PowerPoint presented to ECIS Annual Conference, November 2004

1. art at the center
a presentation to
The European Council of International Schools
Annual Conference
November 2004
Tod Spedding, Grades 2/3 Teacher
The International School of Monterey
Monterey, California

2. Students in a self-contained second grade classroom
worked in a single medium (soft pastel chalk) weekly over
an extended period. The process of image-making, and the
body of work produced, reveals much about the individual
student, and the worlds of 6-8 year olds generally.

3. Agenda
• Background
• The Work
• The Significance
• Next Steps: Making Thinking Visible

4. Understanding Goals
• art is a powerful vehicle for deepening understanding: of
myself, my friends, and my world
• soft-pastel chalk is an ideal medium for use with younger
children
• children develop an understanding of a medium;
this takes time
• the work reveals a reservoir of imagination and affinity for
play/self-expression consistent with other aspects of the
childrens’ development

5. Personal Aims
• to solicit your feedback
• to provoke three questions:
is art in the classroom important?
why is it important?
how important is it?

6. Zoe

7. Zoe

8. Zoe

9. Zoe

10. Zoe

11. Zoe

12. Zoe

13. Zoe

14. Zoe

15. Zoe

16. Zoe

17. Bennett

18. Bennett

19. Bennett

20. Bennett

21. Bennett

22. Bennett

23. Bennett

24. Bennett

25. Background
• The International School of Monterey
• Caterina
• the medium
• the process
• the group critique
• teacher’s role
• into the community

26. The International School of Monterey
Background

27. The International School of Monterey
Background

28. Caterina
Background

29. the context

30. the context

31. the context

32. the context

33. the context

34. the medium
Background

35. the process
Background

36. the process
• students work for about an hour on Friday afternoons
Background

37. the process
• students work for about an hour on Friday afternoons
• use 18” x 24” sketch paper
Background

38. the process
• students work for about an hour on Friday afternoons
• use 18” x 24” sketch paper
• “two for me, the rest for you”
Background

39. the process
• students work for about an hour on Friday afternoons
• use 18” x 24” sketch paper
• “two for me, the rest for you”
• completed work is stacked in designated area
Background

40. the process
• students work for about an hour on Friday afternoons
• use 18” x 24” sketch paper
• “two for me, the rest for you”
• completed work is stacked in designated area
• sessions close with group critique
Background

41. the process
• students work for about an hour on Friday afternoons
• use 18” x 24” sketch paper
• “two for me, the rest for you”
• completed work is stacked in designated area
• sessions close with group critique
• work samples are hung for public viewing
Background

44. the critique
Background

45. teacher’s role
Background

46. teacher’s role
• be patient
Background

47. teacher’s role
• be patient
• be a purveyor of positives
Background

48. teacher’s role
• be patient
• be a purveyor of positives
• create a positive/attentive milieu: an attitude of
work/play
Background

49. teacher’s role
• be patient
• be a purveyor of positives
• create a positive/attentive milieu: an attitude of
work/play
• point out interesting ideas: foster reciprocal feeding
Background

50. teacher’s role
• be patient
• be a purveyor of positives
• create a positive/attentive milieu: an attitude of
work/play
• point out interesting ideas: foster reciprocal feeding
• practice procedures
Background

51. teacher’s role
• be patient
• be a purveyor of positives
• create a positive/attentive milieu: an attitude of
work/play
• point out interesting ideas: foster reciprocal feeding
• practice procedures
• surround kids with their work
Background

52. teacher’s role
• be patient
• be a purveyor of positives
• create a positive/attentive milieu: an attitude of
work/play
• point out interesting ideas: foster reciprocal feeding
• practice procedures
• surround kids with their work
• emphasize process: generate body of work
(with occasional masterpieces)
Background

53. teacher’s role
• encourage routine reflection:
what am I seeing? tell me about your picture?
Background

54. teacher’s role
focusing on skills
Background

55. teacher’s role
focusing on skills
• skills embedded
Background

56. teacher’s role
focusing on skills
• skills embedded
• attitude: assume developmental trajectory re medium:
kids need to slap, splat, create mud, then move beyond it
Background

57. teacher’s role
focusing on skills
• skills embedded
• attitude: assume developmental trajectory re medium:
kids need to slap, splat, create mud, then move beyond it
• use all of paper; fill the white space
Background

58. teacher’s role
focusing on skills
• skills embedded
• attitude: assume developmental trajectory re medium:
kids need to slap, splat, create mud, then move beyond it
• use all of paper; fill the white space
• use of color: hot/cool, what works (discussed within
critique), awareness of color references: color wheel,
color books
Background

59. teacher’s role
focusing on skills
• skills embedded
• attitude: assume developmental trajectory re medium:
kids need to slap, splat, create mud, then move beyond it
• use all of paper; fill the white space
• use of color: hot/cool, what works (discussed within
critique), awareness of color references: color wheel,
color books
• point of view: experiment/explore, get close, take an
interesting angle
Background

60. teacher’s role
focusing on skills
• layering: becoming aware of near-middle-background
Background

61. teacher’s role
focusing on skills
• layering: becoming aware of near-middle-background
• observe and push habits/stereotypes
Background

62. teacher’s role
focusing on skills
• layering: becoming aware of near-middle-background
• observe and push habits/stereotypes
• experiment with textures
Background

63. teacher’s role
focusing on skills
• layering: becoming aware of near-middle-background
• observe and push habits/stereotypes
• experiment with textures
• use of outlining
Background

64. teacher’s role
focusing on skills
• layering: becoming aware of near-middle-background
• observe and push habits/stereotypes
• experiment with textures
• use of outlining
• why does her hair have to be brown?
what’s wrong with purple?
Background

65. teacher’s role
focusing on skills
• layering: becoming aware of near-middle-background
• observe and push habits/stereotypes
• experiment with textures
• use of outlining
• why does her hair have to be brown?
what’s wrong with purple?
• seeing: observe what’s in front of you
Background

66. teacher’s role
focusing on skills
• layering: becoming aware of near-middle-background
• observe and push habits/stereotypes
• experiment with textures
• use of outlining
• why does her hair have to be brown?
what’s wrong with purple?
• seeing: observe what’s in front of you
• making connections with writing
Background

67. into the community
Background

68. into the community
Background

69. into the community
Background

70. into the community
Basically, it’s a picture with lots of
designs. I put in boxes, and they’re
full of colors and lines. I disguised
my name, because it’s really cool.
The ice cream came from Zoe, these
colors came from Skye-Marie. The
idea of the hot dog just came up.
Reece, Grade 2
Background

71. into the community
Background

72. into the community
This is from Tiger Rising (a novel by Kate
DiCamillo). The part I was thinking about was
when they (Rob and his mother) were looking
out the window and his mother was saying,
“Look, Rob, isn’t that the prettiest color of
green.” She was there every morning with Rob.
I put Rob’s hair up and down because I
thought he didn’t just have flat hair like his
mother.
Reeve, Grade 2
Background Art as a vehicle for deepening understanding.

73. the work

74. the work
Caterina
Elijah
Audrey
Reeve
James
Skye-Marie

75. Caterina

76. Caterina

77. Caterina

78. Caterina

79. Caterina

80. Caterina

81. Caterina

82. Caterina

83. Caterina

84. Caterina

85. Elijah

86. Elijah

87. Elijah

88. Elijah

89. Elijah

90. Elijah

91. Elijah

92. Elijah

93. Elijah

94. Elijah

95. Elijah

96. Elijah

97. Audrey

98. Audrey

99. Audrey

100. Audrey

101. Audrey

102. Audrey

103. Audrey

104. Audrey

105. Reeve

106. Reeve

107. Reeve

108. Reeve

109. Reeve

110. Reeve

111. Reeve

112. James

113. James

114. James

115. James

116. James

117. James

118. Skye-Marie

119. Skye-Marie

120. Skye-Marie

121. Skye-Marie

122. Skye-Marie

123. Skye-Marie

124. The Significance

125. The Significance
• art as a reflection of proclivities/intelligences

126. The Significance
• art as a reflection of proclivities/intelligences
• art as a vehicle for building self-esteem/self-efficacy

127. The Significance
• art as a reflection of proclivities/intelligences
• art as a vehicle for building self-esteem/self-efficacy
• art as a vehicle for revealing the worlds of children

128. The Significance
• art as a reflection of proclivities/intelligences
• art as a vehicle for building self-esteem/self-efficacy
• art as a vehicle for revealing the worlds of children
• art-making as an opportunity for thinking: exploring,
experimenting, inventing, reflecting, seeing

129. The Significance
• art as a reflection of proclivities/intelligences
• art as a vehicle for building self-esteem/self-efficacy
• art as a vehicle for revealing the worlds of children
• art-making as an opportunity for thinking: exploring,
experimenting, inventing, reflecting, seeing
• art as a vehicle for fostering an enjoyment/love/passion for
self-expression

130. The Significance
• art as a reflection of proclivities/intelligences
• art as a vehicle for building self-esteem/self-efficacy
• art as a vehicle for revealing the worlds of children
• art-making as an opportunity for thinking: exploring,
experimenting, inventing, reflecting, seeing
• art as a vehicle for fostering an enjoyment/love/passion for
self-expression
• the art milieu fosters an exchange of good ideas, and
interesting ways of seeing/perceiving

131. The Significance
• art as a vehicle for exploring ideas, and deepening
understanding of the curriculum

132. The Significance
• art as a vehicle for exploring ideas, and deepening
understanding of the curriculum
• art as an opportunity for exploring points of view and
perspectives

133. The Significance
• art as a vehicle for exploring ideas, and deepening
understanding of the curriculum
• art as an opportunity for exploring points of view and
perspectives
• art as an opportunity for observing how I’m similar to and
different from my classmates;
art as a opportunity for observing/reflecting on how I’m unique

134. The Significance
• art as a vehicle for exploring ideas, and deepening
understanding of the curriculum
• art as an opportunity for exploring points of view and
perspectives
• art as an opportunity for observing how I’m similar to and
different from my classmates;
art as a opportunity for observing/reflecting on how I’m unique
• art as a reflection of my current psychological state

135. The Significance
• art as a vehicle for exploring ideas, and deepening
understanding of the curriculum
• art as an opportunity for exploring points of view and
perspectives
• art as an opportunity for observing how I’m similar to and
different from my classmates;
art as a opportunity for observing/reflecting on how I’m unique
• art as a reflection of my current psychological state
• art as a reflection of my general
milieu/atmosphere/impressions

136. The Significance
• art as a vehicle for expressing big ideas

137. The Significance
• art as a vehicle for expressing big ideas
• art as an opportunity for observing maturation, habits of
mind, stereotypical thinking

138. examples from six areas
art as a vehicle for deepening understanding of the curriculum
art as a vehicle for recognizing stress
art as a vehicle for observing mood
art as an opportunity for exploring point of view and perspective
crossing medium
art as a reflection of essential qualities
The Significance

139. art as a vehicle for deepening
understanding of the curriculum
• The Lif e & Tim of M c Chagal l
es ar
• You Ar e What You Eat
• M at ion
igr
• Snow W e
hit
• Tiger Rising
The Significance

140. The Lif e & Tim of M c Chagal l
es ar
The Significance

152. M at ion
igr
M at ion
igr
The Significance You Ar e What You Eat

157. Snow W e
hit
The Significance

160. Tiger Rising
The Significance

165. art as a vehicle for recognizing stress
The Significance

180. art as a vehicle for observing mood
The Significance

188. art as an opportunity for exploring
points of view and perspectives
The Significance

193. art as an opportunity for observing
maturation
The Significance

199. crossing medium
The Significance

214. art as a reflection of essential qualities
The Significance

234. Next Steps: Making Thinking Visible

235. Ron Ritchhard’s
Intellectual Character:
What is it, why it matters, how to get it

236. Ron Ritchhard’s
Intellectual Character:
What is it, why it matters, how to get it
focuses on fostering intellectual character: habits of
mind, patterns of thought, dispositions of thinking that
direct and motivate thinking
available through Harvard Project Zero
http://pzweb.harvard.edu

237. Ron Ritchhard’s
Intellectual Character:
What is it, why it matters, how to get it
art as an opportunity for thinking

238. Ron Ritchhard’s
Intellectual Character:
What is it, why it matters, how to get it
art as an opportunity for thinking
open-minded/flexible
curious
reflective
seek understanding
strategic/planful
probing

239. Ron Ritchhard’s
Intellectual Character:
What is it, why it matters, how to get it
video documentation in two areas:
the critique
the student interview

240. Understanding Goals
• art is a powerful vehicle for deepening understanding: of
myself, my friends, and my world
• soft-pastel chalk is an ideal medium for use with younger
children
• children develop an understanding of a medium;
this takes time
• the work reveals a reservoir of imagination and affinity for
play/self-expression consistent with other aspects of their
development

241. Personal Aims
• to solicit your feedback
• to provoke three questions:
is art in the classroom important?
why is it important?
how important is it?