The Art Teacher's Survival Guide for Secondary Schools

Grades 7-12

Helen D. Hume

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9781118447031
• eBook ISBN: 9781118809013
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Teaching Methods

An invaluable compendium of 75 creative art projects for art educators and classroom teachers

This authoritative, practical, and comprehensive guide offers everything teachers need to know to conduct an effective arts instruction and appreciation program. It meets secondary art teacher's unique needs for creating art lessons that cover everything from the fundamentals to digital media careers for aspiring artists. The book includes ten chapters that provide detailed instructions for both teachers and students, along with creative lesson plans and practical tools such as reproducible handouts, illustrations, and photographs.

• Includes 75 fun and creative art projects
• Fully updated to reflect the latest changes in secondary art instruction, including digital media and digital photography
• Heavily illustrated with photographs and drawings

For art teachers, secondary classroom teachers, and homeschoolers, this is the ideal hands-on guide to art instruction for middle school and high school students.

Chapter 1
Basic Survival Strategies

Get Off to a Good Start

Get to Know Your Students

Students are at an important stage in their lives. They are capable physically of doing almost anything an adult can do and are in the process of becoming independent thinkers and responsible members of society. You have an opportunity to contribute to their general knowledge: things that educated people know. This is possibly the last time the student will have a formal art course, perfect personal skills in art, and prepare for a career in art. Perhaps you are the teacher who develops in a student a lifetime appreciation of and love for art.

Friendliness and an Interest in Your Students

These will go a long way toward fostering an ongoing relationship. Avoid sarcasm, as it is often misinterpreted, although humor and an appreciation for your students’ sense of humor will be a saving grace. Find out what your students are involved in (work, activities, other classes). Go to some student events in which your students participate (sports events, plays, or concerts); you will be glad you did. They also like to know that you have a life outside the day at school, and they don’t mind hearing about it once in a while. Use a conversational tone while sharing problem-solving techniques as if the students were your colleagues.

Fairness to All

Fairness to all students should be ingrained in your teaching. It truly is important to remember that all students deserve equal time: those to whom everything comes easily deserve your attention as much as those to whom nothing comes easily. Start conversations with the in-between or nondemanding student; you will always learn something about him or her that you hadn’t realized before. Be sensitive to the possibility of gender bias.

Encourage Good Decisions

Albert Burr, one of the greatest principals I’ve ever met, says that we are teaching high school students to become decision makers. If they show poor judgment, we need to give them greater guidance, or even make decisions for them, if necessary, until they learn to make better decisions. Help students develop skills, responsibility, respect, and the ability to build personal relationships. Let them know you have very high expectations for achievement in your art class, as that is the tradition in this school.

Think about Each Individual

Try to spend a quality few minutes with each student every class day. I found it was useful to review the class list, really reflecting on how each student was progressing and also reviewing whether that student and I had spoken about his or her work that week. Tell them that each of them is entitled to 1¹/₂ minutes of your time every single class period, and while they may not get exactly that amount every time, over the period of the week they will receive their 7¹/₂ minutes. I’ve had students come up and say, “I’m ready for my 1¹/₂ minutes today.”

Mentoring

A number of school districts now include mentoring programs for new teachers. A mentor and mentee might meet up to six times a year, perhaps getting a release day to visit a school in a different district. Colleagues whose schools have such programs support them strongly, stating that it benefits both teachers. If you are a new teacher and your district does not have a formal mentoring program, seek advice from experienced teachers or your state’s art education teachers’ association blog.

The Day-to-Day Stuff

Arriving in Class

Keep a table next to the door on which you place handouts and art paper if needed for that day’s lesson. As students pick these up on their way in, it piques their interest. Ask students to get their work in progress from the storage area and be seated and ready to work in time for attendance.

Attendance

In most schools attendance is tracked online. To make class start faster, call the names only of those you think are absent—just in case they are not seated, but are somewhere in the room.

The Seating Chart

It took me almost fifteen years of letting students seat themselves anywhere to realize that posting a seating chart on the door on the first day of class would improve my teaching. Photo rosters are available to teachers in many districts with an online database. Make a seating chart by cutting up and pasting the faces and names on paper with restickable glue stick to make strategic seating moves within the first few days. Make a copy for your convenience or that of a substitute. After a week you can leave students seated where they are and take down the chart, reserving the option to move a student or two if necessary. A colleague says that her daughter told her that allowing students to sit anywhere without a seating chart only helps kids who already have friends in the class, because they always sit together. But it isolates the kids who don’t have friends in the class and makes it harder for them.

Develop a Studio Atmosphere

You’ve tried to make the room as functional and artistic as possible, and you can expect students to get out materials and be ready to work, allowing you your few minutes at the beginning of class. The perfect studio atmosphere fosters independent learning and self-motivation. Ideally your principal could walk into the room, bringing important visitors, and your students would all be working as you quietly walk around having soft conversations with individuals or small groups.

Motivation

Sometimes reality isn’t too far away from this ideal if students know that you expect work to be completed within a given time period and if they are working toward a personal goal such as developing a portfolio or completing something for an exhibition. Teacher and student assessments are other motivating tools, as students are aware that you expect them to be on task while they are in the art room. Include a rubric in your lesson so students know what your expectations are. Common Core State Standards for the Arts will emphasize independence and creativity.

Getting Students’ Attention and Keeping It

Consider yourself the coach. You’re there to give the pep talk and get on with the game. Because you are smart enough to know that your instructions should be short and sweet, you will notice when students are not watching you. I have found that the most effective way of control is to interrupt yourself in the middle of a sentence and just look at the student who is talking or involved in something else. You can look at the ceiling; act as if you have nothing else to do in the world but stand there patiently waiting.

When he or she notices that the class has gone silent and finally looks at you, give the kindest fake smile you can summon and continue. You don’t have to do this very many times for your students to get the message that you expect their attention. It is far easier to allow students to control their peers than to demand respect. But don’t push your luck. Notice when you are beginning to lose even the most polite of students. Students of that age have about a twenty-minute attention span (as one of my students pointed out to me).

Nonverbal Discipline

Even though you may have no official rules, you still have rules (or expectations, if you like). Let students know you like secondary school students and you like teaching them. If someone is giving you problems, never call him or her out in front of peers, but find a chance to get the student outside the room and ask, “What did I do wrong today?” This usually stuns them, and they realize their behavior was inappropriate. Sometimes you find out the major problem that student is having that particular day and can be of help. Sometimes you realize you’d better let it go with that student for that day.

Silent Signals

With so little time to talk with each student in a class period, there are many ways to send quick, silent signals. A smile, silent nod of approval, or thumbs-up lets someone know he or she is remarkable or at least is on the right track. Sometimes a raised eyebrow or widened eyes give the student the idea that you’re less than pleased with behavior. It can convey the unspoken message “I can’t believe you are doing that” or “Oh, how you have disappointed me.”

Electronic Devices

Every school has different policies concerning cell phones and other electronic devices. Working within that framework is im...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Dedication
• Title
• Copyright
• About This Resource
• The Author
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1: Basic Survival Strategies
• Chapter 2: The Art of Teaching Art
• Chapter 3: Drawing
• Chapter 4: Painting
• Chapter 5: Printmaking
• Chapter 6: Photography
• Chapter 7: Computer Graphics
• Chapter 8: Fine Crafts
• Chapter 9: Sculpture and Architecture
• Chapter 10: Careers in Art
• Bibliography
• Index
• End User License Agreement