Art as a Way of Discovery (Education)

Most of the time when I mention famous artists, my students' eyes glaze over. They have no point of reference. The conversation goes something like this:

Eager student with hand in the air: "Is he dead?"

Brilliant art teacher: "Well, yes but..."

Less eager student, hand all over the place: "So he lived back in the old days like my Grandma?"

In the past, I would have had pictures up on the white board by the artist, of the artist, my art sample/s, and previous student sample/s. Now I still have those things,art supplies, a projected image, and demonstrations at the ready but I also have a digital media clip to enhance the lesson. So now...

The brilliant art teacher says: "Take a look at the video clip, ladies and gentlemen. We will step back in time into the life of Vincent Van Gogh with the art explorers, Mati and Dada."

Art with Mati and Dada: Van Gogh

This 7 minute presentation is an interesting introduction to the artist, Vincent Van Gogh, focusing on his style of painting which is what I want my young artists to know. We usually complete a project in a 40 minute class so it is important for an introduction to be brief.  When you cut down to the essentials of the video, I would only need to show 4-5 minutes of the video. My age group is 4 to 8 year olds so it is important to have frequent yet smooth transitions. This presentation would engage my visual, audio, and kinesthetic learners. My kinesthetic learners are great at helping me set up and transition.

I'll admit as an art teacher I did not have much luck with Discovery Education and United Streaming. I used it in our subject areas but not directly as an art source because all the art resources were old. Now I find all sorts of things to explore especially in the web tools section. 

Hooray! Digital media is art friendly and vice versa.

Citation (APA)

Porchlight Entertainment,  (2009). Art with Mati and Dada: Van Gogh. [Full Video]. Available from http://www.discoveryeducation.com/