Quality is the key element thoughout all three portfolios. Suggest at least one way to have your students strive for quality without sacrificing creativity.
Our AP Students have their own, off campus art show. There are specific levels of quality they have to reach for both their artwork selected(they display 5 of their best works of art)and the requirements of the show. They have to arrange all aspects of the show, finding a location to hold the show, sending out invitations/publicity, hanging the show with appropriate frames and name plates, creating their artist statements to hang and providing food and drinks. Students are aware of this responsibility early in the semester. I think it reinforces the tone for what is expected of their artwork...they are to perform at a high, professional level. Whether it's organizing their ideas, creating their artwork, or taking care of our classroom art supplies-I expect tremendous effort and quality. This show gives students a way to highlight their creativity by showing their 5 best works in a quality setting.
One way of maintaining quality is stressing excellent craftsmanship with every work. Another is making sure students think about the elements and principles...this work needs a stronger value range, etc. Also looking at good art will help students incorporate such in their own work. Art critiques help students define what it is about a work that makes it successful. Beyond that, look at good works of art and add suggestions that could make them even better. One could take the CD of slides we've been given, look at the images as a class and find a few that are particularly good and say why they are so sucessful, on the other hand- find a weaker work and make suggestions to improve it.
I encourage kids to get someone to hold the artwork several feet away from the artist, so they can identify the strong and weak aspects. Sometimes, we have an informal mid-point critique. Also, time spent away from the project can be beneficial for the frustrated student. They return to their work with renewed patience and a fresh eye.
I assign three grades for each assignment my students complete based on three criteria: concept, originality, craftsmanship. This gives them a good idea of where their strengths and weaknesses lie.
Carlee, I like your off campus show. Years before I taught at Irmo, there used to be a Senior art show. At least, that's what I discovered when cleaning out the "Scary Room" in my new classroom. I'd like to resurrect that tradition somewhat so that it is an AP show. For the first time this year, we had an IB show off campus. There was nowhere to hold the exams at Irmo this year, so we trotted down the street to the library. The show had to come down that day, so I decided to hold a reception so that parents, administrators, board members, IB teachers, and AP students could see and appreciate all of the hard work these students put into their art. The area was small so the reception had to be small. Anyway, the reception was well attended and well received. I'd like to find a larger facility where AP and IB students could display their work and hold a joint reception. Share the love, share the art...
I'm glad MaryLou asked this question. One reason I signed up for this course was that I felt the need to raise the bar on quality without discouraging my students.
Carlee and kt:- I agree that an exhibition of student work is an excellent way to encourage students to produce quality work. We do participate in a spring exhibition sponsored by the local Dogwood Festival - I give credit for entries and ribbons are given. We also have an end-of semester art show... when/if we have a music teacher we coordinate that with a concert. I think the critiques are very helpful because students know they will have to present their work to their classmates. I also have the advanced students create a CD of their work - the quality should be such that they could use it for a college scholarship application or for a job interview. I will try to bring some to class along with the photos some of you requested. I do have the problem that students want the CD to look like a MySpace page. These approaches help, but I'm still looking for the magic bullet.
OK, I'm a doofus. I can't get my blog posts going correctly! I've done it correctly for three days, and today I can't post correctly!Somehow, my post for today wound up on the main blog menu box! I'm sorry Mary Lou! I've been trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong for an hour! I hope this works....
One of the first days of class I bring snacks and drinks and show my AP class slides I have ordered from AP Central of several past year's work. This intimidates them. Then I show slides of my past AP students' work and point out problems they encountered and overcame, how the pieces work successfully in their use of the elements and principles, how the subject was chosen and why it was portrayed the way it was, etc. The students ask lots of questions. They kid around and say that they are going to go have their schedules changed! I think a little fear is a good thing at this point to make them get serious and focused immediately on the daunting task ahead. Of course I encourage and reassure them that they are up for the challenge. They are eager and excited to start. I think AP is all about setting the bar high!
Matisse, I like your idea about showing weaker pieces beside strong ones. At the end of each semester in my classes other than AP we always have work that students have left and do not want. Instead of just trashing it all, I always go through it and keep what I consider an example of an F, D, C, B and an A. I put these in a folder and store them in a drawer which I call "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly' file. :) I remove the names, of course, but after a couple of years no one knows the former students anyway. I find these very helpful to pull out for reference when introducing a new project to a class and I also use them as a component of final exams. I will put an A, a B, and a C work on the board and the students have to assign a grade and defend it in a written critique. This really makes them think and lets me know who 'gets it'.
Since this is my first year with high school students, I also have a hard time raising the bar for the students quality. They have not had a stable art teacher at this high school since 1999 and this department has fallen into more of an arts and crafts class. I also used "mini" critiques half way through large project to get the students to stand back from their work and try to encourage them to look at it more objectively. When some of the kids see their half-hearted works up next to some pieces that obviously the student has not only put a lot of time into, but also a lot of thought - some of them do a double take and make some major improvements to their compositions.
CindyG - I like your idea of the "good, bad and ugly" file. These could not only serve as examples of how to get a good grade, but also give some inspriational ideas from which to shoot off of. Like I said earlier in the week, my students want to take their first thought and run with it. It is a daily struggle to get them to stretch their brains and exercise their creativity. I tell them that doing lots of preliminary sketches is like doing a page of math problems, the more practice, even practicing ideas, the better you will begin to understand the concepts and you will have much more to pull from when you do your final piece. They groan, but I think some of them are beginning to understand this.
During the introduction/demonstration, I talk to my students about the importance of quality work. I hand out a checklist or rubric before they begin work. This list included my expectations for craftsmanship. If it's an asssignment that I've given before, I show examples of past student work--with excellent, average, and poor craftsmanship. While students work, I move around the room. If I notice that a student has a new or better way of doing something, I ask them to share it with the class.
I believe students should be reminded of the end result in their art-making process. Most materials are messy, there is no doubt. I would remind students that high-quality pieces also reflect a finished appearance. Show examples of pieces that don’t look finished because care wasn’t taking during the process. For example, student takes wonderful drawing home, it comes back with a tear down the side and a line where it was folded. Are there any stray fingerprints (pastels and charcoal), is everything glued down (mixed-media), are all extra lines erased (grids), etc, this can detract from the overall piece. My assessments do take into account craftsmanship, neatness - Does it look finished? Students will practice safe storage and presentation of works for shows prior to the AP portfolio.
Jennifer - You're so right. Critiques really are the only time they actually stop to see what's working and what isn't working. They can be four inches away from a drawing and never really see it until it's across the room. That's when the overall composition really shows itself. And students can see weak areas and how to improve different elements to create a stonger piece.
Like CindyG I show slides within the first few days of school... this year I think it was actually on the first day. I showed the previous year's slides (which was good year for our scores) and the students were quite intimadated. At the conclusion, one student commented, "Well guys, after seeing last year's AP work I think we've got some work to do. We've got to step it up." This was great that right away this student took it as a challenge personally but also for his classmates to rise to the same level as the group before him. I like the "Good, Bad, and the Ugly" file. That is an idea I am going to start. Carlee, the senior show is great thing to do. It gives students "gallery experience" in what it's like to hang a show, organize it, etc. It also is great PR for your program to parents, faculty, and the community. It is amazing how many ideas you all our generating. It seems like everyone is really engaging in some great discussion here on the blog. Keep it up! On another note, how is everyone's artwork progressing? Hope it's going well.
This year we held an art show for the whole department and all of our students in our library. We invited the whole school and all parents, etc. AP students and seniors had their own panels to fill with artwork. It went over really well and we are planning to work with the performing arts department to do an end of the year showcase in the future. Knowing this was coming helped students work harder towards it. I think showing the artwork from AP central at the beginning of the year and a good, bad, ugly file would be very helpful. Students need something to guage their work by visually. Another thing that we do is to include in the rubric for projects craftsmanship and use of elements and principles. We also critique the work in progress and again at the end. It would be helpful to do a critique of examples before they start if it didn't lead to copycat work.
Robert - The artwork is going slowly - at least it's finally gelled in my mind's eye. I never feel comfortable with a piece until I can "see" it in my mind. Within the field of opposites I'm doing something that relates to youth versus aging, memories versus current reality. It's going to be mixed media. I haven't exhibited in a long time, besides art fairs. I find this a little daunting.
Those of you with other art teacher friends at your school are so lucky. Y'all get to bounce ideas around whenever you want. I'm getting spoiled with this blog.
Heather, I'm feeling overwhelmed, too. Through working on the course overview, it's dawning on me that I am going from 4 preps a semester to 6 (7 if I add the 3D to AP.) What am I thinking?!
If I bring my lesson books, will anybody look at my plans to see if there's a more managable way to teach AP than what I imagine?
Alicia - I liked your comments about having the students turning in a pieces that "looks" finished. We have never had an AP class at Liberty and my kids are simply "passing" art. So they will ask me - "Will this get me a 'B' or will this get me a 'C'. I am really trying to push my kids to have a finished look for their own art integrity - not just turn in any old willy-nilly thing for a grade. I will have some really wonderful art III students this next year and all of you guys are giving me so much to think about and helping me to generate lots of ideas to help push these students to the AP level!!!! Thanks!!
During the introduction of every class I go over my grading rubric which covers: Following dircetions, Composition, Craftsmanship, Good use of class time, and Deadline. The first three seperate the kids with regards to their quality. I stress the top three to ensure they understand how important they are to each assignment. I also show examples from prior projects to illustrate what I consider to be quality work.
Jennifer, I have students set their work on the dry wipe board tray and step back and review their work. Often when we work we the contrast or value changes, but we step back they blend in or wash out.
CindyG Great idea of the slide party. The AP Central will intimidate most anyone and by showing work from kids they new or know help bring them to a more normal creative level.
I like the slide party idea, too. We are not allowed to have parties at my school, so we have "receptions." I guess I could host a "Welcome & Are You Up to the Challenge" reception.
I spent several hours (4 1/2) today at school working on my piece. It's assembled, it just needs to be smoothed a little tomorrow after all the pieces get cozy with one another and then it will be ready to start drying. I don't think most people appreciate how long art takes to produce. I know it's a surprise to studens when they realize how much they have to produce in such a short amount of time. A school year seems at like an eternity until they start dealing with deadlines. I have two signs in my classroom: "Deadlines are closer than they appear!" and "You can plan now or panic later!"
I think we are all looking for ways to let students know that it will take work and thought to meet the standards for AP. The next part has to do with training the eye to become sensitive to subtlety and nuance. This generation grew up on TV, cartoons, and the internet, so they need to see something else. I agree that slides, critiques, and exhibitions should be planned into the course.
So many great ideas.... I love the idea of credit for attendance for an art show/exhibit, and slides from AP Central, mini critiques at mid=point, and reminder signs posted in the classroom. I too have been working for many hours on my art piece. I had so many ideas to go with my selelcted theme, but ended up doing it in a way that was different than I first planned. I feel the "quality would have been better if I had done an entire series on the subject (almost a personal concentration). Anyway, I am working on meeting these deadlines. This has been quite a bit of work but I am reaping rewards that will make me a better teacher and that is what this is all about anyway. Thank you friends. Yarbi
Kt-Love the quotes you provided! They have been added to my quote file! I also like the idea of breaking down the three grading components you referenced: concept, originality, and craftsmanship. I need to do a better job on pushing their concept throughout their concentration pieces...the ideas need to be developed further.
Amanda-I can't tell you how many times I've had the kids say the same thing to me, "so can you tell me if this is at least a C?" or "can you tell me if this is at least passing." They somehow believe it takes only seconds to glance at their work and grade it, when it takes me hours. I gruel over their work...am I being fair, did I grade them appropriately...it is very time consuming and rigorous. I wish they'd realize and/or appreciate this!
25 comments:
Our AP Students have their own, off campus art show. There are specific levels of quality they have to reach for both their artwork selected(they display 5 of their best works of art)and the requirements of the show. They have to arrange all aspects of the show, finding a location to hold the show, sending out invitations/publicity, hanging the show with appropriate frames and name plates, creating their artist statements to hang and providing food and drinks. Students are aware of this responsibility early in the semester. I think it reinforces the tone for what is expected of their artwork...they are to perform at a high, professional level. Whether it's organizing their ideas, creating their artwork, or taking care of our classroom art supplies-I expect tremendous effort and quality. This show gives students a way to highlight their creativity by showing their 5 best works in a quality setting.
One way of maintaining quality is stressing excellent craftsmanship with every work. Another is making sure students think about the elements and principles...this work needs a stronger value range, etc. Also looking at good art will help students incorporate such in their own work. Art critiques help students define what it is about a work that makes it successful. Beyond that, look at good works of art and add suggestions that could make them even better. One could take the CD of slides we've been given, look at the images as a class and find a few that are particularly good and say why they are so sucessful, on the other hand- find a weaker work and make suggestions to improve it.
I encourage kids to get someone to hold the artwork several feet away from the artist, so they can identify the strong and weak aspects. Sometimes, we have an informal mid-point critique. Also, time spent away from the project can be beneficial for the frustrated student. They return to their work with renewed patience and a fresh eye.
I assign three grades for each assignment my students complete based on three criteria: concept, originality, craftsmanship. This gives them a good idea of where their strengths and weaknesses lie.
Carlee, I like your off campus show. Years before I taught at Irmo, there used to be a Senior art show. At least, that's what I discovered when cleaning out the "Scary Room" in my new classroom. I'd like to resurrect that tradition somewhat so that it is an AP show. For the first time this year, we had an IB show off campus. There was nowhere to hold the exams at Irmo this year, so we trotted down the street to the library. The show had to come down that day, so I decided to hold a reception so that parents, administrators, board members, IB teachers, and AP students could see and appreciate all of the hard work these students put into their art. The area was small so the reception had to be small. Anyway, the reception was well attended and well received. I'd like to find a larger facility where AP and IB students could display their work and hold a joint reception. Share the love, share the art...
I'm glad MaryLou asked this question. One reason I signed up for this course was that I felt the need to raise the bar on quality without discouraging my students.
Carlee and kt:-
I agree that an exhibition of student work is an excellent way to encourage students to produce quality work. We do participate in a spring exhibition sponsored by the local Dogwood Festival - I give credit for entries and ribbons are given. We also have an end-of semester art show... when/if we have a music teacher we coordinate that with a concert. I think the critiques are very helpful because students know they will have to present their work to their classmates. I also have the advanced students create a CD of their work - the quality should be such that they could use it for a college scholarship application or for a job interview. I will try to bring some to class along with the photos some of you requested. I do have the problem that students want the CD to look like a MySpace page. These approaches help, but I'm still looking for the magic bullet.
OK, I'm a doofus. I can't get my blog posts going correctly! I've done it correctly for three days, and today I can't post correctly!Somehow, my post for today wound up on the main blog menu box! I'm sorry Mary Lou! I've been trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong for an hour! I hope this works....
Well, there it is! I'll re-type my entry here.
One of the first days of class I bring snacks and drinks and show my AP class slides I have ordered from AP Central of several past year's work. This intimidates them. Then I show slides of my past AP students' work and point out problems they encountered and overcame, how the pieces work successfully in their use of the elements and principles, how the subject was chosen and why it was portrayed the way it was, etc. The students ask lots of questions. They kid around and say that they are going to go have their schedules changed! I think a little fear is a good thing at this point to make them get serious and focused immediately on the daunting task ahead. Of course I encourage and reassure them that they are up for the challenge. They are eager and excited to start. I think AP is all about setting the bar high!
Matisse, I like your idea about showing weaker pieces beside strong ones. At the end of each semester in my classes other than AP we always have work that students have left and do not want. Instead of just trashing it all, I always go through it and keep what I consider an example of an F, D, C, B and an A. I put these in a folder and store them in a drawer which I call "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly' file. :) I remove the names, of course, but after a couple of years no one knows the former students anyway. I find these very helpful to pull out for reference when introducing a new project to a class and I also use them as a component of final exams. I will put an A, a B, and a C work on the board and the students have to assign a grade and defend it in a written critique. This really makes them think and lets me know who 'gets it'.
Since this is my first year with high school students, I also have a hard time raising the bar for the students quality. They have not had a stable art teacher at this high school since 1999 and this department has fallen into more of an arts and crafts class. I also used "mini" critiques half way through large project to get the students to stand back from their work and try to encourage them to look at it more objectively. When some of the kids see their half-hearted works up next to some pieces that obviously the student has not only put a lot of time into, but also a lot of thought - some of them do a double take and make some major improvements to their compositions.
CindyG -
I like your idea of the "good, bad and ugly" file. These could not only serve as examples of how to get a good grade, but also give some inspriational ideas from which to shoot off of. Like I said earlier in the week, my students want to take their first thought and run with it. It is a daily struggle to get them to stretch their brains and exercise their creativity. I tell them that doing lots of preliminary sketches is like doing a page of math problems, the more practice, even practicing ideas, the better you will begin to understand the concepts and you will have much more to pull from when you do your final piece. They groan, but I think some of them are beginning to understand this.
During the introduction/demonstration, I talk to my students about the importance of quality work. I hand out a checklist or rubric before they begin work. This list included my expectations for craftsmanship. If it's an asssignment that I've given before, I show examples of past student work--with excellent, average, and poor craftsmanship. While students work, I move around the room. If I notice that a student has a new or better way of doing something, I ask them to share it with the class.
I believe students should be reminded of the end result in their art-making process. Most materials are messy, there is no doubt. I would remind students that high-quality pieces also reflect a finished appearance. Show examples of pieces that don’t look finished because care wasn’t taking during the process. For example, student takes wonderful drawing home, it comes back with a tear down the side and a line where it was folded. Are there any stray fingerprints (pastels and charcoal), is everything glued down (mixed-media), are all extra lines erased (grids), etc, this can detract from the overall piece. My assessments do take into account craftsmanship, neatness - Does it look finished? Students will practice safe storage and presentation of works for shows prior to the AP portfolio.
Jennifer - You're so right. Critiques really are the only time they actually stop to see what's working and what isn't working. They can be four inches away from a drawing and never really see it until it's across the room. That's when the overall composition really shows itself. And students can see weak areas and how to improve different elements to create a stonger piece.
Like CindyG I show slides within the first few days of school... this year I think it was actually on the first day. I showed the previous year's slides (which was good year for our scores) and the students were quite intimadated. At the conclusion, one student commented, "Well guys, after seeing last year's AP work I think we've got some work to do. We've got to step it up." This was great that right away this student took it as a challenge personally but also for his classmates to rise to the same level as the group before him. I like the "Good, Bad, and the Ugly" file. That is an idea I am going to start. Carlee, the senior show is great thing to do. It gives students "gallery experience" in what it's like to hang a show, organize it, etc. It also is great PR for your program to parents, faculty, and the community. It is amazing how many ideas you all our generating. It seems like everyone is really engaging in some great discussion here on the blog. Keep it up! On another note, how is everyone's artwork progressing? Hope it's going well.
This year we held an art show for the whole department and all of our students in our library. We invited the whole school and all parents, etc. AP students and seniors had their own panels to fill with artwork. It went over really well and we are planning to work with the performing arts department to do an end of the year showcase in the future. Knowing this was coming helped students work harder towards it. I think showing the artwork from AP central at the beginning of the year and a good, bad, ugly file would be very helpful. Students need something to guage their work by visually. Another thing that we do is to include in the rubric for projects craftsmanship and use of elements and principles. We also critique the work in progress and again at the end. It would be helpful to do a critique of examples before they start if it didn't lead to copycat work.
Robert -
The artwork is going slowly - at least it's finally gelled in my mind's eye. I never feel comfortable with a piece until I can "see" it in my mind. Within the field of opposites I'm doing something that relates to youth versus aging, memories versus current reality. It's going to be mixed media. I haven't exhibited in a long time, besides art fairs. I find this a little daunting.
Those of you with other art teacher friends at your school are so lucky. Y'all get to bounce ideas around whenever you want. I'm getting spoiled with this blog.
Heather, I'm feeling overwhelmed, too. Through working on the course overview, it's dawning on me that I am going from 4 preps a semester to 6 (7 if I add the 3D to AP.) What am I thinking?!
If I bring my lesson books, will anybody look at my plans to see if there's a more managable way to teach AP than what I imagine?
Alicia -
I liked your comments about having the students turning in a pieces that "looks" finished. We have never had an AP class at Liberty and my kids are simply "passing" art. So they will ask me - "Will this get me a 'B' or will this get me a 'C'. I am really trying to push my kids to have a finished look for their own art integrity - not just turn in any old willy-nilly thing for a grade.
I will have some really wonderful art III students this next year and all of you guys are giving me so much to think about and helping me to generate lots of ideas to help push these students to the AP level!!!! Thanks!!
During the introduction of every class I go over my grading rubric which covers:
Following dircetions,
Composition,
Craftsmanship,
Good use of class time, and
Deadline.
The first three seperate the kids with regards to their quality. I stress the top three to ensure they understand how important they are to each assignment. I also show examples from prior projects to illustrate what I consider to be quality work.
Jennifer,
I have students set their work on the dry wipe board tray and step back and review their work. Often when we work we the contrast or value changes, but we step back they blend in or wash out.
CindyG
Great idea of the slide party. The AP Central will intimidate most anyone and by showing work from kids they new or know help bring them to a more normal creative level.
I like the slide party idea, too. We are not allowed to have parties at my school, so we have "receptions." I guess I could host a "Welcome & Are You Up to the Challenge" reception.
I spent several hours (4 1/2) today at school working on my piece. It's assembled, it just needs to be smoothed a little tomorrow after all the pieces get cozy with one another and then it will be ready to start drying. I don't think most people appreciate how long art takes to produce. I know it's a surprise to studens when they realize how much they have to produce in such a short amount of time. A school year seems at like an eternity until they start dealing with deadlines. I have two signs in my classroom: "Deadlines are closer than they appear!" and "You can plan now or panic later!"
kt:): Remind me to print out copies of your deadline posters for next year. They will be good reminders for me and my students.
carlee, kt:-), anna, heather: an end of the year art show would be a great motivator for quality.
yarbi, amanda: ditto for art critiques and mini critiques.
heather: I also like your idea of critiquing examples at the beginning of each project.
cindyl, here's another quote. It's from the movie "The Man" which can apply well to some of our students: "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."
I think we are all looking for ways to let students know that it will take work and thought to meet the standards for AP. The next part has to do with training the eye to become sensitive to subtlety and nuance. This generation grew up on TV, cartoons, and the internet, so they need to see something else. I agree that slides, critiques, and exhibitions should be planned into the course.
So many great ideas....
I love the idea of credit for attendance for an art show/exhibit, and slides from AP Central, mini critiques at mid=point, and reminder signs posted in the classroom. I too have been working for many hours on my art piece. I had so many ideas to go with my selelcted theme, but ended up doing it in a way that was different than I first planned. I feel the "quality would have been better if I had done an entire series on the subject (almost a personal concentration). Anyway, I am working on meeting these deadlines. This has been quite a bit of work but I am reaping rewards that will make me a better teacher and that is what this is all about anyway. Thank you friends. Yarbi
Kt-Love the quotes you provided! They have been added to my quote file! I also like the idea of breaking down the three grading components you referenced: concept, originality, and craftsmanship. I need to do a better job on pushing their concept throughout their concentration pieces...the ideas need to be developed further.
Amanda-I can't tell you how many times I've had the kids say the same thing to me, "so can you tell me if this is at least a C?" or "can you tell me if this is at least passing." They somehow believe it takes only seconds to glance at their work and grade it, when it takes me hours. I gruel over their work...am I being fair, did I grade them appropriately...it is very time consuming and rigorous. I wish they'd realize and/or appreciate this!
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