Visual Art GOALS and OBJECTIVES
National Visual Arts Standards – Standard 1
Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes
Frank Korb
There are 6 OVERARCHING GOALS that all of my art students work toward and focus on during the year in all of my art classes. The goals are referred to on a daily basis and are been modified, but not “dumbed down,” from the National Standards for the Visual Arts so that they make more sense to the students who are working with them through their art making and other art experiences.
The use of GOALS in my classroom (in any classroom for that matter) is an essential part of the process of running a high energy and well planned / focused classroom. The introduction of the GOALS, and the interaction of the student with that goal, literally fires up and activates the neurons in the brain and gets the young artist (student, teacher, whomever) focused on the work that will be undertaken. This OPENS THE FOLDER to learning.
This is the first of six weeks that we will be looking at and unpacking the goals so that they are more easily understood. It is important to note that, when the goals are given to the students, they are restructured (a smidgen) so that they are meaningful and pertinent to the day’s activity. Notice, they are not agenda items but rather bigger thinking topics.
The National Standards for the Visual Arts have been developed into a series of GOALS that are clear, measurable, observable, and understandable to the students, parents, and community. The use of goals is to keep the mind open to the idea of learning and focused on the act of learning, By combining both declarative (mind) and procedural (application) knowledge the intentionality is focused on the combination of art theory and art making as well as the investigating the close relationship between the two.
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Standard #1: Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes
As an art student you will demonstrate the ability to:
- 1.1 apply media, techniques, and processes with
- 1.1.1 skill
- 1.1.2 confidence
- 1.1.3 and awareness so that your ideas are executed well
- 1.2 create art that demonstrates an understanding of how your ideas relate to the
- 1.2.1 materials
- 1.2.2 techniques
- 1.2.3 and processes you use
- 1.3 communicate ideas clearly
- 1.4 create, define, and solve visual challenges using
- 1.4.1 analysis (breaking up the artwork / subject matter to basic elements)
- 1.4.2 synthesis (put all the parts of a work together to form a whole)
- 1.4.3 evaluation [critique] (formative and summative reflections about your artwork)
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One last note about the day to day activities in the class and GOALS specifically is that when we wrap up the class – the last couple of minutes, we take time to reflect, to GENERALIZE the relationship to the goals and the day’s work. This is the CLOSING THE FOLDER that allows the neurons to settle down and pack away the learning, the experiences, until the following day.
You can find these (and more) in my Visual Arts Handbook HERE.
Thanks –
Frank
Art With Korb 