Are you hearing, “Why do we have to do this?” or maybe, “When will I ever use this in real life?” from your students?
I’ll be the first to admit to whining this to my parents when I was younger. (Mostly it was in relation to chemistry though!) 😉
If you’re hearing this in your classroom, maybe I can help.
Have you heard of “learning intentions”? Learning intentions are a teacher’s short description of what the student will learn as a result of the teaching activity. These statements are written in kid-friendly language to clearly communicate with the students the answer to their “why” questions.
When I think about the difference between Art Education and Christian Art Education, the difference is that Christ is at the center. I wanted to develop four short learning intentions that I could use in my classroom:
Learning Intention #1: To see God’s beauty, order and design
-I believe God is a God of beauty, that the beauty of His creation is God making Himself known to us, so in my classroom it is my intention to teach my students that we study art to see God’s beauty, order and design.
Learning Intention #2: To worship and enjoy God
-I believe God wants us to worship and enjoy Him, because He loves us and knows what is best for us. Doing art with God (by that I mean acknowledging His presence while making art by praying to Him, remembering who He says He is in the Bible and enjoying the ways He reveals more of His character through the art-making process) gives us a chance to enjoy Him and brings us great joy in the process!
Learning Intention #3: To train my hands to create in His image
-I believe God has created us in His image, and since He is creative, we can be too! In my classroom, it is my intention to teach my students how to use different mediums and to train their hands to create. This takes lots of practice and perseverance, just like training in a gym.
Learning Intention #4: To learn how to share truth in new and beautiful ways
-Finally, I believe art is a natural way to share truth. When my students grow in their knowledge of design, artistic processes, the use of color, etc. they will become wonderful visual communicators.
If your students (or maybe just you!) need a reminder of the worthy things we are pursuing together, then this poster is for you. I hope you enjoy it!
I would love to hear how you are using this in your classroom or what you would add!
Cheering you on!
-Sarah
