One of the most fulfilling professions is teaching art. As a teacher, you have the opportunity to inspire, engage and teach art with age-appropriate subjects and techniques.
Instructors can use various ways to teach art. If you’re teaching art to online middle school students, for instance, you’ll want to assign subjects that are simple to draw. You could also show how to do the project yourself to engage and inspire students.
If you’re looking for additional tips to effectively teach art, keep these other suggestions in mind:
Choose Familiar and Fun Subjects to Paint or Draw
By assigning a familiar subject for the young ones, you’re instilling the confidence they need to begin a new drawing or painting project. Instead of choosing an obscure architecture, opt for something that you can easily find in everyday life. A few examples include a teddy bear, white clouds or flowers in a vase.
Encourage and Provide Positive Feedback Frequently
Zero in on achievements and improvements, focusing your encouragement around hard work, perseverance and effort instead of talent. When the little ones in the classroom hear criticism, they may decide to give up and erroneously conclude that art is for talented people only. Rather than judging a child’s work like an art critic, use questions and words of encouragement to help the little ones notice things and elements about their drawing.
Here’s an example: if you come across a student who has drawn a body part that’s out of scale or unusual, such as a family with big hands, get them to tell you more about these hands. Encouraging them to provide more details about their artwork will give you insights into their observation skills.
As for words of encouragement, don’t hesitate to offer affirmation if the student did well on their project. You could give statements like, “Awesome! The shapes that you chose for your drawing look fantastic” or “You’re doing an amazing job staying focused on your painting.”
Try Giving Open-Ended Art Projects to Older Children
If you have students aged eight and above, give them a challenging project by drawing a scene from their favorite movie or book. Alternatively, ask them to produce a painting of memory, such as the time they went swimming on summer vacation. This particular project style aims to teach students to skillfully combining creativity, imagination and memory to produce a wonderful piece of art.
When the kids finish drawing or painting, ask them to present their work to everyone. Take this opportunity to facilitate a fun and fulfilling share-and-respond session with the class.
Ban the Use of Erasers and Pencils
If you’re going to ask young students to draw something, make sure they use a material other than a pencil and an eraser. The reason behind this is simple: a tiny pencil encourages tiny drawings. If a kindergarten student, for instance, is drawing a portrait and then is required to paint that work of art, using a pencil will surely result in frustration. Painting small eyes and other body parts, for instance, can get frustrating.
Another reason is that pencil markings are temporary. The little ones can simply grab their eraser and rub out their drawings anytime. This can result in second-guessing and lots of eraser action. This eats up their time and prevents them from getting their art project completed on time (or at all).
When you’re assigning an art project to the class, provide markers and oil pastels as your primary materials. They enable the student to move as quickly as possible, forgive their mistakes and commit to whatever they have on paper. These materials also allow kids to immerse themselves in the creative process and not overthink the details.
Allot a Period for Quiet Time
After going over the instructions and providing the materials needed to complete the art project, proceed with ten minutes of silence. This quiet time is crucial, as it serves as an opportunity to come up with an art idea, plan their approach and become immersed in the art production process.
Expand Learning Beyond the Four Walls of Your Classroom
If the school permits, take your students to a museum or gallery in your local community and have them check out masterpieces in person. Viewing artworks in person provides a different experience than simply seeing them on a computer monitor or a projector screen.
When organizing a field trip, get in touch with the education department of the museum. This department exists to support teachers and students, as well as provide resources to support your art teachings.
Teaching art to young students is a wonderful experience, as you get to see them have fun drawing and painting using their imagination. Apply these tips, so you could teach this subject more effectively in class.
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