Notes on Chapter 5: Creating Objectives and Evaluation Criteria

Examples of Assessment:

• Examining artworks both in progress and after completion and talking with students about those assessments
• Ongoing monitoring of the learner’s progress, which might include examining a portfolio of student’s projects
• Assessing learning in art criticism, art history, and aesthetics through informal journals, in-class written assignments and tests, and contributions to class discussions
• Engaging students in verbal and written expression concerning the meaning they attribute to their work

The Need for Open Objectives and Evaluation Criteria

• Art teachers must value that which is open, indeterminate, and imaginative
• Art teachers must develop educational objectives that value demonstration of interpretation, brainstorming, or the ability to adapt to the unexpected
• Much quality art production occurs during what appears to be nondirectional play
• Encouragement should be given for the irrational and quirky
• Rich educational play should not be confused repeating stereotypical images appropriated from popular culture

The Need for Defined Objectives and Evaluation Criteria

• Needed to meet standards
• Provides clarity for assessing student performance
• Expectancy – the need to inform learners in advance about the objectives of any task they are asked to perform
• Backward design – planning a lesson by first articulating what students will be able to do at the end (this ensures that all lesson-planning builds toward learning outcomes)

Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes

• Standards-based art instruction – when state or local systems set broad goals (i.e. NC Standard Course of Study)
• Teachers must use standards to create objectives
• Objectives – clear, identifiable behaviors that a student can demonstrate
• Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives – excellent guide for defining clear, meaningful objectives
• Educational objectives can always be employed

Art Objectives and Assessment

• Teachers emphasize objectives that reflect personal values about art and education, teaching style, and the ages and ability levels, and learning styles of students
• Differing ability levels and learning modes requires emphasis on different objectives
• 5 types of art objectives:

-Art production
-Artistic perception
-Art Criticism
-Aesthetics
-Art history


Objectives and Evaluation of Art Production

• Be specific
• Stay focused – stress only a few objectives per class period
• Encourage depth rather than range – increases personal investment in projects

Objectives and Assessment of Artistic Perception

• Helps students identify elements of beauty and interest in their daily lives
• Sources for perceptual objectives

-Classroom
-Artworks
-Daily life experience outside the classroom


Objectives and Assessment of Art Criticism

• Ensures students use language of art appropriately
• Can be assessed by asking students to identify how art impacts feeling
• Students should be challenged to identify specific visual details

Objectives and Assessment in Aesthetics

• Can best be assessed through class discussion about the nature of art
• Difficult to encapsulate in specific objectives

Objectives and Assessment of Art History Learning

• Can be evaluated by pencil and paper tests or discussions

Reporting Art Progress to Parents

• Helpful to list main goals of program
• Best indication for parents is actual work with teacher comments attached

School Exhibitions as Assessment Tools

• Enlivens school
• Always include an explanation of artistic problem and draw attention to different ways students solved it

Formative and Summative Evaluation

• Summative evaluation-summarizes student's learning and teacher's effectiveness
• Formative evaluation

-used to diagnose, to revise curricula, and to determine if objectives have been met
-usually done at the end of the academic year
-periodically go over students' work to determine if goals are being met

Self-Assessment

• Reflect on your own skills, strengths, and weaknesses as a teacher
• Try using a video camera in the rear of classroom