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).
AP Studio Art is tough to get a handle on. Questions abound about the best types of work to submit, portfolio scoring, and the role of teachers in helping students develop their concepts and their work. It's time for us to unlock those secrets and start sharing our best ideas on how to teach this class. Jeanne Bjork, a longtime AP Studio Art teacher from Pewaukee, Wisconsin, joins Tim to compare notes on the structure of their AP classes. They talk about building community to start the year (05:45), their best projects and when to teach them (08:15), and what makes for a good portfolio that will score well with the College Board judges (17:30).
The article Tim promised at the end of the episode is here--every AP Studio Art resource you could ever want.
Tim has written a few articles on teaching AP. His favorite is called Is Teaching AP Studio Art Really Worth It?
Jeanne has an incredible website for her art room that you can see right here.