Notes on Chapter 4: Motivating Students

Notes on Chapter 4: Motivating Students

Successful ways to begin

• Class discussion about recalling past experience and designing goals for new project
• Showing visual materials on the theme
• Viewing examples of previous work
• Demonstrating the technical process with student participation
• Use bulletin board or marker board presentation
• Have a guest speak, perform, or model for students
• Use poems, stories, chanting, songs, or music

Inspiration for children's art expression

• School
• Home
• Playground activities
• Visits to special places
• Nature
• Science
• Math
• Social studies
• Other arts

Use personal experience

• make it vivid and meaningful

Recalled experience

• Tap into memories
• Use who, how, where when, and why questions to help students recall experience

Direct perception

• Helps students become "noticers" and "questioners"
• Ask "What else does it remind you of?"
• Help students move away from stereotypes
  

Use recalled experience and direct perception together (i.e. students add things from memories to background of picture from direct perception)


Use still-life materials

• Use items that interest students
• Create themes

Use bulletin boards

• Change often
• Lets students appreciate work

Use media

• Use demonstration to intrigue and challenge students
  
• Use in combination with other methods

Use timing and pacing

• Avoid overwhelming students with too many suggestions
• Introduce new material at beginning of class

Use exhibitions

• Every student's work should be exhibited during term
• Use group displays
• Keep displays neat and organized
• Hang work at students' eye-level
• Incorporate the community