ELE12

Teaching
Arts
in the
Elementary
Grades

Prof. Emelita N. Cada

B. Setting the Objectives

Learning Outcomes

1. Differentiate a teacher-directed approach and learner-directed approach in

teaching art.
2. Recognize the different purposes of an art activity in varied settings.
3. Examine the factors in choosing an appropriate art activity for students.

"The important thing is to arouse in children a real feeling for life; and color and
form have the power to lead right into life. .. these details are essential to the
vitality of the work."
- Rudolf Steiner, 1922,
The Spiritual Ground of Higher Education

Sky Balloons (2017), Special needs students' collaboration, acrylic on canvas. An

example of a differentiated activity for students with varied abilities. Some students
painted an abstract background using sponges, brushes, and tissue with glue. Another
student sketched the hot-air balloon using oil pastel. When painting the balloons, a
stencil was used to keep colors inside the shapes, It is easier for the student to use oil
pastel for sketching his ideas on canvas instead of a paintbrush which requires more
dexterity and can lead to a messier work. Photo by Teacher Precious,

THINK

The Continuum of Choice

In setting your learning objectives, it is important that you determine what your
goals are before planning out or selecting an art activity. You can find a fun a from
Pinterest (an online art and crafts social media sharing site) that seems fun to do in your
Grade 1 class, however, if it is out of topic and does not fit your curriculum
goals, you may have to set it aside.
‘’’

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Examples of art activities that are teacher-centered, with one expected output:
directed-drawing sheets, coloring pages, DIY kit, copy and paint activities, and
templates

When introducing a new material or technique to children, it is common for

teachers to teach step-by-step, however, a good art teacher should not expected
an exact outcome, rather, give students an opportunity to practice creativity and
independence in finding solutions (Hume 2008). A template or predesigned craft kit is
an extreme example of knowing in advance what the end product will be and is not an
ideal practice to develop artistry and creativity. Art-making is not just about assembling
elements and things together in a skillful manner to create a product. The difference
between personal art and a well-crafted mass- produced "art" product is that personal
art reflects the soul of the creator and oftentimes unique in the world. That is what the
art teacher should always consider when teaching art to children. Technical skills and
understanding concepts and principles are just tools for the child-artist to effectively
express his or her thoughts, feelings, desires, and experiences to the world, but should
always not be the only focus for teaching art.

Teaching children in the early grades, especially children with special needs
should always be given the opportunity to practice the freedom to choose and decide
for themselves even if it is a small aspect of the art-making process. Sometimes,
elementary teachers dwell too much on attaining the learning competencies that
they forget to enjoy the art-teaching process as well. Art teachers are also artists,
and in order to be an effective art teacher, one should teach with his or her heart
and soul, otherwise, it is no different in training employees on how to assemble
predesigned products in a factory.

In Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB), Douglas & Jaquith (2018) explained the
progression of choice which is how tasks and decisions are prescribed by the teacher
versus the freedom of choice of the student. TAB is a choice-based approach wherein
students are taught skills and concepts by exploring different media centers, then are
soon free to choose to work on their own concepts, materials, tools, and techniques
toward the end of the quarter or school year. Students are given opportunities to
explore, take risks, make mistakes, and decide for themselves. Teachers most of the
time are facilitators of learning.

"Children create art not because they want their works to be posted in museums
or sold in art galleries. Children draw, color, paint, and build because it's fun and
it helps them express their thoughts, feelings, experiences, and wishes."
- Teacher Precious

Examples of skill builder exercises. Students practice tonal values using graphite on
paper, The teacher guides the students to make sure they are able to render dark,
medium, and light tones to illustrate the illusion of form in their illustrations. Left:
Drawing using a grid system to ensure proper proportion of facial parts. Right: Tonal
value scale practice applied to illustrating own character.

"Octopus," "Mom," & "The Sea" by Ari, 4, Ink on paper. A classic

example of contour drawing done spontaneously based on the child's
imagination and perception of the world, with intervention of adults

Approaches in Teaching Art

Teacher-Centered Approach

In a teacher-directed learning,
the teacher sets the objectives of the
activity, materials, techniques, theme,
etc., and follows the curriculum goals
intended for that grade level. The
teacher enumerates the exact materials
to be used and is often strict upon using
other than what's prescribed. Depending
on the unit plan, the activity might also
be focused on the technique; example
chiaroscuro painting, shading using
graphite, weaving, etc., in which case,
the students should follow criteria to
achieve a certain standard. The theme
is also prescribed in which students are
only allowed to use subjects and
elements within the topic and adding
a personal touch or deviating from
what is expected will result to Still life flowers. Oil pastel on felt
criticisms from the teacher, even if it paper. Students were tasked to draw
shows creativity and imagination. flowers on a vase showing highlights
and shadows. This kind of teacher-directed learning is ideal when
introducing a skill for the first time and a repeated exercise is a good
practice to master a skill such as shading.

In some technical and specialized art programs which focus on developing

skills in drawing, animation, painting, or crafts, a syllabus serves as guide to distribute
each topic into the number of sessions available for the school year. Some classes
meet once a week, some, twice, and some every day. Planning is crucial so that the
teacher can make sure that each class can cover the topics needed to comply with the
performance and content standards by the end of the quarter. Planning by following the
unit plan also ensures continuity of content and progression of skills and techniques
used per activity. In this case, there is already a definite expected output from the child
for each session.

Portraits of the Ifugao men wearing headdresses and costumes ( Pepi, 9 and
Fonzie, 6 ). If the set learning competency was to paint a picture of a Filipino tribe
in their traditional costume, students are expected to comply. If a student wants
them to wear a helmet and have spaceships in the background, he or she might
not be encouraged or allowed to do so, even if the student can justify through his
or her imagination that they are "modern tribal men in the mountains who are
abducted by aliens." In some cases, the teacher may allow, especially among
younger children. But in a teacher-centered approach, students are required to
follow the objectives and meet the assessment criteria set by the teacher.

Setting Objectives for a Discipline - Based Art Education Approach

The DepEd Art Curriculum uses Discipline - Based Art Education ( DBAE )
approach to primarily teach art concepts like art history and technical skills, such as
directed drawing, copying, and painting that measure dexterity, neatness, and
accuracy. Lesson and art examples are usually inspired by works of national artist or
by Philippine indigenous tribes. You will notice in MAPEH textbooks that they always
have Art History and Culture embedded in the lesson. DBAE is also ideal for integra
other disciplines, such as Language, Math, and Science. Assessment is detail -
oriented and usually involves a rubric and a written exam which includes Art then
Art criticism, and Art history. Imagination and creativity are practiced although they
are sometimes not prioritized in terms of assessment. A discipline-based approach
ideal for students in the higher grades where they are more ready and open to learning
facts and history which are not familiar to them. It also encompasses one of the Studio
Habits of Mind (Hetland et al. 2007), which is to Understand the Arts Community.
Learner-Centered Approach

"Teachers must be exemplars of a way of life.

They must be artistic and able to improvise, free of preconceptions and forever
expecting the unexpected.
They must be sensitive and receptive to the changes in human nature."
Rudolf Steiner

In a learner-centered approach, the teacher acts as facilitator and involves a

more spontaneous teaching or open-ended activity that gives more opportunities for
student-lead exploration, self-expression, and decision-making. The flexibility of a
student-centered approach is ideal for younger children who may not have the same
way of thinking as adults. The standards are also not time-bound and limited, rather,
will be dependent on the child's individual progress and interests. The teacher gives
in to more unintended ideas and actions of the student. A good example of this is
Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) wherein students are encouraged to work with
the theme and medium that they want in so-called "media centers" (paint centers,
drawing centers, clay centers, etc.). A learner-centered approach is also ideal for
teaching children with special needs who have different levels of skills, needs,
interests, and responses, especially when teaching in a mixed-level classroom.

Setting Objectives for a Learner-Centered Approach

Christmas Tree (2020) by Luis T.,

8, acrylic and glue on canvas.
The teacher showed a clip art of
the typical Christmas tree for him
to copy, but he spontaneously
drew a face, a body, and what
looked like arms instead. Then he
added individual spokes that made
it look like individual pine leaves.
Afterward, the parent said that their
Christmas tree has a teddy bear on
top instead of a star that is why it
has a face, and pompoms for
decorations which explains the
dots. This is an example of a
student-directed illustration
wherein the teacher lets the child
draw freely, even if at the
beginning it seemed that he was
trying to do something else. A
child-centered art creation process
lets the audience see authentic
works that serve a window to the world of the child. For Luis, this is what a Christmas
tree looks like. Photo by Teacher Precious.

In setting objectives for a learner-centered approach, teachers should focus on

developing the child's creativity and self-expression through choice-based theme
and medium. In TAB, themes must connect with students' lives and interests to be
effective. Topics for themes can come from students, current events, classroom
studies, or can emerge directly out of student work (Douglas and Jaquith 2018).

In a learner-centered approach, the teacher should consider the students to

know what and how they want to learn and what they want to do. New ideas and
methods are encouraged so that no artwork will look the same.

In most after-school art workshops for younger children, the focus of an activity
is for enjoyment, fun, and exploration (Art as Play). The focus is on experimenting with
different art media, themes, and techniques. Teacher acts as facilitator, demonstrating a
skill or technique, then gives the students freedom on how they will apply what they
have learned using a theme that the like. Aside from the standard performance
assessment (rubrics), other factor are also taken into account. These include observing
the students during the process, talking to them about their work, and even how they
critique other's work. Written exams are rare since students will be showcasing their
work and assessed through performance tasks. Although this approach seems fluid
and unpredictable, it requires careful structuring, space planning, and proper distribution
of resources. In the Reggio Emilia approach, this safe space is known as "The Atelier"
where children can do creative experimentation. In the Teaching for Artistic Behavior,
these small areas are called "media centers” where children can explore and safely
make mistakes while working on a topic and material that they want.

Teaching for Artistic Behavior - Also known as TAB, this approach has a
three-sentence curriculum: the child is the artist, what do artists do, and the art room is
the art studio. Children learn the basic theories, concepts, and skills then toward the
end of the month, quarter, or semester, they will choose a problem or a theme that they
want, then work on it until they are able to create an output based on their skill and
medium of their choice.

Reggio Emilia - This approach uses a constructivist self-guided curriculum that

applies self-directed, hands-on experiences in relationship - driven environments that
focus mainly on early childhood education ( Moss 2019 ). Students can develop all their
senses through artistic exploration and experimentation.

Rudolf Steiner - Also known as Waldorf education, this places the greatest
importance on giving children what is appropriate for their age, with "artistic love and
loving art (Steiner 1922). Teachers cater learners' imagination and creativity not
only in art, but as a holistic approach to teaching other subjects.

Learner-Directed Art Activities and Teacher-Directed Art Activities

Learner-Directed Art Activities Teacher-Directed Art Activities

Focus For fun and self-expression To develop skill and learn
content
Descriptions • Aim for holistic and • Aim for habituation and
age-appropriate learning mastery of skills based on
standard competencies
• Guidelines and rules are • Discipline in following rules
flexible. and guidelines
• Students can choose • Teaching unfamiliar
content ( personal content ( history, theories,
experiences and principles)
interests ). • Detailed assessment and
• Content is familiar and criticism
relevant to the student. • Quality of work is mostly
• Quality of work is mostly dependent on student
dependent on student's performance and
intrinsic motivation. compliance
Priority for • Student enjoyment • Student application of
Assessment • Process (observation, learning (skill and content)
documentation, • Product (artwork)
discussion)
• Artist statement
Ideal for • Kindergarten and early • Upper elementary grades
grades • High school students
• Children with special • Learners who demonstrate
needs exceptional artistic
• Students who are first- performance and creativity
timers or unfamiliar with
art-making
 • People who have no • People who already have
confidence in doing art strong artistic and creative
foundations
Example • Self-portrait and friends • Still life of fruits or flowers
Lessons • Still life of objects that I • Philippine traditional
like weaving designs
• My first experience with • Works of national artists
the doctor/dentist displayed in the museum
• Our summer vacation • The different textile
• My favorite pastime (My traditions and designs in
favorite online game) China, Korea, and Japan
• My house and my • Painting the old houses
community and churches within the
• What I like (flowers, community
butterflies, princesses, • Drawing of the bahay
mode of transport, kubo, torogan, bahay na
planets, the solar system, bato, etc.
etc.) • Creating a digital painting
• Assembling (using similar to the works of Van
cardboard to create my Gogh, Amorsolo, Picasso,
imaginary car) etc.
• Painting and playíng
using paints

A differentiated approach in illustrating the human figure using basic shapes

while demonstrating the line of action. Students chose their favorite sport or
dance move as theme. Students who were advanced made detailed drawings,
intermediate students traced a stencil, while those who need extensive support
used paper cutouts then assembled the form on paper.

At an early age, it should be embedded in children's mindset that art is used

mainly to express oneself to the world. They should learn that art is something personal
matter how it is presented and therefore can be subjective. Once their values about
their own art are solidified, then they can observe the work of the masters and other
communities to get inspiration. By this time, they are able to understand that these
works are also expressions of other artists and culture, and that these are personal
and their expressions of themselves as well. They will learn to be more open-minded
curious on what inspires these artists, and less critical of others. Teachers should
always keep those in mind when planning and selecting the objectives for an art
activity. Teachers should be able to discern how to balance a learner-centered and
teacher-centered approach.

Sample objectives based on the DepEd Curriculum standards demonstrating a

balance between Teacher-directed Approach and Learner-directed Approach
Topic Sample Objectives
Human Body in Motion • To draw the human body using
basic shapes
Considerations:
 • Younger students can be taught - circle for the head
proper proportion but should not - trapezoid for the torso
get a lower grade because of - rounded rectangles for the
disproportionate body parts. - arms and legs

• If the objective is to illustrate body • To demonstrate body movement

movement, the assessment should and direction by following the line
be on the process of how they are of action in figure drawing
able to break down the shapes
while following the line of action. • To express one's favorite sport or
hobby by drawing a human figure I
Ex: taking a photo of themselves in action with costume and
doing the action, then copying it, background.
asking a classmate to model the
movement live
Traditional Weaving Designs and • To make three studies of different
Textile Patterns patterns using the following lines
and shapes:
Considerations:
- triangular zigzags
• This kind of project is - concentric shapes.
recommended toward the end of - alternating directions
the quarter or semester wherein - floral and leaf nature pattern
students have already acquired the
prerequisite skills such as mixed- • To apply the patterns in designing
media, screen printing, weaving, an apparel or personal item of your
etc. choice: shirt, bag, umbrella, shoes,
hat, etc.
• Students should already be
familiar with the technique of • To create a 2D or 3D work
choice. showcasing one's favorite attire
using a technique of choice:
• Other items such as skateboard drawing and coloring, tie-dye,
and laptop case can be included if printmaking, cutting, collage,
the student suggests. mixed-media, weaving, altering or
redesigning the actual object, etc.
• The lower grades can work on 2D
and the upper grades can work on • To explain to the class the
3D (mixed-media). inspiration of the design, why they
chose that item to be featured
• The lower grades can also work (lower grades),
using 3D media provided that the
class is manageable with enough • To explain to the class the
time, resources, and manpower. inspiration of the design, why they
chose that item to be featured
(lower grades), and how the
elements and principles are
applied (upper grades)

- lines and shapes used

- why choose the colors
- what elements were repeated
- to show patterns
- title of the work and why

Teaching art in the elementary grades is essential for holistic development

Determining the learning objectives of Art in the early grades should be more focused
on developing character and enjoyment in the process rather than honing fine motor
skills or learning about history. This is the age where fine motor skills develop as well
as character, discipline, and respect. As teachers, we should be more open-minded
in accepting and giving criticisms. Let us learn to be tolerant when students make
mistakes. As teachers, we should guide them on how to learn from their mistakes