Bridging the Gap Between Intellectual Development and Life Skills in the Art Room

Posted: February 6, 2018

By Rossana Villaflor, Middle School Art Teacher

I found myself again in unfamiliar territory after my two and half years as a visual arts teacher. This year, I have been assigned to a different school fully packed with new students and over 500 names I must learn and memorize. Out of all the grade levels that I teach (K-8), I must admit that the eighth-grade crowd is a tough one. The thought of meeting my new eighth-graders kept me up till the late hours brainstorming on the best ways to kick-off the new school year on a positive note. I browsed through my best art assignments and comprehensive pre-tests, but something else was still missing. I needed to connect with my students and reach them on a more personal but lighthearted note. Then I realized, I am fully equipped with the Overcoming Obstacles Life Skills curricula – my foundation as a student, and now my lifeline as an art teacher.

I remember how welcomed and good I felt as a student when first meeting my Overcoming Obstacles teacher, and I began to feel at ease. I wanted my students to leave my art class feeling like I did as an Overcoming Obstacles student, if not better. I also remembered how overwhelming it could be for a student to meet a new teacher with a different set of rules and expectations, a new personality and teaching style to adjust to. I closed my eyes and I tried to envision a successful first day with my eighth-graders. Then, I browsed through my favorite Overcoming Obstacles lessons and selected the top three that I would use for the first day. It helps that any Overcoming Obstacles lesson can seamlessly be infused into my visual arts lessons and aligned to the core content standards. Before I knew it, my anxiety turned into excitement. I prepped my materials and handouts, and I was ready!

When the first-period bell rang on that first day of school, about thirty eighth-graders entered my classroom and it seemed like the room began to shrink. For a second, I felt my heart beat synchronized with the ticking of my classroom clock. I took a deep breath and greeted them with a smile and a friendly “good morning” while Mozart was playing quietly in the background. As the early morning chatters turned into silence and the students were settled in, we got through our formal introductions, established our classroom rules, and reviewed our safety and emergency exit procedures.

Soon after that, it was time for us to get to know each other. I presented them several artworks by famous artists like Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, and Pablo Picasso, and asked them which part of their artwork was most important. After several guesses, my eighth-graders ultimately discovered that the most significant piece of every artwork is the artist. Without the artist, there is no art to view, no art to experience nor to learn from and enjoy. But, before they can invest their time in getting to know any of the famous artists, they needed to answer a very important question: Who Are You? This is where the fun begins and Overcoming Obstacles comes in.

I facilitated the activity from the middle school curricula called “If I Were…”. I knew this would be the perfect activity for my students because it presented them a with a challenge to beat the clock while having them exercise their imagination to think outside the box. I encouraged students to be open-minded with the questions and be honest with their answers. Students were asked to write down their answers on an index card as quickly as they could and not to share them until later. I gave them a few moments before I moved on to the next question/statement. I ensured my students that our art room is a judgment-free zone and that respect is paramount in all our interactions. I also informed them that they were not required to share their answers once we were finished, but that it would be more fun if they did. As one brave student shared their answers, more and more students began to join in and we were on a roll. We also tossed around a soft stuffed toy to the volunteers who wanted to share their answers to make sure that only one person speaks at a time while everyone listens.

Here are some of the statements I used and slightly modified from the activity:

• If you were a character in a story or a movie, who would you be?
• If you had a superpower, what would it be?
• If you were one of the four elements—earth, wind, water, or fire—which one would you be?
• If you were a piece of clothing or accessory, what would you be?
• If you could choose the career that you want right now, what would it be?

In our debrief, one of my students asked, “So, what does this all have to do with art again?” I replied, “Remember, the artist is the most important part of any artwork. You will be the most important part of any work you create and complete in this class. Discovering more about who you and how you relate to the types of art and artists and cultures from around the world is just as important as the content you are learning.” I also added that they may need to refer to their answers for almost every art assignment they will receive, especially when depicting an abstract story of their life in the form of a painting or a drawing, or when selecting a motif for a self-portrait or collage.

Judging from my students’ reactions and responses, I can say that we had a fun and productive first day of art class. (Yes!) Our forty-five minute period appeared to have passed by like a breeze, and I noticed my students having a hard time leaving my room because they wanted to continue sharing more of their answers and stories with the class and me.

With my unlimited access to the life skills resources that Overcoming Obstacles has to offer, I know that I will have something special to offer all my students in each grade level: fulfilling and engaging activities that will bridge the gap between their intellectual development and their own social and emotional learning.