Art vs. Craft

Definition of art: the quality, production, expression, or realm, according toaesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or ofmore than ordinary significance.

Definition of craft: an art, trade, or occupation requiring special skill, esp.manual skill: the craft of a mason.

http://dictionary.reference.com/

"Craft work is skilled work." It involves technique. Craft is usually associated with producing useful objects. Art "expresses emotion." Works of art express emotion and feeling.

http://www.denisdutton.com/rnz_craft.htm

"Crafts – traditionally – were about using a handmade process to achieve an end result." Practical things such as furniture or clothing. "Art is generally about aesthetics rather than function."

There is a difference between arts and crafts but they can also be used together. "Craft can be art and art can be craft."

http://tanglecrafts.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/the-difference-between-art-and-craft/

What motivates me

What motivates me as a learner? I've never really thought about that before. Sometimes being motivated is hard, but what I've noticed throughout all my schooling, the thing that motivates me the most is to know that I'm working towards something. Seeing the finished product. Whether it be a good grade on a test, an A on a paper, passing a class with a good grade, doing great on a project, or having a teacher praise me for doing well. These are all things that motivate me. Doing well in class or in anything at all makes me want to try and be better in everything that I do.

Sometimes it is hard to be motivated in something that you don't feel you are good at. That would be math for me. I'm not very good at math, therefore it's hard to be motivated in that class. But working my hardest, studying my brains out, and seeing that I really can do it is a great feeling. Some things come more easily for others, and we just need to accept that. Being motivated is a great feeling. Wanting to work towards accomplishing something. Knowing that you've done great.

Different things motivate different people. When I think about my future students, it's hard because some may be motivated in different ways than others and I need to think of things that will motivate all of them. One thing I will be sure to do as a teacher is praise my students for doing well, and telling them what they are doing well in. I think it is important for students to be recognized for the things they do good in, because it makes them want to do better. I know this from personal experience. Setting reasonable goals that they will not only have to work towards, but that they will be able to accomplish. These are a few things that I can do as a teacher to help motivate my students! 

Color Wheel

It was very interesting to see how the colors mixed and work together. Some of them were a lot harder to get than others. I liked working on the color wheel and was very proud of the outcome. It will be a very useful resource for my own classroom. 

Watercolor

I really enjoyed this assignment. Not just because we got to eat while doing it, but it was interesting how we portrayed the tastes of different foods. It was also very interesting to compare how different everyones ended up looking. It was fun making different textures and designs. 

Styrofoam Prints

Bubbles

The reason I chose to do my styrafoam prints of blowing bubbles is because it's something that I see everyday. I work at a preschool for kids with Autism and the two kids that I work with LOVE to go outside and play bubbles. 

How to Teach Artist Statements

It was hard to find ways to teach artist statements to children, pretty much all of the stuff I found was easier for adults to understand. I do think it is easy to simplify it down in order for kids to understand. First off, it would be a good idea to show my kids examples of artist statements, or even one that I wrote about my own piece of work. An artist statement shows what the artist is thinking and why they created what they did. Some questions you can address in writing an artist statement could be:

• Why do you create art and what does it mean to you?
• If the statement refers to a specific piece, why did you choose to represent this piece in this way? What do you call the piece and why? What materials did you use? 
• What artists (living or dead) have influenced you?
• How much time is spent creating your pieces?
• How is your work a reflection of you?

http://www.ebsqart.com/ArtMagazine/za_400.htm

"An artist statement is what, how, and why you do what you do, from your perspective." 

There is no correct way to write an artist statement. An artist statement is personal and reflects you as an artist. "When done well, the statement and your art support each other." I think it is best to have your students write why they created what they did, what they were thinking, and how it relates to them.

http://www.artist-statement.com/whatisanartstate.html

From researching all of this I think it's important to keep it short. "Write enough so that you can get your ideas across, but keep it to one page or less." No one wants to read a super long artist statement, they want to understand the piece of art and know where the artist was coming from without having to read a novel about it. 

http://www.examiner.com/children-s-crafts-in-springfield/learning-to-describe-your-art-work

I think when explaining how to write artist statements to children, it is important to make it as simple as possible. Also, that it is about why they created what they did. 

Life Drawings

I really like the detail of this drawing. It definitely took me the longest. I also like the position of where it is on the page. It is something that I see everyday. 

My iClicker! This one was simple and fun to draw. I redid it going of the page and it makes it look much larger.

Marks drink, a little harder to draw with all the curves in it, but pretty good detail.

Assessment Reflection

Formative assessment is when you give suggestions to the student while they are in the process of making their art. An example that the text gave was, “I love the deep colors and the way you combined them; let’s put your artwork up front on the whiteboard’s ledge and look at it together.” (pg. 60) That way they can look at it and the teacher can not only tell the student what they like, but also make suggestions on what they can improve on or change.

Dr. Christopher Gareis who wrote "Forgotten Art of Formative Assessment" states that  “formative assessment is integral to instruction, requires constructive feedback and fosters student involvement."

http://www.mc3edsupport.org/community/knowledgebases/the-forgotten-art-of-formative-assessment-1264.html

Taking a break for a few minutes to talk about what is expected and have them reflect on how they think their art work is going and decide whether or not they want to improve, it is also a good time for the teacher to give feedback.

www.lincoln.k12.or.us/.../Tools%20for%20Formative%20Assessment.doc 

Summative assessment as defined in the text is “used to diagnose, to revise curricula, and to determine if objectives have been met.” It is a “summing up.” (pg. 60) It is the assessment that is done when the assignment has been completed to see if it was done correctly and if the instructions were followed. Also, asking questions about the assignment and seeing how they felt they did.

A good way to do a summative assessment would be to have the students do a self assessment first of how they felt they did, then you could discuss it together.

instech.tusd.k12.az.us/documents/08_09/102808Summative.doc

Also, having a guideline for them to follow so they know what is expected of them, printed out and given to them. Then go through it while grading the assignment and checking it off. That way they can’t pretend they didn’t know what was coming and act like they didn’t know what was required of them.

http://tccl.rit.albany.edu/knilt/index.php/Summative_Assessment:_Sequential_Art_Lesson_Plan

Creative Bug Picture

What I like about this piece is the different textures you can come up with. It was interesting trying to figure out what it would look like and great seeing the finished product. 

Chinese Brush Painting & New English Calligraphy

The bamboo brush strokes were very interesting and nothing I've ever done before. It was a neat experience only being able to hold the brush a certain way and only being able to use three different strokes. 

It was very hard trying to come up with my favorite way to write my name, but also fun playing with different ways to do it.