A new direction....

I have tired on this blog to focus on my art teaching practices.  But things are changing. 

I moved to Europe...that was a big change.

I am now teaching high school art.

And, most importantly to this blog, I am really trying to focus more on my own art making.

I have always been an artist...a maker if you will.  I can not help myself.  Even at times of my life when I felt I was being very artistically unproductive, if I really think about it I suddenly realize, "oh yeah!  I actually made this sculpture, and these three paintings then!"  I might have just pushed them out of my mind because the did not feel "good enough" or something.

So, I want to shift this blog; it has been too quiet for too long anyway!  Instead of only focusing on art education (specifically TAB) I also want to talk about my art, and how I try to be an artist and an educator. 

I do not claim to be an expert in this.  It is actually something I struggle with every day.  But, maybe, we can figure some stuff out together.

This summer, before my move to Kiev, I gave away all of my artwork.  I'm nuts, I know.  It was a very cleansing experience, like watching your children go off into the world on their own for the first time.  I once heard someone say, "Do not be the greatest collector of your own work."  And I was.  I had piles of painting and drawings that were good, but not being seen.  Now dear friends can enjoy them; they can have an audience.  It was wonderful.

All the paintings in this post is my own work from this summer.  All the paintings in this post now live in another person's home (mostly other art teachers!).  It makes me very, very happy to think about that.

Here are a few more of my children now out in the wild:

some student artwork!

Zombie Art

I need to apologize to you all...I have not posted in a long time.  But, honestly, I have been so busy in my classroom this year I have hardly had any time to think of anything to write.

BUT, one of my students just finished a portrait of a zombie...BOOM!! Art Education connection!  Oh yeah; speaking to my audience (all five of you).

Jay Silver: amazing maker

So I have just discovered the most incredible video.  I feel it totally follows along with the ideas behind TAB and STEM (STEAM?) and 21 Century learning.  I was really blown away~

Watch it...be amazed.  I need to find out where to get his kit.  or many of his kits....
Wouldn't this be amazing to do with your art class.  wow...just wow...
you can check out his website here: http://www.makeymakey.com/

Art Education poem 4/19/20

for my students:

Don't make mistakes - make

Glorious,

Spectacular,

Historic,

Thundering

Disasters.

Haiku 4/15/2013

It has been a while since I did one of these.

The Spring Art Show comes.

I hold the power to crush

 the dreams of young hope.

Does anyone else feel guilty when selecting what art goes on display?  I wish I could just hang it all.

What is your biggest challenge?

The other day I had a art education collage student observe my class (hi if your reading this!).  She asked some really great questions, but one really tripped me up:  What is you biggest challenge?

I made some crack about a naughty student we had just had, but, of course, that is not true.  Students, even the most challenging ones, are still a joy to have.  Even though it sounds cliche, I really do love all of my students, especially the difficult ones.

So what is my biggest challenge?  I honestly have no idea.  Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of challenges in my life.  But, I cannot pinpoint one as the biggest.

Burnout maybe?  Keeping up with my personal art?  I am just not sure...

What do you think?  What is the biggest challenge to being an Art Teacher?

TAB Colorado Conference Part Two!

What a great conference!  It was two VERY full days exploring and expanding TAB teaching.  There seemed to be a heavy focus of assessment, which I was very happy about.  I have been investigating assessment in my own practice and really reevaluating how and what I assess in my art classroom.  I promise I will write a new post on that topic soon.

One funny part was during the Assessment panel.  There was a panel of art education professors and representatives from the Colorado Department of Education discussing student and teacher assessment (got to love SB 10-191).  There were a lot of great comments about developing student portfolios and measuring student process vs. product.  Anne Thulson (Art Ed prof at Metropolitan State University of Denver, my alma mater) even mentioned some of the assessment techniques I am using in my class and gave me props in front of the whole conference.  That's right, I'm a big deal.  A little later I interrupted the whole discussion!  I raised my hand and asked how we transfer all the wonderful qualitative data we collect on our students and produce a quantitative score to input to our districts for report cards.  The discussion mediator seemed quite flustered with my interruption.  he he.  There were some good responses, but I loved Anne's the most.  She said, "Adam, you can put a number on anything.  Just put a grade in and stop worrying about it.  Spend your energy on more important things." Yes!

I lead a breakout group for middle school teachers and got to have some great conversations with people at all different levels in their TAB teaching.  I also presented at the conference about Digital Portfolios and seemed to have very good response from everyone.
It was a fun, but tiring, weekend.

Now on to less fun things.  Both my wife and 2 year old daughter have the flu. 

Who is chugging Airborne like it is going out of style?  This guy!

Anne Bedrick's TAB videos

Anne Bedrick is an outstanding TAB art teacher who has posted a few videos about her classroom.
Check out her stuff, it is great info and pretty professionally done (I think).
Here is one...but you really should head over to her page (this whole block of text is the link):


Choice Without Chaos Opening Movie from Anne Bedrick on Vimeo.

Haiku Tuesday 12/11/2012

First Grade Abstract Art

I thought it would be fun to post an art education haiku every week.  For those of you who dont know, a Haiku is a short form of Japanese poetry.  In the English, usually the poem follows a five, seven, five syllable format.  Am I good at Haikus?  No...but I think they are fun!

When my daughter grows

She will be Artist, they say.

Leave her be; she's two

How often do you see your Artists (students)?

Third Grade.  Sometimes it is amazing to see what
 kids will make on their own.

My school is very large.  Just for fun tonight, I went though my class rosters to see how many students I actually have.  The number is (drumroll....) 750!  Kindergarten through seventh grade...750.  yep.  Do I know all their names?  nope.  But I am trying.

Just when you thought it was safe
 to go back in the water... Seventh Grade

I see my students on a rotating basises, and how frequently depended on how many sections are in that particular grade.  For example: K-2 has five classes each, so I see each class once every five days.  Third grade has four classes, so once every four days.

Fourth Grade.  This represents about 6 weeks worth of work

In the past (before I came to the school) students would get one special for a full week.  I think that sounds sweet.  I would love to have a full week with my students to really focus in instruction and drive longer term projects.  The downside would be the long stents of not seeing my students between weeks, but I think I would be ok with that.

Nice Taco Truck.  Sixth Grade

Two years ago the school had a complete change-over in specialists.   The PE, Music and Art (me) teachers were all new.  Both the Music and PE teacher wanted to see the students more frequently, so I was outvoted and daily rotations ensued.  The music teacher was worried about knowledge retention over the long breaks, and the PE teacher liked having only one setup per week.  I can see where they are coming from, but I would rather have it the other way.

You love Sun's what?  First Grade

I love my team.  We are all very good friends, and I even consider the music teacher a good "outside of school friend."  I really do not want to rustle feathers.  The problem is, I have had quite a few parents, teachers, and students tell me how much they liked the old system and wish it would go back.  Teachers have a hard time following the ever-changing rotation schedule and parents feel that a longer time with one teacher encourages better learning.

KINDERGARTEN! Somebody has been practicing
 his name and numbers!

Do I have any great insight or conclusion for this musing?  Not really.  who knows, maybe someday it will get switched back; it is a very small thing to complain about in the long run.  

What is your schedule like?  Do you see any benefits or shortcomings from either?  Is there another way?

My Classroom

My classroom is awesome.  It is huge, it is well lit, and it is beautiful.  I am always working on ways to improve it, but I thought you all might be interested to see what it looks like right now.

Sorry for the horrible picture quality...

My Classroom looking North

My classroom looking South

Class rules...too wordy; I know

Colorado Visual Arts Standards related to the Eight Studio Habits of Mind

SLANT stands for Sit up, Listen, Ask and Answer questions,  Nod your head, and Track the speaker

The drawing center

The collage center

Van Gogh knows ears are improtant, what centers are open, and my awesome bathroom pass

Help with writing artist statments

The BORING list

Paint and fibers

Sculpture menu

Printmaking menu

Clay menu

even in Feudal Japan they were On Fire With Art!

The Blue Demon is On Fire With Art

My Art Patio looking at the edge of development...hello Kansas!

Blue in the sky

A blue sky...halfway.

How often do you see your students do this?  I am very lucky to have big, beautiful windows that overlook the Colorado planes (and plains...we are on a landing path for DIA) since my school is on the very edge of city development.  I wish they make the school in a mirror image so I could look at the mountains every day instead, but it is still a nice view.  Whenever a student draws the "blue strip sky" I have them look outside and show how to the blue goes allll theee waaaaay dooooowwwn to the ground.
Usually, this is helpful for the student to understand, but today I was thrown for a loop.  After giving a first grade girl my whole long talk about how to color skys she said, "But, why, Mr. Laughlin?  The sky doesn't go all the way down, because you can't touch it."  Love it; a science lesson ensued.

Are Art Teachers also Literacy Teachers?

Warning: this post is a rant.  I sat on it for 24 hours before posting. Although many may disagree with me, I feel it is important to say.

This artist is failing every class he has expect art.  In art, he has an A.

A few days ago a colleague was speaking about how important it is for all teachers to encorage reading and writing in their classes.  She said, "In our district, all teachers are Literacy teachers."

Interesting.

Please do not misunderstand me: I am fully aware (and support) of how important Literacy is, especially in our high ELL student population.  But I think my job is so much more:

I have students who still cannot write letters (in seventh grade), refuse to pick up a pencil for writing tasks, and crumple into despair when held accountable.  These are the students at the highest risk for drop out, but many still come back because of “non-core” classes, such as art.  I think we need to recognize that the statement, “all teachers are Literacy teachers,” sounds wonderful, it is not true.  My job is to help students find success when everywhere else they look is failure.  My job is to teach students how to engage and persist, stretch and explore, reflect, envision, and express; not just in art, but in everything they do.  My job is to teach all the incredibly important things every person should learn, but have been driven out of our schools because they are difficult to assess.  Students do read and write in my classroom, but not because I was told to do so by someone else to help support their Language A.  If I help students in their language acquisition, that is wonderful, but it is not my focus or drive.  Please, do not force me justify my instruction though someone else's curriculum.