Inquiry into Alternative Spaces for Student Learning

Tampa Museum of Art

“Inspired by gallery visits, the museum landscape, and layers of art history, students will enjoy a summer filled with art.”This organization takes place at an art museum whose goal is to share and educate the public on contemporary and modern art. The museum is located in downtown Tampa, beside the Hillsborough River. Students between the ages of 6-8 came for the day from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. where they worked on their projects, explored the museum, and played on the playground. Students from all cultures and backgrounds attended this camp.This program offered students a summer camp in which they were able to engage in different art projects. For the first week, the focus of the camp was drawing. Students were able to learn about the principles of drawing and painting using pencil, charcoal, and paints while working with a variety of processes. The students gained knowledge of color, composition, and how to use different media while at this summer camp.The following week focused on making art projects out of recycled, repurposed, or reused materials.

Observation Reflection:When observing lessons at the summer art camp, I noticed that the students were more engaged at the start of new lessons and when we used tools that they did not get to use as often. For example, engagement decreased when they were instructed to draw with paper and pencil, but when they were allowed to use paint or clay, the students were more engaged in the lessons and their own work. Even though the lessons integrated visual arts, there were some issues with engagement and getting students to participate.

Interviews:One commonality across all interviews was the reason for attending this art camp: the love of art. Parents bring their children there to introduce them to art or allow them to explore their interests and talents. One parent, whose 7 year old daughter attended for one week, said “my daughter has always enjoyed art; drawing, painting, coloring; she’s always working on different projects. So when I heard about this camp I knew it was a perfect fit.” This camp allows children to develop their skills and love for art. When asked what his favorite thing about art camp was, one 6 year old student replied that he liked “using clay because [he doesn’t] get to use it often.” Another student responded that her favorite part of camp was painting. The teacher knows that the students are there for the love of art and tried to find different activities she knew they would enjoy. “Kids come here because they enjoy art. I want to find projects for them that are new and exciting. Ones that make them think about art in a way they haven’t before.”

What we did...

Students drew abstract images using a gray scale. They traced their hands onto paper and colored each section a different shade of color. (see attachment lesson brief2)

Students working on outside drawing where they were instructed to use their observation skills to draw at least three different structures. (see attachment lesson brief1)

Final Blog:Learning in alternative spaces allows for connecting and teaching to students interests more than in a typical classroom. We are not constrained in our teaching by a set curriculum or standardized tests, so lessons can be designed to meet the wants of the students. We can teach them about topics and concepts that they want to learn about. Also in alternative settings, how we teach can vary more than in the typical classroom. More hands-on activities and projects are used than in classrooms I have seen. Students were engaged in the activities at the art camp I volunteered at because they enjoyed art and wanted to complete all the projects. Students were excited every day to see what types of projects they would be doing for that day. One negative aspect I saw in the alternative learning space was the lack of classroom management and rules. Due to the fact that we were not in a typical classroom and the students were only there for a week as opposed to a school year, it was difficult to get the students into a set routine when there was no schedule for them. In a typical classroom, classroom management is a key component, but I did not observe this in the alternative space.I will be able to take what I learned and apply it to my internship in the upcoming fall. I saw how important it is to connect to the interests of students and how integrating arts really helps to appeal to the students. Not to mention they really enjoy it and one goal for teachers is to make students enjoy school and want to go to school. I would like to integrate more of the arts into the curriculum of my internship classroom. Giving students the opportunity to create a project or engage in a hands-on activity, rather than just paper and pencil assessments will make the school year a more pleasurable and authentic experience for students. This experience has influenced my beliefs about teaching by showing me how learning can take place in different settings besides the traditional classroom. Also, it has strengthened my belief that we need to connect to students interests to engage them in lessons. Every student is different, but if you are able to learn more about them and find out what they like to do, you can use that in your lessons.