Creating the Enviornment to Inspire Art/Design Making

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Dwellings Around the Globe

In this activity students will explore dwellings across the globe. They will conduct collaborative research on cliff dwellings, igloos, longhouses, and yurts.

›› Full lesson

	Coast-to-Coast B...
	60-30-10
	Turn Off the Tub...
	Tour + Workshop ...
	Tour + Workshop ...

›› Take the Tangent and Run

›› Working on my 1st design

›› CHAD & C-H SDI

›› Mural Project

›› Navigating through 'Conve

4/12/2007 7:32:02 PM Posted By Carolyne Kellner I'm talking about the classroom. We're very organized but there are lots of pictures hanging everywhere. We change displays often. We have pillows and cushions that serve as a "time out" area. We have cooperative seating for the most part but there is an usuused kiln room that doubles as a "quiet-private" working space and there are also individual desks off to the sides for those who "vant to be alone!" Students know where everything is and help themselves to the supplies. Students even sit at my desk, well, I'm never sitting down anyway. The kids really like to clean the room.
4/30/2007 11:03:42 AM Posted By Monique Fineman Wow! It sounds like you have a big room. I am still teaching art from a cart most of the time. I stay sane by satying organized. When I am organized my lessons run smoothly. The students work better when things are organized in the room as well because there is no question where to find supplies. I also have students help decide what is going to go to display and also help put the displays up. I think this gives ownership.
4/30/2007 6:07:30 PM Posted By Lisa Verrilli I am one of the lucky art teachers who has their own classroom. My room is also very large, so there is plenty of room for different centers and explorations. My first criteria for creating an inspirational evnvironment, though, is making sure the students understand that each person's creativity is valid and valued. No matter what it looks like. No one is permitted to respond negatively to a peer's work. All feedback must be positive and supportive. In this way, children feel free to create, not having the pressure of "Will other people like what I'm doing?" to hold them back. I also have various art prints around my room, and bulletin boards are PACKED with their artwork. So children can see that the only reason their work is not up is because I couldn't possibly fit another piece. Not because I judged their work and decided it wasn't good enough. I could probably write for days about this, but the last thing I will say is that I run a student driven class. Their view and opinion is valued as much as my own. Art is subjective. There is no right answer, only opinion and viewpoint. We disuss and think about things together, I don't dictate what things are or how they should do things.
5/1/2007 7:20:07 AM Posted By Monique Fineman Lisa, I am glad you brought up the importance of a student driven classroom. I know, for myself, it is sometimes hard to let go of the "control" and put the students in the drivers seat. It is something I constantly work on.
5/1/2007 7:47:47 AM Posted By Carolyne Kellner I also feel it is extremely important to regularly change the exhibits in the room. I never leave student work up for more than two weeks. We are on an A and B week schedule, so the students come in once every two weeks. I know teachers who keep stuff up from September!
5/1/2007 7:55:43 AM Posted By Carolyne Kellner I also have a saying in the class, "Mi casa es su casa", meaning "my house is yours". When the students come in, they self direct to where their projects have been saved, whether it is in a draw or in a box. They know where the different supplies are located. (Nothing more frustrating when a student asks for something, like where the garbage pail is, and they haven't looked, or where the permanently nailed "pencil sharpener" is, or where this is or where that is!! A lot of students don't use their eyes and are dependent on me for the most minisculue of details, I want them to find things for themselves, to think for themselves, that way I can focus on more important things like, "How is their perspective?' or how to solve a design dilemma. There is nothing more fabulous than an administrator coming in, seeing students moving about the room in a purposeful way, owning their class, their projects, their learning, their independence. I am sturctured with seating charts, and noise level is kept to a minimum (as long as its "accounatable talk", they can talk all they want!) but they are free to move about, leave to get a drink if they're ansty, etc. But its controlled. I had an administrator tell me he can tell the difference, I was concerned there was too much movement, but I think he was impressed. Sometimes I sit on a desk or a high chair and observe them like a lifeguard while they make their art. The students love to know that I watch them like a hawk!!
5/1/2007 8:04:46 AM Posted By Carolyne Kellner I always start the class with a demonstration around a large round table. The kids are not allowed to touch the table (becasue they crown around and the entire 26 kids behind the "inner circle" can't see. I tell them the table is "molten lava" so they can't touch it and therefore the students from the back can see. All the kids know the table is "molten lava" and they'll remind eachother. The demonstration is short, I timed their attention span and it is 7 minutes. So demonstrations never last more than 7 minutes. In order to introduce a lesson, I have atleast 3 student examples to show them, my demonstration, and an easel where the steps are listed with a rubric of how the project is graded. The demonstration is always peppered with humour, (I"ve got a sack of jokes), and I can get pretty silly...but like I said, there is criteria, a rubric, examples, and accountalbe talk-conversations. Remember they've been doing the three R's all day and here they get to use their imaginative/ creative side of their brain in the art room.
5/7/2007 9:26:30 PM Posted By Marianne Aalbue Lisa, I love the idea of different centers for explorations and have often played around with the idea of creating centers in my art room. However, it never seemed practical. I see my students once a week for 45 min. Between a mini lesson and/or demo, distribution of materials, the actual art making and cleanup, I'm never left with enough time for students to devote to centers. How do you coordinate center time?
5/13/2007 12:15:27 PM Posted By Kim Rakosky My class is conducting an art contest for kids with asthma at our school as part of our service learning project. It was their idea and has everyone excited and really engaged. We've written to local business for sponsorship, identified 92 students at school who have asthma via a survey, and are debating the best ways to judge and award prizes. The class decided the art should focus on showing the kids doing their favorite fun activities without asthma limiting them. Something I've always done during guided reading (when I'm with a small group) the rest of the class has a snack while working on a written assignment. When finished they work on any number of curriculum-related art-in-progress such as: book posters, cartoon retellings, flip and accordion books, and an occasional pop-up book. Keeps them motivated to eat quietly and stay focused on written work so they can get to the fun stuff!
5/14/2007 9:55:46 AM Posted By Nancy Katz Two years ago at the the elementary school I was teaching at on SI, NYC I was so delighted to finally have an art room after spending the year before scattered about the school on a three carts. My carts found a home and parking space in a stairwell that was not used much by students. Having the room, even though it was small , inspired much thought and action on shaping the environment to best serve the purpose of the class. I also felt like I was in the midst of the school buzz of how classrooms must be arranged as to having a rug and rocking chair and all the centers. I spent much time thinking and working and trying out the design in the room. My principal was very supportive and actually gave me time to work on those things. We did have a great library and places with wonderful objects, natural, man made to touch and observe and study. Sculptures of different materials from different cultures and places, paint charts, fabrics and other textured materials, and more. Students used the library corner rug as an alternative workplace at times. My students that year were primarily K-2 so they were smaller and worked better in the room's small space! As to the arrangement of furniture, it changed many times. This still goes on in my classes. The design of the environment needs at least for me to work with what we are doing. It is just difficult sometime when there is just too much furniture around. I am now doing some work at the high school with the advanced students- IB classes and drawing and painting. They are working in ways ai envisioned my elementary students working- researching, drawing, working with different materials to fit the ideas they are working with. I think one reason this doesn't happen as easily in the younger grades or even in other middle and high school classes is that the students don't have enough time spend in the environment for it to be their to work with and in. One 45 minute art class( as if the students had 1 45 minute math class a week) a week or less is not enough to give them ownership or continuity to their ideas, work and their environment. For me this is something to keep working on and thinking about.
6/9/2007 2:07:33 PM Posted By Lisa Verrilli Marianne, unfortunately, I have the same scenario you do. So you are correct, centers in the way you envision them is impractical. Usaually what I do is teach my mini-lesson from one particular center and the students work from there. The only time they have the time to explore different centers during their artmaking is when they are continuting a lesson that we started during the previous week. When this happens, the mini-lesson is not needed, giving them 10 - 15 more minutes of work time. Which may not seem like alot, but is actually a tremendous amount of time. And when students particpate in such long-term projects, they love being able to come in and get right to work - they usually plan out lots to do because they have ownership of the room.
6/11/2007 12:05:12 PM Posted By mel ruth my classroom is a shrine to the cultural and design aspects in our life. It is like walking into a museum. The students are excited to see a "new piece" exhibited in my class knowing that someday it will be theirs. Parents visit, guest visit, and teachers visit to see what is new. An environment catered in a certain way becomes a learbnin g tool. Often I am lecturing or referring to things around my room to make a point.
6/11/2007 12:17:36 PM Posted By George Latos I have seen (often) and used Carolyn's room. I think it is really great for the kids to have the separate spaces and for them to know each is used.
6/11/2007 1:30:21 PM Posted By Kathleen Lee Our rooms at the School of the Future are multipurpose rooms that allow us to do a lot with our space. When we were building our contour maps, we were able to use the science lab and with the spectacular outdoor views of the park, it really helped during our lessons on contours and slopes.
6/13/2007 11:31:30 PM Posted By sudha singh I think it is a great idea to have some aesthetic design in the room as it is so inspiring. Plants, artwork, sculptures can add a new dimension to learning and make the environment come alive. This is the paln for the coming year.
6/19/2007 9:43:29 PM Posted By Stephanie Mulvihill Space sometimes is a luxury. While the seperate spaces would be great, it's completely impractical in my room. I've got one room, no outside storage space (so ALL supplies are in my room) and upto 30 highschool students crammed inside. I've tried to have a "cool down" or quiet area for students to need to take a breather during class, but it's just not happening, unless I put them on top of a cabinet. Anyway, what I appreciate about Carolynes description of her room was the focus on differenciated instruction. I work with a lot of kids with IEP's in a general ed classroom, so students in one class can be at very different places (3rd grade reading levels mixed in with 9th grade reading levels). Becuase everyone is at so many different places, motivation is often very difficult. So, I'm looking to use more differenciated learning in my classes next year--letting students have more choice.
6/21/2007 3:56:56 PM Posted By Catherine Perry The very first 'art room' I ever had was just a regular classroom, and I had no materials at all whatsoever. I was simply directed to go there and wait for students to come into the room. From that day on, I took it upon myself to set up the room as best I could. I have gone through many a room, and they;ve all presented their own challenges, but the one thing I'd always made sure was to have plenty of art on the walls. I used to have one wall dedicated to 'professional' artwork, and keep separate from the students' work, but the more I thought about it, the more the idea appealed to me to mix up student work and museum posters, art ads or whatever other visuals I had. Although some administrators had concerns, I listened to the students' reactions, which were favorable. I find I have my best days when students are picking CDs from my music library, feeding, watering or pruning my plants, re doing the bulleting boards, re arranging desks, sweeping floors, arranging books; in other words, doing whatever they do to make a space their own. And I find that because I can't control the size, location, layout and structure of my art room, I can still make it an Art Room by having the students take over.
6/22/2007 12:06:34 AM Posted By Dorothy Ahoklui I think that every classroom should be brightly colored, inviting, and comfortable because it will not only inspire the spirit of art/design making but it will also open ignite the students minds to learning in general.
6/22/2007 4:00:44 PM Posted By Susan Miller Even at our private school setting, while we have an art room, it is packed with materials and shelves to hold student work, which is always on display, if not formally. There is wonderful light, though and I can't imagine a room without it, which is why so many art rooms, when thought of as an essential part of a school, are located on the top floor. We, too, gather around a large table to begin the lesson, unless the students are working on something ongoing. Usually, all students are working on the same lesson, same materials, but I have, in the past, tried out letting students choose what they want to work on, and which materials they want to use. I'd love to develop this model more, but I found it challenging to track different work, motivate students who couldn't figure out what to do and stay with it. Another time, I used a variation of this, where students chose an artist to study and then created something that was inspired by the artist, either using subject matter, or media/visual language. All the students had a similar assignment conceptually, but how they responded was varied. The results were varied and the kids all enjoyed: I had one student working on a shoebox Monet, with clay and paint, another on a clay sculpture of Lautrec's Can Can dancers, while another was printing out images and using color on them a la Andy Warhol. Kids used paint, wire, clay, wire mesh and surgical gauze and foam core board. it was challenging, but very exciting!
6/27/2007 12:54:02 PM Posted By Maxine Feldman-Cohen Mel, What time of things do you put on display?

4/12/2007 7:32:02 PM

Posted By Carolyne Kellner

I'm talking about the classroom. We're very organized but there are lots of pictures hanging everywhere. We change displays often. We have pillows and cushions that serve as a "time out" area. We have cooperative seating for the most part but there is an usuused kiln room that doubles as a "quiet-private" working space and there are also individual desks off to the sides for those who "vant to be alone!" Students know where everything is and help themselves to the supplies. Students even sit at my desk, well, I'm never sitting down anyway. The kids really like to clean the room.

4/30/2007 11:03:42 AM

Posted By Monique Fineman

Wow! It sounds like you have a big room. I am still teaching art from a cart most of the time. I stay sane by satying organized. When I am organized my lessons run smoothly. The students work better when things are organized in the room as well because there is no question where to find supplies. I also have students help decide what is going to go to display and also help put the displays up. I think this gives ownership.

4/30/2007 6:07:30 PM

Posted By Lisa Verrilli

I am one of the lucky art teachers who has their own classroom. My room is also very large, so there is plenty of room for different centers and explorations. My first criteria for creating an inspirational evnvironment, though, is making sure the students understand that each person's creativity is valid and valued. No matter what it looks like. No one is permitted to respond negatively to a peer's work. All feedback must be positive and supportive. In this way, children feel free to create, not having the pressure of "Will other people like what I'm doing?" to hold them back. I also have various art prints around my room, and bulletin boards are PACKED with their artwork. So children can see that the only reason their work is not up is because I couldn't possibly fit another piece. Not because I judged their work and decided it wasn't good enough. I could probably write for days about this, but the last thing I will say is that I run a student driven class. Their view and opinion is valued as much as my own. Art is subjective. There is no right answer, only opinion and viewpoint. We disuss and think about things together, I don't dictate what things are or how they should do things.

5/1/2007 7:20:07 AM

Posted By Monique Fineman

Lisa, I am glad you brought up the importance of a student driven classroom. I know, for myself, it is sometimes hard to let go of the "control" and put the students in the drivers seat. It is something I constantly work on.

5/1/2007 7:47:47 AM

Posted By Carolyne Kellner

I also feel it is extremely important to regularly change the exhibits in the room. I never leave student work up for more than two weeks. We are on an A and B week schedule, so the students come in once every two weeks. I know teachers who keep stuff up from September!

5/1/2007 7:55:43 AM

Posted By Carolyne Kellner

I also have a saying in the class, "Mi casa es su casa", meaning "my house is yours". When the students come in, they self direct to where their projects have been saved, whether it is in a draw or in a box. They know where the different supplies are located. (Nothing more frustrating when a student asks for something, like where the garbage pail is, and they haven't looked, or where the permanently nailed "pencil sharpener" is, or where this is or where that is!! A lot of students don't use their eyes and are dependent on me for the most minisculue of details, I want them to find things for themselves, to think for themselves, that way I can focus on more important things like, "How is their perspective?' or how to solve a design dilemma. There is nothing more fabulous than an administrator coming in, seeing students moving about the room in a purposeful way, owning their class, their projects, their learning, their independence. I am sturctured with seating charts, and noise level is kept to a minimum (as long as its "accounatable talk", they can talk all they want!) but they are free to move about, leave to get a drink if they're ansty, etc. But its controlled. I had an administrator tell me he can tell the difference, I was concerned there was too much movement, but I think he was impressed. Sometimes I sit on a desk or a high chair and observe them like a lifeguard while they make their art. The students love to know that I watch them like a hawk!!

5/1/2007 8:04:46 AM

Posted By Carolyne Kellner

I always start the class with a demonstration around a large round table. The kids are not allowed to touch the table (becasue they crown around and the entire 26 kids behind the "inner circle" can't see. I tell them the table is "molten lava" so they can't touch it and therefore the students from the back can see. All the kids know the table is "molten lava" and they'll remind eachother. The demonstration is short, I timed their attention span and it is 7 minutes. So demonstrations never last more than 7 minutes. In order to introduce a lesson, I have atleast 3 student examples to show them, my demonstration, and an easel where the steps are listed with a rubric of how the project is graded. The demonstration is always peppered with humour, (I"ve got a sack of jokes), and I can get pretty silly...but like I said, there is criteria, a rubric, examples, and accountalbe talk-conversations. Remember they've been doing the three R's all day and here they get to use their imaginative/ creative side of their brain in the art room.

5/7/2007 9:26:30 PM

Posted By Marianne Aalbue

Lisa, I love the idea of different centers for explorations and have often played around with the idea of creating centers in my art room. However, it never seemed practical. I see my students once a week for 45 min. Between a mini lesson and/or demo, distribution of materials, the actual art making and cleanup, I'm never left with enough time for students to devote to centers. How do you coordinate center time?

5/13/2007 12:15:27 PM

Posted By Kim Rakosky

My class is conducting an art contest for kids with asthma at our school as part of our service learning project. It was their idea and has everyone excited and really engaged. We've written to local business for sponsorship, identified 92 students at school who have asthma via a survey, and are debating the best ways to judge and award prizes. The class decided the art should focus on showing the kids doing their favorite fun activities without asthma limiting them. Something I've always done during guided reading (when I'm with a small group) the rest of the class has a snack while working on a written assignment. When finished they work on any number of curriculum-related art-in-progress such as: book posters, cartoon retellings, flip and accordion books, and an occasional pop-up book. Keeps them motivated to eat quietly and stay focused on written work so they can get to the fun stuff!

5/14/2007 9:55:46 AM

Posted By Nancy Katz

Two years ago at the the elementary school I was teaching at on SI, NYC I was so delighted to finally have an art room after spending the year before scattered about the school on a three carts. My carts found a home and parking space in a stairwell that was not used much by students. Having the room, even though it was small , inspired much thought and action on shaping the environment to best serve the purpose of the class. I also felt like I was in the midst of the school buzz of how classrooms must be arranged as to having a rug and rocking chair and all the centers. I spent much time thinking and working and trying out the design in the room. My principal was very supportive and actually gave me time to work on those things. We did have a great library and places with wonderful objects, natural, man made to touch and observe and study. Sculptures of different materials from different cultures and places, paint charts, fabrics and other textured materials, and more. Students used the library corner rug as an alternative workplace at times. My students that year were primarily K-2 so they were smaller and worked better in the room's small space! As to the arrangement of furniture, it changed many times. This still goes on in my classes. The design of the environment needs at least for me to work with what we are doing. It is just difficult sometime when there is just too much furniture around. I am now doing some work at the high school with the advanced students- IB classes and drawing and painting. They are working in ways ai envisioned my elementary students working- researching, drawing, working with different materials to fit the ideas they are working with. I think one reason this doesn't happen as easily in the younger grades or even in other middle and high school classes is that the students don't have enough time spend in the environment for it to be their to work with and in. One 45 minute art class( as if the students had 1 45 minute math class a week) a week or less is not enough to give them ownership or continuity to their ideas, work and their environment. For me this is something to keep working on and thinking about.

6/9/2007 2:07:33 PM

Posted By Lisa Verrilli

Marianne, unfortunately, I have the same scenario you do. So you are correct, centers in the way you envision them is impractical. Usaually what I do is teach my mini-lesson from one particular center and the students work from there. The only time they have the time to explore different centers during their artmaking is when they are continuting a lesson that we started during the previous week. When this happens, the mini-lesson is not needed, giving them 10 - 15 more minutes of work time. Which may not seem like alot, but is actually a tremendous amount of time. And when students particpate in such long-term projects, they love being able to come in and get right to work - they usually plan out lots to do because they have ownership of the room.

6/11/2007 12:05:12 PM

Posted By mel ruth

my classroom is a shrine to the cultural and design aspects in our life. It is like walking into a museum. The students are excited to see a "new piece" exhibited in my class knowing that someday it will be theirs. Parents visit, guest visit, and teachers visit to see what is new. An environment catered in a certain way becomes a learbnin g tool. Often I am lecturing or referring to things around my room to make a point.

6/11/2007 12:17:36 PM

Posted By George Latos

I have seen (often) and used Carolyn's room. I think it is really great for the kids to have the separate spaces and for them to know each is used.

6/11/2007 1:30:21 PM

Posted By Kathleen Lee

Our rooms at the School of the Future are multipurpose rooms that allow us to do a lot with our space. When we were building our contour maps, we were able to use the science lab and with the spectacular outdoor views of the park, it really helped during our lessons on contours and slopes.

6/13/2007 11:31:30 PM

Posted By sudha singh

I think it is a great idea to have some aesthetic design in the room as it is so inspiring. Plants, artwork, sculptures can add a new dimension to learning and make the environment come alive. This is the paln for the coming year.

6/19/2007 9:43:29 PM

Posted By Stephanie Mulvihill

Space sometimes is a luxury. While the seperate spaces would be great, it's completely impractical in my room. I've got one room, no outside storage space (so ALL supplies are in my room) and upto 30 highschool students crammed inside. I've tried to have a "cool down" or quiet area for students to need to take a breather during class, but it's just not happening, unless I put them on top of a cabinet. Anyway, what I appreciate about Carolynes description of her room was the focus on differenciated instruction. I work with a lot of kids with IEP's in a general ed classroom, so students in one class can be at very different places (3rd grade reading levels mixed in with 9th grade reading levels). Becuase everyone is at so many different places, motivation is often very difficult. So, I'm looking to use more differenciated learning in my classes next year--letting students have more choice.

6/21/2007 3:56:56 PM

Posted By Catherine Perry

The very first 'art room' I ever had was just a regular classroom, and I had no materials at all whatsoever. I was simply directed to go there and wait for students to come into the room. From that day on, I took it upon myself to set up the room as best I could. I have gone through many a room, and they;ve all presented their own challenges, but the one thing I'd always made sure was to have plenty of art on the walls. I used to have one wall dedicated to 'professional' artwork, and keep separate from the students' work, but the more I thought about it, the more the idea appealed to me to mix up student work and museum posters, art ads or whatever other visuals I had. Although some administrators had concerns, I listened to the students' reactions, which were favorable. I find I have my best days when students are picking CDs from my music library, feeding, watering or pruning my plants, re doing the bulleting boards, re arranging desks, sweeping floors, arranging books; in other words, doing whatever they do to make a space their own. And I find that because I can't control the size, location, layout and structure of my art room, I can still make it an Art Room by having the students take over.

6/22/2007 12:06:34 AM

Posted By Dorothy Ahoklui

I think that every classroom should be brightly colored, inviting, and comfortable because it will not only inspire the spirit of art/design making but it will also open ignite the students minds to learning in general.

6/22/2007 4:00:44 PM

Posted By Susan Miller

Even at our private school setting, while we have an art room, it is packed with materials and shelves to hold student work, which is always on display, if not formally. There is wonderful light, though and I can't imagine a room without it, which is why so many art rooms, when thought of as an essential part of a school, are located on the top floor. We, too, gather around a large table to begin the lesson, unless the students are working on something ongoing. Usually, all students are working on the same lesson, same materials, but I have, in the past, tried out letting students choose what they want to work on, and which materials they want to use. I'd love to develop this model more, but I found it challenging to track different work, motivate students who couldn't figure out what to do and stay with it. Another time, I used a variation of this, where students chose an artist to study and then created something that was inspired by the artist, either using subject matter, or media/visual language. All the students had a similar assignment conceptually, but how they responded was varied. The results were varied and the kids all enjoyed: I had one student working on a shoebox Monet, with clay and paint, another on a clay sculpture of Lautrec's Can Can dancers, while another was printing out images and using color on them a la Andy Warhol. Kids used paint, wire, clay, wire mesh and surgical gauze and foam core board. it was challenging, but very exciting!

6/27/2007 12:54:02 PM

Posted By Maxine Feldman-Cohen

Mel, What time of things do you put on display?

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