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Introduction to Black and White Art
Does it make sense? Does it have meaning? "Throughout all levels of the curriculum, students at CFS are expected to make meaning of their learning by asking and responding to two kinds of questions. The first is called "open-response"; it presents a problem that leads to one correct answer. The second, "open-ended," allows a variety of responses. Teachers at CFS use both kinds of questions to accomplish student achievement." Laraine Morin
For Middle School art teacher Laurie Tennant-Gadd, art is, by definition, an open-ended question. An important goal for Laurie is to present projects in which every student is successful: “Successful, to me, means the person is pleased with the result and comfortable with showing it publicly.” |
The theme for the three years of Middle School art is identity. It begins in the fall of grade 6 with a black and white composition study. Students are given
and are asked to create a composition using no words, logos, or symbols that says something about them. “While there is no right answer in this project, the limitation of materials, the challenge to make something out of practically nothing, together create a kind of open-response question to be answered,” Laurie says. “I feel that in this school, children are asked over and over again to show us who they are in different ways. In this project, some children say who they are explicitly by representing a favorite activity; others use an abstract design. What is wonderful is that everyone is working with his or her own challenge. I can tell that a project is working when my presence is required merely to facilitate the process.” |
