Visual Art Department @ the SDOC

1. What do you teach?

1. Visual art, using the National Core Art Standards

2. How do you teach?

1. Using the Studio Thinking Philosophy

3. Why do you teach?

1. Foster student creativity and help students express their personal identity

The School District of the Chathams’ Visual Art Department teaches using the National Core Art Standards as our compass, developing our students’ ability to create, present, respond, and connect with works of art.  

We teach using a studio thinking philosophy, where our students develop craft, engage in personally meaningful endeavors, envision new works of art and how to bring them life, express personal meaning, observe and interpret meaning in the works of others, reflect on works of art and processes, explore new techniques, and experience collaborative artistic communities.

We teach to foster and develop our students’ creative thinking and because we believe every student has the ability to develop and communicate their personal identity through the study of visual art, regardless of their future career path.

The Art of Education.

Our curriculum design is spiralized and sequential in nature to ensure we help our students develop a foundational understanding of key visual art concepts in the lower elementary level, such as the color wheel, lines and patterns, 2D and 3D forms, geometric and organic shapes, the Elements of Art and Principles of Design, art history, as well as potential careers in visual art.  We continue to revisit and build upon these concepts as students progress through our program and courses.

When focusing on the Studio Thinking process of “Developing Craft,” we utilize a gradual release model which is comprised of four steps to methodically help students develop and master key artistic skills:

The Art of Education.

This gradual release model is integrated into media and technique studies where students practice processes up front with the teacher and then apply the processes to a project of their choice.  Integrating student choice is also a major focus of our curriculum design that aligns with the Studio Thinking processes of “Engaging & Persisting,” “Envisioning,” “Expressing,” as well as “Stretching & Exploring.”