Learning through Art
Last year, my class took some time learning about the artist Xu Bing and thinking about how he delivered his messages to the world through his art. (If you'd like to read more about it, click here and here.) One of the things that we did in our class was design our own word art based on Xu Bing's work and used TinkerCad to create it. Since I was teaching first graders last year, I had them make their design on paper and I put it into TinkerCad for them.
This year, I am teaching third grade and I figured that our students have enough fine motor skills to try designing on TinkerCad by themselves.
Since I have a new curriculum, I have a lot to learn! I love integrating art, technology, and making into our classroom experience, so I started thinking about what might be some meaningful ways to do this.
In third grade at our school, we learn about and celebrate día de los muertos - the Day of the Dead. After we think about ancestors (Who are they? What do we know about them? What can they teach us?), we spend time learning about the día de los muertos celebration, and look at the artist José Guadalupe Posada. Posada was a Mexican artist who is most famous for his drawings and prints of calaveras - the festive and fun skeletons that are a part of the día de los muertos celebration. Just like Xu Bing, he is an artist that used his work to make a statement about his thinking at the time. The book, Funny Bones by Duncan Tonatiuh is a great resource for kids to learn more about Posada. The following pictures are from that book.
We looked carefully at pictures of calaveras and noticed the protruding cheekbones on some of the skulls. We noticed the shape of the head and other features. Giving the students some less detailed examples as well, we got on the computers and started building.
As students worked, they had varying degrees of success and frustration. Some felt comfortable making lots of mistakes and some wanted hand holding the whole way through. Pretty typical for any kind of teaching!
The calaveras started printing while we were at lunch, so we watched a video of the first one on the printer. The students were so excited to see their creations built and can't wait to use it in our ofrenda.
As I reflect on this whole process, I think back to last year in first grade, where I just really wanted to use the 3D printer. It really is a cool piece of technology. However, I feel strongly that you shouldn't use technology for the sake of using it, and if you're going to invest time in a project with the students, it should be meaningful. By studying artists, their work, and the thinking behind the messages that are presented through their art, students have a wider view of the world. We can see different perspectives and learn a little bit more about people who have a different way of life. And, if we are part of that culture, it's always satisfying for someone to ask - "Can you tell me more about that?" Art is a way to help students see another way in which they can send their message out into the world in a way that makes people think. In the end, I feel that as we learn more about the people in the world around us, we can use that knowledge to make connections and celebrate the diversity that makes our world a beautiful place.
This year, I am teaching third grade and I figured that our students have enough fine motor skills to try designing on TinkerCad by themselves.
Since I have a new curriculum, I have a lot to learn! I love integrating art, technology, and making into our classroom experience, so I started thinking about what might be some meaningful ways to do this.
In third grade at our school, we learn about and celebrate día de los muertos - the Day of the Dead. After we think about ancestors (Who are they? What do we know about them? What can they teach us?), we spend time learning about the día de los muertos celebration, and look at the artist José Guadalupe Posada. Posada was a Mexican artist who is most famous for his drawings and prints of calaveras - the festive and fun skeletons that are a part of the día de los muertos celebration. Just like Xu Bing, he is an artist that used his work to make a statement about his thinking at the time. The book, Funny Bones by Duncan Tonatiuh is a great resource for kids to learn more about Posada. The following pictures are from that book.
We looked carefully at pictures of calaveras and noticed the protruding cheekbones on some of the skulls. We noticed the shape of the head and other features. Giving the students some less detailed examples as well, we got on the computers and started building.
As students worked, they had varying degrees of success and frustration. Some felt comfortable making lots of mistakes and some wanted hand holding the whole way through. Pretty typical for any kind of teaching!
The calaveras started printing while we were at lunch, so we watched a video of the first one on the printer. The students were so excited to see their creations built and can't wait to use it in our ofrenda.
As I reflect on this whole process, I think back to last year in first grade, where I just really wanted to use the 3D printer. It really is a cool piece of technology. However, I feel strongly that you shouldn't use technology for the sake of using it, and if you're going to invest time in a project with the students, it should be meaningful. By studying artists, their work, and the thinking behind the messages that are presented through their art, students have a wider view of the world. We can see different perspectives and learn a little bit more about people who have a different way of life. And, if we are part of that culture, it's always satisfying for someone to ask - "Can you tell me more about that?" Art is a way to help students see another way in which they can send their message out into the world in a way that makes people think. In the end, I feel that as we learn more about the people in the world around us, we can use that knowledge to make connections and celebrate the diversity that makes our world a beautiful place.
Comments
Post a Comment