“We don’t like to make any kinds of marks in the children’s sketchbooks. Instead we use post-it notes if we feel the need to make a comment, though even then we make sure comments are never undermining.”
AccessArt comment: We agree. We are trying to encourage learners to make sketchbooks their own, and to take creative risks and try things out. This kind of personal, creative space is potentially very fragile. It’s all too easy to knock creativity back, so tread sensitively.
“We find the best way to understand what is going on in a sketchbook is to talk to the learner with his or her book, or in small groups, so they can add their voice to share their intention.”
AccessArt comment: This tutorial style format works well with sketchbooks. Ask lots of open-ended questions which will help the teacher learn more about intention and also encourage pupils to reflect upon their practice and verbalise their thoughts. Children can learn a lot from others in this way, so working in small groups of say 4 and 5 pupils is an efficient way of doing this – it need only be for 5 or 10 minutes every few weeks.
“After a sketchbook CPD we decided, as teachers, that we would keep our own sketchbooks too. None of us are art trained but we enjoy it, and it means we try for ourselves all the exercises that we ask the pupils to do. The children also love seeing our experiments in our books – we’re in it together!”
AccessArt comment: We hear this a lot – it’s a great idea. And it’s vital teachers know how an exercise “feels” before they ask a pupil to do it – that way you really understand the process. You’ll also be able to spot ways to adapt the activity to your particular class.
“We struggled at first with giving children access to their sketchbooks because we were worried they would be misused or lost. After a while though it settled to a few children who would genuinely use them at lunch time, whilst others did not take them out, which was fine. We showed the children how to make simple elastic sketchbooks which they used as their “home” sketchbooks, and then they had another sketchbook in class.”
AccessArt comment: It’s a shame to deprive those children who will really run with the idea of a home sketchbook, because of fear others will loss or misuse them, so making separate sketchbooks is a good solution.
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Whilst I’m not generally a fan of teachers writing in a pupil’s sketchbook, it’s not always a bad thing. I remember going on an art dayschool run by an artist I respected; at one point the artist started to draw in my sketchbook to demonstrate a technique, I drew something to clarify my understanding, then he added something else and it became visual conversation. Some of my later drawings in that sketchbook related back to that event. A thumbnail sketch to demonstrate a technique, perhaps accompanied by a suggestions of which artists can be seen to have used that technique can be a valuable part of the sketchbook, especially if further work arises from it.
A post-it note that gets lost is useless.
A sketchbook shows a part of your creative journey and may well show how other have had input in to that journey. It’s a working tool, and being too precious about it defeats its purpose.
I would like to have more info on making a 2 hour workshop on colour theory an exciting 2 hours and not a boring slog for the student and the teacher. Ideas please. I am teaching adults.
I teach creativity workshops to adults and this involves fun inner child stuff. How about having coloured envelopes/boxes each with a piece of information about the theory. Each box fits into the colour wheel itself ,each participant reads and shares the bit of information in their box then places their box/envelope into the appropriate place on the wheel. Kinaesthetic learning!
Also -in addition to the mysterious opening of parcel/envelope- you could put in a sweetie or tiny toy to add to excitement. Good wishes for the workshop.
I am glad you mentioned the idea of post it notes. I am just launching into sketchbooks with my classes (K-6 in Australia). In setting up an understanding of how open ended and personalized the process aims to be, I think I will ask them to decide is it valuable and useful input I am offering them at any given time. I can put my input onto post it notes and if they choose as the owner of the work, they can protect it by pasting it in. Thanks for prompting what I think might be a good idea…
I love your option of the student pasting it in if they want to keep it. My only query with post-its is they usually are brightly coloured and may be the brightest thing on the student’s page.A scrap of paper could be more subtle?
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Jackie Garner
November 15, 2011 @ 4:05 pm
Whilst I’m not generally a fan of teachers writing in a pupil’s sketchbook, it’s not always a bad thing. I remember going on an art dayschool run by an artist I respected; at one point the artist started to draw in my sketchbook to demonstrate a technique, I drew something to clarify my understanding, then he added something else and it became visual conversation. Some of my later drawings in that sketchbook related back to that event. A thumbnail sketch to demonstrate a technique, perhaps accompanied by a suggestions of which artists can be seen to have used that technique can be a valuable part of the sketchbook, especially if further work arises from it.
A post-it note that gets lost is useless.
A sketchbook shows a part of your creative journey and may well show how other have had input in to that journey. It’s a working tool, and being too precious about it defeats its purpose.
Sue Emms
November 21, 2011 @ 6:34 pm
I would like to have more info on making a 2 hour workshop on colour theory an exciting 2 hours and not a boring slog for the student and the teacher. Ideas please. I am teaching adults.
Margaret Christison
July 10, 2013 @ 11:14 am
I teach creativity workshops to adults and this involves fun inner child stuff. How about having coloured envelopes/boxes each with a piece of information about the theory. Each box fits into the colour wheel itself ,each participant reads and shares the bit of information in their box then places their box/envelope into the appropriate place on the wheel. Kinaesthetic learning!
Also -in addition to the mysterious opening of parcel/envelope- you could put in a sweetie or tiny toy to add to excitement. Good wishes for the workshop.
Margaret
Benjamin Barker
February 20, 2012 @ 4:52 am
Jackie,
I am glad you mentioned the idea of post it notes. I am just launching into sketchbooks with my classes (K-6 in Australia). In setting up an understanding of how open ended and personalized the process aims to be, I think I will ask them to decide is it valuable and useful input I am offering them at any given time. I can put my input onto post it notes and if they choose as the owner of the work, they can protect it by pasting it in. Thanks for prompting what I think might be a good idea…
Margaret Christison
July 10, 2013 @ 11:30 am
I love your option of the student pasting it in if they want to keep it. My only query with post-its is they usually are brightly coloured and may be the brightest thing on the student’s page.A scrap of paper could be more subtle?