I have been spending a lot of time transitioning my three classrooms into choice based art studios for the students here at EPG. Here is a look at how at the end of the last school year it looked like at the junior high:
What a mess???? Right???
Well the room has now transformed into drawing, painting, collage, construction, fibers, etc centers. Here are some pics from some of the centers in the various art studios here at EPG:
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| EPGJH painting center |
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| EPGJH drawing center |
JPs Comet Cafe transforms into the Titan Art Studio (at JP we have all the centers on carts because it is easier to get around when you are on a cart)
Centennial's Titan Art Studio construction center
This past year, I came across a growing trend in art education called TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior) or C.H.O.I.C.E.. I
read as much as I could find on the subject, joined the group of art
educators on Yahoo and attended in July the Midwest Tab Conference in
Chicago. Discussing the possibilities with my administration, I decided to transition our art classrooms from a traditional teacher- directed art room into a student- directed choice based art studio.
So what does choice based art education mean? What does C.H.O.I.C.E. mean? C.H.O.I.C.E. means Children Having Original, Individualized, Creative Experiences. In a nut shell the students are the artists and the classroom turns into their own art studio. The students are given a choice of centers where they can explore and express themselves through art. They learn how to turn their interest and creativity into pieces of artworks that they are proud of and want to take home. The students learn how to become independent critical thinkers. They learn from doing and from each other. Through collaboration and practice they become problem solvers through a choice based art education.
How does a day look like in a choice based art studio? The students will come in and are introduced to a center by the teacher giving a demonstration of a technique or process, materials and / or introduced to artists. After the short introduction they can then choose to participate in that particular center or choose from a center that is already opened. At the end they are then allowed to share their artwork by showing other students, critiques or by hanging their artwork outside the doors on bulletin boards and display cases .
Now that the we have a few centers open the students' responses have been overwhelming positive. I hear all the time how they absolutely love art now..... but then who wouldn't if you get to choose what you would like to draw, model or create????????
