My 9th Review: Monster Mash: Learning Real-World Skills in a Creature-Creating Art Class 12/8/10

Summary

The article Monster Mash: Learning Real-World Skills in a Creature-Creating Art Class by Sara Bernard is an excellent example of how the process of learning art can relate to the real world in a creative way.  The collaboration on “masks, props, characters, and sculptures” clearly includes various forms of art creation and requires the knowledge of technique, use of equipment or tools, and an understanding of problem solving skills (Bernard, ¶2).  In this article the conflicting ideas of craft versus art are also mentioned (a common debate in the art classroom) and having a curriculum based approach to these types of art classes assists teachers in defining what is considered to be learning art (Bernard, ¶5).  Also, having the students create projects and interact with the public is not only a great way to create revenue for future art, but allows the students to build upon proposal presentation and contract negotiations (Bernard, ¶16).  My favorite quote in the article “My underlying goal is to make you (the student) a creative problem solver” also fits right into my search for activities that foster critical thinking skills in an environment that engages students and has possibilities for including other subject areas.

Reaction

I enjoyed reading Monster Mash: Learning Real-World Skills in a Creature-Creating Art Class as it touched upon the creation of projects, critical thinking skills and student engagement.  The classic debate between art and craft clearly continues in the field of teaching art, but defining projects based on curriculum requirements is certainly one way to establish appropriate expectations and distinctions (Bernard, ¶5).  The concept of community involvement and request for projects was also interesting, and an idea to consider for the future of any art based program looking to expand.  Jim Bycznski is an excellent example of one art teacher capturing his “Eureka! moment” and then using his networking and project development knowledge to assist students in learning interdisciplinary life skills (Bernard, ¶4). The public art field is a fast growing industry within the arts, and is beginning to be taught in University programs.

Source

Bernard, S. (2008, January 10) Monster Mash: Learning Real-Wrold Skills in a Creature-Creating Art Class

                Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/print/node/5113

Labels: Technology Integration