Class Notes:
During class, we spoke and practiced different ways to speak and critique art in the classroom. We went over different methods and formulas for students to learn, and how, as teachers, we can further facilitate the discussion. It is important to note that no matter what kind of method is used, the teacher sets the tone of the discussion. If a teacher is not completely involved and present, students will pick up on that attitude and follow by example. Ultimately, the goal of a teacher moderating critique's is to spark a student centered conversation.
Critique Methods:
The following methods are slightly different, but achieve the same goal. Students should be observing, asking questions, analyzing, interpreting, and communicating thoughts. The purpose of critiques are for students to practice critical observation and critical thinking.
PQP (Praise, Question, Polish)
Say something good
Ask a question
Make suggestions
VTS (Visual Thinking Strategies)
Look closely
Talk about what they see
Provide evidence for their statements
Ask why the student is thinking what they are thinking
Listen to their peers
Explore different perspectives and understandings
The difference between age groups:
There is a clear difference in age, experience, material exploration, technique, and skill between elementary school, middle school, and high school. It is important to know that these will influence the kinds of themes discussed during a critique and change the level of appropriate topics to be shared in class. As a teacher, you should be aware of where your students are in their work. Meaning, their skill level and common themes in their work. This will help determine how to appropriately moderate a discussion. Furthermore, a teacher should know their students well enough to understand what they are able to handle. As you get to know your students, you should know their level of capability in terms of speaking about materials, methods, techniques, skills, and themes.
Working with more advanced students:
When working with advanced students who have experience critiquing, it is easy for a critique to become repetitive and receive shallow responses from students. To avoid this and make a critique more interesting, you could encourage them to look through a specific lenses when analyzing a piece. For example, you could ask them if they could analyze a piece from the perspective of a certain person or in terms of a topic such as feminism.
Critiques with large classes:
In large classes, it could be difficult to facilitate a meaningful discussion because of a multitude of ideas or nerves to speak up in class. A strategy to avoid these issues is by breaking up the class into smaller groups to critique their groups pieces, and then sharing their inferences with the rest of the class. By doing this, a teacher has the opportunity to speak with more students individually and facilitate a more meaningful discussion.
Prompt vs. no prompt
During the critique, I noticed that there was a clear difference between the comments that work of a particular subject received, compared to the work that was more abstract/up for interpretation. Because of the varied responses, your moderation techniques must also change. When working with pieces that are created directly from a prompt, it is good to start with assessing if the student did what was required of the prompt. After that has been established, then it is more appropriate to move onto other aspects of the piece. With a piece that is not connected to a prompt, or more conceptual, center the conversation about learning more about the piece and it's specific qualities.