Art Ed Radio

We all know about the power of the arts, and in this episode, Andrew looks really closely at how we can use the arts to build culture and turn around schools. Sarah Dougherty, who is part of the Turnaround Arts Initiative with the Des Moines Public Schools, joins Andrew to talk about her experience with these exact topics. They discuss how to become more creative and intentional with collaboration (10:00), how small changes can make a big impact on your school's culture (12:45), and the need for patience when you are looking for change. (14:30). Resources and Links: Check out the TASK party that Sarah mentioned The Des Moines Public Schools Turnaround Arts Program See all of Sarah's AOE articles Andrew mentioned AOE's new Professional Development subscription service, Art Ed  PRO

If you are not already using contemporary artists in your classroom, you definitely want to consider some new artists and ideas to bring to your students. Contemporary artists can be engaging and valuable for your students, and Tim and Andrew have an incredible list of their favorite artists to teach. Tim also figures out how to work Drake's "Hotline Bling" video into the discussion (13:30), Andrew introduces Tim to the video artist Paul Pfeiffer (17:30), and Andrew closes the show with a great explanation of why you should be teaching contemporary artists (21:00).  Resources and Links: The "No More Dead White Guys!" episode The Top 10 Contemporary Artists to Teach Alongside Traditional Artists Great Resources for Finding Contemporary Artists:  http://www.pbs.org/art21/ http://www.thisiscolossal.com/ http://www.booooooom.com/ http://www.designboom.com/  

Ceramics? Check. Drawing? Check. Printmaking? That is this week's deep dive. Andrew and Tim have a long discussion about teaching printmaking--tips and tricks, tools, safety, organization, lessons, budget, it is all on the table. They talk about managing the mess and the best routines for printmaking (3:00), the most important safety concerns and how to keep your kids safe (9:15), and how we move beyond technical concerns to get our kids making meaningful work (18:45).   Resources and Links: 5 Ways to Stretch Your Printmaking Budget Secrets for Managing the Printmaking Mess Safety Tips for Printmaking Awesome Strategies for Reduction Prints

After a couple weeks away while Tim talked to important people (Sir Ken Robinson and AOE Founder Jessica Balsley), Andrew is back! The guys get together to talk about what they love and what they don't when it comes to art and art education. They share their thoughts on Pop Art and Impressionism (2:30), why Andrew has ditched his teacher desk (6:45), whether you should spend time in the teacher's lounge (13:00), and when it's worth it to make a phone call home (15:15).   Resources and Links: Here's another idea on how to deal with your teacher desk Coping with different methods of organization Making teachers your allies by letting them borrow supplies Andrew's article about calling home

AOE Founder Jessica Balsley joins Tim to talk about last week's interview with Sir Ken Robinson. They share some stories about what it was like behind the scenes of the interview and what it was like working with Sir Ken. They also discuss the importance of art teachers (8:45), how Sir Ken's books helped influence Jessica to start the Art of Ed (11:15), and how teachers can stay passionate and stay loving what they do (14:15). If you would like to hear even more from Sir Ken Robinson, he will present "The Importance of Art Teachers" on August 3rd at the 2017 Art Ed Now Summer Online Conference. Details can be found at artednow.com. Resources and Links: Listen to the full Sir Ken Robinson interview See more about Art Ed Now, where Sir Ken will be presenting on August 3rd Jessica mentioned reading "The Element" a long time ago; here is an old article she wrote that dives in deeper with those ideas If you are looking for a chance to rekindle your own passion and creativity, make sure you check out the Creativit

In this very special episode of Art Ed Radio, Tim is in Los Angeles to interview the one and only Sir Ken Robinson. Sir Ken is a world-renowned expert on creativity and innovation, and his TED Talk, "Do Schools Kill Creativity?", is the most viewed TED Talk of all time. In this wide-ranging, nearly hour-long interview, he and Tim cover a plethora of topics. Listen as they discuss the evolution of Sir Ken's career and his move to the United States (11:00), testing culture around the world (15:30), the role of creativity in preparing students for the future (27:45), a possible way forward for our schools (37:00), and how teachers can affect change from their own classrooms (45:00). Resources and Links: Sir Ken Robinson's TED Talk Tim asks about Creative Schools, Sir Ken's latest book The official website of Sir Ken Robinson See more about Art Ed Now, where Sir Ken will be presenting on August 3rd

Andrew takes some inspiration from the "This American Life" to talk about the things that we used to believe as art teachers. More importantly, how do our beliefs change over time? How do we evolve? Andrew and Tim bring in some extra voices to guide the conversation as they talk about moving away from the importance of product (8:00), why it takes time to find who you are as a teacher (12:00), and the importance of authenticity (16:15). Resources and Links: Finding Your Happiness as an Art Teacher This American Life: "This I Used to Believe" episode 10 Things I Wish I Had Known 10 Years Ago 7 Ways to Hit Your Stride in the Art Room

As you get to the end of the year, it is a great time to reflect on what you are teaching and why. Tim and Andrew discuss how you can move past simple and baseline projects into more important work with your sutdents. They discuss why you can let perspective drawing fall by the wayside (4:30), differentiating between what needs to be a project and what needs to be a demo (12:00), and making work meaningful no matter the situation (20:30). Resources and Links: How to have more meaningful conversations with your students How to foster authentic art experiences 10 things to stop doing now as an art teacher Finally, here are 10 inspiring projects if you're looking for something new

Andrew goes on a couple epic rants, and Tim succinctly drops some truth as the guys talk about student engagement, and whether we should care what our students think of us. Listen as they cover ideas about why art teachers are so good at building relationships with their students (6:00), some outside-the-box ways to connect with your kids and the importance of shared experiences (13:15), and the conversations you can and should be having with your students (21:00). Resources and Links: Last Week's Episode About Building a Program Ways to Build Relationships when You See Hundreds of Students Each Week How to Get Your Apathetic Middle Schoolers Invested in Art Why You Shouldn't Care if Your Students Misbehave

How do you build a school culture that values the arts? Tim interviews Shannon Bell about concrete ideas to help you build a program from scratch. They discuss exactly what you're walking into and where you begin when you're starting a program (6:45), whether you should start with engagement or curriculum (10:30), and specific strategies to help get your colleagues and administration to buy in to your program (12:45). Resources and Links Advice for a new teaching position A simple way to scaffold as you develop your curriculum Here are a few amazing downloads that can help you get started Take a look at AOE's Designing Your Curriculum graduate course

A lot of teachers are dealing with some difficult colleagues--some so bad that they are bringing down the department. So how do we work with those teachers? Andrew brings Tim on the show to talk about how your art program can thrive even when you have a department killer on board. They discuss why every kid needs to be part of your program (9:00), whether you would rather work with talented kids or hard-working kids (11:30), and how to encourage students who might be stuck with a terrible teacher (18:15). Resources and Links Strategies to Recruit Students for Your Program Gaining the Confidence to Lead Your Art Department What Does Leadership Look Like for You?  Ideas to Run Your Department Better

Andrew and Tim get together to share strategies to help your most talented students find the challenges they need, which encourages and empowers them to continue to create. They discuss how to adapt your teaching and your curriculum for your most talented students (7:45), how art can self-differentiate (11:30), and how much you need to support your students when you ask them to take new risks (17:00). Resources and Links What Happens When a Student is a Better Artist than You? I Have the Next Picasso in my Art Room. Now What? How You Can Appreciate, Curate, and Advocate for Your Students What it Means to Teach Gifted Learners Well

A couple weeks ago, Andrew talked about elementary STEAM education with Tricia Fuglestad. This week, he's back with a discussion on STEAM education at the secondary level with AOE instructor Anna Nuttall. They cover a lot of ground in the interview, including what a secondary STEAM curriculum can and should look like (4:45), what STEAM can offer that a traditional curriculum can't (9:30), and the best ways to approach STEAM if you don't have a lot of experience or knowledge (15:15). Resources and Links AOE's Project Based Art Room graduate course How to Keep the Integrity of Art in STEAM 21st Century Attributes for the Art Room 5 Easy Ways to Gather STEAM in your Art Room

It's Drawing Week at AOE, and the guys can't resist getting in on the action. Tim loves to talk drawing, and Andrew has a lot of questions for him about how to improve his own drawing classes. This episode covers a lot of ground, including the best ways to start the year (4:00), why skills and engagement aren't mutually exclusive (18:00), and how important it is to provide quality materials (21:00). They close the show talking about organization (26:45), and sprinkle some of their best tips and tricks throughout the episode. Resources and Links: Why drawing is still so important Some great tips for making still life drawings a little less boring Make sure you are always using the correct materials Check out AOE's Studio: Drawing Course

Graffiti gets a terrible rap from most of the general public, but it is SO interesting to our students. So how can we use graffiti for student engagement and inspiration? AOE writer Matt Christenson is on the show to talk about how he uses graffiti in his curriculum and how his students respond. Listen as they talk about how graffiti helps connect almost every student (5:45), the structure of a graffiti-based curriculum (8:00), and Matt's full rundown of assessment and critiques that happen in his classroom (14:45).   Resources and Links: Matt's very first AOE article about teaching graffiti How graffiti fits into a bigger curriculum Another article from Matt on how he runs some critiques  And why he loves to display student work

So many teachers want to incorporate more technology, and especially more STEAM concepts, into their classroom. In this episode, Andrew brings on STEAM expert Tricia Fuglestad to talk about the best ways to bring these concepts into your classroom. Their discussion covers a wide range of topics, including the benefits of technology integration and trying new things (7:00), finding the right balance between art and technology (9:15), and making the most of the short amount of time you have in your classroom (16:15). Resources and Links: Visit Tricia's blog Tricia's Twitter account Take a look at all of AOE's articles and resources on STEAM education Check out the Project-Based Art Room grad course Andrew mentioned

This part of the school year is full of art shows and competitions, which can do a lot for your program. They can be an advocacy tool, and a motivating factor for your students--but they can also take the focus off what really matters in the art room. Do you embrace that competition, or are there more important things happening in your art room? Tim and Andrew talk about their personal approach to art shows (4:00), how you can use competition to build the confidence of your students (7:00), and whether competition really can help develop creativity (12:15).  Resources and Links: What should we be focused on in the art room?  What is the purpose of Art 1? There is a lot of power in showing every student's work

Last week, the guys talked at length about the slow finishers--the ones who never get work done. This week, they are back to talk about the other end of the spectrum--the fast finishers! It can be frustrating as a teacher to fill all of that down time that and deal with the misbehaviors that come from it. Listen as they guys discuss why fast finishers cause stress for both teachers and fellow students (4:00), how to deal with the excuses kids make (13:15), and proactive classroom management strategies (17:00). Resources and Links: Tim's article about teaching 3 projects at once This article talks about some great classroom management strategies How and why to slow your students down

There are very few things that annoy us more than those kids that take FOREVER to finish their work. Andrew and Tim talk about the work that never seems to get finished, and the reasons behind it. They discuss how to differentiate between the meticulous students and the disinterested ones (5:45), how to deal with both the perfectionists and the procrastinators (8:15), and whether you can ever use grades as punishment (10:45). They close the show talking about some motivation tactics and the best ways to get kids back on track.   Resources and Links: Can We Please Stop with the Participation Grades?  How to Get Your Apathetic Middle Schoolers Invested in Art Three Tips for Perfectionist Art Students How to Tell if a Project is Taking Too Long

Sometimes, February and March are the most difficult time of the year for teachers. It's been a long year already, and the end of the year is still a long way off in the distance. So how do you keep from feeling those effects of teacher burnout? Tim and Andrew talk about how to recognize when you are starting to get burnt out (4:00), ways to keep from feeling overwhelmed (7:45), and how to keep those feelings from affecting your teaching (14:45). Resources and Links: Creativity in Crisis Course The Art Ed Radio survey that Tim mentioned Why It's Okay to Feel Teacher Burnout Andrew's awesome article on why you should say 'no'