By Berlin on May 10, 2017 |
Classroom management is one of the hardest elements of being an art teacher. If you don’t have a plan, philosophy or strategy then art-making takes a back seat. I believe it’s all about creating an environment in which your students look forward to coming to your class and equally important, creating an environment in which YOU want to come to class. Here are my 6 factors to consider when making your classroom management plan. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: Why the environment in the art room is so important to consider How I used my own energy as a basis for my art room environment Why inspiring lessons are so valuable Why you don’t need to overthink the structure of your lessons How I set the expectations in my art room How your ego can work against you and take away perspective Why having trust with children is so important (and how to maintain it) LISTEN TO THE SHOW SHOW NOTES Jess Lively’s Think About It The Intersection of Rational Mind and Intuitive Guidance with Erin Loechner Smart Classroom Management Painted Paper Art AME 016: 5 Mindset Shifts That Made A Difference In My Life AME 042: How To Engage, Inspire And Create Art Room Magic with Sally Haughey The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (affiliate link) A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle (affiliate...
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By Patty on Feb 22, 2017 |
On today’s episode, I’m talking with Sally Haughey from Fairy Dust Teaching. If you’re not familiar with her work, you really need to check out her blog, Fairy Dust Teaching. Sally and I chat about the best way to engage young children in the art making space. You’ll learn why the method Sally uses is just so important and effective with not only young children, but ones of all ages. This episode is for anyone who struggles with finding the right balance between a creative art-making space and behavioral expectations. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: How Sally decided to become a teacher based on her own struggles and her children’s struggles in the public school system How she saw the arts change the lives of at-risk children Why Sally says TRUST is the most important thing when it comes to classroom management for at-risk children How and why songs hold children’s attention better than anything else What three things Sally does when children enter the art room How Sally teaches art projects with a wide range of ages How Sally addresses poor behavior with the children in the classroom What is the difference between Reggio and Waldorf-inspired art and how Sally uses both in her teachings How Sally gauges the rhythm of her classroom in order to maintain a positive flow Subscribe to Art Made Easy and receive new episodes directly on your phone via your podcast App. Note: If you have an iPhone, subscribe in iTunes. If you have an Android phone, subscribe in Stitcher. For all the budding singers out there, DOWNLOAD SALLY’S ART SONGS PDF to get you started…. Just click the blue box, enter your name and email and I will email you the PDF. Make sure to check your junk mail (or promotions folder in gmail). SHOW NOTES: Fairy Dust Teaching Website Teacher Resources on Fairy Dust Teaching...
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By Patty on Oct 12, 2016 |
Do you get frustrated when your students rush to finish a project to work on free drawing or a coloring sheet? Do you find you are constantly being challenge to find solutions for early finishers? In this episode of Art Made Easy, I walk you through strategies to help your students finish an art project during the scheduled time plus tips to help you assess your lesson timelines, free choice activities and grade-level projects. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: Why you really need to step back and look at the reasons why timing is problematic in the first place What to expect when kids begin art projects How providing predictability in what your children can expect in the art room can go a long way in gauging how long it will take them to do a certain task How demonstrations can be used before, and during a lesson, to grow the listening and attention skills of your students Why your reaction matters The benefits of sticking to a lesson that was tested for that grade level Why setting up as many limitations as possible for the “perfectionist” student is the best thing you can do How to use free choice time effectively Why portfolios can be a good alternative to free choice The benefits of directed line drawings and how they can be used to help get a handle on how long children are able to work on a project Patty’s strategies and script for teaching a direct drawing Subscribe to Art Made Easy and receive new episodes directly on your phone via your podcast Ap. Note: If you have an iPhone, subscribe in iTunes. If you have an Android phone, subscribe in Stitcher. SHOW NOTES Draw & Paint a ¾ View Snowman Art Project How to Draw a Snowman without using Circles Art Project AME 025: All About Guided Drawings All About Free-Choice Art...
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By Patty Palmer on Apr 27, 2016 |
Do you teach art from a cart? Or travel from school to school with your car packed with art supplies and resources? Today’s guest Heidi O’Hanley has spent most of her career traveling from school to school and teaching from a cart. It sounds impossible and maybe even a bit scary, but Heidi is here to help you. Heidi blogs at Tales from the Traveling Art Teacher and shares what art projects are best, what art supplies to use and ways to make teaching art with little storage or space to work for you. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: – What to do when your classroom has no water source, and how your students can play an active role in the solution – Why communication is crucial when teaching art from a cart – How using Google Drive, Share Point and Pinterest can help with lesson planning – Helpful tips for when you’re teaching at multiple schools – What Heidi’s current blog is all about and how she came up with the name and concept – How using removable bins to hold supplies, how-to-draw books, resources & lessons plans makes traveling easier – The top questions Heidi gets asked by others about this type of art teaching – How to make clay project prep work when you are teaching art from a cart – The best part about teaching art from a cart – Why you should be proactive and set parameters before even starting a project – Easy cart projects to do, as well as the ones that you’ll find more challenging due to limitations LISTEN TO THE SHOW DOWNLOAD THIS FREE GUIDE I created this guide for you to act as a checklist for things to consider when teaching from a cart, what supplies are great for cart use and what type of projects work really well. Just click the yellow box below, enter your name and email and I will send you the free download to your email. SHOW NOTES: Deep Space Sparkle’s tips for teaching art from a cart Vincent Van Gogh’s Cat Camille and the Sunflowers You Are My Work of Art Why Is Blue Dog Blue? Tar Beach Tales from the Traveling...
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By Patty Palmer on Mar 23, 2016 |
Do your students blurt out at random moments during your demonstrations? Do you have trouble getting kids to listen or take you seriously? Do you have children that always seem to be pushing your buttons? Does your clean-up routine border on chaotic? I know that I’ve struggled with behavioral issues, stressful transitions and more than a few wild classes and I learned that unless I got those things under control, I wasn’t able to be an effective teacher. Although it may seem like achieving a happy balance between creating a consistent management philosophy and allowing freedom and creativity in your art room is next to impossible, I’m here to tell that it is completely doable. Michael Linsin is the author of Classroom Management for Art, Music, and PE Teachers and the author of the blog, Smart Classroom Management has the magic touch. He seems to know intuitively how to transform chaos into calm. A little word about the show… Podcasting is not as easy as it may appear. There are lot of steps to setting up interviews, recording and ultimately producing each episode that inevitable something always goes wrong. In this case, I had a problem with the sound quality on my end of the recording. My podcast editor had to do some fancy tweaking to make this interview easy on your ears. So if you notice any weird transitions, you know why. And as always, thanks for listening! LISTEN TO THE SHOW IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: Why a classroom management plan is necessary and the most important element of the whole teaching process How good classroom management can free you to be creative How body language can be used to set the right tone in a classroom Why having expectations of your kids is absolutely essential to creating your dream class Why the story behind the activity is more important than the activity itself The truth why 95% of classroom problems will disappear with an effective management plan The surprising things teachers do that unintentionally encourage bad behavior The #1 tip Michael has for all teachers looking to implement his system Here is an interview with Michael on Deep Space Sparkle Classroom Management for Art, Music, and PE Teachers on Amazon Join Michael’s weekly newsletter here...
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By Patty Palmer on Mar 16, 2016 |
If you teach art to children, no doubt that you’ve come across a child who is unhappy with their work. Some children become rattled by a torn piece of paper or even a color choice. What can you do to help these children work through the sticky points of art-making? There is plenty of advice out there but sometimes the best way to help a child is to put yourself in their shoes. In today’s show, I share my philosophy and how I approach frustrated artists, what I say and how I help children enjoy the creative process. LISTEN TO THE SHOW SHOW NOTES Beautiful Oops! The Dot Mistakes are a part of art. As soon as we can teach children this concept, the more fun you will have as an art teacher and the more creative the students will be. I can’t say where children get this notion that everything must be done correctly, but it certainly resides in many children’s heads. Some children are wired this way. I can see the battles some children create in their heads; these are the children where life is black and white, lines are either straight or crooked. There is very little doubt in this kid’s head that a drawing is correct or not. I don’t consider this a wrong state of being, but rather a child expressing his authentic self. My middle son is very exact. Everything he views in the world has a purpose and most concepts and ideas are linear. There is a correct sequence for everything. He was like this at 6 and he is the same at 16. Is he artistic? Nope. Not at all. But so what? He still enjoyed art at school because he was able to set aside his wired state and have some fun with his drawings without judgement. He loved directed drawing lessons because well, they were directed. You either did them right, or wrong (in his opinion, not mine!) So how do you see that mistakes are important to some children and that it’s not a reflection of you? It’s not easy, but I think it comes down to trust. I know my students. Well, the truth is, I often forget...
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