No matter how good you are as a teacher, you undoubtedly are going to have a handful of kids who just don't care. So how do you start trying to get them passionate about making art? How can you create a challenging, engaging environment where students enjoy learning? Andrew and Tim talk about pushing students by tapping into their interests (9:00), building student confidence (12:30), and how to get kids past their apathy without doing the work for them (19:15).
For too many art teachers, assessment remains a difficult concept. It's tough to know what's going to work, how it can be implemented, and how it can be incorporated to actually help improve teaching. In this episode, Tim takes on some of these concerns and shares his ideas on making assessment valuable. Heather Crocket, the Educational Director at The Art of Ed, joins the show for a conversation on how assessments can actually affect your classroom (10:00), the best formative and summative assessments for the art room (13:15), and why assessment is so difficult for art teachers (17:45). Most importantly, Heather offers some very specific advice on what we can do as art teachers to take on assessment and make it work for us.
Notorious hoarder Andrew McCormick starts the show by sharing some of his thoughts and theories on the amazing things his students can do with the piles of junk lying around his classroom. Tim tries to convince Andrew that it's okay to get rid of some stuff, and Andrew agrees that he might be willing to do so . . . eventually. The guys talk about their favorite places to pick up free supplies (5:30), Andrew's joy when he received comic books and blenders (11:15), and how to turn those donations into some amazing projects (14:00). This episode is filled to the brim with ideas and inspiration--give it a listen now!
Let's face it--the life of an art teacher is anything but simple. We have to know so much and do so many things on an everyday basis, it can get overwhelming very quickly. Tim and Andrew use this episode to share some of their favorite hacks for the art room--each of which can help make life easier in your classroom. It's worth listening as the guys discuss their best painting hacks (6:00), keeping kids engaged and working (13:45), and teaching students to take on responsibilities to help you as a teacher (20:00).
Teaching Three Projects at Once
Keeping Clay Organized
Teaching Painting Routines
Getting Yourself Organized to Reduce Your Stress
Being able to think creatively is a vitally important skill to every area in education, and of course, art teachers do it best. Art is the vehicle for training students' brains to be passionate about learning, creativity, and leadership. Andrew brings on an important outside voice, business leader Mike Wagner, to discuss arts and the ability to create innovative leaders for the future. Listen for their discussion on embracing divergent thinking (6:00), the meaning of innovation (12:30), and most importantly, how to advocate for the arts and creativity (17:00).
The Project Doctors have returned! Back by popular demand, Andrew, and former AOE writer, Alecia Kaczmarek, team up with Tim to answer mailbag questions on classroom management, teaching different media, and even how to make writing in your classroom interesting and exciting. Listen for their open and honest discussion on why you need to keep your cool in tough situations (2:45), the importance of writing in your classroom--and how to make it interesting (14:30), and learning to love projects you can't stand teaching (21:00).
Resources and Links:
Inexpensive Sculpture Ideas
Andrew's article on writing about art
Tim's favorite writing activity
Simple Watercolor Techniques
Special needs students are an absolute joy to teach, but it can undoubtedly be a struggle at times. Andrew brings on AOE writer and friend of the podcast Abby Schukei to talk about the best ways--and best reasons--to make accommodations for all of your different students. They discuss why teachers are so poorly prepared to differentiate our instruction (3:45), specific strategies to find success with students with special needs (9:30), and the difference between inclusivity in your standard curriculum and a curriculum specifically written for an adaptive art class (15:00).
What exactly can you get away with in your art room? Tim and Andrew dish about the dangerous things they've done in their classroom, and why taking risks can lead to better learning and even more artistic results. The guys discuss safety, supervision, and the importance of pre-teaching when you use these materials (7:45). They also address when to take risks and when to play it safe (12:00), as well as balancing the benefits of dangerous artworks vs. the drawbacks that come with risk-taking (14:00).
The fight to keep the art room clean and organized can sometimes seem like a never-ending battle. But is it worth all of the time and effort? Andrew tries to convince Tim about the benefits of letting the mess happen, and Tim takes a shot at convincing Andrew he can actually learn to be organized. They discuss how the right routines can lead to a clean classroom (10:00), and why the projects you teach sometimes force you to keep a mess (12:30). They finish the show with some of their best tips and tricks to keep the mess and the chaos of their worst projects under control (16:30).
Art teachers are always concerned about teaching students how to think more creatively. But no one ever talks about how to teach for creativity? Tim has a conversation with high school and online art teacher, Amber Kane, about the concrete, manageable, actionable ways we can get students on the path toward more creativity. Check out the discussion about helping kids appreciate the creative process (8:00), new strategies for classroom and individual critiques (13:30), and how to find the balance between procrastination and creativity (15:30).
The Radio Guys bring former AOE writer, Alecia Kaczmarek, on the show to answer listeners' questions about those projects that never seem to run as smoothly as you would like. The "Project Doctors" dip into the listener mailbag to take on papier mâché projects, printmaking, perspective drawing, and even some classroom management. Listen for Andrew's amazing sculpture ideas (6:00), Alecia's best ways to teach routines (13:15), and why Tim and Andrew both quit teaching perspective drawing a long time ago (18:30).
Are we finally moving away from standardization and the Common Core? Could we possibly be headed toward an educational world that values innovation, collaboration, and creativity? We hope this is the case, and if so, art is the perfect subject to help shape students for a creative world. Andrew brings on Kasey McCurdy, VP of Engineering for a company called BunchBall, to discuss innovation and motivation. Their discussion focuses on a lot of great topics, including students' disengagement in the current educational system (6:15), the most important skills we can teach (13:00), and specific ideas to start improving the educational system (16:00).
Art teachers everywhere face the fact that many students struggle with creativity. Call it a crisis in creativity or spend your time looking for culprits, it is what is. This struggle manifests itself in the art room as copied Disney characters and anime sketches. But what if fan art isn't the scourge we've made it out to be? What if fan art is actually a way for a number of students to get and stay engaged with the arts outside of class. Andrew brings on Tim to hash out the debate.
Listen to Tim rant about anime (4:00), and check out the guys' discussion on the importance of originality (13:00) and keeping kids interested in art once they move beyond our classrooms (21:00).
It is always difficult when you transition into a new teaching situation. Whether you are moving to a different grade level, or changing districts altogether, you can come to find out that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Andrew talks to AOE Instructor Molly Wiste about why you shouldn't be afraid to ask for help, and why you need to be patient as you go through the rocky parts that happen with every transition. Make sure you listen for the comparison between your first year of teaching and your first year someplace new (6:00), how you can differentiate yourself from the previous teacher (16:30), and the best advice to make the most of that less-than-ideal situation (23:00).
Check out the AOE series on your first year of teaching art at each level:
A week after Tim and Andrew worked through their frustrations with terrible art teachers, they are back to celebrate the things amazing art teachers do! The guys dive into a discussion regarding teaching with breadth, making learning transparent, and creating a positive and comfortable environment in which students can thrive. Listen for why we should always reflect on what we can do better (8:15), how you can improve every year (10:45), and what teachers in other subject areas can learn from amazing art teachers (21:00).
There are incredible art teachers all over the country, working every day to improve their craft. These teachers care about their students, their subject, and their profession. And then there are the rest of them. They are ineffective, disinterested, and to put it bluntly, terrible art teachers, and they give the rest of us a bad name. Tim and Andrew work through their frustrations with those terrible art teachers and talk about what you can do if you find yourself slipping into these bad habits. Listen for their advice on why you need to explore new things (8:30), why you should stand up for yourself (10:00), and how to avoid the negativity that leads to terrible teaching (11:45).
The first year of teaching is, well, kind of an adventure. This episode highlights the trial by fire that is your first year and shares some incredible stories from listeners and AOE writers. You will definitely laugh, you might cry, and you will undoubtedly be inspired as Tim and Andrew share stories to help you navigate your first year of teaching art. Listen for reasons why you can't expect to be perfect (8:30), advice for effective classroom management (17:30), and why we all come back to teaching after a difficult first year (28:30). Make sure you visit theartofed.comall week for more articles, advice, and information for first-year art teachers.
Dealing with a long-term absence is a complicated situation and one rarely dealt with in art education. This week, Tim talks to Kelly Parvin, an art teacher from Alabama, about her fight with cancer and how she handles being gone for significant amounts of time. They discuss ways to prepare for time away (06:00), how to adapt lesson plans to help the sub fill your shoes (09:00), and the potential benefits of a different "voice" in your classroom (15:00).
We all know art teachers need to actively look for ways to promote our programs. We have to show off all the great things we’re doing or we run the risk of being easy to cut when budgets get tight. A great way to advocate for your program and reach students and the community at large is by adopting social media in your classroom. In this episode, Andrew brings on his good friend and teaching soulmate, Ashley Cardamone, to discuss ways you can leverage the power of social media to best promote your art program.
Andrew and Ashley go over some practical tips and tricks for choosing the social media platform that’s right for you and your classroom (8:15). They discuss possible pros and cons to using social media during the day (13:00), and finally, some time-saving tips and best practices to make sure sharing doesn’t become too time-consuming in class (14:30).
We do so many superfluous things as art teachers--what can we get rid of? Tim and Andrew talk about the best ways to turn down requests when necessary and to focus on what we need to do to be great teachers. They discuss dealing with the politics of your building (8:15), focusing on your passions in teaching (11:15), and the best way to deal when you NEED to say yes (14:30).
What do you do on the first day of class with your students? Why not start creating? Rules, procedures, and expectations are undoubtedly important, but so is making art! Janine Campbell, one of the best middle school teachers around, joins Tim to talk about the ins and outs of starting your year the right way. They talk about why Janine breaks out clay on the first day of school (5:00), why we need to avoid the "sit and get" syllabus (9:30), and why it's always important to try something new (16:30).
Why would we want our students to think like artists when they could think like designers instead? Andrew talks about how to get students into this mode of thought by incorporating more design thinking and design curriculum in the art room. Kathryn Rulien-Baries, from the Wisconsin Visioneers program, joins Andrew to discuss modifications and alterations teachers can do right now to be more design inclusive. They talk about what makes design curriculum unique (6:45), art-making with a purpose (11:00), and whether art teachers are the most qualified to embrace design thinking (13:15).
Tim and Andrew take on a question that every teacher struggles with: how important are the Elements of Art and Principles of Design? AOE writer and choice-based education guru, Melissa Purtee, joins the guys to discuss the "E"s & "P"s. They debate whether getting away from the formal focus on the elements affects the quality of students' work (14:00), how to run critiques (17:00), and the essential ideas that should guide our program (20:30).
Is procrastination an important part of the creative process, or is it simply laziness and avoidance? If it's integral, how do we show students deadlines and time management are important while also allowing students the time to incubate ideas? If it's not important, how do we help students deal with the down time they need to come up with their best ideas? Andrew opens the show by making a great case for why creative personalities need the chance to procrastinate, but then Tim comes on the show to tell him why he's wrong (10:00). The guys also talk about what procrastination looks like in the art room (12:30) and the best strategies for finding a balance between both sides of the argument (19:30).
Resources and Links: On the Benefits of Procrastination: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/opinion/sunday/why-i-taught-myself-to-procrastinate.html?_r=0
Procrastination Makes You More Creative: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/opinion/sunday/why-i-taught-myself-to-procrastinate.html?_r=0
No Way, They Were Totally Lying in that Last Article Right Above This: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/dont-delay/201601/procrastination-virtue-creativity-why-its-false
Do Creative People Procrastinate More?:
https://www.quora.com/Why-do-creative-professionals-seem-to-procrastinate-more-than-other-people
"Craft" is a contentious word in many art rooms and art programs. Craftsmanship is an important part of what art teachers do, but "craft" is also synonymous with googly eyes and pom-poms. Many parents and members of the community have a negative association with “crafts", so how do we accurately depict what we do while also letting it be known that craftsmanship is important? Tim comes on the show, and the guys talk about the difference between art and craft (8:30), Andrew's problem with craft-based curricula (10:30), and how to turn crafty materials into a viable form of creative expression (16:00).