We Want Choice: Help Ms. A. Build a Choice-Based Studio!
I need to participate in a course that will help me understand and implement the Choice Based Art Education model.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Albun's classroom raised $1,107
This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My Students
My 700 kindergarten through 8th grade students, largely first and second generation Americans, are growing up in a large urban school district, whose budget cuts resulted in the suspension of our school's Art program for many years.
Despite being run out of a lunchroom, our 5 year-old Art program has seen fantastic results.
From September to June the walls of our school are covered with beautiful pieces that make students proud. Each year culminates with a school wide art gallery, and sees students represented in district wide art shows.
My Project
As an educator who values creativity, innovation, and student voice, I want students to be the directors of their own artistic experience.
In a choice-based studio, student-artists set goals, design projects, and identify and seek experience with necessary skill sets to achieve their best final results.
While students are challenged to take ownership over the content and stylistic elements of their work, each is guided through the design process, becoming experts in brainstorming, independent research, experimentation, peer review and self-expression. In the last three years I have begun the transition from teacher-directed lessons to a choice-based studio that honors student voice.
It turns out that running a choice based studio sounds, looks, and feels a lot different than a traditional classroom! Classroom organization, content delivery, and assessment all need re-thinking! As educators we encourage students to recognize areas in which they require more support, and seek out the best resources to help them improve. I know that to truly realize a choice-based studio program, I am in need of additional support.
I hope to complete the Art of Education's 5 week course on Choice-Based Art Education. Throughout this course [I] will "learn about the choice spectrum, to give my students more autonomy without losing control. I will explore the power of a student-centered curriculum, reflect on how [I am] currently using choice and set goals. By studying different choice-based approaches (TAB, Montessori, Reggio and others), [I] will reflect on the pros and cons of different programs and prepare to find solutions that work in [our] classroom. Assessment, advocacy and management strategies will also be covered."
In completing this course I will deepen my understanding of the choice-based model. I will create an action plan to move further towards a Choice-Based program.
Half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Albun and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
