NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
A Good Art Classroom Environment for Critical and Creative Thinking (1) It is very important for teachers to choose in favor of proper educational approach, when it comes to introducing children with basics of art. At the age of 13 - 15 years, schoolchildren are very impressionable; therefore, teachers need to make sure that the process of perceiving art, on the part students, is going to be emotionally beneficial. This can only be achieved if classrooms environment stimulates students creativeness. The problem lies in the fact that creativeness, as a concept, is little too vague, therefore, it cannot be objectively measured.
However, it is quite appropriate to relate students creativeness to their ability of operating with abstract categories and to their sense of artistic finesse. The realities of post-industrial living pose additional challenge for educators, because it becomes increasingly difficult for them to discuss art, while referring to it as beautiful or ugly, despite the fact that arts value is objective, in its essence. Therefore, when it comes to designing art classrooms layout, teachers often have a hard time, because the way students perceive art corresponds to their racial affiliation. Nowadays, it would be quite appropriate to have graffiti painted on the walls in the classroom, as graffiti now being officially referred to as form of art by the hawks of political correctness. However, is it very doubtful that such practice will stimulate childrens creativeness in socially appropriate form. In his article Trait-Based Design, James Rydeen is making a good point when he suggests that: Shopping centers receive facelifts periodically to address the changing habits of buyers.
Perhaps the design of learning environments should be reconfigured to respond to the changing personality traits of each new generation of students (Rydeen, p. 46). Nevertheless, there are many good reasons for teachers to choose in favor of Eurocentric method of teaching the basics of art, because art, socio-cultural phenomenon, cannot be discussed outside of context of Western civilization. From the early stages of their lives, children need to be encouraged to think of art as the way of understanding the essence of surrounding reality, rather then something that allows people to express their psychological inadequateness. We can only agree with Thomas Hatfield, who in his article Who Teaches Art? What Is Learned? suggests that under no circumstances the art classroom can be turned into a kindergarten, where students are encouraged to think of their ethnic uniqueness as such that fully qualifies them to hold objective opinions, in regards to the value of art pieces: Art program content is integration of art production, aesthetics, art criticism, and art history.
These components should be united effectively to provide a more complete understanding of art and its value to each individual (Hatfield, p. 7). In other words, the more the process of teaching art is being rationalized by teachers, the better it is for students. This is why students need to be instilled with the thought that the purpose of art is to help pushing forward cultural and scientific progress. It is teachers foremost task to convince students that, in order for them to be able to appreciate art, they must be intelligent individuals, with well-developed sense of artistic finesse. Therefore, when it comes to designing an art classrooms environment, I would strongly recommend teachers to resort to their sense of logic, during the course of the process. For example, it is inappropriate to feature primitive African figurines, carved out of wood, and the replicas of Michelangelo's sculptures in a classroom, as such that have the same aesthetic value.
It is very important for students that are 13 - 15 years old to learn that the concept of artistic finesse directly corresponds to artists ability of gaining imaginative stimulus out of surrounding reality, during the process of creating the work of art. This is why art classrooms design should not feature dissonant colors. If walls are painted in green, then the color of furniture cannot be red or orange, for example. In order for students to be able to concentrate on exploiting their creative potential, their attention cannot be diverted by external factors.
Therefore, it would be a mistake to have an announcement board hanging on the wall in the classroom, especially when it contains irrelevant messages, such as racism is lame, were all the same. (2) One cannot become an artist, without understanding the basics of human anatomy. Therefore, it would help a lot, if art classroom was equipped with anatomic models, for example. The sooner teens are being treated as adults, the better. The purpose of art education is not to teach kids how to draw little green men, because they are quite capable of doing this on its own, without the valuable assistance, on the part of teachers. Art classes are meant to separate students with artistic talent from those who simply do not posses it, no matter how hard they try it. This is why, instead of lowering academic standards, in order to establish artificial equality among students, the art teacher should strive for something opposite.
Students need to be able to refer to art as physical manifestation of existential exaltation. In other words, teacher should try to make them accustomed to the idea that there can be no average art and that one cannot excel in pursuing artistic career without applying a great amount of effort. In his article Art Classroom Design, Marvin Bartel confirms the validity of earlier statement by saying that: Few things motivate learning in the arts as much as appropriate recognition of hard work, achievement, and ability (Bartel). Thus, it is highly recommended that students learn to associate artistic pursuits with the concept of professional excellence.
Therefore, an art classroom must feature the portraits of great artists, musicians and writers, despite the fact that it might result in teacher being accused of cultural badness. However, in order for the educational process to be effective, it cannot be used as the mean of promoting a political agenda, as it is often the case nowadays. Children of 13 - 15 years old are fully capable of distinguishing between beautiful and ugly. Educators need to nourish such students ability on continuous basis, because it will allow these students to be able to substantiate their artistic opinions, by the time they grow up. Therefore, I would recommend displaying the examples of degenerative art on classrooms walls, so that students learn once and for all that mental illness cannot serve as a valid source of artistic inspiration. At the same time, classrooms atmosphere must be liberal, because, before children can realize their creative potential, they need to be reassured that they are at liberty of doing it in the way that suits them the best.
This is why it is very important to have a classroom properly decorated, as proper decorations often trigger the beginning of creative process. Creativeness is one of the aspects of peoples existence, which is why, in their subconsciousness, it is closely linked to biological vitality. Thus, it brings us to conclusion that having decorative plants on art classrooms windows is absolutely necessary, because it prompts students to resort to socially appropriate methods of exploring their artistic creativeness. If students drawings continue to reflect his or her perceptional negativity, despite the fact that all necessary preconditions in the classroom were created to allow such student to focus on exploring worlds beauty, it might serve as indication that student will choose in favor of anti-social type of behavior in the future.
Therefore, the proper classrooms settings can also be discussed within a context of sociology. In short they need to encourage kid to associate its creativeness with social responsibleness. At the age of 13 - 15, children strive to elevate themselves above their childish urges. It is educators foremost task to encourage students to act as adults, during the course of creative process. As Sebastian Lockwood has rightly noticed in his article The Window: Saving Creativity in Teens: Part of this (the process of growing up) is the desperate urge to be grown up, to put away childish things.
And there is peer pressure to be like the kids in the grade above for whom it is definitely not cool to draw unless they are drawing the code of the kids above them: graffiti (Lockwood). Thus, we can say that it is very important for teachers not to cross a certain boundary, while they strive to liberalize art classrooms settings. Childrens creativity is not something that can be instilled in them, as it is defined by their genetic predisposition more then by anything else. Only by making classroom tastefully decorated, teacher can benefit its students the most.
If these decorations are being used to push a left-wing agenda, it will inevitably result in children becoming distracted from creative process. There are three keys to success, when it comes to establishing a proper art classrooms environment, on the part of a teacher tastefulness, avoidance of politically motivated morals and artistic libertarianism, which should not be confused with liberalism of political correctness. Bibliography: Art Survival Tips for the Elementary Classroom. 2008. Teacher Vision. [Online] Available at: web [ 4 May 2008 ] Bureau, K. 2007. Art Education. University of Michigan. [Online] Available at: web [ 4 May 2008 ] Bringing Art into the Home or Classroom. 2007.
Kinder Art. Com. [Online] Available at: web [ 4 May 2008 ] Bartel, M. 2008. Ten Classroom Creativity Killers. Goshen College. [Online] Available at: web [ 4 May 2008 ] Bartel, M. 2007. Art Classroom Design, Goshen College. [Online] Available at: web [ 4 May 2008 ] Hatfield, T. 2007. Who Teaches Art?
What Is Learned? , Arts Education Policy Review, vol. 108, no. 5, p. 7 Elkind, D. and Sweet, F. 2006. Ethical Reasoning and the Art of Classroom Dialogue. Good Character. Com. [Online] Available at: web [ 4 May 2008 ] James, R. 2008. Trait-Based Design, American School & University, vol. 80, no. 5, p. 46 Lockwood, S. 2003.
The Window: Saving Creativity in Teens, New Horizons for Learning [Online] Available at: web [ 4 May 2008 ] Leonard, M. 2007. Great Art Projects for the Elementary School Classroom. Helium. Com. [Online] Available at: web [ 4 May 2008 ] Abstract: This paper contains suggestions as to how teachers can encourage students to utilize their creativeness in art classroom with the mean of choosing in favor of proper design for such a classroom. Outline: Part one Part two
Free research essays on topics related to: choose in favor, surrounding reality, political correctness, creative process, encourage students
Research essay sample on Choose In Favor Surrounding Reality
