march/april the message 2014

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Apr/Mar 2014 Volume 5 :: Issue 5 Art Educators of Iowa The Message A publication for Iowa art educators and their supporters. Inside STEAM Multiple AEI Members share their experience extending STEM into STEAM. Votes needed! Check out AEI’s nomintation for President-Elect! And More! Almost there! from your friendly Editor, Lisa M Jorgensen Spring is just around the corner but that doesn’t mean we are twiddling our thumbs in our classrooms. Very often we find that the Spring brings the busiest days of the years - I know I find myself running around going a bit crazy, especially since all the students seem to have Spring Fever. So, sit back and relax by reading this issue of “The Message”. And enjoy the warming weather! Lisa Jorgensen Communications/Editor [email protected]

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Page 1: March/April The Message 2014

Apr/Mar 2014 Volume 5 :: Issue 5

Art Educators of Iowa

The Message

A publication for Iowa art educators and their

supporters.

InsideSTEAMMultiple AEI Members share their experience extending STEM into STEAM.

Votes needed!Check out AEI’s nomintation for President-Elect!

And More!

Almost there!from your friendly Editor, Lisa M Jorgensen

Spring is just around the corner but that doesn’t mean we are twiddling our thumbs in our classrooms. Very often

we find that the Spring brings the busiest days of the years - I know I find myself running around going a bit crazy,

especially since all the students seem to have Spring Fever.

So, sit back and relax by reading this issue of “The Message”. And enjoy the warming weather!

Lisa JorgensenCommunications/Editor

[email protected]

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Mar/Apr 2014 Volume 5 :: Issue 5

Inspiration: What inspries you?Merriam- Webster dictionary defines inspiration as : something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create : a force or influence that inspires someone : a person, place, experience, etc., that makes someone want to do or create something : a good idea

Inspiration drives us to create. It is a force, which gives us an idea about what to do. What inspires you on a personal, artistic, and professional level?

As I was developing an art lesson for a new high school class, I came across an interesting video from PBS Digital Studios-Off Book How To Be Creative . After viewing it alone and then again with my students, a section called Creativity: Excitement and Despair struck me as I prepared to write this message. At the winter board meeting in January, I volunteered my services for an additional term as AEI President. Even as I write this, I still haven’t taken the time to process the implications of this decision. However, this quote from the video begins to sum up my feelings about accepting this role for another term.

“...this ability to stay in a space where you don’t exactly know what’s going to happen next. Willing to chase down ideas and also willing to understand that not all of them are going to lead somewhere, but the experience of pursuing an idea will influence the next…” Our AEI board is at a stage of reflection and review. We are working on the task of reviewing and revising our Constitution and by-laws. This isn’t an extremely exciting task but it is necessary as we strive to clearly define

our roles and responsibilities on the board. We need to complete this task so we can move forward more efficiently as a board and effective in providing programs for our members and students.

We continue to take advantage of opportunities to present Fine Arts in the Iowa Core as they arise. We are scheduled to present in Council Bluffs in April and have a couple other locations this summer. We are inspired to take on new initiatives with the purpose of benefiting visual arts education in our state. We are working to establish a committee to research the STEAM initiative and are eagerly anticipating the NCCAS (National Common Core Arts Standards) in March. Once these are available, we will work to establish a new committee of members willing to incorporate them into the Fine Art in the Iowa Core. The current Fine Arts in the Iowa Core team is willing to identify, educate and prepare our next generation of visual arts leaders.

In addition, we are making a greater effort to create transparency between the board and the members. Through e-mail you have been receiving The Leadership Lens. The Leadership Lens highlights key discussion and action items addressed at the quarterly board meetings. It’s just another means of communication between the board and our members we represent. In order for communication to be effective, we would love to hear from you! As a member of AEI, we need your input, guidance and support. Please contact your division level and AEA representative with your thoughts, opinions and ideas for ways to connect with other visual arts educators at your division level or AEA.

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March 14, 2014 - All-State Submissions Due

March 28/ 29-31, 2014 - NAEA Delegates Assembly/ NAEA National Convention, San Diego, CA

April 5, 2014 - All-State Judging, Location TBD

May 3, 2014 - All-State Awards Ceremony

UPCOMING EVENTS

Nominate, nominate, nominate!Nominees can be any AEI member in the following categories: Outstanding Elementary Art Educator, Outstanding Middle Level Art Educator, Outstanding Secondary Art Educator, Outstanding Museum Art Educator, Outstanding Higher Education Art Educator, Outstanding Art Supervision/Administration, Distinguished Service Within the Profession, and Art Educator of the Year.

Nominees for the Distinguished Service Outside the Profession do not need to be AEI members.

The nomination form for the above awards can be downloaded at: http://www.arteducators.org/grants/2014_Awards_Nom_Form.pdf. Save this form to your desktop. Simply fill it out with information about the person you are nominating and also your contact information. E-mail this completed form and a letter of nomination to [email protected].

You may also nominate a first-year art educator for the New Professional Art Educator Award. To submit a nomination for this award, four letters of support are required. 1) A letter of nomination listing the following: nominee’s name, home address, telephone number, e-mail address, university attended, date of graduation, and the school name, school address, and school telephone number where they are currently teaching; 2) A letter of recommendation from a faculty member or administrator at the school or school district where they teach; 3) A letter of recommendation from their student-teaching supervisor at the school where they student taught; and 4) A letter of recommendation from an arts education faculty member at their university.

Contact Ronda Sternhagen ([email protected]) for more information!

Don’t forget, this publication is for visual arts educators created by visual arts educators. Take advantage of the opportunity to inspire other visual arts educators by submitting an article to “The Message”.

As a professional visual arts organization, we strive to work in a collaborative effort to achieve these and many other goals. We know “the experience of pursuing an idea will influence the next” and drive our mission forward.

Personally, artistically and professionally I am inspired to make a difference in the lives of others because of the support of so many who inspire me. I am fortunate to work with incredible past and present visual arts professionals through this organization.

Our creative work is not a selfish act. It’s an act of extreme care and diligence. Continue to be an inspiration to others and you efforts will benefit visual arts education for future generations.

ShaniseYou can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. ~ Maya Angelou

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Mar/Apr2014 Volume 5 :: Issue 5

Shanise Brockshus

From STEM to STEAM: Adding the “A” for Art

The initiative to add the “A” to STEM is a hot topic not only in Iowa, but across the nation.

John Maeda, president of the Rhode Island School of Design, was interviewed regarding his role in the STEAM initiative by New scientist.com- Culture Lab: Where books, arts and science collide (August 8, 2012) In this article Maeda identifies his reasons why we need art in the equation. “Scientists and artists are extremely innovative- it’s just the way they work looks different.” Working with the National Endowment for the Arts, he has been very active in Congress to position art as vital to national security. The National Science Foundation and the National Defense University are listening.

NAEA and AEI members are listening and responding as well. During the 2012 National NAEA Conference, Maeda presented and shared his views on STEAM. He stated, “critical thinking, critical making, and creative leadership… can lead us to an enlightened form of innovation where art, design, technology, and business meet.”

Art education leaders from across the nation are weighing in this year as NAEA is drafting a position statement on STEAM.

The STEAM “mission is to have business leaders, arts professionals, educators and others work together to educate

governments, the public and the media to the need for returning Arts to the national curricula.” They hold that:* Arts education is a key to creativity.* Creativity is an essential component of, and spurs innovation* Innovation is agreed to be necessary to create new industries in the future* New industries, with their jobs, are the basis of our future economic well-being.

As visual arts educators, we are preparing our students to be the innovators of tomorrow.

STEAM is hot topic and is continuing to build up “steam” here in Iowa. At the AEI winter board meeting, it was decided to develop an ad-hoc committee on the STEAM initiative and extend an invitation to AEI members to be involved. In addition, AEI was approached by ISEA to identify a visual arts educator to be on their STEAM task force. This task force will include a representative from each of the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and of the Arts disciplines (music, drama, dance and art). Andrew McCormick, Issues and Directions Chair, has agreed to chair our AEI STEAM committee and will represent the visual arts on the ISEA STEAM task force. Contact Andrew at [email protected] to be an active member in the AEI

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STEAM initiative.

This is an exciting time in visual arts education as we open communications and partnerships are formed. What about locally? Have your begun the conversation with your science, technology, engineer, and math colleagues? How are you implementing STEAM in your classroom? Now is the time!

Learn more about STEM and STEAM:

Slide share presentation http://www.slideshare.net/tagartteacher/new-stem-to-steam-presentation-11756800regarding STEM to STEAM created by a visual arts educator, Christine Miller from Plano Independent School District.

Governor’s STEM Advisory Council: Greatness STEMs from Iowanshttp://www.iowastem.gov/

Check out the 2014-2015STEM Scale-Up Programs here!http://www.iowastem.gov/2014-2015-stem-scale-program

Be a part of the STEAM conversation:

Share STEAM lessons, resources, books, cross-curricular collaborations or your thoughts with our members via Facebook, Twitter or submit an article to “The Message”.

Send an article, book review, collaboration ideas or more for publication to the next issue of “The Message” to [email protected].

NOTE: Are you having a problem viewing the NAEA position statement? NAEA pdf documents are not compatible with Chrome. You will need to use another internet browser.

TRAVELING SHOW ART Collected at the Spring Board Meeting A reminder to bring art, 10 pieces max, to be put in the traveling portfolios for the 2014-2015 school year. Please cover them with vinyl or acetate and have no pieces larger than 24” by 28”. You can use the same labels as for the YAM Show, but we do not require parental permission for the traveling show. Jean Caboth, Elem. Traveling Show Coordinator

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Your Vote Needed!Molly Marie Ray, on the ballet for President-Elect, carries a K-12 BS of Art Education from Northwest Missouri State University, an Undergrad Psychology classes from Northern Kentucky University, Southwest Baptist University and an Endorsement in Talented and gifted education from University of Iowa.

From Molly Ray, “I currently teach at Clear Creek Amana Community School District both at Clear Creek Elementary and at Clear Creek Amana Middle School. I am .5 time Art at the middle school and .5 ELP at both the elementary and middle school.

I have been a member of the National Art Education Association since I began college in 1995. My art ed instructor at NW Missouri State University was also the president of the Missouri Art Education Association while I was in college (Hi, Dr. Spradling!). All of the Art ed majors were strongly encouraged to attend the state conferences and I did. I loved it then and I love it now. I have moved around some and have experienced Missouri, Iowa, and Tennessee’s AEA systems and benefited from them all. I began presenting at conferences when I returned to Missouri in 2008, I remember still...Dr. Spradling was sitting in the back row and I felt like I was being graded! I attended Missouri’s 2 conferences every year and usually presented once a year.

In 2011 I received the honor of being the k-12 art educator of the year in Missouri. After moving to Iowa I immediately wanted to become a member and get involved. When I looked for my area’s representative and found that there was none, I offered to fill the position. I had an amazing area rep in Missouri (kudos to you Shannon!) and felt I knew what would make a good area rep. I have presented, attended conferences, written articles, volunteered at the YAM celebration and mentored new art teachers, since returning to Iowa.

I am currently working on a committee to get the middle school portfolio event organized and piloted this spring. I have also just started my first National Junior Art Honor Society this year! I love NAEA and I feel that every art educator out there will find something valuable within the NAEA/AEI’s many resources and programs, regardless

of your teaching style or interests. It is like having a big extended family there to ask questions, share ideas, listen to your problems and then get you headed in a positive direction again.

I have a wonderful family of my own, I love exercise, and animals, reading and painting. But as with many of us, I live the job of teaching. I am constantly coming up with new ideas, new ways to teach techniques and keep learning fun and creative.

Many of us are busy rolling with the times, new National Art Standards, standards based grading, Iowa core, universal constructs. These are terms that are important to our field at this time and AEI has been involved in their development and getting the information out to our art teachers through conferences, publications and good ol gossip. Often our teaching situations aren’t ideal due to many factors, but AEI can help you advocate for your program and make the best of your resources.

To cast your vote for Molly Ray,visit www.artedia.org for more information.

Mar/Apr 2014 Volume 5 :: Issue 5

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Volume 5 :: Issue 5Mar/Apr 2014

Copyright 2013 All Rights Reserved, Art Educators of Iowa. All material in this publication is, unless otherwise stated, the property of Art Educators of Iowa. Copyright and other intellectual property laws protect these materials. Reproduction or retransmission of the materials, in whole or in part, in any manner, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, is a violation of copyright law. A single copy of the materials may be made, solely for personal, noncommercial use. Individuals must preserve any copyright or other notices contained in or associated with them. xwhether or not for a charge or other consideration, without prior written consent of the copyright holder of the materials. All images are accredited or protected by copyright through author’s permission. Contact information for requests for permission to reproduce or distribute materials available through this publication can be made through [email protected].

AEI THE MESSAGE COPYRIGHT NOTICE

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Go Get Yourself Some GreenlightersAndrew McCormick, Cedar Falls Community School District

It could be said that January and February are the hardest months in education. I like to prefer to think that it’s all in how you look at it, but one cannot deny the dreaded winter doldrums. Cabin fever. Snow days, early outs, and late starts wrecking havoc on all our meticulous lesson plans. To this I say poppycock! Spring is right around the corner folks and with it a new sense of vitality and possibility. As spring greens slowly push out the greys of winter, we teachers also need that sense of re-energizing. We need greenlighters!

At the beginning of the school year, I decided to get into Choice Based Education and never let my own fears (mostly that I’ve never done a project and something might go wrong, limited space, limited funds) prescribe what I would do in my classroom. One of the main ways I was able to remove the specter of doubt and insecurity from my classroom was by having a team of greenlighters. So… who or what are greenlighters?

Greenlighters are people or groups who listen to our ideas and apprehensions; soak it all in and excitedly say “yes and…” They are the supporters and collaborators that give us the sounding board and ultimately the bravery to try new and possibly stupid, but possibly amazing things in the classroom. They’ll smooth out the kinks in a clunky new project and push us to go further into unchartered and rewarding territories.

I know for a fact most of my rewarding, challenging, and successful project I’ve launched have benefited from the touch of a greenlighter. Shout time- you know who you are people. Zombie heads. Steampunk masks. “Potions gone wrong” face jugs. Mini arcade games. Life-sized paper wrestler puppets. Pop art portraits. Using Padlet to supplement my Choice Based Education endeavors. Cardboard Medieval knights’ tournament. All greenlit.

Clearly the benefits of having a crew of greenlighters are evident. So who can be a greenlighter? While this seems pretty obvious, your fellow art teachers. But it can be challenging if you are the only art teacher in your building, or even in your school district. If you teach in small district and the idea of a PLC isn’t really applicable- think about a PLN. Your digital colleagues will always be supportive- they don’t have to look at your loud blaring failures! In real space,

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AEI THE MESSAGE COPYRIGHT NOTICE

cast a broader net. Look to fellow teachers in the building outside of our discipline. Cross pollinate. Find the brave souls that never say no, but always say “yes and…” Look to university and community college professors and pre-service teachers (those are the real gems! Hosting field experience students and student teachers can be a great mutual greenlighting experience) in the area. Find local artists in the community to collaborate with. Finally, greenlight ideas with your students. I ask my students all the time what they think about a possible project before I launch it. I let them know why concerns and possible sticking points. I think you’ll be surprised how insightful and helpful students can be in the pre-planning stage if just let them. It does mean letting go a bit of the “sage on the stage” paradigm and instead morphing into a “guide on the side.” While this transformation may be difficult, eventually you become your own greenlighter. And c’mon… who wouldn’t want to participate in a cardboard Medieval knights’ tournament?

Fine Arts Alignment with the Iowa Core Universal Constructs

The Fine Arts Alignment with the Iowa Core Universal Constructs documents were written to illustrate how fine arts teachers can align their instruction to the universal constructs from the Iowa Core. By showing connections between the universal constructs and fine arts, these documents demonstrate how fine arts support the implementation of the Iowa Core. Fine arts are particularly well-suited in supporting students in developing the universal constructs important for success in the 21st Century.

Iowa Core Companion documents are intended to fulfill the charge from the Iowa Department of Education that the “work” of implementing the Iowa Core is the responsibility of all educators in Iowa. Iowa Core Companion documents provide support and resources for educators wishing to identify connections to the Iowa Core. The information provided in the companion documents is not required of all schools or districts.

Iowa Core Companion Documents for Fine Arts Alignment with the Iowa Core Universal Constructs:

· Drama/Theatre Iowa Core Companion

· General Music Iowa Core Companion

· Instrumental-Vocal Music Iowa Core Companion

· Visual Arts Iowa Core Companion

Additional support materials, implementation ideas, lesson plan format for download, and lesson exemplars can be found at: http://visualartsiowacore.weebly.com/.

Your Visual Arts Iowa Core writing team consists of: Maggie Parks, Marshalltown Community School District, K-4 Visual Arts Instructor; Shanise Brockshus, Sibley-Ocheyedan Community School District, 7-12 Visual Arts Instructor; Cappie Dobyns, Ames Community School District, 7 Visual Arts & 9-12 GT Instructor; Andrew McCormick, Cedar Falls Community School District, 8-12 Visual Arts Instructor; Christine Noel, Newton Community School District, Visual Arts Instructor; and Ronda Sternhagen, Grundy Center Community School District, 6-12 Visual Arts Instructor.

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Emerging ExcellenceCappie Dobyns, Art Educators of Iowa

I am thrilled to share that AEI’s new competition has a name, Emerging Excellence.

Five years ago, AEI began developing a visual art event that mirrors the contest format found in other arts disciplines (i.e. speech, music and dance). Its vision has been to create a forum where student performance could be personally presented to professional educators and assessed to determine a level of mastery. Today, with an event name and renewed vigor, we prepare for the first of three pilots scheduled to begin April 26, 2014 in Ames, Iowa.

And, why is this event to be different than other area exhibits and competitions. With the inclusion of Emerging Excellence, no longer will visual art students simply vie for available wall space to be deemed outstanding, anyone achieving a level of mastery can secure recognition. During this envisioned event, overall performances will be rated and appropriate medals and/or ribbons awarded. And, throughout the process, students will garner corrective feedback and accolades; and as a result, programs will be showcased and acknowledged, teaching refined and longitudinal commitment to growth strengthened.

In preparation for the coming pilot, committee members—Sarah Hutchison, Andrew McCormick, Molly Ray and Cappie Dobyns—have reviewed and refined the contest’s Purpose, Policy & Ethics and General Regulations and are currently seeking to align its evaluative judging rubric with the (proposed) National Common Core Arts Standards (NCCAS) and the state’s Iowa Core work. An operational manual is also in development to assist those wishing to host and/or participate in future area events.

All interested AEI members are welcomed to observe the Ames event by contacting Cappie Dobyns at Ames Middle School. ([email protected]) Additionally, all are encouraged to visit the event website at http://aeimiddleschoolevent.weebly.com/index.html to remain informed about our progress. Please do not hesitate to share your feedback, join our committee or assume a one-time volunteer role. To bring such an opportunity to our young visual artists will require a community of support.

NAEA Presentations by Dr. Barbara CaldwellDr. Barbara Caldwell will be giving two presentations at the National Art Education Association Annual Convention in San Diego this March. Both presentations reflect her love of teaching with a pluralistic, collaborative student-centered approach and feature both original and student artwork.

The first is called “Global Connections: Whole Self, Whole World Digital-Darkroom Photography”. This interactive presentation features a global,holistic approach to teaching digital-darkroom photography. Community building, technical versatility and respect for diversity yield dynamic student photography and multidimensional growth. Both digital and darkroom photos taken by the presenter and her students will be shared. The presentation will be given Saturday 3/29/14 in the Convention Center Meeting Room 29B (upper level). It is a USSEA Best Practice Lecture.

“The Spirit of Holistic Art Education: It’s Elementary” will focus on effective, holistic ways of teaching university art education methods to general education and art majors. Innovative teaching methods, projects, assessments and student work featured emphasize community, collaboration, and personal growth. Photos of student learning experiences, journals and artwork will be shared. The presentation will be given Monday 3/31/2014 in the Convention Center Meeting Room 26B (upper level) It is a Best Practice Lecture is a CSAE/Issues Group presentation.

She is grateful to AEI, the incredible community of professionals she calls family. They give her ongoing inspiration and a bold reminder of the importance of educating through art…locally and globally.

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Volume 5 :: Issue 5Mar/Apr 2014

NAEA Presentations by Dr. Wendy Miller, Assit Professor Art Edu, UNI 1.) Creating a Culture of Care: Civic Engagement with Homeless ChildrenDAY: Saturday , 3/29/2014TIME: 1:00 - 1:50 PMThis session focuses on the development of a civic engagement project for pre-service art teachers in order to introduce students to the ethics of care and build strong, positive dispositions needed to become an effective teacher. The information for this presentation comes from a partnership between a transitional housing center for homeless mothers and their children and the University of Northern Iowa Art Education Department where preservice teachers worked with homeless children after school creating art. Through this experience, preservice teachers became more familiar with issues children in poverty face, while dispelling stereotypes of homeless families, and ultimately, to increase their understanding of impact of caring for students. This presentation features themes that emerged from pre-service teachers’ journals, interviews, and artwork created between the children and university students. The data from this research was collected and analyzed using auto-ethnographic and feminist qualitative research methods.

2.) iCreate: Virtual Field Experiences for Preservice Art Teachers Using iPadsDAY: Sunday , 3/30/2014TIME: 10:00 - 10:50 AMiPads have changed the art room with this new digital medium through art making, reflection, and pedagogy. It is essential that preservice teachers are prepared to teach, using technology, in a 1:1 environment. The focus of this presentation is based on a collaborative research project between The University of Northern Iowa Art Education Department and a local middle school. This project focuses on preservice art teachers designing art lessons for middle school students through the use of iPads and other varied technology, sharing their lessons electronically, and finally holding a cyber-critique to create a virtual field experience. A discussion of themes that emerged from preservice teachers’ reflective blogs, middle school student reflections, and conversations that developed between the groups. Using qualitative research, the presenter will share insight into teaching with iPads in a 1:1 setting and analyze the technological and pedagogical growth that preservice teachers gained during this experience.

YAM SUCCESS!Wow! Thank you to Christy Humpal and her amazing crew for a great show at the Youth Art Month celebration in Des Moines. Despite the weather, it was a great time and a great turn out.

To view pictures from the event, please visit:http://bit.ly/ND2u5u

To view recipients and awards, please visit:http://www.artedia.org And stay tuned for more highlights from the event!

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Game On! Creating a Homemade Arcade in the Art RoomLate one cold January evening over a cup of coffee at Perkins, I told my co-conspirator, Andrew McCormick , middle school art teacher at Holmes Junior High in Cedar Falls, of an idea that I had to make arcade games with my preservice art teachers at UNI with elementary children in the community. He jumped on board with this idea and before we finished our pot of coffee, we had a plan together to take a bus filled with middle school students and preservice teachers to Chuck E. Cheese! The end goal was that we each would create arcade games in our classrooms based around the idea of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, ART, Math). Why STEAM? STEAM is “a way for students across the nation to stay competitive with an ever increasing flat, globalized economy” wrote Andrew on his recent blog post.

The IdeaThis idea originated when I read a follow-up article on Cain of Cain’s Arcade, the viral video that circulated to 4,136,473 views as I write this article. If you haven’t watched it, this is a summary of the story. A young boy builds a cardboard arcade one summer in the front of his dad’s auto shop in Los Angeles. His first and only customer that summer was a filmmaker, who was so moved by Cain’s creativity and ingenuity, he creates a film and the whole world is practically invited to play his arcade. I fell in love with this idea because it really honored the child artist and showed a perfect connection between STEM and the arts.

Andrew and Holmes Junior HighOn our field trip, Andrew’s middle school students were assigned to measure games, sketch games, photograph the games, and of course… play the games. My preservice art education students partnered with them to see what kids are interested in, to keep them on task, and to observe how students explored the games and develop ideas in order to create their own games. Back at school, the middle school students worked in small groups to recreate a tabletop version of a game, based on one they liked or they were able to create their own. Andrew wrote, “Students measured, scaled down, reduced, cut, strengthened, glued, measured again, painted, improvised, weighed, tested, and drilled, all while asking the questions “Is this good? Do I like this? If not, what could I do so I might like it more?” These qualitative

questions aren’t asked with as much frequency in STEM education. STEAM forces kids to think in this increasingly important way.”

UNI Art Education StudentsOn the field trip my students were to pick a game that functioned best and to find a game that was most visually appealing to them. In class, we reviewed simple machines and discussed basic physics. My students were given the assignment to create their own arcade games from recycled materials and a few supplies from the local hardware store. Creating their own games, helped them to problem-solve and trouble-shoot areas that may be difficult for the children they were preparing to teach. A week later, twenty children from the community our 2-day workshop on creating arcade games. At the end of the workshop, we held a carnival in the art building and kids handed out tickets to peers, their parents, and art faculty and students as they played their games. Everyone could turn their tickets in for small prizes and of course there was plenty of popcorn to go around!

Our resultsAlthough we each taught this project differently based on time, space, and age of students, the results seemed similar. Students were excited and engaged and it showed. Figuring out the best materials to use, how to approach their designs, and trial and error were constant battles. We watched the students collaborate and share ideas and use skills from multiple areas and enjoy it. Students asked for measuring tapes, saws, duct tape, and hot glue. They needed help spelling things, and mixing colors, cutting out small parts and developing rules and intricate scoring systems.

One art education student wrote, “This was an art problem-solving experience like I have never had before. I have never been faced with mechanical problems that I have had to solve or help a student solve. This was the hardest part of the lesson. I took away so many strategies from this lesson that will help me in the future. The main strategy though, is how to push students to develop their own ideas. I’ve been lectured about this multiple times but was never in a situation to actually experience it. This whole experience making arcade games was one to remember and to continue to reflect on.”

I know that is one experience that Andrew and I will continue to reflect on as art educators and will work to continue to use STEAM in our classrooms. To view Cain’s arcade, go to: http://cainesarcade.com/

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By Dr. Wendy Miller Higher Education Representative and Andrew McCormick, Middle School Art Teacher and AEI representative for ISEA STEAM Task Force