Tim and Andrew are back together after quite a few episodes apart! They are talking today about appreciating your time off during break, but also focusing on the reasons why you keep coming back to school day after day. Listen as they discuss how to keep your mindset right, the best reasons to set long-term goals for yourself, and the advice they have for teachers who might be feeling burnt out.
Intro to Art is a class that a lot of teachers consider a throwaway--a class that remains an afterthought while attention is directed to advanced classes. AOE writer Debi West makes a convincing argument, however, that Intro to Art is actually your most important class. She and Tim get together to compare notes on teaching Intro and discuss their strategies to make the class run effectively. They talk about why the elements and principles are so important (4:30), how you can use visual journals to enhance your students' skills (11:00), and how we can make each student feel successful (17:15).
Dr. Lois Holzman is a developmental psychologist who is internationally recognized for her work regarding the effects of play, performance, and group creativity over the span of a lifetime. In February, she will be presenting at the Art Ed Now conference on how improvisation can improve your teaching and your students' learning. In this episode, she and Tim preview that presentation and discuss the benefits of play and how it affects both kids and adults (5:15), how you can set your students up for individual successes (11:45), and how you can use improvisation as a teaching tool (17:15).
Ray Yang, AOE's newest writer, makes his debut on Art Ed Radio to talk to Tim about encouraging risk-taking, appreciating the creative process, and great ways to advocate for your program. Join the guys as they discuss how we create an environment where kids are comfortable failing (5:15), teaching students how to think and reflect (13:00), and how to use extra work as an opportunity to make your program and your school better (18:00).
Whether you're a huge fan of comics or don't know a single thing about them, they can still be used in the classroom. They are a gateway to both artmaking and meaningful discussion. In this episode, Andrew talks to Dr. Richard Graham (author of the book "Goverment Issue: Comics for the People") about how comics can help with engagement and student behavior (3:45), specific strategies for teaching with comics (10:00), and advice for using comics as a hook to get students more involved (14:45).
Here is a list of (almost) all the comics Andrew and Dr. Graham discussed in the episode:
Stubborn kids can be difficult, and far too often they fall into the mindset where their first idea is their only idea. Andrew is always looking for new ideas to get past this mindset, and today he goes to former AOE writer Melissa Purtee for advice. Melissa talks about her experiences and the differences she sees between teaching elementary and secondary (4:45), what happens in your room when kids start to "get it" (9:00), and how to get kids past their fears and coming into art with an open mind (13:30).
Tim is passionate about art history, and making it a vibrant, exciting subject for our students. It's time to move past those boring slideshows in darkened rooms. So how do we do that? AOE writer Abby Schukei joins Tim as they talk about how to make art history intriguing for your students (6:00), how art history can inspire students' own work (12:00), and share some of their favorite artists that your students will love (16:30).
Abby and Tim talked a lot about the resources they use and the artists they love. Links are below:
In this very special episode of Art Ed Radio, Tim is in the Los Angeles studio of artist Alexa Meade. She is best known for her videos and photographs that show her painting directly on people, transforming 3D reality into a 2D world. During this discussion, she talks about how she found and developed her artistic style (5:30), the evolution of that style (10:00), inspiration and the creative process (14:15), and what happens when you make art with a bathtub full of milk (17:30).
If you would like to hear even more from Alexa, she will present "Finding and Developing Your Creative Voice" on February 3rd at the 2018 Art Ed Now Winter Online Conference. Details can be found at artednow.com.
If we are being honest, all teachers have some biases. What types of students we connect with, who we like to work with, and who we might favor implicitly. And it takes a really strong teacher to be able to recognize these biases and move past them, creating a quality learning environment for all of our students. So how do we get there? Andrew brings Tim on the show to talk about all of these somewhat difficult topics. They talk about the importance of recognizing our own biases (4:45).
Far too often, art gets pushed to the side when it comes to school culture. But if you build your program the right way, the community you create in your room will help your kids succeed in so many ways. And people will undoubtedly notice. In this wide-ranging discussion, Tim talks to Ryan Loeppky about building an art room culture that gets noticed and shared (6:30), what we should be teaching kids (14:45), and why it is so important to make your kids' work visible (18:30).
In this wide-ranging conversation, Andrew talks with AOE writer about all the great (and not-so-great) things that come with moving toward a choice pedagogy. Along with reviewing the history of TAB and some incredible resources, they discuss their personal journeys into choice-based teaching (8:45), Kelly's highlights that come with being a TAB teacher (14:00), and the myth that TAB teaching is "easy" (23:45).
What is the art challenge initiative? It's a great way to get your kids working on their skills dealing with problem-solving, creativity, and higher-order thinking. Today's guest, Elise Weiler-Korb, is a high school teacher that uses a plethora of challenges to help develop those skills as part of her kids' artmaking process. She and Tim discuss the different forms challenges can take (6:00), why developing confidence is vital (10:00), and her best advice on how and where teachers should begin utilizing challenges (13:30).
Tim absolutely loves sketchbooks, but unfortunately, Andrew doesn't share his passion. Instead, Tim brings on Andrea Slusarski to explore how to make sketchbooks a consistent part of your students' artmaking process. Listen as they discuss the types of sketchbooks that are best for your classroom (6:30), why we make modeling artistic habits a priority (13:45), and Andrea's best advice to prioritize sketchbooks in your classroom (17:15).
It seems like every kid loves music in some way or another, and the guys are talking today about how that love can bring inspiration and influence into your classroom. Whether you use songs or videos in your lessons, or just add some music in the background during class, it can be a powerful tool. Join Andrew and Tim as the discuss deciding on the environment they want to establish in their classroom (5:15), why music seems to only be found in the art room (9:00), and how concepts from the music world translate into student art making (15:30).
Andrew and Tim get together to talk about the reasons that teachers aren't coming into the profession with everything they need to know. Is it because there is too much involved in the life of an art teacher? Or is the teaching profession just that difficult? Join the guys as they talk about why undergrad coursework can't possibly cover everything (7:15), the essential education courses that new teachers need (15:45), and what we can do in the real world for teachers that are lacking in the knowledge they need (21:00).
It's theme week at the Art of Ed, and this month's theme is all about substitute teachers. The Radio Guys want to join in the action because they have a lot to say about subs as well. Listen as they talk about suffering through sickness to avoid calling in a sub (5:00), taking a proactive approach with your students when you know you will be gone (11:15), and their top 3 tips for a successful substitute experience in your classroom (19:45).
A while back, the guys talked about those lessons that just aren't working anymore--the lessons we might just want to move on from. So how do we decide what we should teach? How do we decide what should be part of our curriculum? Join the guys as they try an optimistic approach to this discussion, covering creative thinking vs. technical skill (4:30), your essential projects (11:45), and finding the right variety of experiences for your kids (15:00).
Melissa Purtee and Ian Sands, authors of The Open Art Room, join Tim to discuss their new book and choice based art education. They talk about the transition teachers make when moving toward choice-based education and how that compares with traditional pedagogy. Listen as they cover the story of writing The Open Art Room (4:15), whether you can put a framework toward choice-based teaching (10:00), and the idea of how much choice each teacher should offer (15:45).
One of the most difficult things to do as an artist is to find your voice and to find your style. Even more difficult is to help our students do the same. Tim invites Michael Bell on the show to discuss how we can build up our students and, in turn, build up our art programs. Listen for their discussion on balancing your art and your teaching, how to support and help develop your artists, and why visual journaling is so important to helping students find their voice.
Resources and Links:
As art teachers, we have the opportunity to let kids know that their opinions, their vision, and their aesthetics matter. Andrew brings on AOE writer Lindsey Moss to chat about the idea of "Kidaesthetics". Listen for their discussion on the difference between how kids and adults perceive art (6:00), how art teachers balance the aesthetic vision against the expectations of adults (9:30), and how we educate adults on what kids find aesthetically appealing (18:15).
What does the beginning of the school year look like in your classroom? What should it look like? Classroom management is key, but how we go about establishing it is different for everyone. The guys share what happens on the first day in their classrooms (3:45), Andrew talks about his two tenets for classroom management (10:00), and finishes the show by stumbling into a possibly brilliant idea for a new project to start the year (16:45).
Tim interviews the one and only Cassie Stephens for this episode, and they discuss some the best ideas from transitioning from summer mode back into school. They cover where inspiration comes from, and how you can bring that inspiration into your teaching. Tim starts the episode with a big announcement about AOE's newest podcast (1:30), then Cassie shares information about her upcoming Art Ed Now Conference presentation (5:30), and the new lessons coming into her classroom this year (11:45). They then close the conversation with a rundown of the upcoming Everyday Art Room podcast, and why Cassie wanted to host the show (18:45). Full episode transcript below.
If you've been on art teacher social media any time in the past week or so, you have probably seen this article (http://blog.schoolspecialty.com/art-craft/art-class-school/). Art teachers everywhere were offended by its assumptions, its ideas about the role of art teaching, and its conclusions about the future. In this special episode, Tim and Andrew offer their takes on the article (3:15), the role of art teachers and the arts (8:30), and the controversy found in the resulting social media firestorm (12:30).
About a month ago, the guys did their last deep dive into printmaking. This week, it's time for 40 minutes of sculpture talk. From materials to instructional strategies, and everything in between, it's all up for discussion today! Join the guys as they talk about the best projects for our youngest students (2:00), some issues that Andrew has come across (14:00), and safety issues when you're using unexpected materials (33:30).