Understanding by Design (Jay McTighe), has given me a template to use for the way that I already teach. Art teachers are truly at the core of the best teaching/learning practice, as we begin with the Performance Task in mind and move backwards from there. Art is hands on, reflective, engaging, and personally relevant already. For example: we want our students to understand the style of the Australian Aboriginal artists, we want each student to learn about this style through personal connection(
History and Culture and Self Expression), we want our learners to be able to talk about this type of painting and reflect upon their own and their peers' finished painting (
Critique). We want the "performance task" to show proof of all of this learning. But, more than all of this, we want the students to really get "the big idea", which for me, is "Personal connection, through symbolism, creates a more meaningful piece of art." Do the students, at the end of this lesson really get this?
I think they not only understood this, I can see this from their art work, but they have been able to apply their knowledge to other world art. While I listen to their discussion about this essential question, the connections they make are astounding. Understanding by Design has allowed me to really think about what it is I want the students to take away with them each day. It has forced me to think deeply about the connections that I hope students make when they go out in the world. It has taken my teaching to another level because it doesn't let me get away with a simple lesson plan and superficial goal.
Art is already, in my opinion, highest order thinking as it involves creating, evaluating, and analysing first and foremost and then applying, uynderstanding, and remembering. Bloom would be so proud!
Please see my
art website or
blog for examples of unit planners and the Australian Aboriginal Project that I'm speaking of.
