When the Student Designs the Project: Choice-Based Art
A 3rd grader just wrapped up her cardboard mosaic project when she looked at the leftover materials (hundreds of tiny unused cardboard squares, rectangles, and triangles) and said, “Let’s make Pokémon.” I had a new project prepped and ready to start the second half of class but she had an idea, and artists have ideas, it’s what they do. “You’re going to have to teach me about Pokémon.” And she did. But first she laid out the challenge: To make Pokémon using only the tiny pieces of cardboard we had available. “Can we cut the cardboard?” She thought long and hard about this, sifted her hand through a pile of cardboard mosaics and said, “Yes. But we can’t add any carboard that doesn’t already exist. Or make new colors.” This student had essentially just designed an art lesson. And I was happy to participate.
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We pulled up reference photos and began working as she told me about the world of Pokémon. By the time class ended we’d each completed one Pokémon. But what can one Pokémon do all alone without any other Pokémon? Apparently not much. So at our next 1:1 class the challenge continued. She wanted to have enough tiny Pokémon to hide all over her room…tucked in books, behind curtains, on window sills, etc.
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Art is a form of self expression so it makes perfect sense for children to want to make art that’s personally meaningful about things that are relevant to their lives and reflect their current interests. This experience reminded me of a model of Art Education called Choice-Based Art or Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB). This is essentially a student-centered approach to learning where teachers or facilitators really take a back seat and put students front and center. It’s often laid out in the form of stations with different materials. Students are not told what to make; they decide. It’s entirely up to them to create something with what’s in front of them…utilizing the possibilities of each medium and working within the constraints of each material…learning as they go. This is how art works….as Ilya Ehrenburg famously said, “Every master knows it is the material that teaches the artist.”
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Now let’s make sure we give the art teachers some credit here. A Choice-Based Art Classroom doesn’t just happen magically. It takes time to set up these expectations in a classroom full of children. Teachers must work out logistics for this to run smoothly, let students know how many classes they’ll have at each station so they can plan accordingly, and provide open-ended prompts for students who need them to get started. Teachers are there to offer advice when a student really needs it or to help students work through conflict. I would be lying if I said this wasn’t much easier to do with extremely small class sizes or one-on-one classes.
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Sooooo…this is a model you can set up in your own home! In this article by Kelly Phillips in The Art of Education University, she walks you through the 5 Essential Centers for Choice Based Classrooms (or spaces) and provides the materials needed to set up each center. If you don’t have the space to set up multiple centers at once try having them on rotation. Change it up every few weeks or once you sense your child is ready for something new. This is a wonderful, organic way for your children to explore their interests further and create art relevant to their lives. Already sick of Pokémon? Can’t see or hear any more about your child’s current obsession? Well…wouldn’t you rather they creatively express their interests instead of simply consuming it through the TV or the computer?