John Toth, Ph.D.
Intermedia. Hypermedia and the Sublime.

THE  EXPRESSIVE

ARTS  IN  EARLY  CHILDHOOD

HUNTER COLLEGE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

CURRICULUM & TEACHING

office hours: W1109
Mon, Wed or Thurs, 3:30 – 4:30. Other Times By Appointment

Spring Semester 2008

Professor John Toth, Ph.D.

Room W704

ECC / CEDC / QUEST

Overview:

Through the course’s modeling of Aesthetic Education the teacher candidate will come to understand how the experiential study of the visual arts will enhance cognitive, perceptual, expressive and imaginative abilities.

Through the hands-on-study of works of arts the teacher candidate will identify and articulate multi-sensory modes of learning to organizational principles, materials and techniques used to create works of art.

The teacher candidate will bring her/his knowledge and experience of diversity, child development and basic principles of early childhood curriculum to utilize the arts throughout the elementary curriculum. The teacher candidate will understand how to collaborate with students, parents, community and school administrators in ongoing planning and advocacy for the arts within elementary school curricula.  The teacher candidate will also gain skills and understanding of technologies for the classroom: blackboard, digital photography, desktop publishing, web research and power point presentation. Please look for more thorough instructions for homework and assignments in COURSE DOCUMENTS on the Hunter College Black Board for this course.

Lesson Menu:

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 - 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 11 – 12 -13 – 14 - 15 -

01

Lesson Plan – 01

PRIME COMMUNICATION: LINE / SIGNITURE

PRIME COMMUNICATION: LINE

Objective:

Present and explore the nuances and differences between Aesthetic Education, Arts Education and Arts in Education as instruments of creative communication.

Creative Activity:
Present and explore signatures as an example of how we communicate using line qualities that can be expressive and logical. Draw portraits of each other using your diversw signatures.

Artists & Artworks Archive:

Jackson Pollock, (American, 1912–1956) Autumn Rhythm (Number 30), 1950 (Met)
Arthur Danto ,Pollock

Lee Krasner,

Thomas Hart Benton, July Hay
(Jackson Pollock's teacher)

  The Misunderstood Role of the Arts in Human Development by Elliot W. Eisner   Download .pdf file

Read article and post your response on-line

Student responses Eisner article Discussion Board

Student responses Value activity Discussion Board

Rubric for drawing activity

LINE LANGUAGE

Examples of student creative artworks

LINE PORTRAITS

Alberto Giacometti (Swiss, 1901–1966), Three Men Walking (II), 1949 (Met)

02

Lesson Plan - 02 

TINTS & SHADES

VALUE PAINTING: TINTS & SHADES Objective:

Art communicates through a language of shades and tints: value is the lightness and darkness of color.

2a. Skills Activity: Paint

Paint a scale of at least eight shades and tints using black and white paint.
2b. Skills Activity: Technology
Create a scale of 9 even tones of black and white.

Creative Activity:
Use the skills and control of mixing tines and shades to make a tonal study with tempera point with a theme of your choice.

Artists & Artworks:

Alberto Giacometti (Swiss, 1901–1966), The Artists Wife (Anette)

Examples of student creative artworks
VALUE PAINTINGS

Charles Demuth,
Georgia O’Keefe,

03

Lesson Plan - 03

SHAPES & FORMS

DREAMS AND IMAGINATION: MAGAZINE COLLAGE

Objective: 
An aesthetic approach to learning bridges skills, knowledge, reflection, cultural identity, curriculum and a variety of human endeavors.
Creative Activity:
Create a collage using magazine cut-outs that portray a dream experience.

NCATE

  Artists & Artworks

Salvador Dali, Persistence of Memory

Chagall, The Lovers

Maxine Greene. Variations On A Blue Guitar, “Defining Aesthetic Education," "Notes on Aesthetic Education,” pp 5-16. 

Skills Activity 1: Colage.
Cut out 3 people, 3 objects and 3 places from a magazine. Arrange these parts 3 different ways to tell a story.

04

Lesson Plan - 04  

Symbols

SYMBOLIC VISUAL LANGUAGE: SOCIAL COMMENTARIES    

Objective:
This idea calls upon the TC’s capacity to consider relationships and meanings about personal, social, cultural differences.

Skills Activity:

Discuss and identify current examples of symbols that are understood in daily life. Make simple drawings that are icons or symbols.

  NCATE

Washington and Lafayette Podcast
Article - Research - Timeline - Transcript - PowerPoint Show -
Image - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7

ARTWORKS:

Florine Stettheimer, Cathedrals of Wall Street. (1871–1944)

Marcel Duchamp, Bicycle Wheel. (MoMA)

Faith Ringgold, Street Story Quilt.

Dogon, Seated Couple, Ancestral Figures.

Rossiter and Mignot, Washington and Lafayette at Mount Vernon. 1859

 
Marc Chagall,
 I and the Village

Navajo, Bird Nester Myth

Skills Lesson:

Experiment making line drawings using simple geometric shape to construct complex objects.  Use circles, squares and rectangles to construct; a face; a lamp; food; home;
Creative Activity:
Make a drawing or painting that uses simple geometric shapes as symbols that represent or elude to a dramatic social  experience in your life. Consider using  scale as a means of organizing symbols to show the importance or insignificance in effecting this event.

05

Lesson Plan – 05

TRANSFORMATION – Change Over Time

TRANSFORMATION OVER TIME

Objective:  
Transformation may be seen as a process for change and growth over time that promotes individual and community identity.

Henri Matisse, Backs #1-4

Artworks:   

Asmat , Shields;

Skills Activity:

Make two simple object on opposite sides of a sheet of drawing paper. Drawing two to three morphing steps between the first and last image.

Creative Activity:
Choose your own medium to make a transformation. Try to explore a theme or idea that would be interesting to both children and adults. Try to blend imagination and logic.
 (UC, KSD, P, CLC, SJ) NCATE

Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending a Staircase.

Examples of Student Artworks
TRANSFORMATION

06

Lesson Plan - 06

The Work of Art – Sketching and Noticing

LOGIC and Order
GALLERY VISIT        

Artworks: 

Students recreated "Tau" from sketches and group problem solving.

CULTURAL IDENTITY
Objective: 
Explore your own history for cultural influences: habits, customs, foods, dance, music hobbies, skills, traits that you will consider as potential input for determining the character of our upcoming self-portrait puppet.

07

Lesson Plan – 07

LOGIC AND SYSTEMS: Pattern Blocks

LOGIC AND SYSTEMS: Pattern Blocks
Objective: 
Explore elements of Math in art: patterns, sequences, and rhythm. Elements of symmetry: mirror, reflective, radial, progressive and alternating.

Skills Activity:
Use pattern blocks to illustrate elements of symmetry. Use pattern blocks to create designs and pattern. Experiment with different kinds of sequencing and spacing of pattern blocks. Explore order and  chaos.  Create a three dimensional solid using the pattern blocks.

Artworks:  

Piet Mondrian, Broadway Boogie Woggie,

Pattern Block Program: on-line
http://www.arcytech.org/java/patterns/patterns_j.shtml

John's Pattern Block Templates:

template #1
template #2
template #3
template #4
template #5
template #6

Creative Activity:
PLAYING WITH PATTERN BLOCKS

08

Lesson Plan – 08

MANDALA: OPENING THE WORLD & DIFFERENCES

MANDALA ART Objective: 

Consider a work of art as a process and product that reveals knowledge through the way that images are presented. Facilitate: balance, order, symmetry

 Artworks:   

Art from India, China, Tibet, Japan, Africa, The Americas,  Australia,

Mandala Artworks

Skills Activity:

Explore aspects of SYMMETRY  as an organizing principle. Explore REPITION and PATTERN.

Creative Activity:

Create a Mandala that organizes and reveals the essence of your world.

Contextual Information:
Mandalas, Circles, Sand mandalas, Wheel of Fortune, (Myth, Legend and Folklore), Math & Mandala

Navajo, Bird Nester Myth

09

Lesson Plan - 09

THE WORK OF ART: Metropolitan Museum of Art

MUSEUM VISIT #2 
THE WORK OF ART: Metropolitan Museum of Art (CLC, UC)

Objective:  TC’s will explore methods of investigation of a work of art: describe, notice, analyze, interpret, reflect and question.  TC’s will explore cultural identity through symbols.

(UC, KSD, P, CLC, SJ) NCATE

..........

Dogon / Alberto Giacometti

Artworks:    Arms & Armor Gallery, Modern Art Wing

Activity: The Work of Art.  Make sketches during the museum visit. Sketch details, shapes, patterns, symbols…

Samples of Student Work: Concrete Poem

Concrete Poems 2

CONCRETE POEM
Objective: 
Explore ways in which language can be used to “break out of the box” of its conventional way of transmitting meaning.

Activity:
Create a Concrete Poem from your notes and reflections from the museum visit.
(UC, KSD, P, CLC, SJ) NCATE

Artworks:   
John Toth, X Words;

Student Artworks:
CONCRETE POEMS

10

Lesson Plan - 10

PUPPET PORTRAITS: REPRESENTING HISTORIES

MARIONETTE: PUPPETS, Part 1

Biographical Self Portrait            

Objective: 

Explore the history of puppet theater as an early form of MEDIA COMMUNICATION and consider the connections to Early Childhood Development.

Creative Activity:

TC’s will create PUPPETS / marionettes that express personal history.

Quest Puppets

MARIONETTE: PUPPETS, Part 2

Cultural Identity or Framing

Objective: 
Use artworks, archives and personal history as a source for thinking about identity.
Skills Activity:

Research your own cultural Identity:  Family, friends, teachers and neighbors.

(UC, KSD, P, CLC, SJ) NCATE

11

Lesson Plan – 11

PICTURE BOOK – CREATING AND INTERPRETTING OUR WORLD

PICTURE BOOK
Objective:
Explore different ways of sequencing image and text: paintings, storybooks, portfolios, comic strips & timelines. Assess the way we construct meaning through media.

Creative Activity:              

Create 4 facing pages of original text & original imagery based on your marionette performance.

(UC, KSD, P, CLC, SJ) NCATE

Examples of Student Artworks
PICTURE BOOKS

Artworks:  
Faith Ringgold, Street Story Quilt.

Read: 
Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Art Education: by Cynthia B. Colbert. 
Please respond on the Discussion Board.

12

Lesson Plan – 12

LESSON PLANS: THE TEACHER AS CURATOR

The Planning Session
Objective: 
How to begin thinking of taking on the role of a CURATOR who is assembling a well tuned and meaningful lesson as art.

Planning Session: Question Strategies

Socratic Method

Project Zero

TC’s present their CHILDREN’S ART                                               (KSD)

Bring in paintings, crayon, marker and pencil artworks from your students;

Research and prepare final project.                                 due 2 weeks   (KSD)

Use your artworks, journal notes, internet resources, museum artworks, etc. to unify and focus the work you have done this semester for your final project.

13

Lesson Plan 13

TRANSLATING ACTIVITIES TO THE CLASSROOM

Objective:
How to begin thinking of taking on the role of a CURATOR who is assembling a well tuned and meaningful lesson as art. Translate our classroom activities to different age groups and across disciplines.  Group Activity

Skills Activity:
TC’s present their CHILDREN’S ART  
                                           

Bring in paintings, drawings, marker and pencil artworks from your students that explore ideas, themes and materials that we used during the semester.

 (UC, KSD, P, CLC, SJ) NCATE

14

Lesson Plan - 14

PORTFOLIO PRESENTATIONS

PORTFOLIO PRESENTATIONS

Portfolio Slide Show 1   .html slide show

Make a portfolio of the semesters work: this could include: artworks, comments on articles and activities. Include contextual references such as museum art, sketches, web sites, newspaper or magazine articles.

Portfolio Slide Show 2  .swf Flash File 16MB

15

Lesson Plan - 15

FINAL REFLECTION PAPER

Final Paper                                

Use your portfolio artworks, journal notes, internet resources, museum artworks, etc. to unify and focus the work you have done this semester as the basis for your final reflection paper on aesthetic education in the early childhood classroom.

Required reading:

Elliot W. Eisner.

The Misunderstood Role of the Arts in Human Development. Download PDF file

Greene, Maxine.

Variations On A Blue Guitar, “Defining Aesthetic Education," "Notes on Aesthetic Education,” p 5-16. DOWNLOAD PDF

Variations On A Blue Guitar, "…We have Found the Wonders of Difference…," pp. 186-191  DOWNLOAD PDF

Anna M. Kindler

Significance of Adult Input In Early Childhood Artistic Development Download PDF

Cynthia B. Colbert

Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Art Education. Download PDF

Grading Policies

Class Participation-------------------------------------------------------------------110

Active in Class Discussions, includes #10C       30pts

Group collaboration, #11C                                 30

BB Participation Board. Respond to 3 activities  30

Attendance, coming to every class on time.       20

( 1 absence= 0 pt, 2 absences= -20, 3 absences= -100)

 Comments on Articles / Posted on the Discussion Board-----------  90

Elliot W. Eisner. --------------------------------------  30 pts

Maxine Greene, Defining AE --------------------- 30    

Cynthia B. Colbert ------------------------------------ 30 

 Art Projects--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 550

Value Painting #2C ----------------------------------- 25

Black & White Dream Collage, #2 H ----------- 25

Symbol Language #3C ------------------------------ 50

Transformation #4C ---------------------------------  50

Concrete Poem #5H --------------------------------  50

Pattern Blocks, # 6H--------------------------------  50

Mandala #6C ------------------------------------------  50

The Work of Art #7C -------------------------------  25

Picture Book #9H -----------------------------------  75

Portfolio Cover #11C -------------------------------  50

              Puppet, (#7H, #8HC and #9C) ----------------100 points:

 (20 pts, Culture Shapes,

            40 pts puppet design and 40 pts Puppet performance.)

 Paper------------------------------------------------------------------------------------100

1 Response Papers; Final Aesthetic Review Paper

Final Portfolio Project------------------------------------------------------------- 150

            Presentation ------------------------------------------- 50 pts

            Concepts and ideas –--------------------------------50 pts

            Skills in visualization –----------------------------- 50 pts

                                                             Total points = --------- 1000

 Check rubrics for information on how grades are determined ON-LINE in COURSE INFORMATION.

 Late work -10%
 Check rubrics for information on how grades are determined ON-LINE in COURSE INFORMATION

Teacher candidates should be advised as to the following messages from the Hunter College School of Education.

Conceptual Framework

Within the larger sphere of New York City’s urban context, Hunter’s School of Education is guided by “four…spheres of endeavor that overlap and influence each other.  Ideally these spheres merge at the core and result in the empowerment of children and youth, teacher candidates, allied professionals, school community and parent partners, and Hunter College faculty.  The four spheres serve to focus the diverse specializations of our many programs and provide increased coherence within this diversity.”  While learning and leading in an urban context, The School of Education at Hunter College commits itself to:

o      Developing knowledge skills and dispositions

o      Engendering professionalism

o      Building a caring learning community and culture

o      Advocating for social justice

CF

Alignment with the Conceptual Framework of the Hunter College School of Education (HCSOE)

    Assignments and/or assessments in this course match the following spheres in the HCSOE Conceptual Framework:

    #1 Urban context (Observation assignment, assessment assignment)

    #2 Development of knowledge, skills, and dispositions (examinations, assessment assignment)

    #3 Engendering professionalism (examinations, assessment assignment)

    #4 Building a caring learning community and culture

    #5 Advocating for Social Justice (examination questions concerning disabilities and cultural/linguistic issues in assessment of performance)

ACADEMIC HONESTY

Any deliberate borrowing of the ideas, terms, statements, or knowledge of others without clear and specific acknowledgement of the source is intellectual theft and is called plagiarism.  It is not plagiarism to borrow the ideas, terms statements, or knowledge of others if the source is clearly and specifically acknowledged. Students who consult such critical material and wish to include some of the insights, terms or statements encountered must provide full citations in an appropriate form.

ACCESS AND ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

We recommend that all HC students with disabilities explore the support services and register with the OFFICE FOR ACCESS and ACCOMMODATIONS.  HC students with disabilities are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires that they be provided equal access to education and reasonable accommodations.  In compliance with the ADA and with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Hunter is committed to ensuring this educational access and accommodations.  For information and assistance, contact the OFFICE FOR ACCESS and ACCOMMODATIONS in Room E1124 or call (212 772-4857 or TTY (212) 650-3230.

EXPECTATIONS FOR WRITTEN PROFICIENCY

Students must demonstrate consistently satisfactory written English in coursework.  The Hunter College Writing center provides tutoring to students across the curriculum and at all academic levels.  For more information, see http://rwc.hunter.cuny.edu.  In addition, the Teacher Placement Office in the School of Education offers a writing workshop during the semester and a series of free writing classes are offered to students who are in need of additional support in honing their writing skills.  In both cases stop by room 1000West for information and dates of workshops.

ARCHITECTURE - ART - ARTISTS - DANCE - EDUCATION - EXHIBITIONS
GALLERIES - INSTALLATION - MUSEUMS - MUSIC - PERFORMANCE
PROJECTS - SCIENCE - TECHNOLOGY - WRITING - VIDEO - VRML

all images (c) copyright 1986-06 John Toth