Learning is Boring!

During today's 5th grade art class we discussed the topic of 6th grade, and how when kids leave elementary school they seem to really start hating school. I asked them why they thought that was.

The top two answers?

School is boring! 

and

Learning isn't fun!

To which I responded...

"Learning IS fun!!! Don't you have fun learning in this class?"

There was a resounding "Yes!" followed by, "But this is art class."

I shot right back at them "You should be having fun learning in all your classes!"

An response came from the back of my class that made me stop mid step...

"Then my other teachers are doing something wrong."

So I asked them. "What would make learning more fun?"

The students had so many ideas that I stopped what we were doing and headed straight for the board. I said let's write your ideas up here and see what we come up with.  What should we call this? They came with a blend of fun and learning and created a new word...

Furning: How to make learning fun.

A few minutes later it was the end of class but students were still at the board. 

And below you can see some of the ideas they came up with.

more field trips, fun games, more experiments...

dance, recess everyday, iPods and iPhones...

better motivations and more freedom...

Great thoughts! And honest. And the teachers at our school are wonderful! And they are fun. But I think with all the demands and changes and new standards and new tests and new teaching methods and new students and new zoning and on and on...I think with all that we as teachers are facing, that the fun has been taken out of teaching.  And the natural result of that happening is that the fun in turn has been taken out of learning.

"Having fun would make school AWESOME!"

Instagram Challenge: Elements of Art

Kids LOVE Instagram. Hey, I love Instagram. What's not to love? It's fun, easy, and keeps you connected with the world. I especially love being able to connect with my students in a fun and relaxing way. Sometimes I even slip a little learning and application into this arena.

My most recent is the

  Instagram Challenge: 

Elements of Art 

Although the EOA are used every day in class during the creation of our art work, I believe it's very important that the students can recognize and 

name all 7 elements. 

When working on a piece of art the student should be able to critique their piece and make design decisions based on the elements used. Usually it's subtle changes that take a work of art from good to GREAT!

The Instagram Challenge: Elements of Art has simple rules and sends students on a scavenger hunt through their world. Capture the 7 Elements of Art in 7 Pictures. That's it. 

And what's the fun in a challenge without a prize? The students that receives the most likes on their combined pictures will receive one of my Creativity NOT Conformity poster. A much coveted item in the art room.

Meeting students not just where they're at academically, but also in their world, makes the connections that foster true learning in these 21st Century Learners.

You can find me on Instagram as Kids Create Art. Start your own Instagram Challenge today and tag me in it. I would love to see what other creative ideas people come up with.

Exit Slips in No Time

40 minutes is a short amount of time for any class. And in my art room it seems to be gone in an instant. As soon as we get seated and set up, I feel like it's already time to clean up and line up again. Zoom! Sometimes I feel like these kids are just flying in and out of my room...And don't let the door hit you on the way out!

Seriously though, time is tight. And when you add other things into the mix besides just the art it really puts the pressure on. One simple thing that has really helped with integrating Marzano's Instructional Model into my classroom is the exit slip.



Element 13: What do I typically do to help students reflect on their learning? One strategy suggested for this element is using exit slips at the end of class in an effort to get students to respond to questions about their learning immediately after the teacher is done. Here's how I do it.

I currently use two types of exit slips. One says "Tell me three new things you learned today". The other says "Tell me one thing you liked about class, and one thing you would have liked done to help you understand the lesson".



Depending on the grade I am teaching I mix it up a bit. Obviously I wouldn't have 1st graders write out 3 new things because they would never get it done in time. For them we might write three new words.

Exit slips are a great way to monitor the student's understanding of new knowledge. Try them out in your class. You'd be surprised what some of your students have to say.