The top ten things I took away from NAEA
10. Be rich in content and rich in control. Answer the whys and capture your students attention and hold it!
9. Art Educators are not support we are part of the team and showing and making connections to Common Core establishes that.
8. A new meaning of creativity: Creativity unlocks thinking and influences future thought! WOAH! Thats awesome. (If anyone knows where this is from let me know so I can give credit where credit is due, another person in a session quoted it during discussion!)
7. When applying Common Core skills to a lesson we can't assume students know how to transfer what we are teaching them to reading and writing skills. Tell them!
6. Every lesson/project provides an opportunity to include writing. One sentence or a page long story. Writing is writing. And writing is good!
5. Don't be afraid to do complex issues with younger grades. Give them a chance. They can probably talk about it and understand it and have some really great thoughts and ideas about the issues!
4. When you start observational drawing lessons and skills in early grades, they gain confidence early on about their drawing ability. Don't be afraid they can't do it. They can!
3. BE BRAVE. (One presenter does clay on the first day, little too brave for me!)
2. Art Educators SEE the visual world our job is to INTERPRET that information to students.
1. DBAE is gone. Things are changing. Common Core & 21st Century learning provides Art Educators an opportunity to be FULLY relevant in our buildings by integrating those standards.
Now let's see if I stay true and inspired by those! That's the true test!
And a little "thought" inspired iPad Art from the flight home...
Here are the sessions I attended (in case you were wondering):
Becoming Exceptional Elementary Art Teachers through Theme-Based Lessons and Teachers through Theme-Based Lessons and Technology, Presented by Kathy Schwartz and Stephanie Danker
Why is Art Necessary for the 21st-Century Learner and the Common Core Standards?, Presented by Susan Deaton
Dancing on Chairs (and Other Strange Strategies to Spark Student Engagement Starting on Day One), Presented by Janine Campbell
Remembering "Other" in Education: Discussions on Race, Gender, Class, and Disabilities, Presented by Amy Pfeiler-Wunder
Art and Literacy: Build Connections Between Visual Art Literacy Skills and Written Communications, Presented by Wanda Gray
Abstract Portraits: Escaping the Split Profile to Create Abstract Art That Makes Kids Think, Presnted by Lisa Casey
Creative Design: Books That Flip, Fly, and Twist, Presented by Susannah Brown
A Blog People Want to Read!, Presented by Ted Edinger
Write on Art? Write On!, Presented by Ellen Hargrove
The Super Alter Ego: Taking Students and Their Art to New Heights!, Presented by Brittany Schwarck
Look Closely: Exploring Observational Techniques in the K/1 Art Classroom, Presented by Julia McTighe
