I feel very blessed to work with creative young people every day. I thank their parents for encouraging them to take art and tell them that even if their son or daughter never pursues art as a career, that taking art will benefit them.
In art, students learn skills and habits that will be important in disciplines aside from the visual arts!
Preparing students for jobs that don’t even exist yet could be a daunting task!
But in my visual arts classes, I know that students are developing critical thinking skills and studio habits of mind.
In fact, these are excellent skills for persons of any age!
In art, students learn skills and habits that will be important in disciplines aside from the visual arts!
Preparing students for jobs that don’t even exist yet could be a daunting task!
But in my visual arts classes, I know that students are developing critical thinking skills and studio habits of mind.
In fact, these are excellent skills for persons of any age!
When I teach visual arts, I encourage studio thinking to promote disciplined habits of mind and develop eight skills or “studio habits of mind.”
Below are these eight studio habits of mind (as describe in Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education by Hetland, Winner, Veenema, & Sheridan):
Develop Craft: As a result of participating in art class, students acquire the skills or techniques needed to work with various media.
Engage and Persist: Students are taught to engage in a project, focus on a task for a sustained period of time and persist with their work.
Below are these eight studio habits of mind (as describe in Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education by Hetland, Winner, Veenema, & Sheridan):
Develop Craft: As a result of participating in art class, students acquire the skills or techniques needed to work with various media.
Engage and Persist: Students are taught to engage in a project, focus on a task for a sustained period of time and persist with their work.
Envision: Students are taught to generate mental images that will help guide their work and use their imagination to think of new ideas and forms.
Express: Students are meant to learn to go beyond craft to convey a personal vision and meaning in their work. This habit of mind includes making works exemplify a property that is not visible such as mood or atmosphere.
Observe: Students are taught to look closely at their own works (the color, line, texture, forms, structure, expression, and style), at others works (whether by their peers or by professional artist), and the world (when they are working from observation) and to notice things they might have otherwise missed.
Express: Students are meant to learn to go beyond craft to convey a personal vision and meaning in their work. This habit of mind includes making works exemplify a property that is not visible such as mood or atmosphere.
Observe: Students are taught to look closely at their own works (the color, line, texture, forms, structure, expression, and style), at others works (whether by their peers or by professional artist), and the world (when they are working from observation) and to notice things they might have otherwise missed.
Reflect: Students are asked to think about and explain their process, intentions, and decisions. They are also asked to judge their own work and that of others.
Stretch and Explore: Students are expected to try new things, to explore, take risks, and capitalize on their mistakes.
Understand Art World: Students in visual arts classes learn about art history and the practicing art world today and their own relationship to today’s art world.
Stretch and Explore: Students are expected to try new things, to explore, take risks, and capitalize on their mistakes.
Understand Art World: Students in visual arts classes learn about art history and the practicing art world today and their own relationship to today’s art world.
Three years ago, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to participate in a workshop on Studio Thinking led by Lois Hetland, Associate Professor of Arts Education at Massachusetts College of Art, Research Associate at Harvard’s Project Zero, and the author of Studio Thinking at The Regional Arts Commission. The workshop helped me to better understand Studio Habits of Mind and its application, specifically to assessing student learning in the classroom.
I first learned about Studio Thinking along with other teaching artists for Center of Creative Arts, where we discuss the Studio Habits of Mind framework as a way of better understanding teaching and learning in COCA classrooms. Lois Hetland’s book is also available here to peruse.
Have a creative week!
Mary^
I first learned about Studio Thinking along with other teaching artists for Center of Creative Arts, where we discuss the Studio Habits of Mind framework as a way of better understanding teaching and learning in COCA classrooms. Lois Hetland’s book is also available here to peruse.
Have a creative week!
Mary^
