Lessons for a Teaching Artist
Are you an artist, designer, or other creative who would like to teach your skills to others?
There are many ways to go about this, but the best way I have found is to work with pre-established organizations that hire teaching artists to teach in schools, community organizations, and other non-profits. Many people start as occasional volunteers. others get hired to work in after-school programs, or to teach workshops that teach skills that they specialize in.
As a loose, general rule, there are three kinds of teaching artists: those who jump in and make things up as they go, those that plan meticulous lessons, and those that mix the two. At this point in my career I am a mix. I like to have lesson plans, though I usually write weekly lesson plans for my longer-term classes, such as the POWER House artist residency. This keep things loose enough to leave room for students who need more time, or if a new idea suddenly changes the direction of class. Having some kind of plan helps keep the expectations of both myself and my students realistic.
Components of my lesson plans:
THE BASICS-
Title of Project, Lesson; Name of Teaching Artist; Date, Time Allowed
MATERIALS-
Materials provided by School or Organization:
Some basics may be provided
Materials brought by Teaching Artist:
Usually the TA is responsible for bringing the supplies. Find out if there is anywhere to store things in between classes. It will save your body a lot of wear and tear.
CONTENT-
Objectives: What are the main goals of the lesson that day/week?
Concepts: Art/Design/Craft/Maker concepts that are touched upon and explored in class
Vocabulary: It is really important to define new vocabulary for both young and older students. No one likes to feel like art is elitist, or is full of lingo no one else understands. For school-aged children, this can be useful to help the arts educator meet the state standards.
ACTIVITIES-
Icebreaker: Keep this short and fun, or at least, not intimidating :)
Introduction: Some kind of hands-on activity that can help people loosen up and leads them into the main activity. See sample lesson for more ideas. Can be combined with the Icebreaker.
Prompts: Questions you may present to the students that help them move forward with the activity and/or relate to the activity. For example, "Divide your paper into two parts. In one section fill it with colors that you see in your home every day. In the other, fill it with colors you see in the classroom. Are there colors that are the same?" This can lead into a lesson about color theory, personal expression, or a myriad of other arts experiences.
Sharing: Taking time to share student work is important. This may not happen for the intro in every class, but it can help people feel like a cohesive group early on
Main Activity: This will be the bulk of your time. What are you specifically trying to teach?
Prompts: Again, how can you help lead your students into creativity and creative problem-solving?
END OF CLASS-
Sharing: Consider having students set up a casual "gallery" and stroll around the room.
Reflection: Have student verbally tell you what they learned in class and how it relates to their lives. Or, have them draw a cartoon, make a list, write you a note, etc...This is really important and easily the first thing to get cut when one is short on time. Rose, Bud, Thorn, is a mindfulness activity that I use often in my classes.
Clean up: Always schedule time for clean up!!
