While the art club will continue after I leave Cardston, I will greatly miss being able to host such a wonderful, creative group of young adults.
This experience has taught me a lot not only about the type of environment I want to have in my own classroom, but also about my instruction and student learning in different environments.
The casual environment of the art club became a great way to connect creative students and immerse myself into the school community on a personal level.
The environment in a formal classroom and in the art club were very different, but the freedom of art club allowed for more personal pieces to be created and at paces that were entirely determined by students, without the pressure of summative assessment.
The most valuable discovery from this project was that of peer tutoring. Students from my art classes that decided to bring friends to art club just to teach them how to create what was assigned in class, gained a deeper understanding of class concepts. By teaching others, students revisit and think metacognitively about the artistic processes, skills, and techniques learned in class in order to explain it to peers. I think this is something that is transferable to the formal classroom space, especially in art, as it allows students to become experts in a variety of mediums by teaching one another, allowing them to deepen their expertise
After talking with students in the club and asking about art club in relation to art class, many agreed that the club provided one thing that formal classes just don't have; freedom. Part of this was from how casual the club was, but also because students could choose when to come and what to make AND how long they wanted to work for. This is not to say this cannot happen in a formal classroom space, but that nothing beats freedom of choice when it comes to creativity.
Lastly, I was very happy to receive a written statement from one of the grade twelve students in the club about their experience. This not only fills me with great joy, but also assures me that the arts remain a crucial aspect in education, no matter how formal.
"Having the opportunity to join an art club within my own school has been an awesome experience. While a fraction of our time in the classroom involves government mandated education, and though it is an education I deeply appreciate, all of the time in art club has been our own to share with each other and to purely create. Ms. Marsh provided a casual and comfortable environment where young artists, whether experienced through classes or not, came together for a few hours a week and got to feel the most crucial feeling an artist can: endless freedom of expression. Though our time was limited to one semester, thus limiting our club member’s individual project sizing, we were provided with new ideas and projects which personally wouldn't have crossed my mind otherwise. I've had a great semester being a part of something that I love and something that, for years now, I've wished my school and community would offer."
~Grade Twelve student, Art Club, CHS
This experience has taught me a lot not only about the type of environment I want to have in my own classroom, but also about my instruction and student learning in different environments.
The casual environment of the art club became a great way to connect creative students and immerse myself into the school community on a personal level.
The environment in a formal classroom and in the art club were very different, but the freedom of art club allowed for more personal pieces to be created and at paces that were entirely determined by students, without the pressure of summative assessment.
The most valuable discovery from this project was that of peer tutoring. Students from my art classes that decided to bring friends to art club just to teach them how to create what was assigned in class, gained a deeper understanding of class concepts. By teaching others, students revisit and think metacognitively about the artistic processes, skills, and techniques learned in class in order to explain it to peers. I think this is something that is transferable to the formal classroom space, especially in art, as it allows students to become experts in a variety of mediums by teaching one another, allowing them to deepen their expertise
After talking with students in the club and asking about art club in relation to art class, many agreed that the club provided one thing that formal classes just don't have; freedom. Part of this was from how casual the club was, but also because students could choose when to come and what to make AND how long they wanted to work for. This is not to say this cannot happen in a formal classroom space, but that nothing beats freedom of choice when it comes to creativity.
Lastly, I was very happy to receive a written statement from one of the grade twelve students in the club about their experience. This not only fills me with great joy, but also assures me that the arts remain a crucial aspect in education, no matter how formal.
"Having the opportunity to join an art club within my own school has been an awesome experience. While a fraction of our time in the classroom involves government mandated education, and though it is an education I deeply appreciate, all of the time in art club has been our own to share with each other and to purely create. Ms. Marsh provided a casual and comfortable environment where young artists, whether experienced through classes or not, came together for a few hours a week and got to feel the most crucial feeling an artist can: endless freedom of expression. Though our time was limited to one semester, thus limiting our club member’s individual project sizing, we were provided with new ideas and projects which personally wouldn't have crossed my mind otherwise. I've had a great semester being a part of something that I love and something that, for years now, I've wished my school and community would offer."
~Grade Twelve student, Art Club, CHS