PUTTING THE “STEAM” IN STEMAmanda Schear

Withrow University High School

“School’s Out”1936

Allan Rohan Crite

Born: Plainfield, New Jersey 1910

Died: Boston, Massachusetts

2007 oil on canvas 30 1/4 x 36 1/8 in. (76.9 x 91.8 cm.)

Smithsonian American Art Museum Transfer from The Museum of Modern Art

1971.447.18

Not currently on view

VISUAL THINKING STRATEGY (VTS) VTS – a research-based teaching methodology that

improves critical thinking and language skills through discussion of visual images

Developed by Housen and Yenawine at Harvard in the early 1990s.

Basic premise: you build your idea of the artwork by observing and discussing it

USING VISUAL THINKING STRATEGIES

Core Questions What do you observe is

happening in this picture? What do you see in the

piece that makes you say that?

What more can we find?

Facilitator Guide Remain neutral – focus on

each individual speaking and on the art

Use non-evaluative language (i.e. no “good job”)

PPL – Pointing, Paraphrasing, Linking

Pointing – to the art Paraphrasing - what each

student contributes Linking – contributions

together, creating class community in discussion

ARTFUL THINKING ROUTINES

Harvard’s Project Zero has developed an ‘artful thinking palette’

Reasoning Comparing and connecting Finding complexity Questioning and investigating Exploring viewpoints Observing and describing

These palette components look familiar, right? Aren’t they part of our CCSS objectives?

Artful thinking routines focus on art, thinking and content – the goal is to target the sweet spot where all three intersect.

“The Janitor Who Paints”ca. 1930

Palmer Hayden

Born: Widewater, Virginia 1890

Died: New York, New York 1973

oil on canvas 39 1/8 x 32 7/8 in. (99.3 x 83.6 cm.)

Smithsonian American Art Museum Gift of the Harmon Foundation

1967.57.28 Smithsonian American Art MuseumLuce Foundation Center, 4th Floor, 34B

PERCEIVE/KNOW/CARE ABOUT

What do you perceive or sense? What do you know about or believe? What do you care about?

Consider taking the questions from different stances (i.e. the artist, a person or object in the work)

It’s ok to withhold information (artist’s name, date, title) to help students focus solely on the work of art

MAKING CONNECTIONS

Bridge art . . . . . . to history and poetry Harlem Renaissance unit “The Genius Child” by Langston Hughes

This is a song for the genius child. Sing it softly, for the song is wild. Sing it softly as ever you can - Lest the song get out of hand.

Nobody loves a genius child.

Can you love an eagle, Tame or wild? Can you love an eagle, Wild or tame? Can you love a monster Of frightening name?

Nobody loves a genius child.

Kill him - and let his soul run wild.

ART AS TEXT Visual art is a text – how do we read, decode and comprehend

art? Learning to read: decoding – introducing and observing art Reading to learn: comprehending – making meaning from art

In today’s media and technology-driven information age, most students are reading more images than words on an daily basis

Vocabulary to classify images: Representational – represents a real person, place, thing Abstract – represents something real, but with changes Nonrepresentational – not trying to represent anything

In representational and abstract pieces, look for objects. In nonrepresentational pieces, look for lines and shapes.

POSSIBLE PURPOSES

Build background knowledge Students examine a Depression-era painting to create context for

reading Grapes of Wrath

Point of inquiry to generate questions Students examine a Samuel Bak painting to further discussion in a

Holocaust studies unit

Assessment Students analyze a work of art in the context of a literary or

expository text they’ve been reading, using evidence of their learning to interpret the art and support their interpretation

WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS MINI-ASSESSMENT

Thoughtfully consider this painting. Explain, using explicit evidence from both the painting and our text, The Warmth of Other Suns, what connections exist between this work of art and the Great Migration. You are encouraged to consider both historical background and individual histories in your response.

ELEMENTS OF ART-INTEGRATED LEARNING Integrating arts in content-area classes builds skills

students need for college and career readiness, and supports the goals of the CCSS and 21st century literacy learning.

Arts-integrated learning is Actively built Experiential Reflective Evolving Collaborative Problem-solving

SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM Website is an INVALUABLE resource for integrating art in

your classroom (all images from today’s slideshow were pulled from their site) – www.americanart.si.edu

Excellent summer institute: “Teaching the Humanities through Art” (formerly the Clarice Smith fellowship) – see website for more details

QUESTIONS?

This presentation and associated handouts are available on the OCTELA Ning

Or . . . scan the QR code below to access this Slideshare File

Contact me via email: amanda.schear@gmail.com