I have worked with during this pandemic.
I'm greatly looking forward to continued experiences with leading art lessons remotely, as I still have plenty to learn even within these confines. My main goals for the semester are to learn how to write lesson plans to a level of detail that works for me, where I can reliably self-regulate and stay on pace to finish the lesson on time. I feel that the most important point in an art class is when students are able to take ownership of their work and share with other students. Especially at a young age, it seems to me that the lesson isn't over until they've been able to celebrate their work with an audience, at least for those that were able to find a solution that they find successful. Keeping up with each student throughout the lesson, and guiding them to this point each lesson is my main goal, because it's at this point when we can really begin to analyze how makes a work successful, and what could be done to improve next time.
Comments