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When teachers invite
students to work collaboratively in the construction of project
assignments and assessment criteria, there is a correspondence between
what students and the teacher expect in production and value in
assessment. The vast majority of students are then clear on the
project’s intentions and limits and enthusiastic about creatively
working toward them because they helped to design the structure.
Students take personal ownership of the project themselves and raise
the bar on their own. In this model, the teacher serves as a resource
person, a facilitator, and a co-learner. Parent critiques provide
valuable feedback through external eyes while opening students’ eyes to
the rich insights of their parents and vice-versa. Required reflective
student self-assessments and voluntary exit interviews further
reinforce the learning that occurs in class.
As
an art teacher, I experience first-hand the deep sense of pride and
accomplishment of my students when the products borne of their art
experience have made a difference in other people’s lives. This happens
especially in areas where art and design are applied to find new
assistive technology solutions or in service to others. In a
collaborative process using design as a bridge to art and science,
students understand and make meaning from their invaluable service to
others. They also come to realize the centrality of the arts in all
aspects of their lives. This is hugely empowering and life-affirming
for the students and highly confirming of the service direction that an
art curriculum can take. Here the art production is not just for art’s
sake, but also for a seriousness of purpose to address real needs in
the world. Each project not only provides improved solutions or
opportunities for various underserved populations, but it also has a
profoundly life-transforming effect on students as future citizens of
the world. My classes have successfully designed and produced a variety
of aesthetically pleasing and functionally innovative assistive
solutions that range from pool walkers and beach walkers for children
with cerebral palsy; to safety storage solutions for walkers and
wheelchairs on school busses; to portable hand wash units for an urban
children’s zoo; to bus step appliances for school busses carrying
children with ambulatory challenges; to a patented beach wheelchair
that respects the dignity and grace of the user. Each of these projects
has dramatically confirmed the power of the arts to bring people
together in service to others.
When a
teacher of the visual arts collaborates in imaginative vision with
students to solve real-world needs, the artist in every child is
engaged, inspired, and drawn forth in both mind and spirit. When the
arts classroom becomes a safe community of respect with a focus on
producing what is useful to the community, character is built through
perseverance to accomplish a goal that will serve humankind. What is
initially perceived as difficult becomes an inspirational challenge to
be met with collaborative creativity and optimism. There are no
problems, there are only solutions waiting to be discovered by the
artistic imaginations of our students in a constructive, community of
learners.
I look forward to future
conversations with you about these ideas and to being with all of you
at the upcoming conference in Erie, PA, October 26 – 28, 2006.
With all warm gratitude,
Randy W. Granger
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