Wow Mike! That's an excellent question one I look forward to hearing more
in-put on as well!!! Here's my take on it:
I recently attended a conference that hailed the use of DBAE as Art
Education's answer to teaching the whole child. As a matter of fact, they
told us that the term "DBAE" is passe'. That it is now termed
"Comprehensive Arts Education" because the word "Discipline" scared people
away. And yes, before I attended, I found "DBAE" to be a chore, and I
couldn't find anything redeming about it. I was more product oriented
because that's what everyone, especially the students wanted. But when I
really thought about it, I couldn't answer the big question in the
end.....What was supposed to be important for my students to learn about
this project? Most of the time I didn't really have a decent answer to that
question.
However, after attending this conference (Louisiana Alliannce for Arts in
Education Institute) I'm a believer. They showed us ways to create real
learning experiences from art production, because they gave us a path to
lead students down in order to arrive at the production. That in turn makes
it meaningful to the students. Anytime you can make something meaningful to
the kids, you've made progress. CAE is all about connecting the dots,
integrating, and seeing in different ways. I am going to be using CAE as a
guide to my future teaching because I believe that if the kids really look
and really think they are developing critical thinking skills that they may
apply in other areas.
To put the conference in a nutshell they basically said the same thing
Amanda did in a previous post.......to use "backwards planning." Decide
what you want your students to take away from the lesson, then figure out
differnt interesting ways to accomplish that. Approach all the differnt
learning styles (read silently, read aloud, use an overhead, use diagrams,
cartoons, etc), teach them the same concept in more than one way, use as
many different visuals as possible (prints, slides, videos) get the kids
involved physically (role play a painting, create a living still life) and
allow them to express themselves.....after all that they have to get it.
That's what DBAE (excuse me, CAE) means to me, and how it will help me teach
art, to the whole child.
Grace
-----Original Message-----
From: Occasm@aol.com [mailto:Occasm@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, September 01, 2003 4:53 PM
To: ArtsEdNet Talk
Subject: DBAE & mid/jh. schol
Day before school and I'm already reflecting about the things I have
planned this
coming year.
I happenned to start reading the teachers guide for Glencoe's Art Talk
from the eighties.
They lay out a middle school curriculum for 9 nine weeks that is text book
DBAE.
When I look at the plan, it is comprised of only one or maybe two large
projects, many smaller exercises for a day, reflective homework worksheets
and assignments (written), and a lot of analyzing famous works of art. There
is also aesthetics in the mix as well.
The reason I'm mentioning this is because this is how I was trained. I'm
pretty fresh out of an Art Ed grad course and for some reason I've put a lot
of this aside. I remember telling my cooperative teacher (who was very, very
product oriented) that for me art production was only a piece of the puzzle.
I do introduce artists and art history and do critiques, but this
accounts for a small part of the quarter. I've become pretty concerned about
wow products, what's going up on the walls and if they will think it's a
cool assignment.
I'm wondering how many out there, if any, are doing DBAE, where art
producton is truly a component and not the center of it all. Can it work
this way, or is it just theoretical?
mike sacco
p.j. gelinas jhs
setauket, NY ---
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