Teaching for Artistic Behavior
Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) is a choice-based model that allows students to work in the art studio as adult artists do, using materials of their choice to express their own ideas.
What happens in a choice-based art classroom?
In a TAB classroom, art media are organized into studio centers (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Collage, Sewing, Printmaking, Bookmaking, Puppets & Masks, etc) with materials, basic instructions and visual resources for each one. New centers are introduced gradually as students learn to work independently with those media (including setting up their work space, storage of work and clean-up), and continue to rotate throughout the year.
As in a traditional art program, each class begins with a short lesson-- such as a new technique, art concept, or project option. After the lesson, students can choose to work further with what's been presented or work in a different center, on new work or an ongoing project carried over from previous class. Younger grades tend to have Modified Choice,* where everyone is using the same materials but students come up with their own unique ideas for what to make with them. Students still get instruction and practice in specific art-making skills, both through small group instruction and periodic “have-to’s,” but a typical class can have a wide variety of projects running simultaneously. (*Since the pandemic, modified choice has been a good model for all ages, while students re-learn what they may have forgotten from earlier grades.)
How is this different from traditional art education?
Choice-based art education puts the emphasis on creative thinking. Rather than simply following step-by-step directions for the teacher’s creative idea, students learn to think for themselves. They learn to come up with their own ideas; choose appropriate materials to express those ideas; plan, experiment, and work through mistakes to refine their work; and reflect on what they’ve learned. More than ever, students are accountable for using class time for focused work. Students choose which of their works to display and help to prepare them for exhibition.
Does this mean kids just do whatever they want to?
Choice-based teaching is not “laissez-faire” (roughly meaning “with no interference or direction”). Students work within a carefully structured environment to pursue their own interests, with clear routines, individualized instruction and feedback, and clear accountability to support their learning. Students can do whatever they want to within this structure. Because of this, engagement tends to be high and behavior problems low. Since every child’s work is unique, perfection and competition tend to disappear and students are free to make mistakes, take risks, explore their own ideas, and discover their own artistic strengths.
What are “Artistic Behaviors?” These eight “habits of mind” are integral to all artistic practice. Many of them have value across disciplines and are important life skills. Teaching these “studio habits” is widely recognized as integral to good art education:
● Develop Craft (skill development and knowledge about tools, materials and art concepts)
● Engage & Persist (putting your heart into it and not giving up when it gets hard)
● Envision (the ability to visualize and imagine)
● Express (creating work that communicates an idea, feeling, or personal meaning)
● Observe (looking closely to see things that might otherwise be overlooked)
● Reflect (learning to evaluate your work and talk about it with others)
● Stretch & Explore (pushing yourself to try new things, and embrace opportunities to learn from mistakes and accidents)
● Understand Art Worlds (learning about art history, multicultural art, and contemporary artistic practice)
From “Studio Thinking: the Real Benefits of Visual Art Education,” Lois Hetland et al, (Teachers College Press, 2007)
Will my child still bring home beautiful art I can hang up at home?
Yes, but the work they bring home may include mistakes and experiments as well as work they are proud of. Not everything will appear “finished” by adult standards, because that isn’t always what’s important to the child’s artistic development. Child’s art is different from adult art, but just as with adult artists, not every project they bring home will be a masterpiece. Masterpieces are rare, which is what makes them valuable.
Does TAB address state & national standards?
TAB teaching supports the Common Core’s emphasis on critical thinking, and embodies the 21st Century Learning Skills of creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making. National Core Arts Standards which emphasize creating, presenting, responding, + connecting are also strongly supported by the TAB model.
If you're interested in more information about this exciting movement in art education, you can visit the Teaching for Artistic Behavior website (teachingforartisticbehavior.org), or contact me to visit a TAB class at Twinfield. As always, I welcome your questions and comments (802-426-3213 x205; betsy.brigham@ccsuvt.net).
