Teaching for Artistic STE(A)M-y Behavior in the Art Room

My Students

My students work in a beautiful artroom, with ordinary supplies with a not-so ordinary art teacher! This art teacher is full of ideas that run rampant with new, innovative ideas that will lead the students into a world they are unfamiliar with! My students are so fun to be around and ready to learn.

My students are brilliant!

I can say that because I see them every week and see the excitement they have when they come into the art room! They overflow with things to tell me--about their lives, their trips, the museums they have visited, the art they have created at home! They would love nothing more than to allow me into their world to experience those things with them! The parents are gracious and giving and provide opportunities to their children that are ones not to be forgotten! I hope to do the same thing with our art projects. Nothing pleases me more than to hear a student took a skill or technique I have taught them, takes that skill home, and creates yet another project from what they have learned. Not only allowing me to see that the project mattered to them, but mattered enough to share it with their family. I couldn't be a happier art teacher!

My Project

I recently learned about the TAB based art classroom (Teaching for artistic behavior) and incorporating less of an adult footprint in the classroom and more of a child based footprint leaves the learning to the child. The classroom is set up in "studios" of learning including architecture, painting, printmaking, drawing, etc. Students explore the materials on their own. After our holiday break, I plan to have an art show which will be a "Neon Blacklight" show. I am requesting art kits for TAB based centers, golf pins for a pegboard pixel art wall, & a black light with glow items that will be used during our Glow Spring Art Show. This will incorporate their artworks, which will use neon paints, crayons, and printing materials. It's an idea I, as the teacher have not played with yet, but look forward to incorporating their exploration of colors and technique into their projects.

Buying art items that are not the norm, but rather ones that allow the child to "discover" and "play" as they learn is the idea behind a TAB based, STEAM/STEM art classroom.

Seeing what they can figure out on their own is so important. Putting those opportunities in their hands with various art items and glow items, give them the opportunity to play. I can't wait to see the "glow" on their faces as they proudly show off their artwork to their families at our school wide art show this year!