Progressive Education in the Arts

    • Arts,Exploration,Progressive Education

Keeping Open to Wonder and Exploration

By Loriann Signori, Art Teacher
Fifty years ago, Judith Grant and Susan Semple hatched the idea for Lowell Street School. As Judith recounts, they “were steeped in the works of Friedrich Froebel, John Dewey, Maria Montessori, Jean Piaget, and Haim Ginott.” These were child psychologists and progressive educators whose values and ideas Judith and Susan “had internalized from [their] own early education at the Dalton and Brearley Schools and later in graduate study at Bank Street College of Education and Harvard University.”
 
Current Lowell teachers are still very much connected to the philosophical roots of the school and interested in the work of contemporary thinkers in the progressive tradition such as Carol Dweck, Alfie Kohn, and Loris Malaguzzi.

"You Plan It, You Make It"

A light turned on this year. I have always tried to make the art be more provocation based, full of opportunity for the children to own the process, rather than planning gorgeous projects that reflect my thinking process rather than theirs. A new understanding grew in these last few months of the school year, and I thank the children for taking me there..
 
This year we had 10 weeks of “You Plan it You Make It” with the 1st grade artists. They loved it. The concept behind this project is that children keep a folder of their ideas and list the materials necessary to make them. When they arrive at class the materials are out on the tables, and the children set to work. Every other class, I take a moment at meeting to show another possibility, just in case a child wants to learn something new or is stuck, which is rare. I might introduce a new material, like clay, or show a new technique, like slab building. I keep the lessons very short to respect the children’s time in the studio. In the “You Plan It, You Make It” unit, children have created chess sets, dresses, pillows, paintings, salsa and chip bowls, Altoid box dioramas, hockey games—just to name a few things.
 
The children talk about how hard the unit is because they have to “figure out what to do and use,” but it’s their favorite time. This spring they returned to the art room at recess and after school to continue working. So many wanted to come back, I had to set a maximum of 20 students!

Service Learning with Pet Connect

After the 10 weeks ended, we moved on to a service-learning project, benefitting PetConnect Rescue. In this unit, I introduce painting techniques, and children create portraits of pets in the rescue system. They then sell the paintings and donate the proceeds to PetConnect. Unlike last year, the children were resistant. After the openness of “You Plan It You Make It” they did not want to make portraits in the way I was teaching. I thought I was sharing good skills for them to learn—thumbnail drawing, sketching, transferring, toning, and painting—but they now felt comfortable with their own ideas and ability to plan.
 
We continued with the portraits (all materials had been purchased, and PetConnect Rescue was counting on us), but each day as the children worked, they talked about what they would do next to add to the show. I felt so guilty for imposing my idea and not honoring their desire to create completely from their hearts. As an artist myself, I know I would rebel if someone told me what to do. I cringe when a gallery owners says, “If you paint more like these, your work will sell.”
This awakening has made me refocus on what I knew internally, yet struggled with in practice. Children should own their art and not feel they need me in order to do their work. Art is in each child—they are the artists—and my job, as a teacher, is to draw it out, not put it in. It is very important for all children to feel their artistic potential—their creative power—and to make their own work inspired by their ideas. Art in a progressive children’s studio honors the process more than the product. 

As a result of this experience Loriann shifted her practice to approach the Pet Connect project in a more progressive way. Read more about the strategies she uses under "What does a progressive art studio look like?"

What does a progressive art studio look like?

List of 7 items.

  • Problem Solving and Critical Thinking Skills

    You will hear a lot of questions in the children’s studio. The lessons start with questions rather than answers, and children, of course, ask questions, too. The problems posed are the ones that children care about and can solve themselves.

  • Collaborative and Cooperative Learning

    My lesson book is only completed a week ahead of time, and, still, that will be flexible. I watch for what the students are interested in and build on that. I focus on teaching skills and allow children to choose the materials and/or projects they want to work on, rather than making all those choices myself.

  • Curriculum Based on Children’s Interests

    My lesson book is only completed a week ahead of time, and, still, that will be flexible. I watch for what the students are interested in and build on that. I focus on teaching skills and allow children to choose the materials and/or projects they want to work on, rather than making all those choices myself.

  • A Sense of Community that Isn’t Confined to the Studio

    Children need to know they can help and contribute to their communities; integrating service-learning into the curriculum helps them see they can make a difference with a small act.

  • Varied Ways of Learning

    I teach concepts (like the color wheel) and skills (like mixing colors) in a way that gives children guidelines in which to explore while encouraging their different ways of exploring. Children are allowed to work together and individually; to work in ways that are both planned and spontaneous; to achieve success, as well as make mistakes; and to learn by doing and watching and listening.

  • Skills for Life-Long Learning

    Children learn to take responsibility for themselves and their studio space. They practice both accepting help and giving help. Working with others and finding their own place within collaborative work will be important skills, too. I make it a priority to help children make their own ideas grow and not be stymied by small impediments.

  • The Evaluation of Process over Product

    I notice when are students overcoming obstacles and getting stymied. I observe how they are planning their work and solving problems. We share our work in progress.
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Lowell School is a private PK-8th grade school located in NW Washington, DC. Our mission is to create an inclusive community of lifelong learners in which each individual is valued and respected.