Don't beat yourself up your students' artwork is a bit below par. There is no reason to compare the quality of work from a group of kids growing up in an environment where they are not taught to value art, where they are allowed to run wild because school administration is not doing their job, etc. Also, a middle school teacher isn't likely to be getting the same quality of work as a high school teacher's Advanced Art classes! Some things you just can't take responsibility for. However, a few of these things you can do something about. What steps can you take to proactively improve your instruction as well as create a higher quality learning environment at your school?
QUESTIONS TO ASK IF YOU ARE GETTING MEDIOCRE WORK FROM STUDENTS:
1. Have students had Art class before? How mature are they? Obviously, older kids who have had quality instruction for many years will tend to produce better work. If they had elementary art classes, the quality of work will be better in middle school, and if they had art in middle school, their work will be better in high school. We have all had to deal with kids arriving in our middle and high school classes with zero skills and experience!
QUESTIONS TO ASK IF YOU ARE GETTING MEDIOCRE WORK FROM STUDENTS:
1. Have students had Art class before? How mature are they? Obviously, older kids who have had quality instruction for many years will tend to produce better work. If they had elementary art classes, the quality of work will be better in middle school, and if they had art in middle school, their work will be better in high school. We have all had to deal with kids arriving in our middle and high school classes with zero skills and experience!
“Students have a tendency to think that art is like a microwave dinner, that with the press of a few buttons or a few brush strokes, and boom! Art. It takes a lot of time, patience, and persistence to show them that art requires those qualities, as well. I would focus on the process, rather than product for (them) and make sure that they are practicing the idea generation, revision, and reflection, noticing the areas that their work has strengths and weaknesses, and consider ways to address them, practice techniques and using tools and materials, build essential skills, but focus on helping the students see that art is a process that requires passion, problem solving, and time.” Jennifer Beachler, Art Teachers Facebook group
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| 7th grade drawing |
The longer you teach, the easier it becomes because you get to know kids, their fears, their insecurities, their lazy tendencies, when to encourage, when to discipline, when to redirect, etc.. You also figure out how to break down skills into their most basic tasks. When I teach linear perspective now, after 13 years, I don't begin with a horizon line and vanishing point any more! I start by testing the kids' skill at using a ruler to draw a line very lightly. They draw horizontals, verticals, diagonals, several times and then label each set. How can the kids successfully draw a perspective art piece without knowing how to use a ruler, without knowing what a horizontal line is, without knowing how to draw lightly? It took me several years to figure this out and many "bad" student drawings full of wonky lines and messy marks.
3. What time of year is it? I have found that at certain times of the year, my students are more motivated to produce higher quality work. When they feel rested and excited to be at school after a break, when they are disciplining themselves to behave because they have just been reminded/taught about the rules and procedures, when they have practiced them, when they have experienced success and have learned to trust me and that they can have fun at the same time they work hard. Quality goes down right before a holiday or the end of the year because kids have checked out.
4. How excited about the project are you? The teacher's enthusiasm spreads!
5. How much do they respect visual art as a discipline? What have they been taught about visual art, to value it or snub their nose at it? Are they given art supplies at home and encouraged to create by their parents? Regardless, we have a tremendous opportunity to teach kids the value of art, no matter what they have heard at home. Check out this new advocacy website by blogger Phyllis Levine Brown: The Artful Advocate.
5. How much do they respect visual art as a discipline? What have they been taught about visual art, to value it or snub their nose at it? Are they given art supplies at home and encouraged to create by their parents? Regardless, we have a tremendous opportunity to teach kids the value of art, no matter what they have heard at home. Check out this new advocacy website by blogger Phyllis Levine Brown: The Artful Advocate.
6. How is the teacher-student relationship? Is there trust? How long have you been teaching this particular grade level? How many years have you been at a particular school to develop relationships with the kids and community? If this is your first year or two at a new school or teaching a new grade level, give yourself some time!
7. How large are the classes? Smaller classes allow for more one-on-one instructional time. If you have large classes like I do, and you are able to meet with them every day, work one-on-one only with half or a quarter of the class and then switch the next day. Don't try to spread yourself too thin!
8. What is the school culture like? Does the teacher have support from administration for discipline issues? Is Art respected as a valuable part of the school? Do students have to pass the class to advance a grade or does Art class not even "count?"
What is the socioeconomic makeup of the group? More affluent groups tend to have higher achievement (see the below chart). I teach in a blue-collar community where 70% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. When I first started teaching, I didn't understand this affluence gap. I really struggled with getting quality work, so I worked even harder. I would stay at school until 6:00 every day! Eventually, I figured out that I had to meet the kids where they were and create an Art class designed to meet their needs. I still strive to push kids to do the best work possible, but what that means in my school community might look different than my friends who teach in more affluent schools. I am very proud of the work my students have done over the last 13 years even though I know that we might not ever be as competitive as some other schools. Even so, the fact that I have taught at the same school for a long time gives my art students an edge! We have a 97% success rate when it comes to being accepted at our district Visual Art Magnet School!
What is the socioeconomic makeup of the group? More affluent groups tend to have higher achievement (see the below chart). I teach in a blue-collar community where 70% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. When I first started teaching, I didn't understand this affluence gap. I really struggled with getting quality work, so I worked even harder. I would stay at school until 6:00 every day! Eventually, I figured out that I had to meet the kids where they were and create an Art class designed to meet their needs. I still strive to push kids to do the best work possible, but what that means in my school community might look different than my friends who teach in more affluent schools. I am very proud of the work my students have done over the last 13 years even though I know that we might not ever be as competitive as some other schools. Even so, the fact that I have taught at the same school for a long time gives my art students an edge! We have a 97% success rate when it comes to being accepted at our district Visual Art Magnet School!
9. Are you displaying student work regularly? This is a powerful motivator for the kids to do a good job. It can sometimes help to create a little bit of friendly competition, too. Some years I will honor a student with "Art Student of the Week," displaying their piece on an easel by the front office. There is also a display case located by the office where I hang exemplary work. Finally, I LOVED this idea from high school art teacher Luke Nielson at theartofeducation: Make Your Display Case Competitive With a Championship Belt.
10. Is there an established classroom management plan (for discipline) in place in your classroom? Do you have a set of rules and procedures? Are you consistently and kindly holding kids accountable for their actions? "Classroom management was rated THE MOST important variable effecting student achievement according to a meta-analysis of 50 years of research in education. (Margaret Wang, Geneva Haertel, Herbert Walbert: Educational Leadership, "Synthesis of Research; What Helps Students Learn?," 1993)
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