Art Ed Radio

Stubborn kids can be difficult, and far too often they fall into the mindset where their first idea is their only idea. Andrew is always looking for new ideas to get past this mindset, and today he goes to former AOE writer Melissa Purtee for advice. Melissa talks about her experiences and the differences she sees between teaching elementary and secondary (4:45), what happens in your room when kids start to "get it" (9:00), and how to get kids past their fears and coming into art with an open mind (13:30).    Resources and Links: Melissa will be presenting "When Kids Can't, Won't, or Don't" at the Art Ed Now conference in February: www.artednow.com Check out all of Melissa's articles You can see her personal blog here: http://www.thoughtsonarting.com/

Tim is passionate about art history, and making it a vibrant, exciting subject for our students. It's time to move past those boring slideshows in darkened rooms. So how do we do that? AOE writer Abby Schukei joins Tim as they talk about how to make art history intriguing for your students (6:00), how art history can inspire students' own work (12:00), and share some of their favorite artists that your students will love (16:30).    Resources and Links: Abby and Tim talked a lot about the resources they use and the artists they love. Links are below: NGA Kids Artrageous with Nate Yis Goodwin (aka Nosego) Jen Stark Dan Lam James Turrell Ai Weiwei Ana Mendieta 11 Artists Inspired by Science

In this very special episode of Art Ed Radio, Tim is in the Los Angeles studio of artist Alexa Meade. She is best known for her videos and photographs that show her painting directly on people, transforming 3D reality into a 2D world. During this discussion, she talks about how she found and developed her artistic style (5:30), the evolution of that style (10:00), inspiration and the creative process (14:15), and what happens when you make art with a bathtub full of milk (17:30). If you would like to hear even more from Alexa, she will present "Finding and Developing Your Creative Voice" on February 3rd at the 2018 Art Ed Now Winter Online Conference. Details can be found at artednow.com. Resources and Links: Alexa Meade's website Follow Alexa on Instagram and Twitter: @alexameadeart View her TED Talk See more about Art Ed Now, where Alexa will be presenting on February 3rd

If we are being honest, all teachers have some biases. What types of students we connect with, who we like to work with, and who we might favor implicitly. And it takes a really strong teacher to be able to recognize these biases and move past them, creating a quality learning environment for all of our students. So how do we get there? Andrew brings Tim on the show to talk about all of these somewhat difficult topics. They talk about the importance of recognizing our own biases (4:45).   Resources and Links: Approaching Gender Stereotypes in the Art Room How to Support Your LGBT Students Tim talked about dealing with immaturity. There's a whole podcast on that! Andrew also talked a lot about a fixed mindset

Far too often, art gets pushed to the side when it comes to school culture. But if you build your program the right way, the community you create in your room will help your kids succeed in so many ways. And people will undoubtedly notice. In this wide-ranging discussion, Tim talks to Ryan Loeppky about building an art room culture that gets noticed and shared (6:30), what we should be teaching kids (14:45), and why it is so important to make your kids' work visible (18:30).   Resources and Links: Follow Ryan on Twitter And check out his website A great article on building community and culture 50 Ways to Make Art Class a Valued Part of Your Community

In this wide-ranging conversation, Andrew talks with AOE writer about all the great (and not-so-great) things that come with moving toward a choice pedagogy. Along with reviewing the history of TAB and some incredible resources, they discuss their personal journeys into choice-based teaching (8:45), Kelly's highlights that come with being a TAB teacher (14:00), and the myth that TAB teaching is "easy" (23:45).   Resources and Links: Kelly makes a brief appearance on the "This I Used to Believe" episode of Art Ed Radio. One of Kelly's best articles (and collection of resources) about TAB and centers can be found here. AOE's Choice-Based Art Education graduate course 

What is the art challenge initiative? It's a great way to get your kids working on their skills dealing with problem-solving, creativity, and higher-order thinking. Today's guest, Elise Weiler-Korb, is a high school teacher that uses a plethora of challenges to help develop those skills as part of her kids' artmaking process. She and Tim discuss the different forms challenges can take (6:00), why developing confidence is vital (10:00), and her best advice on how and where teachers should begin utilizing challenges (13:30).   Resources and Links: If you want to contact Elise to discuss the art challenge initiative, her email address is eliseweilerkorb@gmail.com The color mixing challenge that Elise mentioned can be found here: Part One: https://www.theartofed.com/2016/12/21/using-color-theory-deconstruct-race-part-one/ Part Two: https://www.theartofed.com/2016/12/22/using-color-theory-deconstruct-race-part-two/ This is a great article from AOE writer Wynita Harmon on how she uses art challenges: https://www.

Tim absolutely loves sketchbooks, but unfortunately, Andrew doesn't share his passion. Instead, Tim brings on Andrea Slusarski to explore how to make sketchbooks a consistent part of your students' artmaking process. Listen as they discuss the types of sketchbooks that are best for your classroom (6:30), why we make modeling artistic habits a priority (13:45), and Andrea's best advice to prioritize sketchbooks in your classroom (17:15).    Resources and Links: A Surefire Way to Get Your Students Excited About Sketchbooks A great video where Tim shows his sketchbook grading process  100 Sketchbook Prompts Your Students Will Love Andrea's previous appearances on the podcast: How to Teach Color Theory and Keep Students Engaged (Ep. 005) Do Art Teachers Have to Be Artists? (Ep. 017)

It seems like every kid loves music in some way or another, and the guys are talking today about how that love can bring inspiration and influence into your classroom. Whether you use songs or videos in your lessons, or just add some music in the background during class, it can be a powerful tool. Join Andrew and Tim as the discuss deciding on the environment they want to establish in their classroom (5:15), why music seems to only be found in the art room (9:00), and how concepts from the music world translate into student art making (15:30).   Resources and Links: Matt Christenson's article about the music list 24 Songs to Influence the Mood in Your Classroom Tim's Ultimate Guide to OK Go Music Videos A great art history-inspired video from Hold Your Horses, a band that Andrew mentioned  

Andrew and Tim get together to talk about the reasons that teachers aren't coming into the profession with everything they need to know. Is it because there is too much involved in the life of an art teacher? Or is the teaching profession just that difficult? Join the guys as they talk about why undergrad coursework can't possibly cover everything (7:15), the essential education courses that new teachers need (15:45), and what we can do in the real world for teachers that are lacking in the knowledge they need (21:00).   Resources and Links: Here is the sculpture podcast that Tim mentioned Important advice for entering a new teaching position What do student teachers really need? What undergrad Art Ed programs forget to teach you

It's theme week at the Art of Ed, and this month's theme is all about substitute teachers. The Radio Guys want to join in the action because they have a lot to say about subs as well. Listen as they talk about suffering through sickness to avoid calling in a sub (5:00), taking a proactive approach with your students when you know you will be gone (11:15), and their top 3 tips for a successful substitute experience in your classroom (19:45). Resources and Links: Check out this podcast with Kelly Parvin on planning for a long-term sub An old (but still good) article for putting together a sub folder A good video on how to flip your sub plans Tim's new article he talked about

A while back, the guys talked about those lessons that just aren't working anymore--the lessons we might just want to move on from. So how do we decide what we should teach? How do we decide what should be part of our curriculum? Join the guys as they try an optimistic approach to this discussion, covering creative thinking vs. technical skill (4:30), your essential projects (11:45), and finding the right variety of experiences for your kids (15:00).   Resources and Links: The podcast that inspired this episode How to foster authentic art experiences Here are 10 inspiring projects if you're looking for something new  

Melissa Purtee and Ian Sands, authors of The Open Art Room, join Tim to discuss their new book and choice based art education. They talk about the transition teachers make when moving toward choice-based education and how that compares with traditional pedagogy. Listen as they cover the story of writing The Open Art Room (4:15), whether you can put a framework toward choice-based teaching (10:00), and the idea of how much choice each teacher should offer (15:45). Resources and Links: You can order The Open Art Room here. Use the code OAR15 for 15% off the price (good through October 1st). Melissa mentioned Engaging Learners as a great text for elementary choice See all of Melissa’s AOE articles And Ian’s articles are here

One of the most difficult things to do as an artist is to find your voice and to find your style. Even more difficult is to help our students do the same. Tim invites Michael Bell on the show to discuss how we can build up our students and, in turn, build up our art programs. Listen for their discussion on balancing your art and your teaching, how to support and help develop your artists, and why visual journaling is so important to helping students find their voice. Resources and Links: Michael's book was published in June. It is called Dual Lives: From the Streets to the Studio Visit Michael's website And his TED talk can be found here  

As art teachers, we have the opportunity to let kids know that their opinions, their vision, and their aesthetics matter. Andrew brings on AOE writer Lindsey Moss to chat about the idea of "Kidaesthetics". Listen for their discussion on the difference between how kids and adults perceive art (6:00), how art teachers balance the aesthetic vision against the expectations of adults (9:30), and how we educate adults on what kids find aesthetically appealing (18:15). Resources and Links: You can see all of Lindsey's AOE articles here Andrew talked about Lindsey's PRO learning packs for PD. Here's her First Day Activities pack Make sure you check out Cassie Stephens' new podcast as well! Listen to Lindsey's previous appearance on Art Ed Radio  

What does the beginning of the school year look like in your classroom? What should it look like? Classroom management is key, but how we go about establishing it is different for everyone. The guys share what happens on the first day in their classrooms (3:45), Andrew talks about his two tenets for classroom management (10:00), and finishes the show by stumbling into a possibly brilliant idea for a new project to start the year (16:45). Resources and Links: Last year's back to school podcast with Janine Campbell 5 Ways to Make Art on the First Day of School Use Narrative Necklaces to Meet Your New Students Routines to Teach During the First Week (download)  

Tim interviews the one and only Cassie Stephens for this episode, and they discuss some the best ideas from transitioning from summer mode back into school. They cover where inspiration comes from, and how you can bring that inspiration into your teaching. Tim starts the episode with a big announcement about AOE's newest podcast (1:30), then Cassie shares information about her upcoming Art Ed Now Conference presentation (5:30), and the new lessons coming into her classroom this year (11:45). They then close the conversation with a rundown of the upcoming Everyday Art Room podcast, and why Cassie wanted to host the show (18:45). Full episode transcript below.   Resources and Links: Take a look at Cassie's blog and all of her incredible resources The Clay Lab for Kids book  An interview with Cassie, and a great lesson Check out all of Cassie's AOE videos  

If you've been on art teacher social media any time in the past week or so, you have probably seen this article (http://blog.schoolspecialty.com/art-craft/art-class-school/). Art teachers everywhere were offended by its assumptions, its ideas about the role of art teaching, and its conclusions about the future. In this special episode, Tim and Andrew offer their takes on the article (3:15), the role of art teachers and the arts (8:30), and the controversy found in the resulting social media firestorm (12:30). Resources and Links: The offending School Specialty Article If we're talking budgets, how about the old "Budget Like a Boss!" podcast? How to Make the Arts a Valued Part of Your Community A few more great resources for advocacy

About a month ago, the guys did their last deep dive into printmaking. This week, it's time for 40 minutes of sculpture talk. From materials to instructional strategies, and everything in between, it's all up for discussion today! Join the guys as they talk about the best projects for our youngest students (2:00), some issues that Andrew has come across (14:00), and safety issues when you're using unexpected materials (33:30). Resources and Links: Foolproof Methods for Teaching Beginning Sculpture Andrew's favorite Unexpected Materials Tim's ideas for inexpensive sculptures Stunning Projects with Recycled Materials  

It's one of the existential questions for art teachers: do you use teacher examples? On one hand, you help your kids stay on track for success with their work. On the other hand, you run the risk of stifling their creativity and ending up with a classroom of similar projects. What is an art teacher to do? Andrew brings Tim on the show to talk about the use of teacher examples, the demonstration conundrum, and why every teacher needs to reflect on this issue and come up with their own solution. Resources and Links: How to Make Your Own Art And Teaching Tools at the Same Time 3 Ways to Teach for Creativity in the Art Room Why It's Time to Move On From Projects 4 Statements Every Art Teacher Hates Hearing