The November Mailbag: Staying Hands-On, Critiquing Social Media, and Calmer Classrooms (Ep. 542)

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  • Meaningful One-Day Lesson Ideas for When Time and Art Supplies Are Scarce
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Transcript

Tim Bogatz: Hello, everyone, and welcome to the month of November. Thank you for joining us for the November mailbag. With us, as always, is Amanda Heyn. Amanda, how are you?

Amanda Heyn: I’m great. I’m very excited. How are you?

Tim Bogatz: I’m also doing very well. Hopefully, everybody listening had a great Halloween. We can talk about that in just a second, but first I want to say thank you to everybody who sent suggestions for more songs to add to Jen’s playlist. We received lots of great feedback from last week’s Halloween episode.

Also, last month we talked about life drawing stories. Thank you to everybody who sent in your own stories. They were entertaining. However, Amanda and I discussed it and decided that they probably aren’t appropriate for a podcast, so we’re not going to put together an official episode. Thank you for sharing, though. They were wildly entertaining—just not quite right for an educational podcast.

Amanda Heyn: We liked reading them.

Tim Bogatz: Yes, we did. Before we get to Halloween stories and everything else we want to share, we need to do introductions. Amanda, can you tell everybody who you are?

Amanda Heyn: My name is Amanda Heyn. I’m the director of community engagement here, and I oversee many of the things you consume, including the magazine, the podcast, the Art Ed NOW conference, the community, and YouTube. I was an elementary art teacher before working for AOEU.

Tim Bogatz: And our YouTube channel—don’t forget the YouTube channel.

My name is Tim Bogatz. I host this podcast every week, and once a month Amanda and I do the mailbag episode. I also put together the Art Ed NOW conference twice a year. You’ll start hearing a lot more about that in the coming months because we’re very excited about the conference. We’ll chat about that in just a bit.

Amanda, can you tell us what else is happening soon in the Art of Ed community?

Amanda Heyn: I sure can. Art Club Alarm Bell is this Thursday at 7 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. Central, in the Art of Ed Community. It’s free to join if you’re not there already. I think we’re getting close to 11,000 members, which is wild. If you aren’t one of those 11,000 awesome, creative people, please become one. You can go to community.theartofeducation.edu to sign up for free.

All of our events are free, and we have a special one this Thursday. Matt Borak from the Center for the Advancement of Art Education, which is run by AOEU, is going to help us think about advocacy in a really practical way. He’ll share tangible strategies, and we’ll have an exclusive classroom download available for anybody who joins us. It will be a perfect activity for sub days or those days when students are on a different schedule—field-trip days, concert days, or whenever you need a flexible activity.

All you need is paper and drawing and coloring materials, so the supplies are very easy. Come join us.

Tim Bogatz: I also wanted to tell everybody about Pop-Up Studio. It’s about two weeks from now, on November 18, again at 7 p.m. Eastern and 6 p.m. Central. It’s a great time to hang out and make art, work on whatever you’re working on, and find some community. As Jen always says, “Lurk while you work,” which I love.

It’s a chance to spend time with other creative people while you work on whatever creative pursuit you want to do. I think they’re also giving away a gift card, and they do the raffle at the end of the hour.

Amanda Heyn: Yes. Every Art Club and every Pop-Up Studio gives you a chance to win a $50 gift card. Sometimes it’s to the AOEU store, sometimes it’s to Blick, and sometimes it’s a surprise. You can find all of those events in the community. There’s a side panel where you can click “Events and Replays.” You can find all of our events there, RSVP, and add them to your calendar very easily.

Tim Bogatz: And if you ever miss an event, you can go back because it’s “Events and Replays.” Jen puts the recordings there so you can watch later if you need to.

I also mentioned one other thing: the Art Ed NOW conference happening at the end of January. We’re very excited about everything we’re putting together. We’ve been rolling out announcements for presenters and presentations, and there are some great topics and presenters. It’s going to be a lot of fun.

You can check out all of the presenters we’ve released so far at theartofeducation.edu/now. Make sure you check your email and social media, too. We’ll continue to announce more, but you can find all the information and register on the website.

Amanda Heyn: It’s also still in early-bird pricing, so it’s $20 off, which is important to know.

Tim Bogatz: Thank you. That is important to know. We would love to see everybody there at the end of January. We couldn’t be more excited.

Halloween Stories

Tim Bogatz: Amanda, we need to discuss Halloween. You’ve talked about the really fun costumes both of your boys have been putting together, so I’d love to know how everything finished up.

Amanda Heyn: If you’re following along on Instagram, my house has been trashed since October 1. I mean that literally. It hasn’t just been a little messy. There have been cutting tools on the floor, files, hot glue guns, funnels, and rice all over the kitchen.

I keep joking that we have the Kevin McCallister security system: no one is getting through. I’m sounding like a terrible, negligent parent, but I would like to say that I’m really fostering creativity. We do a safety check every night to make sure the house isn’t going to burn down and nobody is going to get impaled.

It has been really fun to watch the ideas come to life. My 13-year-old made a mech suit, where a tiny person controls the larger person. It ended up being incredible. He scanned his face, 3D-printed it, and made the tiny person. Then he made the larger person’s arms move using an old shoelace filled with rice.

Tim Bogatz: I love it.

Amanda Heyn: There were funnels and rice all over the kitchen for that part. He also took apart a ceiling fan. He had a friend over to take apart ceiling fans, which was quite a day.

Tim Bogatz: Was the ceiling fan originally attached to your ceiling, or did they get it somewhere else?

Amanda Heyn: Great question. We recently replaced two very classic ’90s fans in our home. The Restore near us specifically said, “No brass ’90s fixtures.” They must be inundated with them. I told the boys they could strip them for parts and have their friend over.

My son attached the pull chain in this strange way to make gears move and make the arm move. His mech suit made him about eight feet tall because he was essentially standing on stilts—or platforms, I guess.

He was trying to figure out how it would work and getting really frustrated. I said, “Hey, bud, do you need something? Do you need to take a deep breath?” All I got back was, “This would have been so much easier if you had just let me buy those drywall stilts when I wanted to.”

Tim Bogatz: Does he fit through doors when the costume is eight feet tall?

Amanda Heyn: It might not actually have been eight feet. Maybe seven. He didn’t really have to duck to go through a door, but it was tight.

My 10-year-old decided the scariest thing he could think of was homework. We had started by sewing pages together to make a fabric-like material, but that wasn’t working. So we took an old suit coat, cut the arms off, and hot-glued homework all over it. It looked like he was wearing a pile of homework.

Then the 13-year-old made him a hat using homework. There was no internal structure; it was just folded, cut, and glued paper. It was really fun.

I went as Ms. Frizzle, as I have before, but I did a new version: Weather Ms. Frizzle. I purchased a Liz the Lizard purse this year to add to the ensemble, which was very fun.

My husband also used the fact that the Brewers had just won the World Series as an opportunity to buy an official jersey. He was a second baseman in high school, so he wore the jersey and baseball pants. I’m a fan of Toby wearing baseball pants, so it worked out for all of us.

Tim Bogatz: I love it. There wasn’t as much Halloween activity at my house. We had a fire pit, passed out candy, hung out in the driveway, and enjoyed the scene. My daughter is at college, and my son went trick-or-treating with his girlfriend and younger siblings, so they had a good time.

Those of you who listen a lot know that my daughter goes to school in New York. We had college-visit week before Halloween, so I got to see her, which was exciting.

What was especially exciting was going to the Met because they had a Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock exhibit with about 120 paintings between the two of them. It was fabulous.

The whole idea of the exhibit was, “Lee Krasner is much more important than you thought she was,” not only because of her own art career, but also because of her relationship with Pollock and the work she did to promote him and get his work out there.

My senior thesis was about Lee Krasner, so a lot of the ideas I was saying then were exactly what this exhibit was saying. It was really cool to see somebody say it much better than I did while following the same general line of thought.

There was a lot of work I hadn’t seen before. Then there was one room with Krasner paintings from the late 1940s and early 1950s that I had spent so much time looking at and writing about in college. I walked in and thought, “My old friends are here.”

It sounds weird, but there was a feeling of familiarity and warmth. I had spent so much time staring at those paintings, and now they were right in front of me in real life. It was very cool. They also had some of Pollock’s best work, including Autumn Rhythm and Number 1, 1950. It was an incredible exhibit.

Question One: How Can I Advocate for Hands-On Artmaking?

Tim Bogatz: All of that being said, we have lots of questions to get to—very good ones. These are all questions from listeners. If you’d like to submit your own, email me at timothybogatz@theartofeducation.edu or email podcast@theartofeducation.edu. We’ll see if we can answer yours in a future mailbag.

Amanda, would you like to do the honors?

Amanda Heyn: Let’s open the mailbag.

Tim Bogatz: Our first question is from Lauren in Vermont. Lauren says:

I teach pre-K through fifth grade, and I’m receiving a lot of pressure from my principal and assistant principal to do more digital art and more projects on devices with my students. I understand that digital art can be important, but kids are on screens all day. I want to have students in the art room working with their hands and tactile materials and observing the world around them.

Do you have advice on pushing back or responding to the pressure in a professional way? I really want to prioritize the kind of artmaking I think my students need.

Great question. Amanda, what are your thoughts?

Amanda Heyn: This is a great question. The first time I read it, I wondered where the pressure was coming from. Is this truly what the administrators want, or are they getting pressure from the district or from parents?

There may be some data point tied to device usage that is being used to rationalize an expense. Regardless, I’m a huge fan of advocating for not using devices when they aren’t the best fit. I think approaching the situation with curiosity might help. Why do they want students to create art on devices?

This is interesting because many administrators don’t have an intimate knowledge of what happens in the art room. My guess is that they may not be able to articulate the artistic reason for wanting more device use. There may be another reason. Once you understand that reason, you can structure your response.

For example, if they say that using a device will make students career-ready, you can point to research showing that employers are looking for creative thinkers and problem solvers—not just people who know how to use a particular device.

In the age of AI, a computer can make digital art all by itself. Is it good? No—we’ve all seen the flyers. That’s a whole different episode. But students still need to think critically, take risks, and fail forward. There are many ways to support those outcomes that don’t involve a screen.

I would also bring in research about the development of fine motor skills because art is one of the most important places—and sometimes the only place—where students develop those skills.

I have a friend who works in early childhood education with three- and four-year-olds. Many of those children come in, open a book, and start swiping. They don’t know how a book works, let alone how to use a pencil, crayon, or pair of scissors.

That could be an important avenue for your advocacy. I would also point you to the Center for the Advancement of Art Education, which conducts studies and publishes research. One resource is called “The Academic Benefits of Fine Motor.” There are many more resources there to explore.

I’d also encourage you to come to the Art Ed NOW conference because we’ll have an entire hour dedicated to advocacy—advocating for yourself, your program, and your students. We’re going to do an activity that helps you make an advocacy plan about an issue you care about. This would be a perfect example of something you could dig into and build a strong case for.

If you have to throw your administrators a bone, tell them, “Great. We’ll use devices to document our artwork.” Digital portfolios, artist statements, reflections, and student recordings can all be useful. You can incorporate technology without allowing it to take over the curriculum.

Tim Bogatz: Those are great ideas. I want to circle back to the fine motor skills because that’s exactly where my head went, too. Digital art can be part of the curriculum, but it should be complementary. It shouldn’t take over.

Students need practice with cutting, folding, building, drawing, manipulating materials, opening books, and using scissors and glue. Those fine motor skills are important, and students may not be getting enough practice with them anywhere else. The art room is a key place for helping students develop all of those skills.

As far as being professional, I tried to come up with the most professional sentence I could. You could email your principal and say, “I’d love to understand what outcomes you’re hoping digital art will support. Then I can suggest where technology fits within the curriculum.”

Get in writing what they want. Then you can build in something that uses technology in a meaningful way. You can show that you’re listening and willing to compromise while still protecting what you need to teach and what your curriculum should be.

As Amanda said, you can use technology for documentation, portfolios, artist statements, reflections, or students talking about their work. Find a way to use it, even if it doesn’t significantly affect your core curriculum.

Amanda Heyn: Exactly. When you ask that question, you may discover that you don’t actually need to push back. You might only need to add one digital art lesson per semester, or use devices for documentation. Communication and clarification may go a long way.

Question Two: How Can I Help Students Stop Comparing Their Art to Social Media?

Tim Bogatz: Our next question is from Marcus in California. Marcus says:

I teach middle school, and my students are constantly comparing their own artwork to the art they see on social media. Many of them become frustrated before they even begin because they assume their work should look professional right away. What advice do you have for helping students develop realistic expectations about learning to make art?

How do we talk about social media in a way that acknowledges its influence while helping students understand they are only seeing carefully selected, edited, or highly practiced work?

That’s a very professional question. How should we approach it?

Tim Bogatz: My favorite quote is from Theodore Roosevelt: “Comparison is the thief of joy.” I was telling my students that long before social media, so I don’t want to sound too old here.

It’s important to remind students that they are on their own journey. They are creating their own work, and they should be proud of what they’re doing. If comparison is a pervasive issue, though, it’s worth having a larger conversation about social media.

Talk about the tools content creators use to grab attention and make videos and artwork look better. Discuss curation and all the realities of social media. People show their best work. They show the pinnacle of what they can do—not the grind, the failed attempts, or the years they spent practicing, because that usually doesn’t get as many views.

You can say, “It’s fine to enjoy this, but it isn’t reality. This is not how artists learn, and this is not how most artists’ work looks every day.” Students may get there eventually, but they can’t expect every piece to look like a highly polished social media post right away.

One way to make that visible is to show what artists actually do: process work, sketches, sketchbooks, studies, and the many steps they take to complete a finished piece. Show students the twelve or fourteen sketches that came before the final artwork.

Those artworks and reels can be entertaining, but they don’t show the full process. From there, you can talk about what students learn by going through the process, how they get better, and how to set process-based goals instead of only focusing on an impressive finished product.

Can students try several color schemes? Can they make multiple sketches? Can they develop a specific skill? Helping them see the long process and the development that goes into art can bridge the gap between social media and real life.

Amanda Heyn: I agree. The algorithm doesn’t prioritize people figuring things out unless someone clips the process into ten seconds and remixes it somehow. It prioritizes short clips of people’s best, shiniest, most impressive work. That’s what gets reshared.

Having an honest conversation about that is important. Middle school students respond well when you let them in on how things work. They don’t want to be tricked or out of the loop. If you say, “Come into the loop and let me show you what this actually takes,” they enjoy understanding how technology companies and algorithms influence what they see.

The other thing I’d add is that we have a public-relations problem in art: skill seems to be directly tied to inherent talent. That’s where the phrase “I can’t even draw a stick figure” comes from.

I was pretty good at drawing as a kid, and I enjoyed it. Am I much better now that I’ve practiced for 30 years? Absolutely. My students used to ask, “Mrs. Heyn, how are you so good at art?” I’d think, “What do you mean? How do you think?”

Would students ask their math teacher, “How are you so good at math?” Probably not. They understand that the teacher went to high school, took math, went to college, and now uses math regularly. There’s a strange disconnect with art where people don’t apply the same logic.

Students need to understand that practice matters in art just as it matters in soccer, cello, studying, or any other skill. Once they understand that, they can also recognize that art is not an easy A. If you’re doing art well, it’s hard. It’s hard to develop ideas, refine your skills, and improve to an exemplary level.

In addition to talking about social media, talk about what it actually takes to get better at making art.

Tim Bogatz: Absolutely. That’s very well said.

Question Three: How Can I Keep Students from Becoming “Feral Cats” During Cleanup?

Tim Bogatz: Our third question is from Jamie in Ohio. Jamie says:

I’ve been teaching for a while now—long enough that I feel like I should have my stuff together—but I don’t, at least when it comes to materials. I don’t want to micromanage, and I don’t have the personality for it. But if I don’t, my students turn into feral cats during cleanup.

I don’t have the time and energy to babysit them during cleanup, and I definitely don’t have the time and energy to clean up after them. I teach high school. What’s your advice?

Amanda, what is your advice for avoiding feral cats during cleanup?

Amanda Heyn: We need a theme song for routines. Maybe the slogan is, “There’s a routine for that.”

The beauty of a routine is that there is no micromanaging—or at least you aren’t micromanaging everyone. Maybe there are two feral cats in your room instead of twenty, and you can deal with those two.

The solution is either that you taught the routine well or that you practice the routine again. I realize most people don’t share my view that materials, organization, and routines are fun. It’s a lot of work, but that work pays dividends over time. Once you train students what to do at the end of class, the room can run itself for the most part.

It does take time to get there. If you don’t like routines or they don’t come naturally to you, simply hearing “Use routines” isn’t very helpful, so here are two specific ideas.

First, use anchor charts with pictures of what things should look like at the end of class. Post a photograph of a clean sink above the sink. Students can compare the actual sink with the photograph and figure out what still needs to happen.

You can do the same thing for a table caddy, a supply shelf, a drying rack, or any other area of the room. Tim, you’re a big fan of labels and picture labels, so this is the same idea. Make the expected outcome visible.

Second, some high school teachers have success assigning materials to specific students. Each student is responsible for taking care of particular materials. If someone doesn’t wash the brushes, they may be painting with Q-tips next time. That approach may require additional supplies or planning, so it depends on your situation.

Tim Bogatz: I’m completely in agreement. Teach and reteach your routines and expectations, and give extra time for them. Tell students that cleanup is part of the lesson. Explain what they need to do, and give them the time to figure it out.

You might have students with specific jobs, a checklist, or pictures showing exactly what needs to happen. That can take the micromanagement out of your hands.

Tell students what the expectations are. If they can meet them, great. If not, you’re going to go through them again tomorrow. Students don’t like that, but the easiest way to avoid repeating the process is to do what needs to be done the first time.

If you have someone at each table checking that everything is complete, or if students can check with their group members, that also gives responsibility to the students.

Amanda Heyn: If you’re trying to build a routine, sit down and write down what is going wrong. Where are you having the most problems? Is it students going to and from the sink? Is it cleaning paintbrushes? Is it that they don’t know where to put their work at the end of class?

Once you identify the specific problems, you can build routines around them.

Another technique is to have a slide for each type of cleanup. Are you doing clay? Paint? Printmaking? At the high school level, it may look a little different, but you can still list four cleanup steps and add a picture to each one. Project the slide during cleanup time.

If students don’t know what to do, they can look at a friend or look at the board. You’re training them to help themselves.

Tim Bogatz: One last idea before we wrap this up: you can use the problems you identify to make your checklist. Write out exactly what students need to do. “First, wipe off your brush. Second, throw the paper towel away. Third, rinse your brush. Fourth, put it in the correct place.”

Go through the process step by step. Print it, project it, or put it on the wall. Students should know exactly what needs to happen.

Amanda Heyn: It may seem ridiculous to tell them to throw the paper towel away, but if you don’t, they invent something to do. Usually that looks like playing basketball with the paper towel, sticking it to a friend’s back, or something similar.

Tim Bogatz: We’ve all worked with kids before, so we know what’s going to happen.

Question Four: How Can I Plan One-Meeting Projects for a Multi-Age Art Club?

Tim Bogatz: Our next question is from Deshaun in Texas. Deshaun says:

I run a large after-school art club with students from several different grade levels. Because attendance changes from week to week, I need projects that can be completed in a single meeting.

It can be difficult to find activities that are engaging for beginners, interesting enough for experienced students, affordable for a large group, and manageable when I’m working with many students at once. What are some of your favorite one-off art club projects, and what advice do you have for organizing the space, materials, and instruction so the experience feels creative rather than chaotic?

Amanda Heyn: This is a big question. I don’t think we can solve it completely in one podcast, but there is an AOEU YouTube series called Art Club Unlocked, and there are many excellent ideas there.

If you’re a Pro Learning member, we also have an entire Pro Pack called “Running an Elementary Art Club.” The ideas can translate to almost any age level. I’d say it’s applicable from kindergarten through 12th grade.

One idea is to focus the art club on service learning. Students could create projects to give back to the community or beautify the school. That way, the art becomes collaborative, and you don’t have to worry about who attends each meeting. Whenever a student is there, they can contribute something positive.

Another direction is ephemeral art: nature art, sidewalk chalk, pattern blocks, LEGO sculptures, and similar activities. The take-home project could be a photograph. If administrators want students to use iPads, this could be a meaningful place to use them.

If you’re on a budget, think about recyclables and found objects. Stations could also work because the students have different ages and experience levels. They could choose an activity that is a good fit for them.

The stations don’t need to be complicated. One or two process-based activities could work very well. If you’re looking for specific ideas, check out the AOEU article Meaningful One-Day Lesson Ideas for When Time and Art Supplies Are Scarce. It’s a perfect fit.

If you’re a FLEX Curriculum member, there are also many one-day lessons available there. Search for “one-day lesson” and you’ll find many options.

Tim Bogatz: Those are all great ideas. To address some of Deshaun’s other parameters, make sure your demonstration is clear and that you demonstrate everything students need to know. Whatever project you choose should match a wide range of skill levels.

Give clear follow-up instructions so students know what they can do next. Keep it simple. Students should be able to follow along even if they don’t have much experience. Then think about extensions for students who are ready for more.

I love the idea of collaborative groups. You could do large drawings that students work on together, an exquisite corpse project, a big mural, or a paper mural where everyone has a section but students still work together.

Logistically, stations can work well if you have time to prepare them. You could also have students choose partners and then send each group to collect a kit of supplies. That takes more organization up front, but it can make the club run more smoothly once students arrive.

Dedicate time to cleanup, just as we discussed in the previous question. A strong cleanup routine can make the experience feel much less chaotic. You want more creativity than chaos, and you’ll feel much better when the students leave and everything is in the right place.

Put thought into how you’re going to start and end each meeting. There are many project ideas out there, and we’ll link to some of them in the show notes.

Question Five: How Can I Communicate the Purpose of Elementary Art Assessment?

Tim Bogatz: Our final question comes from Rebecca in Pennsylvania. Rebecca says:

I teach elementary art, and I’m struggling with the expectation that students’ artwork needs to receive traditional grades. Many parents seem anxious about whether their children are earning the “right” grade in art. If I give anything less than a perfect grade, there’s about a 90 percent chance I get a phone call from a parent within 24 hours. It’s intense.

I care so much more about students experimenting, creating, and developing confidence than I do about assigning a letter or number to a finished piece. I don’t want to spend all of my time reassuring families about grades or defending my grading approach.

How do you approach grading in elementary art, and how can you communicate the purpose of assessment without allowing grades to overshadow the joy of making art?

The look on your face says it all.

Amanda Heyn: I’m rubbing my face. This problem is multifaceted, but the amount of weight some parents attribute to individual grades in elementary art makes my heart sad. There are other things we could be worrying about.

I was surprised that this school uses traditional percentage-based systems in elementary art because that isn’t the norm in the districts I know. When I was teaching, assessment was more aligned with standards-based grading. Could students demonstrate certain skills? Did they know the primary colors? Could they identify or use specific concepts?

Comments about how students are doing in art may be more beneficial at this age than an 89 percent.

The part of the question that stands out most is this: “I care so much more about students experimenting, creating, and developing confidence than I do about assigning a letter or number to a finished piece.” That makes me wonder how much power you have over the grades you give and what the report card looks like.

Could you grade those things? Could you make a case for assessing experimentation? Maybe one standard is that students try at least three different art materials during a semester. Maybe they have a goal related to risk-taking, persistence, or reflection.

That is one area to explore with your administration. It may be difficult if the school culture is strongly focused on traditional grades, but it’s worth asking what your assessment system is intended to measure.

If you’re locked into the system and want to reduce parent anxiety, be proactive. Send a note home at the beginning of the year that clearly explains your grading system.

State directly that students are not expected to receive 100 percent on every project and that this is okay. Explain the range where you expect most students to fall. Talk about all of the wonderful things students are learning in the art room—things that go far beyond a number.

Use a clear rubric and send it home with the student’s score. And here’s the key: grade less. Does every project need a formal grade? Probably not. Choose a few key pieces each semester and leave it at that.

Tim Bogatz: I think that’s great advice. Be proactive when communicating with parents through email, the school newsletter, or a letter home at the beginning of the year.

Make sure your administrators understand and support what you’re saying. It can be a tightrope to walk with parents, but grading fewer things may create less stress for you, your students, and the parents who are watching the online gradebook.

Amanda Heyn: Exactly.

Tim Bogatz: Amanda, thank you so much for joining me for the mailbag. As always, it’s great to talk to you, and we appreciate all of your wonderful advice. We can do it again next month.

Amanda Heyn: Thanks. I can’t wait to see everyone at Art Club on Thursday.