Investigating Materials and Ideas

Teachers who orchestrate thoughtful investigations of materials help students develop a repertoire of ideas about materials and expertise in using artistic media and processes. ~ Karen Lee Carroll

Exploration + Wide range of processes + 2D and 3D materials = increased development of ideas and expression for all!

Carroll tells us that experimentation with materials permits students the opportunity to explore the limits and abilities of that material.  Experiences, which challenge students to master the use of materials, foster problem solving and lead to greater degrees of exploration. Ideas arise from this exploration. As students gain experience with the material, the process, and the ideas for it’s use, problems presented should become more complex. Skills can be further developed and built upon. Lessons should engage, invite growth, and a development of mastery and voice.

The author provides several specific strategies for the investigation of materials and ideas. A sampling of these include:

Explorations of a theme or subject matter in different media, having students reflect upon the visual qualities and ideas for use of the media. (Munday)

Encourage students to collect and group objects, and have them explain the groupings. ( London)

Organize art material by specific places providing opportunities for exploration. (Flynn)

Test the limits of exploring a single medium or material with different grade levels or groups. Exhibit all of the works, showing the range of possibilities. (InSEA presentation)

Now that we’re to the nitty-gritty art making section of Carroll’s book I found myself tearing through the pages. I could not read them fast enough. I felt elated affirmation when I encountered practices, which I already employ. Woo! Hoo! I do – do some things right!!! I identified areas ripe for improvement in my teaching. I am excited to implement change and look forward to the formation of Elegant Problems.

The specific strategies for investigations of supplies and materials offer fantastic suggestions, I plan to test the limits of a single medium, perhaps clay or paint, with different grade levels of students and exhibit the possibilities. 

I wish my room were large enough and class sizes small enough to allow for the collection, and subsequent storage of, objects. Likewise for the suggestion to offer different supplies to be organized by table or area. In order for this to work I would have to assign different supplies to different tables, there’s simply not enough space in my room to allow for much movement.

Here’s a little snippet I’ve lifted from the ‘About Me’ section of this blog:

An art teacher to grades K-6, and sometimes artist myself, I am continually redefining what I enjoy creating and have come to terms with the fact that oftentimes I prefer the acquisition of needed supplies to the actual process of creating. Hmmm, is it any doubt that I selected the Investigation of Materials and Ideas for my reflection? This week I’ve heard much discussion centering on ‘academic crushes’. My own crush lies in an obsession with materials. I obtain them through catalogs, websites, thrift shops, and trash cans. I organize them into groups by type, color, and size. I hesitate to use them because then I’ll no longer have them. I don’t qualify for hoarder status yet, but sometimes I think it’s a sickness.  ;-) Perhaps as JooYoung suggested in her blog, I too, could benefit from exploring the suggestions in this book.