At 01:38 PM 2/16/02 -0500, you wrote: 

<excerpt>>>>>

From: Patricia Knott <<pknott@enter.net>

. . . . . Cheating is something that I think about all the time today. As
An art teacher I look at how easily kids "lift" imagery. I look at how
many lessons are fulfilled with less than original imagery. . . . . . 
Patty  ---

 

</excerpt><<<<<<<<

Thank you, Patty, for making the connections between what we do in the
art class and the Piper, Kansas, biology project controversy.  

This site does not require any password and it tells the Piper, Kansas,
biology project plagiarism story.

http://fyi.cnn.com/2002/fyi/teachers.ednews/02/07/plagiarism.dispute.ap/


How does what we do in the art class influence the honesty of our
students?  

I ask myself :

1.  Would I have the courage of Christine Pelton?  Would I resign rather
than pass students who copied work for art class?

2.  Are pictures less important that words when it comes to copying a
project?

3.  Are there times when I made a suggestion to a student and the student
exhibited the work without giving me credit?  Did I say anything about
it, or did I think, "Imitation is the greatest form of flattery."  Should
I have tried to teach thinking and problem solving instead of worrying
quite so much about the right answer and "correct" product?

4.  Are there times when I have used somebody's art work to show students
how to do something only to find that some students virtually copied what
I showed them?  Did I smile when I told them they were cheating?  Did I
mean it?

5.  When my students copied from a magazine photos, did I say anything
about it?  Who got the credit for the composition?


I did lots of copywork as a kid.  I did not realize that it was
considered plagiarism.  My first grade teacher (not an art teacher) drew
a picture for us to copy.  My other elementary teachers gave us patterns
to copy and color.  I never had a real art teacher until college. 
Fortunately, my college art teacher's assignments showed me other ways to
become an artist.  Fortunately, none of my ART Teachers ever asked me
copy a picture or endorsed any copywork.  Somehow, I learned that
copywork is plagiarism.  If I copied, it could cost me standing and as an
artist and my teaching job.  


One of best things I learned from my art education professor in grad
school is that I can teach art history at the end of the media lessons
instead of "image flooding" at the beginning.  I still have to be an art
teacher.  To introduce lessons I have to include things like list making,
sketching, multi-sensory motivation, perception practice, choice making,
media practice, etc.  Can we get thinking, authentic art, and be a DBAE
art teachers without encouraging copywork?  

Respectfully,  Marvin Bartel






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