Turn Your Classroom into a Workshop

The “workshop” model is different than the standard “classroom” model and works very well for after-school art classes.   I have already written about the importance of collaboration but I would like to go a little more in depth into how I set up my lesson plans and manage my class.  What do I mean by workshop?  A workshop has an end goal.  Every lesson and activity serves to build the skills needed for the end result.  Not only that, but the class must work together from set up to clean up in order to achieve this goal. There are no grades, but the students analyze and critique their progress.

This way of working is best exemplified by my Mural Arts classes.  First I show the students examples of murals from Lancaster City and other areas.  Then I tell them that they have the opportunity to create a large painting that will send a message to their school and potentially the greater community.  This is their main motivating factor.  They need to work together and stay focused to achieve this, otherwise they will have missed a chance at beautifying and impacting their school.  Why does a workshop model work best to achieve this?  I use brainstorming, list making, poetry, image research (books and internet), drawing, tracing, painting, typography, stenciling, computer effects, charades, storytelling, and games in the process of creating a mural.  It is not necessary for each student to master each of these activities.  It is important that they are encouraged to try all of them, find the ones they excel in, and share the results of their work.

Also, it is not necessary to have every student working on the same task at the same time. Here is an example of the multi-tasking collaborative workshop.  During my set design class at Price Elementary my group was charged with the assignment of creating backdrops for Alice in Wonderland.  I had a 5th grade boy, the “Scribe,”  organizing drawings into piles and making lists of what needed to be done.  He communicated to the “Image Research Department,” a 3rd grade girl who was using an internet image search program to find and print examples.  These examples were given to the “Sketchers” who were busy drawing their own versions of the printed material.  I, the “Manager” was walking around to each group or student and checking on their progress, as well as offering encouragement and challenges.  This more closely resembles the “real world” and what children may experience once they are old enough to hold a job.

It takes time and consistency for this type of class structure to flourish.  I’ve been lucky enough to teach a Mural Arts class at Hamilton Elementary for an extended session of 16 weeks instead of the usual 8 weeks.  The students in my class now know what is expected of them and are able to work in what sometimes seems to be a hectic environment.  When they first meet up with before going to our room they know to ask about a warm up activity.  They volunteer to carry the supplies.  They know they need to get their smocks on if they are painting.  When they complete a task or get bored with what they are doing they ask me what else they can help with.  Last week I had two students who were cleaning the paint brushes and cups so thoroughly that they refused to stop when it was time to line up to leave.  I had to walk out of the room with the other kids in order to convince them that I was serious.  This effort to clean shows that they are taking responsibility for the process and are invested in the project.

As the Visual Arts Director for Heads Up it is my responsibility to make my classes fun and relevant.  It is is also my responsibility to help the students find what they are passionate about and learn how they can fit into and add to a group.  We have a unique opportunity in the after-school programs to build and explore alternative methods of instruction.  It is often difficult to make the switch from the standard classroom to the workshop model but is well worth it.

Wow.  I really didn’t expect that.  I envisioned it, but was not sure that every piece would come together… but it did!  A crowd of over 200 gathered to see the Heads Up Youth from our REMIX Urban Arts Camp wow them… over 50 youth, staff and parents came out of nowhere for some junkyard drumming, bachata dance and hip hop choreography with an awesome backdrop of a mural the kids created about “VISION for CHANGE”.  There was visitors to the Marriott, Lancaster fans, first friday strollers and just people cuaght in the right place at the right time… it was really inspiring.  One observer said “I had no idea we had this kind of a thing!”… by ‘thing’, they must have mean ‘awesome urban arts scene filled with passionate professionals and youth that ooze potential’.

Thanks to Shannon, our program director, for making the first ever REMIX camp a huge success.  Thanks to the SDoL for supporting our camp so we could provide free services to the middle schoolers of the city!  All the amazing staff and volunteers made a huge impact – YDC, Dex, Lindsay, Paul, Vanessa, Rob, Keilah, Amber, Mike, Ben, Rose and the parents too!

The official video will be posted soon.  IF you caught some clips, we would love you to email them to us so we can compile them… photos too.  Post your clips on FB and make sure you ‘like’ Heads Up Lancaster and tag us.  Thanks to the hot dog stand who let me stand on top of their …stand and thanks to the Marriott for letting us film from their building.

Thanks also to Chad Linton for the awesome REMIX shirts he printed for us and Abby and Erin for helping film!…I think the bar has been set as far as Lancaster flash mobs go!

Adventures with Rob:

“The Joy of Collaboration, The Challenge of Letting Go”

One main focus of the Mural Arts program is encouraging students to work as collaborative artists.  This can be difficult for some but provides unique opportunities for all.  Some students are very focused on the idea of creating an individual work of art that they get to take home.  It takes a bit of motivation to help them let go of their work and see it as a gift that they are giving to their school.  I like to start my classes with an exercise called “Collaborative Faces.”  Each student starts with a blank piece of paper and draws a head shape.  The next step is to pass the paper on to another student so the second student adds in the eyes.  It is then passed on again so that the nose is added, then the mouth etc.  Some students are shocked when I suggest they let someone else add to what they started.  They want control over the whole process and the outcome.  Sometimes they will even try to direct the next person to draw what they had in mind.  Eventually each student gets over this fear and they learn to let go.  The results are wild, humorous, and very unexpected.  Students move beyond their standard repertoire of symbols and faces.  This process also helps the less confident students.  They see that they can help, add things here and there, without being responsible for an entire drawing.  To really collaborate, or become co-creators, all parties must realize that the end result is beyond their individual expectations. This can be difficult but the process becomes more important than the product.  As a teacher I also have to give up my initial vision of the mural to the emerging vision of the students.  I have to learn to trust their ideas as much as they have to trust my guidance.  We must remember that as individuals we do not have all the answers.  If we put our heads and hearts together we can come up with exciting solutions to our problems and invent things we didn’t think were possible.v

Heads Up : York

Today was my first day of teaching Mural Arts at the York Youth Development Center.  First Tim and I met with Tony, the shift supervisors, and other staff.  They gave us a briefing on how our day is going to go and what to expect.  We presented them with an outline for our day and week.  We also let them know of any particular things we would need for our program.  The mural project is going to be based on seven principles or commitments that they reinforce with the students.  The principles are, Open Communication, Social Responsibility, Non Violence, Inquiry and Social Intelligence, Growth and Change, Shared Governance, and Emotional Intelligence.

I started with four students and another joined us half way through the class.  I started by introducing myself and a brief history of my education art career.  To get to know them I asked them for their name and the story behind their name. Next I gave them the pre-test to get a survey of what they know about murals.  Tony asked to keep these at the center.  Then I gave them a slideshow presentation of York City murals and we discussed what a mural is and how it can affect the community.  After this we did a collaborative drawing project by passing around drawings of faces and everybody added a feature. To wrap things up they each chose one of the principles and wrote their definition and an example of the principle from their personal life.  The goal is to create 7 large canvas paintings that include the principle and an image or symbol that represents the phrase.

From Karlo and Heads Up Photography: A camera is not only a window to the world through someone’s eyes… but simultaneously a window into someone’s mind through a lens. Check out these great photos taken by students just learning the basics of photography!

From Shannon and Dance Fusion: On Tuesday, while waiting for my students to arrive for dance class at Price Elementary, I saw a former student in the hallway. I taught him two years ago and he is now in middle school. I must admit I needed help in remembering his name. Once he told me, I remembered him in my class as if it were yesterday. We spoke for a few minutes and he told me all about how he likes middle school. Then I asked him if he remembered my name. Without hesitation he said, “Of course, Miss Shannon”. This was his response when I asked him how he still knew my name, “Because your class was the best. You were the coolest teacher”. Wait, this was coming from the student who had to sit out of many classes because of inappropriate behavior? He reminded me that you may never know what kind of impact you may have on someone’s life.

From Rob Seitz and Recycled Fashion: As I was setting up a Recycled Fashion class at Hand Middle school I had the opportunity to meet and talk with a student who was not in my class. I was sitting in the cafeteria organizing my supplies when two energized young men walked in making a loud indecipherable exclamation something like, “HUH!” I’m supposing they were taking a roundabout route to where it was they were supposed to be going or wandering around without permission but instead of grilling them on their behavior I decided to introduce myself. They were very polite and asked me what I was doing. I told them I was setting up for a class and explained how I teach fashion design, clothing repair, and creative reconstruction of old clothes. They seemed very interested and stayed a while to chat.

Usually only young women sign up for a fashion class but I find that when I have a chance to explain the young men are equally interested. I’m glad I was able to share these ideas and make a connection with students who I wasn’t scheduled to meet.

Another joy of working at Hand is hearing the occasional, “Mr. Rob!” from former Washington Elementary students as I’m walking through the building. Its great to maintain a connection with former students as they grow and move on to different schools.

I think its important for teachers and students to see that they have a community of caring and reoccurring characters.

I had a very entertaining week. On monday I was at Price. This was my first time in the elementary school. Let me get to the point. I was assigned a group of first graders. I was blown away by the physical abilities. Mainly a one little girl. She crushed almost all the boys on with her ability to complete the monkey bars. It was amazing how she attacked it with no fear. I couldn’t stop smiling.  – Eddie (Fitness)

Mr. Rob here with a story of my Recycled Fashion class at Hand Middle School. I am consistently impressed with the ability of young people to take the lead when their abilities are recognized and encouraged. During my Recycled Fashion class (in which students take old items and turn them into new clothes) I had a student turn into a teacher. I was presenting a basic non sewing technique on cutting up a t-shirt and turning it into a bag when a student mentioned that she had already learned this method from a class with Ms. Shannon. My first reaction was, “Oh no, she’ll be bored I’m repeating a lesson!” But then I saw this as an opportunity to break down the typical teacher-student power structure. I decided to ask her if she would like to present the project to the class. This allowed her to practice her latent teaching and public speaking skills and allowed me to walk around and individually help the rest of the students. This was my second class with some of the students and my first time meeting others but it was already turning into a student directed workshop. The students felt free to experiment and share ideas with each other. My hope is to show these students that they can find new styles in old clothes and new teachers in old friends.

First days are always interesting.  You want to establish professionalism, respect, friendliness, and encourage exploration all in an hour. There are kids that are having great days, some that are not, and you can’t make that initial judgement on them based on that. In my class, I try to teach more than just “Point & Shoot”.  I try to teach storytelling, preservation, and capturing and channeling the human experience. Names were learned, expectations were set, and then the cameras were in their hands. Excitement was buzzing, and despite the fact that there wasn’t a single student who had not handled beforehand, there was still that gleam in their eye when they took that first picture.

- Karlo Gesner (Karlo Photography)