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Researching, writing, and illustrating the "isms"   A Visual Arts Instructor talks about the value of teamwork and creating a product of substance with her "isms" project that paired up her art students with computer applications students.   By Paula Guhin

magine you're a commercial artist--a client of the agency commissions illustrations for his or her book.        That's how I began to introduce a cool collaborative project to my Art III students. Mostly seniors, these talented kids had rarely created works "to order" for others--except, of course, for their regular class assignments. A pre-project survey revealed that just 35 percent of the class had ever been commissioned to illustrate a concept that was not their own.

An art student and a computer applications student work together on their research in the school's resource center.

also knew, from past experience with this same class, that many of them had difficulty with the collaborative process. During a previous assignment done jointly with another group, I'd observed problems with attitude and cooperation. The students' reflective writing on that former occasion often had been filled with complaints about partners.        And yet, in the "real" world, we must work together and get along with many people. Cooperative classroom efforts are authentic tasks that help our students prepare for the future.

nother experience sorely lacking in the education of some of my class members was art history. A few had taken a course in it--but for many, unfortunately, it had been a hit-or-miss element of their schooling.         That's why a study of the "isms" was so important. I hoped my 19 students would be knowledgeable about styles, trends, and art movements of the past. We would research Realism, Impressionism, Expressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, Futurism, Surrealism and more, along with a partner from a computer applications class.

omputer applications? While traditional "book learnin'" definitely has a place, the Internet and a fabulous word processing program make the whole process more exciting and interesting. Add scanned and digital images to the mix and the students are hooked.         We two teachers started by first giving all 40 students, together, a very thorough overview of the project. It was imperative that everyone understood our expectations clearly. To that end, we provided handouts which included a rubric.

econd, we selected partners and randomly drew the "ism" which each pair would research. Then, in the resource center, we began to investigate the chosen art styles. The student teams were to develop a research paper, each pair of partners creating one paper between them. Co-authoring would be a challenging task for many people.        We used the computer lab to insert images into the papers, and we used MLA style (paper and electronic) to credit all sources.        Most of the students' papers exceeded our hopes. Using formative assessment, teacher-observation, and the rubric, we found the students' success rate to be high--the grade curve was heavy on A's and B's.

"While traditional "book learnin" definitely has a place, the Internet and a fabulous word processing program make the whole process more exciting and interesting."

ut the project didn't stop there. Why not use this newfound knowledge in another meaningful activity? The members of the other class would write a piece of original literature: a poem, short story or personal essay. My art students would illustrate their partner's piece, in the style of their "ism." Working with the writer to complete their "vision" and customizing the art to complement the writing, was a tricky task. My students' work was to pertain to the creative writing appropriately.        The artists used the materials of their choice and worked no larger than our scan bed, 9 x 14". Of course we could have taken photos of the art with a digital camera, too. The partners then inserted the digital images into the computer documents (the original poems and stories), and we were ready to publish!

e used a secret ballot to award one artist the honor of having her illustration on the cover of our "book." And a substantial compilation it was, laminated and bound with a "comb." Every participant received a copy, as did our principal, school board and resource center.        The students learned the value of teamwork in creating a product of substance. They also learned more about research, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, creative writing, and art. Technology enhanced the process in several ways: First, the students participated in stimulating activities which interested them, and thus engaged learning took place. Second, the ease of desktop publishing made possible an impressive, meaningful product which we could not have afforded otherwise.

he interactivity involved with this project motivated the students well. Rather than a passive learning environment, we enjoyed an active, constructivist one. I believe an exploration of the past and collaborative, significant tasks in the present are the best kinds of preparation for the citizens of the future.

Paula Guhin is a Visual Arts Instructor at Central High School in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Teacher Testimony authors are nominated by people like you. Send nominations to the editor. © 2000, 2001 High Plains Regional Technology in Education Consortium. © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 SCR*TEC. This page is Bobby Approved.