CHILD-CENTERED ART VERSUS TEACHER-DIRECTED PROJECTS Chapter 10 CHILD-CENTERED ART VERSUS TEACHER-DIRECTED PROJECTS

Objectives After reading this chapter, you should be able to: Use the continuum of approaches to identify three different ways to teach art. Distinguish child-centered art from teacher-directed projects. Explain circumstances in which crafts or teacher-directed projects might be appropriate. Plan developmentally appropriate art activities. Identify alternatives to activities masquerading as creative art. Explain the different viewpoints on teaching art to children. Provide art activities using paper.

There are many ways to express your experiences artistically: Literature Drama Music Visual arts Plastic: sculpture, ceramics, architecture Graphic: drawing, painting, printmaking

A Teacher-Directed Approach The teacher has a definite idea of what the children will make and how they will go about it. Specific directions are given to ensure a recognizable product. There is little input from the children.

A Child-Centered Approach The teacher distributes materials and encourages children to make whatever they want. Children have much input and choice. There is very little structure.

A Teacher-Guided Approach Offers the best of the two former approaches: subtle structure with much child direction and input. Teacher introduces new materials at the art center. Teacher supplies the theme. There is no specified product. Children are free to use paint, crayons, markers, or clay to create their own art related to the theme.

Art vs. Project Art Project Motivation for art comes from within the child Children learn to be autonomous and to take initiative Approach is productive Approach is developmentally appropriate Project Is often teacher-directed Is product-oriented Lacks artistic merit Robs children of the opportunity to make self-expressive, self-initiated art

Crafts Crafts have artistic merit. Craftspeople work long and hard to produce products. Products reflect culture. Crafts may be functional as with candles, jewelry, clothing, or wind chimes.

An occasional use of projects is appropriate: With older children who have a solid foundation in processing and are interested in learning how to make art products. When children tire of visiting the art center and appear to run out of ideas for processing, they appear stuck or out of ideas, it appears the art center is not being used. To introduce children to new cultures by directly experiencing representative crafts (the process involved in making crafts must be tailored to meet the developmental needs of your group).

Early Childhood Art Early childhood art should: Allow children to be personally expressive. Subtly balance artistic process and product. Be open-ended, allowing children to be creative. Allow for discovery and experimentation. Allow for active engagement and sustained involvement. Be intrinsically motivating. Be success-oriented. Be available to all children. Involve legitimate artistic media. Be developmentally appropriate.

Developmentally appropriate practices are based on teachers using the following three knowledge bases to inform decisions about curriculum, assessment, behavior guidance, and interactions with children: age/developmental level, the individual child, and family/culture.

Age/Developmental Level All children grow and develop in a universal, predictable sequence during the early childhood years. An activity must be within a child’s developmental ability. Knowledge of the typical development of children within the age span served provides a framework from which teachers prepare the learning environment and plan activities deemed age-appropriate. Chronological age can be very misleading. A child’s developmental age would be a more useful construct.

The Individual Child Each child has his or her own unique patterns of growth, strengths, interests, experiences, temperament, and personality. What interests one child may bore another. Materials and activities must be individually appropriate and responsive to individual differences. An activity may be developmentally appropriate for a particular age group yet irrelevant, meaningless, boring, and inappropriate for a particular child.

Family/Culture Children grow, learn, and develop within the context of their family in which they learn values, beliefs, and ways of behaving. Teachers must recognize and respect each child’s social and cultural context. A cultural group may disapprove of an activity that is appropriate in other ways.

Three themes evident in high-quality, developmentally appropriate early art education: Children need many opportunities to create art. Children need many opportunities to look at and talk about art. Children need to become aware of art in their everyday lives.

Activities That Often Masquerade as Art Photocopied or mimeographed sheets Cut-and-paste activities Tracing patterns Coloring book pages Dot-to-dot sheets Crafts Holiday gifts Seatwork or busywork

Characteristics of Activities That Masquerade as Art An emphasis on teacher input and direction A high degree of structure A specified product