Alison Bastian and Christine Cintula

Big Idea: Personal Histories and Narratives Told Through Fiber Arts

Inquiry Questions: How can an object or objects hold meaning about our lives and our identities? What stories do they tell about us?

How did your team conceive your project? How was inquiry introduced to students and how did you integrate the inquiry process into your project?

We used artist Amanda Browder's upcoming textile installation in St. Charles as a jumping off point to think about the community-driven approach to making art and were interested in the idea of textiles as artifacts containing personal histories. Browder uses donated fabric from each community she works in, which has included items as varied as people's clothing, curtains, Halloween costume material, and in one case a participant's head scarves post-chemo treatments.

Students started off thinking about how textiles hold meaning about our lives and our identities and considered the stories they tell about us. This was explored by having students think about how pervasive textiles are in their lives. They brainstormed fabrics they come across daily and their different uses and meanings. By choosing a favorite item of clothing to draw and journal about, they were able to share with the class the stories imbued in these items.

How did you integrate SEL into your projects?

Students were given sketchbooks the first day, so that they could document their CAPE experience through written and visual journal entries. We did journal shares with the class where we worked on building student confidence when it came to sharing ideas with their classmates. As time went one, we realized how much students were needing socialization with friends after a tough year away from their peers, so we made sure to allow and encourage socializing during work time. We also started off each class session with yoga or a calm classroom meditation to give the students some time and space to breathe and recharge before working on class projects.

What did you learn about your students and how they learned? What did you learn about the way you teach?

Students seemed particularly drawn to projects when they could set their own course. A lot of time was spent teaching various skills through a single art project. At times, students had a hard time focusing on these singular projects, but then they would revisit the skill learned through a project of their choosing, showing they absorbed the lesson. Also, the more lighthearted the project, the better it was received.

As a teacher I (Ms. Bastian) learned that I really enjoy engaging with students through class discussions rather than formal presentations. The more fun I could integrate into a lesson, the more interested the students were. So, there were times I had to remind myself to lighten up the lesson and take a more playful approach.

We also found that many collaborative projects we designed went less smoothly than expected. This was probably due to a few things: needing to give the project more structure (as in everyone gets a very specific job to do to accomplish the team effort), the students being used to or more interested in working individually, and the unforeseen challenge of keeping kids engaged in something long-term. We were still able to collaborate despite these challenges, but it was a learning experience for us all.

Hunter Sparks, Miriam Arellanes, Jazi Belz

Big Idea: Society, connections, values, diversity

Inquiry question: As a world, are we more united or divided? What do we need to be united? Should we all be the same or celebrate our differences?

1. How did your team conceive your project? How was inquiry introduced to students and how did you integrate the inquiry process into your project?

   • Initially, the idea and inquiry question were about the concept of utopia and creating an ideal future, but after the first few days, we revised this into the current, broader theme to give more variety and opportunity for exploration.

   • Each week focused on a different way in which people in the world could be united or divided:

     1. The general concept of unity versus division, and where they noticed it in their lives or the world as a whole.

     2. Culture in the form of food, holidays and traditions.

     3. Culture in the form of religion and language.

   • A typical day in class included a "mini-lesson" pertaining to the week's topic (usually in the form of a presentation, article, video, or journal activity), a presentation or demonstration on art techniques or art history if needed, and the introduction or continuation of an art project. Some days this meant students were given time to experiment with new media, while other days they used art to explore and demonstrate what they took away from the ideas introduced that day.

2. How did you integrate SEL into your projects?

   • Community circles at the start of each afternoon, where students brought stools into a circle in the center of the room and all answered a discussion or icebreaker question.

   • Team Building Activities

   • Art and discussion often focused on students' own values, traditions, and culture. This included learning to use symbolism to represent ideas visually.

   • Journal Entries

3. What did you learn about your students and how they learned? What did you learn about the way you teach?

   • We found that our students often lacked confidence in their artistic ability, and this impacted their drive to experiment or share their artwork. Despite these inhibitions, every student was capable of producing quality work, and the learning experience for both them and the teachers was in building the skills and environment needed to improve their confidence.

   • [way we teach]

Week 2