Art Literacy Archives – Page 3 of 3

I’ve learned from experience that if you’re like most Montessori teachers, you’re probably not trained in art. It can seem daunting—or maybe even unimportant—to teach art in the Montessori classroom. But the truth is, teaching visual arts and art literacy to students can have a huge impact on their education.

I get deep into all of this in my new book, Defining Visual Arts. I go over the standards for visual arts, how to understand artistic technique and process, and the art projects and mediums that are best for children. It’s really a quick guide to teaching art in your classroom.

Defining Art Literacy & Standards in the Montessori Classroom

Why Teach Visual Arts?

In my book, I also explain why it’s so beneficial for students to have art lessons as part of their Montessori education. Here are just a few of those reasons you should be teaching it.

Art offers a unique form of communication

Student learn diverse ways to communicate their emotions, ideas, and even other subjects they’ve learned in the classroom.

Art encourages critical and creative thinking

How do you express an idea like peace through watercolors? Through art, students get the chance to think creatively as they express themselves through different mediums and projects.

Art offers a tool for societal, historical, and cultural understanding

Art can be connected back to many different Montessori subjects, from science to literature to history. Experiencing art from other time periods or cultures can give students a different perspective on the other subjects they’re learning.

Art cultivates enjoyment and wellbeing

Being able to express themselves in a way that is neither “right” nor “wrong” allows students to find self-confidence and enhances their overall wellbeing. Plus, playing with paints, clay, and crafting materials is enjoyable and exciting for most students.

Art in the classroom leads to greater art literacy

Art literacy provides a standard for students to discover the artistic process. While art is usually considered to be subjective, having art literacy sort of evens the playing field for how students learn the subject.

What is Art Literacy?

To put it simply, art literacy is the knowledge and understanding required to participate authentically in the arts. It provides students with the opportunity to work through the artistic process, as a part of their education and using visual arts standards.

What are the Visual Arts Standards?

The standards we use to teach visual arts were created after extensive studies and surveys of professional artists—from musicians to sculptors. Researchers observed and analyzed the way art is created, from visualization and ideation to a finished form. All these findings were evaluated and placed into a matrix called The Artistic Process, which consists of four actions: investigate, imagine, construct, reflect.

These visual art standards can be used by teachers all over the country to develop curriculum and evaluate artistic progression in their students. The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS) is one of the prominent organizations leading the efforts to unify art standards across the U.S.

As helpful as these standards are, they do not provide guidelines or instruction for how learning in the arts should be delivered. They give teachers the four basic art process actions children should experience while creating artwork. Deciding on the medium (such as crayons or clay), areas of focus (drawing or painting), and technique are all up to you. This is where it gets a little daunting, right?

Don’t freak out!

I’ve done years of research on the development of art understanding and abilities in children, and I’ve tailored my experience and learning to be useful and applicable in the Montessori classroom.

I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed. Even if you don’t have an arts background, you can still teach visual arts! In Defining Visual Arts, I break down the subject into five simple domains, and walk you through the mediums and techniques to use in each one. You can purchase a copy of the book online for the ultimate guide on giving your students art literacy and bring art into your classroom!

**Buy Defining Visual Arts in Paperback or Digital Copy Here!**

Spramani’s Books

Teach children visual arts

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Curriculum For Children

Get step-by-step art curriculum to teach visual arts. Check out our 4 art curriculums:
Painting
Drawing
Color Theory
Clay Modeling

Buy Art Curriculum

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I know that if you’re reading this blog right now, then you want to teach your Montessori students visual art! And I applaud you for that! It’s such an awesome thing to see kids get excited about art and making things with their own hands—and one way to do that is through positive art talk.

I’ve worked with so many Montessori teachers over the years, and for the most part, their number one fear is that because they don’t have a background in art they won’t be able to teach it to their students. If this is your fear, I’d suggest enrolling in my new online course Art Teaching Blueprint; in just seven modules, I go through how children learn art, and break it down so it’s easy for you to understand and then turn around and teach—I even include several step-by-step lesson guides!

The truth is, you can get students interested in art without having a strong background in the subject, you just have to know how to talk to them and encourage them. Here are a few pieces of advice for the next time you talk to a student about his or her artwork.

Ways to Stimulate Positive Art Talk in Montessori Classrooms

Remember Their Skill Level

When kids are creating and then sharing their artworks, it’s important to remember rein your expectations. Depending on your students’ ages, they might be brand new to art still learning how to paint, draw, and craft. Most artworks made by young kids are simply experimental, led by curiosity and art play. For them, the point of art is just to create, and their finished pieces won’t look like anything at all. That’s perfectly fine—it’s still art!

Listen First

As students get older, they might be creating art to represent actual ideas or objects…but their finished work still might not look like what they intend it to. My advice is to listen first. Let them describe what they’ve made on their own. Listening is very supportive and won’t make a child feel judged or bring focus to their artistic skills.

Speak Second

I encourage you to listen first because you don’t want to ask too many questions about what your students painted and why, because it can quickly overwhelm them. One of the most common mistakes teachers is trying to analyze a student’s work like an art critic. We want students to create art for themselves, based on their own ideas, interests and creativity. If you judge their work—even positively—it can cause them to begin creating work they believe you’ll like or appreciated, which can stump their own expression in the long run.

Slowly Introduce Art Language

If you have a child that shows interest in discussing their artwork and skills, try to introduce art language slowly. Supportive and nurturing language can sound like, “I like your work, do you want to share with me what you created?” If they still look for some type of confirmation from you, then use neutral, observational comments about their work. For example, acknowledging their use of colors, shapes or textures can give them the approval they want, since it shows you’re paying attention to their creation, without putting a “good” or “bad” stamp on their finished work.

Download my Beginner Elements and Principle of Design Cheat Sheet for a list of Montessori early childhood art language terms. I’ve included definitions for each term as well, so you’ll feel more confident using them, knowing you’re using them correctly. In truth, these art language terms can be used in all Montessori classrooms, no matter how old your students are!

To download the Art Language cheat sheet, click here.

Remember That Actions Speak Louder Than Words

At the end of the day, you can create positive reinforcement of a child’s creativity by simply showing off their work. After the child has explained all they can about their art, ask if they want to save, showcase, or maybe give it away to someone special. A reassuring smile of approval and displaying it in your classroom’s inspiration gallery can do so much for their confidence when it comes to visual arts!

Of course, this is just the beginning. Positive art talk is the start building up a child’s confidence and creativity. For more ideas and tips on creating a positive art environment sign up for my newsletter and keep up with my blog. I also strongly recommend that you register for my course, Art Teaching Blueprint. I share the very best way to teach art to your students—it’s taken years of study and experience on my end—but you get all the secrets in one place, in a flexible, easy-to-digest online course. It’s awesome, it’s fun, and I know you’ll love it and learn so much from it!