Inquiring Minds Want To Know

At the end of class on Wednesday, a 3rd-grade artist said she had something she wanted to show me. I walked over and this is what I saw on the table.

Doesn’t seem like much at first glance, right?

She explained that she had been thinking about our 5-minute demo that day, where we talked about Dav Pilkey as an artist who engages and persists in his life and work. I shared a short video where he talked about his ADHD and dyslexia, and how he felt about failure. She told me, “I really liked his message about sticking with it and not giving up because I have friends who have the same disabilities. So I’m making this for them.”

She explained that the paper on the left, a printmaking experiment, she wanted to turn into a sunset. She also said that she wanted to add the quote, “You got this. Do not give up.” (seen on the bottom). On the right, she showed me how she was envisioning her piece’s base by adding different bands of color with different materials (shown by the checks). She said a few times, “It’s not finished yet because I really wanted to take my time and not rush.”

Often, the learning happening in our classrooms is concealed in our students’ minds. And very frequently, it is much deeper and richer than we initially think. Children are capable of having incredibly complex ideas that may remain hidden if we don't take the time to notice and inquire. Looking at the bigger picture of conceptual learning that is happening during the artistic process (rather than waiting for the artistic product) is a major shift in how many art educators were trained to teach, but it is critical in order to meet the diverse and contemporary needs of our students.

Thinking and learning look so different for every student. As their teacher, one of the most important things we can do is to observe what they are naturally drawn to and connect it to the bigger picture. Ask the right questions and stop to really look closely: you’ll help challenge them to grow in all the right ways.