R & R #14 VTS2

Anything that empowers the teacher( “creative choice” )and the student in the context of the teaching and learning is good.

I completely support the concept of a curriculum which stresses “essential understandings” rather than specific projects. 

The idea of interdisciplinary integration is one I also support, although I dont believe the authors examples go far enough beyond “idea”.  Its fabulous to study population and then consider what might designers do in the future if they dont have the space, but I would challenge the art teacher to go further, team up with the math teacher and figure out how much space (area etc) people actually take up, (compare different countries etc) how many can live in a building, design a building, using two point perspective (or three) and then a city which incorporates the actual mathematics and scale factor.  YES  its more work and takes longer, but then they truly integrate multiple skills and thinking processes together WITH the creative process.  Math can be creative, social studies too.  Of course, Im speaking to middle school on... It supports the idea that interdisciplinary integration is research.

I really identify with the Phenomenological approach especially at the middle school level where a students life experiences are changing and in many ways accelerating into adulthood.  Sometimes I read all these theories and such and many of them are similar with some rearranging.  

“The time has come for art educators to move beyond traditional teaching in the visual arts and strive to develop their own pedagogical approaches to curriculum,, instruction, and assessment that draw inspiration from best practice and contemporary curriculum research” Popovich, pg. 38  YES

These past few weeks I have been attempting to put into words what I do here at my school for the purpose of writing an NAEA proposal.  I must admit it has left me dumbfounded and flummoxed each time I make an attempt.   I don’t use an art curriculum of any kind.  I have developed my own completely from scratch based on what I believe my students need. I invent new classes each year.  This article has inspired me to consider what “essential understandings” am I offering my students in a curriculum.