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Art Reflection: Unit Three

Maria Schneider
Studio Lessons
I believe that each studio lesson allowed me to tell a story in multiple ways. Each lesson
supported my ability to think creatively, because I had to figure out a way to represent a deeper
meaning. This means that I had to use pictures or only a few words to tell a long and meaningful
story. I had to think in detail as to how I wanted to represent certain aspects of my story to allow
the person viewing the artist to try to figure out what I was trying to show. I found this enjoyable,
because I know that although I created the art work with a specific meaning behind it, someone
else may interpret or relate to it differently.
According to Michael Michalko, You construct reality by how you choose to interpret
your experiences, (Michalko, 2015, p. 1). I believe that this relates to the big idea of stories,
because I was able to construct art based on experiences that I have had in my life. Throughout
the studio lessons, I was able to reflect on my experiences and determine how I wanted to
represent them with no limits to lower my creativity. It is important for teachers to understand
this concept, because each child will be unique and have a different way of representing their
work. A teacher should support each child throughout their learning process even if they have a
different way of interpreting or representing information than expected.
Each of the studio lessons related to stories in a different way. I appreciated that during
the story quilt, I was able to represent my story using both pictures and words. However, I found
it engaging to try to explain a deeper meaning in just six words. I also enjoyed the technique of
using the water color resist to create my story quilt. This is something that I plan on using in the
classroom, because I found it very engaging and it would easily integrate with a science activity.
Meaningful Moments

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One meaningful moment I had during the six-word story studio lesson was during my
creating process. I found it very challenging to make the point I wanted to make in just six
words. I always say that we have learned so much within the college of education, that it is very
difficult to summarize. This made me think about students who may be ELL or have a
vocabulary that is not within the grade-level. I began to brainstorm a way I could support each
student throughout this activity, as it is an activity I look forward to using in the future. One way
I could support each student would be to have them work with a partner to brainstorm words
they might want to use for this project. I believe there is power in brainstorming and
collaborating when working on an assignment.
Lastly, this unit continued to support the meaningfulness of not guessing what a child is
creating. Each piece of artwork has a story behind it that the viewer may not know based on
looking at it. It is important to allow each student the opportunity to share their artwork if they
would like to. Allowing students the chance to share what they have created will provide
information about the student that a teacher may not have known if the project was not assigned.
According to Moomaw and Hieronymus, Drawing allows children to express thoughts, ideas,
and feelings through art, (Moomaw & Hieronymus, 1999, p. 50).
By creating these pieces throughout the unit, I was able to reflect and represent my
thoughts and feelings through artwork. As a future teacher, I will provide these opportunities for
my students because there are many benefits for the teacher and the student. Providing the
opportunity for students to create while also having discussions over their work will support
many of the developmental domains. It will also allow the teachers to have a tool for assessment
while also supporting a positive relationship and classroom community.

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References
Michalko, M. (2015). 7 Tenets of Creative Thinking. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
Moomaw. S. & Hieronymus. B. (1999). More than painting: exploring the wonders of art
preschool and kindergarten. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.