I love the way Eisner describes curriculum: the agenda for the development of the mind. It is slightly overwhelming to think that it is our responsibility to create a plan for developing the mind, but also shows the value that should be placed on curriculum development. Without a strong curriculum, we are not equipped to teach our students.
In my future classroom, I see myself monitoring curriculum by the engagement and understanding of the students, rather than strict deadlines to begin new units. I think that the art classroom is a place for exploration and there are opportunities that can and should be explored. The only way that this is possible is if the teacher allows the curriculum to be flexible enough to include experimentation. I want my students to know that their ideas and interests are important to me, and that they play a large role in the learning process, including the development of the curriculum. Just after writing out my thoughts above, I ran into this quote from Eisner, "To be able to make educational gold out of emerging activities in the classroom requires a high degree of artistry in teaching. Artistry in teaching is more likely to occur when the classroom provides a context for improvisation and where unpredictability, rather than predictability of activities and consequences in acknowledged." I hope that someday I will be able to teach using the artistry that Eisner describes.
"When birds have led their life in a cage, it is not difficult to understand that when the door is opened, they might now have a desire to leave." This quote from Eisner reminded me of the struggles students face as they grow older and have more years of experiencing, censoring their ideas and the thoughts that they are willing to share with the class. Unfortunately, the traditional school system is often based on one answer or one way of doing things. The art classroom MUST be the place where the spark of creativity and imagination is ignited for our students. The future cannot afford to lack in creative thinking.
The first phrase that struck me in Pink's A Whole New Mind, was "high concept and high touch." These two descriptions sound like they could be describing the type of curriculum we design in the art education program. We want our students to create conceptual art inspired by big ideas and make meaning through creation. I am eager to read more of Pink's book as I think it will line up perfectly with art education!
In my future classroom, I see myself monitoring curriculum by the engagement and understanding of the students, rather than strict deadlines to begin new units. I think that the art classroom is a place for exploration and there are opportunities that can and should be explored. The only way that this is possible is if the teacher allows the curriculum to be flexible enough to include experimentation. I want my students to know that their ideas and interests are important to me, and that they play a large role in the learning process, including the development of the curriculum. Just after writing out my thoughts above, I ran into this quote from Eisner, "To be able to make educational gold out of emerging activities in the classroom requires a high degree of artistry in teaching. Artistry in teaching is more likely to occur when the classroom provides a context for improvisation and where unpredictability, rather than predictability of activities and consequences in acknowledged." I hope that someday I will be able to teach using the artistry that Eisner describes.
"When birds have led their life in a cage, it is not difficult to understand that when the door is opened, they might now have a desire to leave." This quote from Eisner reminded me of the struggles students face as they grow older and have more years of experiencing, censoring their ideas and the thoughts that they are willing to share with the class. Unfortunately, the traditional school system is often based on one answer or one way of doing things. The art classroom MUST be the place where the spark of creativity and imagination is ignited for our students. The future cannot afford to lack in creative thinking.
The first phrase that struck me in Pink's A Whole New Mind, was "high concept and high touch." These two descriptions sound like they could be describing the type of curriculum we design in the art education program. We want our students to create conceptual art inspired by big ideas and make meaning through creation. I am eager to read more of Pink's book as I think it will line up perfectly with art education!
No comments:
Post a Comment