Middle school and high school teachers, as well as elementary teachers who
think their predecessors were doing a bad job, should consider the
following. It is my opinion that elementary students have difficulty
retaining the concepts taught in art class because they simply don't spend
enough time in art class. Those students that make and learn about art ONLY
in art class, aren't getting that much exposure. In addition the
information is taught and practiced usually in fragments of 40 min. once a
week (if they are lucky). Plus, many art concepts are quite abstract, and
some students won't be developmentally ready to understand some things until
later (that does not mean we shouldn't teach/introduce complex information).
In my experience, students most remember information from activities which
took at least three periods, and that were tied to history or an artist.
Working on projects for a longer period gives time for review, questions,
and discussions. Also, I try to tie previously taught information into all
new lessons so students can see the concepts can always be applied, and are
not isolated. Finally, I introduce many, if not all of the same concepts
year to year, but with a more sophisticated application. Even with all
this, the once a week for 40 min./art is just fun/ doesn't matter students
may still learn very little because they choose not to think about it.
