The content we teach in a traditional classroom compared to what is taught online can differ tremendously. Chances are, we have more materials and supplies readily available in our art rooms. When trying to teach art online, we have to keep in mind the materials our students will be able to access. But, we don’t want to throw our curriculum out the window entirely. Whatever setting our students are learning in, we want it to be meaningful, authentic, and worthwhile.
So, you’ve planned out an entire curriculum that works in the traditional classroom setting, but now you’re asked to teach it online. Converting your curriculum to enable both online learning and in-class teaching doesn’t have to be complicated. I’m going to share with you an ideal and flexible resource for teaching in a variety of settings.
Let’s take a deep dive into the FLEX Curriculum platform. Here you’ll learn how it can work for you in your physical or online classroom.
Lessons Plans Created with Standards
One of the best features of FLEX Curriculum is that you can scaffold your curriculum to work for your students. You have the freedom and liberty to pull particular lesson plans and resources to fit your needs. There are a lot of resources within the platform; some of them might fit within your teaching needs, while some don’t. You have total control over what you choose to include.
Lesson plans are appropriate for all grades as they are divided into “Beginner,” “Intermediate,” and “Advanced” levels. All lesson plans come written for you with the NCAS or your state standards included for you.
Step-By-Step Guides in Lesson Plans
Within the lesson plans are step-by-step guides to help teachers execute and deliver a lesson. Now, that doesn’t mean the step-by-step guides tell and show students what they have to create. What the guides provide are sequential steps and a way to visualize how one might complete a lesson. For students in the online setting, this is an invaluable tool they can use to check-in if they don’t have immediate communication with their teacher.
Resources Made for Students
Another critical feature of FLEX is the hundreds of ready to go resources for students. These range from instructional tools to assessments. You can pick and choose resources that work best for your students, and the best part is, they are already made for you! An additional highlight of the resources is the artist bios within the platform. These bios are excellent tools for students to learn about contemporary and historical artists.
Because the curriculum resources are student-facing, they can be printed as hard copies while in the classroom or easily added to any Learning Management System for students to reference. Learn how you can easily do that here.
Videos Made for Students
Within the FLEX platform, you’ll also find videos. These instructional videos cover topics like the elements and principles of art, as well as other art concepts like artist movements. In a traditional classroom setting, it would be typical to present and project the video for students to view. If you are teaching online, you can add any FLEX video to an LMS for students to view. Videos are captioned in English and Spanish, and there are no questionable ads or content that will pop-up, as these videos are made for kids!
If you’ve had the opportunity to take a look at the collections in FLEX, you’ll find an abundance of lesson plans and resources. Below you will find a highlighted list of lesson plans and resources that have worked exceptionally well while learning at home.
Creating with Everyday Objects Collection
Basic Still Life Collection
Cubist Animals
Pet Portraits
Temperature Contrast Logo Designs
Colorful Leaf Prints
Tree Branch Weavings
Layered Structured Drawings
Simple Landscapes Collection
Line in Everyday Life Collection
Nature Drawing Color Bleeds
Sketching to Shading Collection
Mixed Media Sculpture Collection
The above is just a small sampling of what you’ll find in the FLEX platform! After a little time exploring, you will find you can build a strong curriculum. The lessons and resources will continue to allow for authentic artmaking experiences, enable student voice and choice, and instill new learning.
What questions do you have about FLEX Curriculum?
What do you find most challenging about converting your classroom curriculum to the online setting?
Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.
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