John Mungiello

Verbal Encouragement

Introduction:

Motivation stems from stimulation, which in turn is followed by an emotional

reaction. Verbal encouragement can be that stimuli that will increase motivation in

students. By using this strategy teachers can help build a child’s self-esteem, which in turn

will increase their achievements. Teachers must help students feel and believe they are

worthwhile and can accomplish their goals in and out of school. I have seen verbal

encouragement work in my experiences. One of my students went from not being able to

start a project, to completing a twenty-page comic book in only five classes.

Definition:

According to the NDT Resource Center the “process of motivation stems from

stimulation, which in turn is followed by an emotional reaction. If we want to motivate our

students so that they will have positive emotional reactions, I believe verbal

encouragement is one of the most effective tools. Based on my experiences as a student, a

teacher and a human being most forms of encouragement tend to be lacking in our day-to-

day life. Too often do we accomplish something that we feel is extraordinary and it goes

unnoticed. Sometimes all we need is a simple “WOW I love this” to give us the desire to

push forward and create more. Teaching is no different, if a student comes up to the

teacher and the teacher says “I love what you did here” and explains why, I believe that

student will achieve more and will start to feel a stronger sense of self. NDT Resource

Center explains that “motivation stems from unsatisfied needs”, verbal encouragement can

J.Mungiello

help satisfy the unsatisfied needs of students in order to increase motivation and self-

motivation.

Teachers must build students self-esteem. Without self-esteem it becomes

increasingly difficult to complete even the simplest of tasks, let alone the work we ask

students to complete in our classes. Verbal encouragement tells students that what they

are doing is worthwhile (NDT Resource Center, Helping Students Become Motivated)

which in turn means you believe that they are worthwhile. Anyone would accomplish more

when they feel what they are doing is meaningful. Last week one of my students kept

saying to me he could not complete the project because he “isn’t any good at this type of

thing”. I have seen his work in the past and I knew he was more than capable of completing

the assignment, but he couldn’t see past his lack of self-esteem. I gave him authentic verbal

encouragement and he agreed he would try. Next time I circled the room he had completed

the task and was happy with his work. I gave him a handshake and he smiled and we

moved on with the day. I think the key to verbal encouragement is that it has to be

authentic. If it is not, the student will know and the attempt to motivate will have the

adverse effect.

Scenario: This scene is based off of a real life interaction with one of my students in

my art class. The names have been changed out of respect of the privacy of the

students.

Scene 1: We are in the art room and the students are creating comic books. The students

are working, but I notice one is not. I walk around the room and to all of the students I

J.Mungiello

provide positive reinforcement before I get to the student who seems to need the most

encouragement.

Teacher: I really like the way you are creating watercolor effects with your ink. Keep it up

Student: Thanks!

Teacher: I didn’t see you last class Natalie, how is everything?

Natalie: Good..

Teacher: Good, are you feeling better?

Natalie: Yeah I’m ok now.

Teacher: Great, your work is coming along nicely I love this area of the picture. The colors

are so expressive.

Natalie: Yeah thanks!

Teacher keeps circling and giving reinforcement and attention.

Teacher: Eddy I think this looks great! You really keep improving with each panel.

Eddy: Thanks, yeah look I made it really dark and light and I added glass shattering and

made it like…realistic.

Teacher: Yeah I think you should keep that up you’re finding your own style.

Teacher puts out hand for hive five. Eddy slaps teacher’s hand.

Teacher makes his way to Cedric.

Teacher: Hey Cedric, so how are you doing?

Cedric: Fine (in a low tone)

Teacher: So what are you thinking about right now?

Cedric: I don’t know, I can’t really do this; I’m not good at drawing.

J.Mungiello

Teacher: I feel like that about myself sometimes too Cedric, it’s understandable. You are

good at drawing. We all draw our own way and you have your own style. Remember that

artist I showed you last week. He draws very simply, but it makes his work have more

personality. More of his own personality. Your work is like that Cedric, it has your own

touch to it and that is worth a lot in anything you do.

Cedric: Yeah…. ok.

Teacher: You think you can give it another try?

Cedric: Uh yeah ok.

Teacher: Ok Ill come back around once I see everyone else’s work and we can talk about

what you’ve come up with. Ok?

Cedric: Ok

Teacher continues to move around the room and discusses work other students. (This also

can help ensure that Cedric does not feel like the only person getting attention. Sole and

special attention can make him feel uncomfortable as well; he could feel singled out as

needing more help then the others. Provide everyone with attention and help and he will

feel like a valued member of the class, which is how every student should feel.)

Teacher makes his way back to Cedric.

Teacher: Hey Cedric, so this is looking great so far! Tell me how you feel about this?

Cedric: uh I like.

Teacher: Great, so tell me why you like, anything in particular?

Cedric: Well the scene is about feeling nervous and it looks like the boy in the picture is

nervous like me.

J.Mungiello

Teacher: Yes it definitely has that feeling and its great because when drawing comics you

need to make the reader feel emotions so they want to continue reading. You did that

beautifully Cedric. I’m very interested to see the next panels.

Cedric: Yeah?

Teacher: Definitely. So how come you’re nervous in this scene?

Cedric: Well these people on the left are staring at my character and my character gets

nervous in front of a lot of people. He sees them laughing and he thinks they might be

laughing about him.

Teacher: Wow I really like how detailed and personal this story is becoming. You know I

feel like that too. I always got very nervous around people when I was your age and I

actually still do. I actually was even nervous the first day of this class teaching you guys.

Cedric: Really?

Teacher: Yeah, which is why I’m really connecting with your story because I experienced

that. Art does that for people if you can relate to it, it makes you feel like. Hey! Im not the

only one who went through that.

Cedric: Yeah that’s true.

Teacher: Ok Cedric so you feel up to moving onto the next panel? I know you can do it

Cedric: Yeah I think I can do that now.

END

J.Mungiello

Benefits of the Strategy:

Verbal encouragement can help build students’ self-esteem, which is necessary to

become an independent life-long learner and a strong adult in a harsh world. If we

lack self-esteem we lack the ability to see the point in anything we do. It also makes

everything we do seem not worthwhile. In order to push forward one must see the

point. Encouragement can build ones sense of self, which in the long run can

help one see the point in his or her life.

Motivation and self-motivation is also necessary for success outside and inside

the classroom. If we can encourage students in the right way, we can aid them in

becoming motivated students and participating individuals in their communities.

Just like if one is lacking in self-esteem, if one is lacking in motivation it will be hard

to even see the point of getting up in the morning. If a student is working on a

assignment and the teacher gives positive reinforcement it will build a

student’s motivation, which helps them get to the end and work harder to

improve with each new task.

Verbal encouragement can also change the atmosphere of the entire classroom

into one of warmth and positivity. If the teacher encourages all students based

upon their individual needs, I believe it will trickle off into all of the students. They

will hear one student get praised and encouraged based upon his or her own needs

and that might make them see that student in a different light. I have seen this work

in my room. These two particular students had difficulty with each other and their

work. I provided positive reinforcement to both students, but in different ways and

made sure they both could hear. I noticed they started to talk more and collaborate

J.Mungiello

more and now they have been getting along well and actually want to work

together. Providing authentic praise for all with effect your whole classroom in a

positive way, I truly believe that.

Verbal Encouragement can also build empathy in the classroom. When teachers

empathize with the students the students will inevitably trust and respect the

teacher. Also by being the model for empathetic behavior, your students might

end up becoming more empathetic to each other. I believe empathy is one of the

most important traits a human being can have. I believe its what makes us better

humans and helps us become better versions of ourselves. It allows us to care for

the other, which is necessary in a Democratic society and classroom.

Summary:

Verbal encouragement can be an extremely useful tool in building students self-

esteem, empathy for others, motivation, and achievement level. It also allows teachers to

create an environment that fosters respect and caring for other people. By the teacher

modeling verbal encouragement the students will eventually take part in this as well. I have

seen my students come in on a conversation I am having and provide verbal

encouragement to their pier. This makes what the teacher is saying even more powerful to

a student and will further build his or her self-esteem.

Sources:

NDT Resource Center, Helping Students Become Motivated, Retrieved January 27,

2014, From

J.Mungiello

http://www.ndt-ed.org/TeachingResources/ClassroomTips/Motivating_Students.ht

m

John Mungiello

Role-play

Introduction:

Role-play puts an emphasis on “the social nature of learning”. It allows students to take

part in an educational experience that can stimulate students socially, intellectually, and

emotionally. Abstract content that is being taught becomes a real life scenario that students can

get engrossed in and learn in a hands on manner. Role-play asks students to empathize with the

character they are portraying and the other characters in the scene. Empathy builds bridges

between emotion and intellect and allows one to see the view of the other. This can create a

deeper learning experience that will stick with the students who participate in it.

Definition:

I believe role-play is an immensely useful strategy to use for students. This strategy

emphasizes “the social nature of learning, and see cooperative behavior as stimulating students

both socially and intellectually.”(Jarvis, 2002, pg. 1). Role-playing allows students to become

active participants in the lesson instead of sitting on the sidelines and being drilled information.

It also connects the content to the self by allowing students to assume the intellectual and

emotional roles of the subject. Just like an actor having to embody their character the students

must do this with theirs. For example, if I were to teach a lesson about racism and have the

students take on the role of person being harmed by it, they put themselves into that persons

shoes and begin to empathize with them. Empathy for another person (even an imaginary one)

J.Mungiello

can become a bridge for the student to better understand why the issues being discussed are so

important to learn about. Role-playing allows students to connect in an emotional an intellectual

way with the subject matter, which in turn can create deeper retention.

I have used role-playing while teaching an after school drawing class and I witnessed the

positive results. I noticed my students were a bit timid with each other and I wanted to find a way

to break the ice. I decided to teach them about inking for the next lesson so they could create

their own comic books. Instead of only showing a demonstration and letting the students

complete the project individually and in silence, I decided to have them become the subject for

the ink drawings. I brought in an array of super hero outfits and capes, I asked each student to

pick who they wanted to become for the day and to think about posed they would like to do. I

also posed and wore a costume first and role-played as Superman to ease the students who may

have been nervous doing this. The students immediately were enthused and excited about the

project, a project they weren’t excited about before. They all assumed the roles of these heroes

and some got very into it. They changed their voice and talked like the character, changed their

poses to emphasize the personality of their character, they even went back to their desks and

completed their work as the character. The roleplaying tied into our assignment and it allowed

my students to become more immersed in the world we were learning about. This creates a

deeper understanding, but besides understanding it created a classroom that was safe to be fun

and let out inhibitions. This allowed my students to learn better and those feelings were a direct

result of role-playing. I think allowing students to become someone else for only a minute in a

day is a nice way for them to get out of themselves and become else. In my case it allowed them

to become the hero’s they look up to just for one day.

Scenario:

J.Mungiello

This scenario is based off of a real experience I had with a student.

After school reading help. The teacher is teaching the student reading strategies to increase their

expressive reading. The student is using a Batman comic book to learn these strategies

Teacher: Ok, Dan so today we are going to try out a different way of reading.

Dan: Ok

Teacher takes out the Batman costume and reveals it to the student. His eyes light up.

Dan: Cool, what’s that for?

Teacher: Well today you’re going to become batman and read his parts and I will become

commissioner Gordon and read his parts. We basically are going to become actors in a movie or

play. Sounds good?

Dan: Yep.

Teacher: So here you can put this on.

Student puts on the bat costume and flaps his cape

Teacher: Ok so how do you think Batman sounds? We need to think of a good voice for him.

Student (growling): Sounds like this. (his voice deepens)

Teacher: Ok good when you’re reading remember what we talked about when the character is

having different emotions the tone of his voice will change.

Dan (growling): Ok

Teacher: So you’re staying in character. Cool!

Dan smiles through the angry cowl

Teacher: Ok so you can start reading, Dan Batman has the first line.

Dan begins to read the inner monologue of Batman. He instantly starts reading in the voice of the

character and with expression. He struggles and sometimes goes back to monotone, but the

J.Mungiello

improvement is vast from last week. He was struggling with this for 2 sessions and just by

adding the costume he improved.

Teacher: Beautiful Dan! Great voice.

Teacher reads his part and they both read and interact as if in a play.

As a result of the roleplaying the student was able to make sense of what the teacher was

teaching the student and after the session the student was asking deep/relevant questions and

made progress in his reading abilities. The point the teacher was expressing got across because

they student was able to experience it first hand.

Benefits:

Using role-playing will create active learning environments that allow for deep

learning instead of learning on the surface. Students will get engaged in the lesson and will be

able to empathize with the thoughts and feelings of others (the role they assume). While role-

playing students will use prior knowledge and reflect upon what was and is being taught

during the lesson, again this creates a deep learning experience where students will truly retain

by experiencing what is being taught. Lessons are no longer words being spoken and questions

being answered. Lessons become fun and become an experience for the students to get engaged

within.

Summary:

Role-playing allows for an active learning environment that makes the learning

experience deep and lasting. It allows the students to empathize with the character they are

portraying and the character in the scene, which makes learning more emotional and personal.

When learning is an emotional experience it sticks deep in ourselves and it becomes something

we never forget. Human beings learn by experience and role-playing allows teachers to simulate

J.Mungiello

an experience for students to have. If a lesson on racism is being taught, the teacher can create a

scenario where the students experience racism first hand. There is no doubt that this will be more

impactful then reading a part in a text book about it. Role-playing allows for lessons to become a

fun experience for the students to take part in.

Bibliography:

Jarvis,L., (2002). Role-Plyaing as a Teaching Strategy.

http://imet.csus.edu/imet3/odell/portfolio/grartifacts/Lit%20review.pdf, found on

February 3rd 2014.

J.Mungiello

John Mungiello

Wait Time (Reflective Thinking)

Introduction:

Students need to time to process and reflect on a question before being able to give

an answer. Some need this more then others, which is why wait time is a useful strategy to

employ in the classroom. Simply allowing more time for a student to think and reflect can

help them find a deeper and more insightful response to a question. This can build self-

esteem, which may increase the likelihood that students will participate in class.

Definition:

Wait time is used in order to give students more time for reflective thinking after a

question is asked. In my experience most teachers call on the first hand that is raised to

answer questions, which decreases the likelihood of other students participating. Some

students cannot process information that quickly and need more time to think, some

students may be nervous to speak in public and need more time to overcome their fear,

some students might need time to look up the information needed, etc. Wait time allows

students with different learning styles to use their particular skills to find the answer to a

question being asked. Furthermore, allowing more time for reflective thinking can only

benefit and deepen the answers students are giving. More time to think means more time

to strengthen our responses.

Based on my own experiences I remember feeling rushed and put on the spot when

a teacher would ask a question addressed to the whole class. My brain would go into panic

J.Mungiello

mode and I felt like I was on a game show. Often this anxiety would cripple me to the point

of no response and before I could overcome it, someone was already called on and

answered the question correctly. In my head I would think, “that’s what I wanted to say”,

but simply needed more time to say. Wait time would have helped me, as it has helped

other students. According to Lamission.edu, wait time “increases the number of student

responses, and the incidence of non-responses decrease”. They also say “students offer

more evidence in support of their responses, offer more speculative thoughts, and give

more complex answers. There is also evidence that student confidence increases.” What

stood out to me in the previous sentence is “student confidence increases”; is that not a

huge part of what a teacher’s job is? I think it is our responsibility to increase students’

confidence in them-selves, not decrease it. Calling on students and giving them no time to

think only decreases confidence and increases anxiety and bad feelings. Nobody can learn

under these conditions and we cannot ask our students to. School should not be a place

where we feel pressured into coming up with the quickest answer. School should be a safe

place where students can relax and have time to explore questions and critically think

about them. Something as simple as giving them time to think this will create this type of

community within the classroom. It is well worth giving up the 5-10 seconds (which is the

recommended wait time) to create.

Scenario:

The scene starts in the art room and the teacher is introducing a new lesson.

The introduction relies heavily on student’s participation and recalling prior

knowledge. (This is based off of a real life scenario. Student and teachers names

have been changed.)

J.Mungiello

Teacher: So today we are going to be talking about emotions/feelings and how we can

make art out of them. So who here likes chocolate milk?

Students (group): OOOOO MEE MEEEE MEE! MEE! (Their hands wavy in the air)

Teachers: Ok so it looks like we love chocolate milk that’s great I actually love it too. So

close your eyes. (Teacher waits 5 seconds for everyone to close eyes.) Ok great, so imagine

yourselves going to the fridge opening the door and watching the light burst on in the

fridge lighting up your milk. The cold air is moving against your face. Now grab the milk.

Now find the chocolate syrup. Oh man I’m getting excited about it now, I can almost taste

that chocolate milk. So now grab your cup, grab your spoon and lets make some chocolate

milk. So now lets poor the chocolate into the cup. Here we go the chocolate is going into the

cup. Wow, I love the color of the chocolate its making me feel happy and hungry. Ok now

poor in your milk. I love the white of the milk. Ok now mix them together and tell me what’s

happening?

Teacher waits 5 seconds

A few hands are raised

Teacher: What’s happening with the milk?

Teacher waits 5 more seconds. More hands raise

Teacher: Ok Clark what’s happening with your chocolate milk.

Clark: The colors are mixing.

Teacher: Great observation they are mixing. I wonder what color is being made?

Teacher waits a 5 seconds and more hands raise.

Teacher: Yes Maya

Maya: Its making brown.

J.Mungiello

Teacher: Great Maya. So Maya how are you feeling about your milk right now how are the

colors making you feel. How are those little swirly patterns making you feel. Talk with you

group for a few seconds and then get back to me.

Group starts discussing.

While they are discussing what else do you see in the milk?

Students seem stumped.

Teacher waits 10 seconds and decides to give clues.

Teacher: Do you see any kind of shapes or lines? Any darker or lighter colors?

Greg: Yeah I see a swirly pattern and there’s dark lines and light lines. The colors aren’t all

mixed yet.

Teacher: Great so discuss with your group how those lines and colors make you feel.

Maya is your group ready.

Maya: Yes

Teacher: Ok so tell the class.

Maya: The swirly lines are making us feel dizzy and the dark colors are making us think of

nighttime and going to bed.

Teacher: Great answers, so looking at those lines and colors and making you guys think

about how you feel which is dizzy and its making you think about memories like going to

bed at night time. Really good. Ok Greg are you guys ready?

Greg: Yep. We said we saw think lines and they were making circles. They got smaller in

the middle and then got bigger on the end and we saw dark brown, brown, white, coffee

color.

Teacher: Coffee color that’s a creative one. So how did you guys feel while looking at that?

J.Mungiello

Greg and Group: We felt hungry, happy, excited, and thought about lunchtime.

Teacher: Great so just like Maya and her group you were able to feel a few feelings because

of the colors/lines and you also thought of a memory or a place. Nice job.

Teacher introduces the project. Allows wait time for questions. There no questions and

students begin to work.

Benefits:

Wait time gives students time for reflective thinking, which allows them to think

critically and deeply about a question raised. Giving them time will allow students who

think in different ways to use their unique methods to construct an answer. If they

have time those students who need more time to process and analyze the question

won’t be cut out of participating. I believe, and it has been proven that students will

give more complex answers and offer deeper thoughts to the conversation. It will also

inevitably raise student’s self-confidence. Any strategy that raises self-confidence is

worth using in my opinion.

Summary:

Wait-time gives students time for reflective thinking, which allows them more

critically about questions raised. It helps build student’s self confidence because instead of

being cut short before they can find an answer, students will have the time to think and

participate and be an active member in the classroom.

Sources:

http://www.lamission.edu/learningcenter/waittime_definition.htm , Wait Time

Definition, Found 2/11/14

J.Mungiello

John Mungiello

Critique

Introduction:

Critiques can be negative and they can be positive. Often, critiques make students

nervous and end up being critical. Instead critiques should be fun and playful, which will

allow for a more fruitful learning experience. During critiques students can get the chance

to show the work they have done throughout the lesson. It allows them to see how their

work is received in the public eye and it can be a self-esteem enhancer. It gives all students

who participate the opportunity to examine and utilize the material that has been taught in

the lesson. Critiques make learning a social experience, and if run properly they can

enhance students thinking. It allows students to think critically and meta-cognitively about

their own work, whether they are presenting or not. Meta cognition is critical in helping

students grow intellectually and learn from their difficulties.

Definition:

I have always been very weary of critiques. If done improperly, I believe they can

lead to humiliation, embarrassment, and a lower self-esteem. I have seen students in

college cry after critiques; some students have even dropped out of school because of harsh

critiques. Many times critiques are not guided and the students stand in blank silence while

looking at the art on display. The artist hardly has time to express what he or she had

intended before they are criticized. I find critiques to be critical in all of the wrong ways. It’s

confusing to me why this strategy is constantly used when I have seen mostly detrimental

J.Mungiello

effects. This being said I can see the benefits that a group led discussion can have about

ones work if the teacher can utilize the critique to create a non-judgmental discussion and

provide constructive advice.

In George Szekely’s book “The Art of Teaching Art”, he describes college students

who” feared the critique”. Fear is not a feeling that we should be promoting in the

classroom. If a student is afraid, they will shut down and cease to learn. Szekely says “while

it is important to talk about ones work and present it to an audience, the experience should

be a positive and supportive encounter.” I believe that discussing our ideas and opinions

about our work to a group is a great way to learn to respect everyone’s opinion and have a

democratic discussion about art. Often times being the makers of art, we are too close and

intimately connected to it and cannot see what might need to be changed in order to

enhance the art. Other student’s insights can create a great discussion and helps us to

critique ourselves and come to certain realizations about our art. However if the critique is

not a positive experience, there will be no learning and no realizations. In order to make

critiques a positive and beneficial experience, Szekely suggests that critical talks be

“playful”. He gives examples like creating a child television crew to interview the artist,

asking young artists to give presentations of their work, etc. I think these are all good ideas,

but the main point he makes, that I believe is most important, is allowing the child to

“retain the authority”. Based on my experiences with critiques, I always felt like I was a

defendant in a trial. The teacher would shout out their opinions and students would follow

along or not speak. If the student feels in control of a critique that can lead to the student

feeling empowered. When we have these positive feelings, we can then learn from

critiques. I think all learning has to start with a positive emotion. (Szekely, 1998, p. 89)

J.Mungiello

Another problem with critiques is that often the audience does not know what to

say because they do not want to be to harsh or they are afraid to express their feelings in

front of a group. I think this is why teachers must help guide the students into positive (not

critical) responses. Szekely says to have each student say only something positive about the

piece; I think this is a great way to get the conversation started. Hearing something positive

makes the artist feel empowered and allows the audience to participate without having to

be critical. Also if the artist hears common positive responses, he or she can then figure out

on his or her own what is strongest and what is weakest. (Szekly, 1998, p. 89)

Scenario:

In this scene the art teacher has gathered all of the students (students names have

been changed) in a group critique. It is based off of real life experience

Teacher: Lets gather in a group over by our gallery.

The teacher hands to each student a cut out star and a pen.

Teacher: Please write your favorite part of this painting and then stick it on the wall next to

the picture.

The students begin to think and write as the teacher walks and checks what is being

written. The students then place the stars next to the painting.

Teacher: Ok so now we are going to hear from the artist and have our press conference.

The students sit down in the audience and the artist sits down at the press conference

table. The teacher hands the student the microphone and the teacher holds the other

microphone

Teacher: So everyone I’m pleased to present to you today Jane Foster. Jane thanks for

coming and showing us your work.

J.Mungiello

Jane: (laughs) Thanks.

Teacher: So Jane can you tell us a little bit about your work.

The teacher has handed Jane a list of guiding questions. She has already picked which ones

she will answer.

Jane: Yeah. So for this painting I decided I wanted to try something a little bit different (the

teacher writes down the word different on the board, he will do this for all key terms used).

Teacher: Different that sounds interesting. What did you do differently?

Jane: Normally I always try to make everything perfect, but for this I wanted to try to do

things less perfect.

Teacher: Is “less perfect” ok do in art?

Jane: Uh, yeah I guess.

Teacher: Why?

Jane: Because it’s about making the picture how I want it to look.

Teacher: Jane can we ask the audience what they think about that?

Jane: Sure

Teacher: Audience do you think making a picture the way you want it to look is important

in art?

Students raise hands

Teacher: Yes, John

John: Yeah I think it is.

Teacher: Great, why?

John: Because you have to find your own style.

J.Mungiello

Teacher: Good I would agree its important to find your own way of making art so you can

stand out from the other artists before you. It also helps you find out how you work best in

anything you do. Jane I think you are doing a great job of finding your style, I see it coming

through in this picture.

Jane: Yeah I tried to just splatter some paint in areas and in some I used different stuff.

Teacher: What kind of stuff?

Jane: I used different kinds of pencils and added some of the ink you gave us on top of the

watercolor. That’s how I did the splatters.

Teacher: Yeah I love the energy of the piece. It looks like you moved fast and had fun

making it.

Jane: Yeah I did.

Teacher: Ok so lets look at your audience’s favorite parts.

The teacher reads the favorite parts giving Jane only compliments and highlighting was is

best about her piece.

Teacher: Can I have 3 people from the audience tell me about their favorite part and why?

Brenna: I liked the part where she splattered the paint because it just seemed like she was

having fun when doing it and it looks really cool. Like I like how it makes everything dark in

that corner and breaks apart into the color part.

Teacher: Great Brenna, it looks like at least ten of your audience likes that part best Jane. I

like that part too it’s exciting and has a lot of energy and movement like we talked about

before. It also is very adventurous and brave of you to try something like that. We can see

that as a person viewing your art and we also feel adventurous and excited looking at it.

J.Mungiello

Two more students go and then the teacher refers everyone to key terms he wrote on the

board. He discusses what they all refer too and allows the students and Jane to see what is

best and what is looked for in some art.

Benefits:

As I said above I think there are many advantages to critiques, if they are done in the

right way. If they are done in the wrong way I think they can become harmful to students’

self-esteem.

If done properly I believe group critiques can empower a student and make them

feel like the center of positive attention. Students can participate in a positive

Democratic discussion about their art and learn what their strong points are. I think

by focusing on the strong points the student will Meta cognitively understand what is

weaker about their art. I don’t think we have to always call attention to the negative to

help someone improve, in fact, I believe it has the opposite effect. Critiques also benefit the

audience who is viewing the artwork. They can hear what is being said about another

person’s artwork and learn new ways to improve their own work. Critiques also allow

for all who participate to learn art terms and more importantly how to communicate

about art.

Summary:

Critiques involve all students in a democratic discussion about their work and their

strengths. It allows them to become Meta cognitive thinkers and think critically about their

work. Being a Meta cognitive thinker is an essential skill in the 21st century. Students need

to learn to listen to other people and then assess what they have heard and filter out what

is useful to their growth and what is not. Critiques in the art classroom allow the students

J.Mungiello

to talk about art in a social context. Talking about art and using art terms in a social context

will help students absorb the terms used and understand how they are used outside of the

classroom.

References:

Szekely, G. (1998). The Art of Teaching Art.Needham Heights, MA: Simon & Schuster.

J.Mungiello

John Mungiello

Sketchbooks

Introduction:

Sketchbooks allow students to take ownership of their learning. They allow teachers

to create a student centered and mobile experience. Sketchbooks can travel with the

students wherever they go and whenever and idea may strike. They allow students to look

and think critically about the world they see and remind them that learning and ideas can

happen anywhere. Students can use their sketchbooks as a way to see how their learning

progressed over time, which builds Meta cognitive thinking. Sketchbooks are also not

intimidating like a blank canvas is. This means sketchbook takes the fear and anxiety out of

creating art. Once this happens students can start to learn.

Definition:

Sketchbooks are a learning tool that can help “nurture ownership of learning,

motivation and development of creative thinking skills in children” (Briggs 2011). I to

believe this is one of the many reason sketchbooks can be beneficial to students. Having a

learning tool that students can call their own allows them to develop a personal connection

with that tool. I have noticed in my experience that students get very possessive of their

sketchbook and if they forget to bring it to class they get very upset, as these books are

tangible records of their hopes, dreams, aspirations, personality and creativity. I believe

that in order to be successful learners we need to make a connection between what we are

learning to our own lives; sketchbooks allow students to use the blank pages as a non

J.Mungiello

threatening space for figuring out ideas and connecting the content of what they are

learning to their lives, or as Briggs puts it, “person-centered learning tool” (Briggs, 2011).

Speaking from personal experiences, constantly using sketchbooks in both my

academic pursuits and with my students, I see that they provide a non-threatening, free

space to problem solve and express one self. If we stick a white canvas in front of our

students and ask them to begin painting, most likely they will grow intimidated and their

learning and creativity will shut down. Cezanne has spoken of how intimidating a white

canvas can be; he said, “It’s so fine and yet so terrible to stand in front of a blank canvas”. I

believe sketchbooks do not innately carry a feeling of intimidation. They are small,

unassuming, cheaper in price, and can be hidden from the world by simply closing the

book. The white canvas is expensive, intimidating because we see it as the final product,

and they also stand tall in the classroom for everyone to see. Sketchbooks provide us with a

portable, private space where we can problem solve and test different options/avenues.

I can see the work in my student’s sketchbooks is very loose and free; I see writing

overlapping with drawings, pages of collage and mixed media, drawing of still lives,

drawings of people, drawings of imaginary characters, poems, short stories, comic book

scripts, movie scripts, short stories, music notes or lyrics, etc. Their sketchbooks show their

personality and how it changes through time. It is almost always a complete and honest

portrayal of their personality and how that personality can shift and grow based on moods

and experiences. I believe this is because the sketchbook does not intimidate and can be

used wherever our days bring us, both physically and mentally.

I love to ask my students at the end of the semester to look back at their

sketchbooks from the beginning to the end. They are always surprised at how much more

J.Mungiello

complex their work became. They are also surprised they did so much work! This brings

me to another point. That point is, while working in sketchbooks it does not feel like work.

It feels like freedom, it feels like fun. These are the types of conditions we want our

students to work in, because I believe this is when deep learning happens. We need to feel

safe and free to explore past our basic understanding. We also need to feel like learning is

fun so that the desire to learn remains, even when it becomes more difficult. Sketchbooks

allow learning to become person centered, project based, unassuming and fun, which can

help students learn and excel beyond what they thought possible.

Scenario:

Scene takes place in the art room. The class is drawing and cartooning and the

students work on their sketchbooks before the main project. The names of the

students have been changed. This is based on a real life experience.

The project was for students to create an autobiographical short comic strip. They

have been working on this project for a week. No homework was required for this

assignment.

Ed comes in early and walks into the classroom, fast and with purpose

Teacher: Hey Eddy, how’s it going?

Ed: good, I got some stuff to show you.

Teacher: Oh yeah? Great, you can show me now if you want?

Ed: Yeah sure

J.Mungiello

Ed takes out his sketchbook from his overstuffed backpack that is bigger than his whole

body.

Teacher: Wow cool you covered your book? Is that the Tardis from Doctor Who?

Ed: Yeah I wanted to cover it and make it more original. I took my mom’s wrapping paper

and cut out the picture I liked and then wrapped it around and taped it.

Teacher: That’s great Eddy, I love that you personalized it and I know how much you love

Doctor Who. I’ll never mistake your book for someone else’s now! Maybe I’ll have everyone

personalize their sketchbooks as a project?

Ed: Yeah that’s a good idea I had fun I think they’d have fun too.

Teacher: Cool we can do that then. So show me what you did inside.

Ed: I did these drawings at home and in school. See, it’s better than the others.

Teacher: Eddy this looks great, I’m really proud of you. First I think it’s wonderful that

you’re using your sketchbook in other places other than this class. You can learn a lot more

that way. Writing and drawing idea’s down as they come is the way you get more complex

ideas. Why don’t we look at your earlier drawings and compare them to where you’re at

now?

We look back at Ed’s drawings. In the beginning his drawings were very simple and made

with pencil only. As we flip through his book the drawings get more complex, he begins to

add the techniques and skills he learned in my class. As we flip through, we see him

beginning to use different media and mixing media. His style of lines change, his characters

change, and he wrote new story ideas.

J.Mungiello

Teacher: Eddy this is great. You know it’s really interesting I can see such a development

from the beginning to now. I see your personality coming out in the drawings more and

more. Your starting to use ink almost exclusively and the lines look chunky and your

adding shadows and depth to your pictures now. Plus I love that your sense of humor is

coming out even more by adding the witty text about your character. I can see you in this

Eddie and I can see you learning, it’s great!

As I am talking Ed talks over me adding in his opinions in between

Ed: Yeah I realized I love contrast and I love black and white so I started using ink that you

showed us last week. Look I put all of this black on the side and then right next to it white.

Teacher: I see that, what did that do to the picture?

Ed: It made it look more realistic.

Teacher: It did do that definitely, what else did it do. Think more feelings? When looking at

that how does it make you feel?

Ed: I think it’s more intense, like it feels more like my character. He’s a tough guy so I

thought that light and dark made him tougher.

Teacher: Definitely by, using contrast you increase the emotions in your drawings. It’s

more dramatic and more intense, like you said. It pulls me into your world more and gets

me excited to look at more drawings or to read further.

Ed: Cool yeah

Eddy gives me hug and says

Ed: Thanks man you helped get into inking, I hated it. You were the only one who could do

that.

J.Mungiello

Teacher: Thanks Eddy, but I didn’t do anything I just showed you how to do it you decided

to it yourself at home and you decided to take the time to figure out how to do it. You

learned it because you found it fun and you took the time to work it out on your own. So

great job, bud. So for the project today maybe you can try to incorporate what you learned

in your sketchbook into your final project?

Ed: Yeah definitely

Ed puts his sketchbook up on the mantle and opens it to his favorite new drawing. He uses

what he learned in his sketchbook into his final project for the class.

Benefits:

Sketchbooks put the learning more into the learner’s hands than the teacher’s. It

creates a space for student centered learning. It is a non-threatening, free zone for

creative exploration as opposed to a white canvas or drawing paper, which can feel

intimidating. We cannot let our students feel intimidated and then expect them to learn.

They need to feel safe, free, and in control in order to explore beyond their current

knowledge. Sketchbooks allow students to feel this. Sketchbooks create a personalized

space where students can explore ideas in different settings. It is portable and can be

taken wherever an idea may arise. This also teaches students to constantly search for

ideas outside of school. Finally, This can also help students become active, life- long

learners when they get out of school.

Summary:

Sketchbooks put learning into the learner’s hands. The students become more

responsible for their own education and are freer to explore ideas and concepts. Every

J.Mungiello

great creative mind has had a sketchbook or notebook to record thoughts and research in.

Student’s sketchbooks are exactly the same and they allow students to see how ideas are

made. They do not simply drift into a persons mind. That is part of it, but they come by hard

work and constant thinking and looking. Sketchbooks allow students to take part in the

artistic process and have a hands on experience.

Sources:

International Society for Education Through Art, Sketchbooks in Schools Project,

Retrieved February 25, 2014, From http://insea.org/publications/sketchbooks-

schools-project-0

J.Mungiello