Part Three: Art Teachers are ready!

Andy Warhol once said, “They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” In order to change things yourself, you must be prepared. With limitations on professional development funding, it’s no wonder that we get stuck in our old, comfortable ways. This last blog post in this series is intended to help prepare you, the art educator, for the future that is now here.

Preparation
I consider myself a pretty ‘tech savvy’ person. I ‘read’ the Internet more than I read print. I also taught online, go to school online, bank online, and work for Florida Virtual School. In fact, I could probably survive without ever leaving my house. In a recent course at school, I was asked to try a few new web tools. The thought of learning and using a new tool was overwhelming, much like the thought of starting a new diet. Unlike our students, getting started with a new tool is the toughest part. Once you dedicate to using it for a few weeks, it really does become a helpful habit.

In order to form a habit of using new web tools, you might try creating your own Personal Learning Network (PLN). This site will help you get started. The author suggests, starting with a few tools for your own personal uses, then branch out to your professional community. Will Richardson, author of “Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms,” has his own list of 5 things to do to grow your own PLN. I’ve read that it takes about 21 days to develop a new habit. Commit time each day to your developing your PLN. Your students will thank you!

Curriculum Exercises
Before we can change the way we teach, we must train and exercise our minds. I highly recommend Daniel Pink’s book, “A Whole New Mind” for more on the topic of thinking for the future Conceptual Age. He suggests the following (more listed in the book) for developing the six high-touch, high-concept senses:
Design
Design is more than how things appear around us. Good design can help improve life, while poor design can drastically hinder accessibility and usability within our day-to-day lives.
1. Keep a design notebook
2. Visit a design museum
3. Become a design detective
Story
Story is a way for individuals and entrepreneurs to distinguish their goods from others. There are many ways to capture story. We as art educators do this through images. What kind of story do your images tell about your teaching?
1. Use a tape recorder
2. Visit a storytelling festival
3. Experiment with digital storytelling
Symphony
Symphony is the ability to grasp the relationships between relationships, which put simply is ability to see the big picture.
1. Buy magazines that you’ve never bought before
2. Draw
3. Keep a metaphor log
Empathy
Exercise your ability to stand in someone else’s shoes.
1. Eavesdrop
2. Empathize on the job
3. Take an acting class
Play
Pink writes, “Play is emerging from the shadows of frivolousness and assuming a place in the spotlight.”
1. Find a laughter club
2. Go back to school
3. Dissect a joke
Meaning
Find meaning around you.
1. Say thanks
2. Take a Sabbath
3. Dedicate your work

Implementation
Defining your own 21st century art pedagogy is the fun part! Once you’ve created good habits using Web tools via your own PLN and practiced using your six high-content, high-touch senses, its time to think about your teaching.

I recently asked in a blog post, “If students were only provided one experience in Art (K-12), what would the course look like?” I believe that all art educators, in preparation for the future, should teach art like “it’s the end of the world as we know it.” Considering the current state of education across the nation, the idea of ‘disruptive innovation’ guiding curriculum and content delivery, what should we be teaching in our art courses?
In order to answer this question for myself, I rely on both “Art Education” and “Studies in Art Education” journals to be my guide. Getting a peek at what other art educators are teaching can help drive your own choices.

Here are some of the articles that you might find of interest:
In Art Education Journal
“Digital Portfolios in Visual Arts Classrooms” 9/08 – these portfolios provided an opportunity for rich student reflection and development of perspective
“Art Café’: A 3D Virtual Learning Environment for Art Education” 11/08 – Example of a alternative devise for art learning
“Media Literacy Art Education: Logos, Culture, Jamming, and Activism” 1/09 – project to raise social awareness and initiate change through art (engages many of the 6 senses)
“What is Web 2.0 and How Can it Further Art Education?” 5/08 – great supplement for developing your PLN (includes suggestions specific to art)

In Studies in Art Education, 2008 49(4)
“Art Curriculum Influences: A National Survey” – research to determine the degree art education theory learned in high education influenced practice in classrooms
“Survey of Art Teacher Educators: Qualifications, Identity, and Practice” - great study on the demographics of the art educators in the field

Call to Action
Change is inevitable. I see this time as a unique opportunity for art educators to be proactive, rather than reactive. I also see this time as an opportunity to reach students who aren’t currently being exposed to the benefits of a complete education via online learning, which includes the arts. What can we do to prepare ourselves? By instituting the ideals mentioned in this blog series into our own personal lives and into our teaching we are ready.