Community Based Art Projects, 21st Century Skills, and National Art Standards

Intro: Here I focus mainly on how community based projects hit the 21^st century skills. I poke a little at how the National Art Standards can fit in and why creating and doing community based art projects that hit the 21^st century skills are important to the futures of the students.

National Art Standards

More than likely if a teacher is doing a community based project there will be some history involved (dealing with the city, business, or organization) and more than likely various cultures (communities are diverse). Students will be working with each other to create/generate an idea for the project. So students will be assessing their work and others to agree upon a final project design. And students will be learning new skills and techniques to use on the community project. It is clear that the National Art Standards Can be met while doing a community based art project inside and outside of the classroom.

21^st Century Skills

If one is to let their students help in finding an organization, charity, or business and communicating with other community members to create an art project there are at least six 21^st century skills covered right there. From having students brainstorm issues in the community, to finding and communicating with community members about a potential project, collaborating with fellow students, having students divide jobs/rolls to each other, and communicating and critically thinking about a community art project students are using and learning the skills needed to go out into this world.

When a project like this is done critical thinking is always at work (with some guiding questions) and many of the 21^st century skills are tackled before the project is even started. When a project finally gets started the students are free to be creative and innovative with the materials they have been provided making the project even more personal to them. While much work outside of the actual project must be done including: generating ideas, sketches, final plans, media choices, tools, etc. students are able to get their hands on learning in the whole way. Doing a community based project enables to students to work together while effectively using individual talents like planning, leading, using technology, generating sketches etc. Community based projects can make a class flourish because there is a place for everyone to have a job they are good at while also learning new skills from others.

My Thoughts

I feel that a community based project may be better suited for a teacher who knows their students well as compared to a beginning teacher. As wells as for a teacher who will not lose site of the fact that it is an art class and that skills should keep being taught everyday. I believe the biggest issue would be on how to assess the students in the end. The assessment is based off of your learning objectives and these could in many ways include all of the 21^st century skills. I can see how it could easily become a painted mural project about a social justice issue where no new art skill/technique is learned. One must focus on teaching a new skill/technique of painting if one is to do a mural project. It is so important not to lose sight of the art skills while diving into community art projects.

In the end I feel that if one is to know their students, their abilities, gifts, challenges and how to greatly involve them in every step of the community based project I don’t see how one could go wrong. When you give your students options and choices they feel they have a say and are more than likely to be more involved. While not every student may like doing a community based project I feel there is a job for everyone during the whole process of doing one. Also, if a teacher can highlight the skills of his/her students during that process, making no student feel left out, I feel they have succeeded on one level, because more than likely that student will feel respected and wiling to continue with an open mind.

The 21^st century skills are important because they are the skills that students will need to use in the real world. Student’s worlds come alive when work is done outside of school and with a hands on approach. This is when real learning happens…

21^st Century Skills

Leadership and Responsibility

Productivity and Accountability

Social and Cross-Cultural Skills

Initiative and Self-direction

Flexibility and Adaptability

Information, Communication, and Technology literacy

Media Literacy

Information Literacy

Innovation

Creativity

Collaboration

Communication

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Go to www.arteducators.org for more information about 21^st Century Skills and National Art Standards

Topic: Social Justice

What does social justice mean to me as a future art teacher?

While my gut reaction to this question is that it is another item to incorporate on top of all a teacher must do, I honestly feel that social justice can play a major role in the art classroom. Not only can each student express their thoughts/feelings/views about issues but they can search for a better world. My learning experience in high school was so “ordinary” while I learned a lot, what I learned about was art and how to draw and paint. Incorporating social justice into the art classroom would allow the students to not only learn about art techniques but about life and value and the world.

Students will be able to learn from one another. I feel that since there is more and more diversity in the classroom it could be an even greater experience for the children to see different views and learn about each others identity (history, traditions, and heritage)

Why is it important to consider when planning your curriculum?

Social justice covers a broad topic arena. It should be included in some form or fashion because I believe it connects to everything in this world. I believe it is also more important to incorporate now because of the great diversity in classrooms today.

It allows students, in a safe and equal environment, to learn about what the world is like and to seek and find answers to questions that will be raised.

If social justice is to be taught in the classroom it is a safe learning environment for children to seek out answers to why the world is the way it is. It is something they should know about before they graduate.

How can it benefit adolescents as they develop their identities?

The main reason I feel adolescents would benefit from learning about social justice would be that they will be more cautious about making conclusions and be more careful about what they say and do. Having knowledge about issues and others and how they live their lives and why will help the student see eye to eye with those people.

I feel that it will get students to step out of the square they live in. (meaning their everyday lives) It will get students to see the world differently and take it seriously. Many times students are immersed in the current day and can not get passed that. It is hard for them to see issues and care about them. If social justice was incorporated students would have the chance to have their eyes opened to the world.

Reflection to "The New Conversation, Using Weblogs for Reflective Practice in the Studio Art Classroom"

Article Reflection

This article gave me insight as to wanting to incorporate blogging into my future classroom. Overall I enjoyed this article. After having to blog for a few classes I could see the benefits of blogging. Blogging enables the writer to think more critically about what they are writing while still writing using their own voice. Blogging is something that is less formal than a research paper and this article highlighted that point. I believe that a student feels less pressure to write and feels more open to thinking and recording their thoughts and questions when writing blogs. I believe this because many times while I was writing blogs it was outside of the classroom, and I was able to really take time to think about the topic and search for answers.

One section of the article that I enjoyed was when it talked about the challenges that the teacher and the students faced when writing blogs. The article talked about the technical challenges including the student’s accessibility to the internet.

This teacher stumbled upon what can be a very useful tool to incorporate into students’ education. And the teacher had the student’s blog mainly because she was going on maternity leave… Genius…

Reasons for Blogging

Important reasons were brought up in this article about using blogs in a classroom as a tool for furthering a student’s education. One of the reasons brought up was that of extending the classroom conversation. Blogging is a way to have students continue a conversation held in class or to continue and put there thoughts in about a topic covered in class. Another reason for using blogs was because blogs let the teacher be the mediator and not the authoritarian figure. Blogging allows for free talk with directed questions. The teacher is no longer leading a lecture in the classroom but it the one sitting on the couch listening and asking a few questions to dig farther into the topic. Blogging is a more relaxed and free environment because the student are blogging on their own time most of the time in the environment of their choice. The last reason for using blogs in the classroom is because it expands a student’s analysis and critical thinking. I believe this is because like mentioned students write in a comfortable environment where they are free to think and question. If the student is focused on the topic and the questions raised by their peers then the student will think deeper and more critically of what is being said especially because it is not the teacher talking in front of the classroom.

What about Academic and Social Skills?

While I believe that the introverted child should be pushed a nudge to try things out of their comfort zone because they will have to in their future, I believe blogging is a great way for the introverted and shy child to speak. As well as to begin a conversation outside of the classroom that may lead to be discussed with each other inside the classroom. Drawing from personal experience I would have loved to have blogged during my middle-high school years. While it may not seem to build social skills on the surface I believe that topics can be brought up again in the classroom for all students to discuss. Also, once the teacher talks about the proper etiquette for writing blogs the students will understand how to write constructively but also positively.

A student’s academic skill can also be improved when writing blogs because it challenges them to be on point and precise making the student think about what they are writing and what they want to say in their posts. Blogs also allow students to be on a computer with internet while writing the blog; this allows them to search for answers to their questions and also gives them the ability to search for other artists/ works that they think of that could help other students out with the project.