How many times have you said to a student in your art room, "Use your imagination"? Yet have you explained exactly what that means? some of the definitions I found in an Internet search include, "the ability of the mind to be creative or resourceful," "the formation of a mental image," "the ability to confront a problem with a solution," and "the ability to form new images and sensations that are not perceived through sight, hearing, or other senses." How significant it is for art teachers, that in each definition, the idea of imagery is so important!
The importance of imagination can be found in many current art education efforts. Along with curiosity, creativity, and evaluation, imagination is one of the twenty-first century skills required to help students prepare for successful futures.
In the National Core Arts Standards - now being finalized - imagination, along with investigation, construction, and reflection, is considered a cognitive process by which students learn. With imagination, students are better at thinking creatively, solving problems, visualizing what they read, entertaining themselves, and expanding their worlds. Where better to foster the imagination than in the art room?
In order to better foster your students' imaginations, design and present challenging, open-ended problems that support diverse solutions. Provide ample opportunities for experimentation and practice. Integrate books and reading in your lessons. Encourage students to work collaboratively and build on each others' ideas. Demonstrate how you use imagination. (Don't be afraid to look silly; humor works well here!)
Finally, feed your own imagination. An imaginative teacher is a better teacher. Foster your imagination by learning from colleagues at state and national art education conferences, visiting art museums, traveling, reading, and making art. Use your imagination!
The KidSwoop.com website so fits your description of student imagination needs, we had to drop a line about it here.
ReplyDeleteWhat we most do is offer young art students with "the ability to confront a problem with a solution." On KidSwoop, kids draw thought-provoking action cartoons to zap what threatens their Playground Earth. Unlike blowing fictional enemies to digital bloody bits playing war games, kids focus their talents on real action combatting real-life assaults.
KidSwoop movies and games give kids a good start on creating cartoons promoting recycling, energy conservation, clean energy, nature and wildlife conservation. But art teachers are the key to assisting students to create the quality of cartoons to be published on CNN iReport and other major websites. The KidSwoop staff cartoonist and writer also lend a hand as needed. The object is to get as many compelling Action Cartoons out there to pry open minds to insure kids a healthy planet to play out their lives.
See the KidSwoop movies and games and the cartoons that have been drawn at http://www.kidswoop.com – and all the reasons to use KidSwoop.com as an exciting art project for students.