Service Learning Lesson 5 Reflection
Art & Science: “Lava Lamps”
Relate this event to theory, research and readings. What is your interpretation of these events based on current class readings and discussions? What worked well for this art experience?
-For this project, our main idea was getting students to do something that feels like a science experiment, that has an element of excitement/surprise, but also has a main artistic element of personalization. This was our final service learning session, and we were all sad to say goodbye to the students we got to know five weeks ago. We wanted to end our time with a “bang,” and I think all of us were really passionate about the lava lamp project since the early ideas we had about it.
Our idea of combining art and STEM also had a lot to do with the idea that we wanted students to use the “stretch and explore” skill outlined by the studio habits of mind. We brought in an actual electric lava lamp to help them “visualize” the product that we were trying to emulate, but we also emphasized that the process was the most valuable part, and the payoff for their effort and perseverance would be the final “working” product.
Something that worked well for this lesson, was the willingness for students to “delay gratification” and not be discouraged that it was a step-by-step process. There was plenty of time for them to add artistic flare to their lava lamp bottle, but the ultimate visualization was not immediate, and it required patience. I was worried that a few of the students wouldn’t be excited to see their bottle reacting to the seltzer tablets, but I was pleasantly surprised that all of the students loved seeing the final form of their creation. They were also very innovative in the artistic elements that they used to make their own individualized pieces. Sometimes in the past, the teacher’s aides helped students complete projects, but it appeared that all the students drew their own designs, and picked their own construction paper color, and I was happy to see their independent work.
Consider the meaning your teaching experience has for you as an individual. What does this experience mean to you personally? What didn’t work well for this art experience?
-Personally, I have had an amazing time working with our PSD B group. I was nervous going into week 1, but over the five week period, I was able to feel confident in our ability to successfully work with adult students that have an array of disabilities. Trying to make a lesson plan that isn’t flexible, or doesn’t serve a diverse student group, is a disservice to the students, and robs them of the ability to express themselves, and find meaning in these projects. I’d like to think that we got better at pre-assessment before each lesson, although a new group of students might bring up new ideas and changes to our lesson plans. I was happy to be able to be a part of these students’ art world, and they responded with a great attitude and willingness to try our projects and ideas.
-A challenge that we had, was this project had more of a step-by-step procedure, rather than some of our past, more free-form art-making time. We quickly realized that some students went through the steps much faster than others. We had to decide what related art activity we could offer to preoccupy their time, while still staying on topic. We provided extra construction paper, and asked if they’d like to make some art related to their lava lamps, perhaps using the same color palette, or colors that they think go with their lava lamp design. The faster students had no problem doing some additional artworks, and once the other students caught up, we were able to proceed with adding the oil and tablets to their pieces.
I think time management will be a reoccurring struggle for me, and I need to be mindful of how quickly I am able to do something, compared to how the students might be faster or slower. I need to plan for extra time, or cutting steps out if every student is “ahead” of my pre-made schedule. The main goal is that I make the adjustments to my schedule, and not force the students to “keep up” with me— especially since the important part of art-making is in the process, not getting a product “done.”
Relate your interpretation of the meaning of your teaching as it pertains to your education as a future art teacher. How will you configure or reconfigure your future actions as an art teacher as a result of this experience? What would you do differently?
-Working with this group of students has really built my confidence, and awareness. I’m not usually a perfectionist, I do set my goals rather high, and find myself pulling back from my original lesson ideas. I need to focus on the “big idea” each time, and make decisions that reflect it at all times. Sticking to the big idea, and time management will most likely be my biggest point of frustration, but as I get more experience, I believe those won’t be as stressful over time. I want students to end up with artwork that shows what they have understood, but also, I need to remember to make the process and time spent making the art, valuable and meaningful.
The PSD students were open to every one of our projects, including this last one, the lava lamp. We did try to emphasize the big ideas, essential questions, some reflective questions, but for the most part— these students really wanted to be social, make art for their family/friends, and didn’t seem too interested in our background context. They just wanted to dive headfirst into testing new materials or getting better at the mediums they were familiar with. I know teaching in a public school setting will be similar— some students will be excited to make art, but others will just want to bring home something to their parents. Some students might not want to participate in art making at all. I think it’s going to be really interesting to see how I can get students to think about some “Big Ideas,” and thinking more deeply about their own art decisions. Working with the service learning students was a great first step, and extremely enlightening. All the reading and note-taking can’t prepare you for teaching in person, but it does help develop a solid backbone for the lesson-planning process!
-Something I might do differently, based on this lesson experience, would be that I would like to have a project like the lava lamp, as part of a collection of science and art combined lessons. It’s a project that can be done in one class period, and it could relate well to what students were learning in their science classes, and make their learning more transferred. Transferring learning from art to other subjects is not the goal of art education, but it is an excellent way to help them see connections between various subjects. We could show how to build an interesting volcano in clay and other materials. We could also add a project related to acrylic paint-pouring, and how certain chemicals create the marbled effect of the technique. We could also use something like the cyanotype print project we did in class at the beginning of the semester to relate how chemicals reacting to sunlight “burn” images into the paper. I think the lava lamp project on it’s own, is not as strong as it could be with more examples that fit the big idea. I think having several small projects as part of one big idea would be extremely useful in an art classroom I might work in.