In my Art Education course, I want future art teachers to actually teach, not just talk about teaching. As often as possible, I ask my students to design lessons and actually teach them. I think this is the best way for students to see the successes and especially the flaws of their lessons. For the most recent project, I asked students to design a lesson related to careers in art and then teach it to a real child.
Learning about art careers is a great starting point for an art lesson, helping young students picture their future and connect art to something tangible. The trick is taking a project that someone might create as an illustrator, animator, designer, etc. and turning it into something engaging and age-appropriate.
This assignment builds on my Art Education students’ ability to lesson plan. Additionally, they need to consider Lowenfeld’s stages of artistic development as well as the Michigan State Visual Arts Standards to help develop age appropriate lessons.
Teaching a real child changes everything. Plans don’t always work as expected, and my Art Education students had to adapt in the moment. This challenge is important. Creating new lessons as a new teacher involves making many mistakes and learning from them. After teaching, students reflected on what worked and what they would change if they taught the lesson again. These reflections were often the strongest part of the project. Students made thoughtful connections between their intentions and what actually happened, which is exactly the kind of thinking good educators need to develop.
Below are a few examples created by the kids that my Art Education students taught. Lessons taught about Fashion Design, Interior Design, and Illustration.
