When Dr. Abi Paytoe Gbayee was in Anchorage Alaska teaching a group of art teachers how to lean into the National Core Art Standards, in a moment of exceptional genius, Abi said curriculum was like a burger with different ingredients, all assembled together to make a rich, juicy, and tasty burger. The hamburger metaphor spiraled until we had built an entire curriculum based on inquiry, with reference to the National Core Art Standards, and I can assessments to drive the learning objectives, all while using Universal Design Learning as our foundation. 

What we discovered is curriculum development is hard, but with the hamburger metaphor the work was digestible into bite sized pieces. 

Dr. Paytoe Gbayee now uses the hamburger metaphor to teach pre-service art teachers and Leah Maltbie teaches teachers on how to shift their art education practices so that standards drive the learning objectives, which drive the learning outcomes, and the learning outcomes become the assessments.

The top bun is an inquiry question based on the process components of the National Core Art Standards. 

The sesame seeds represent Universal Design Learning. Art curriculum should be accessible and achievable for all students. All meaning all. 

Lettuce is necessary. Not everyone likes lettuce (although it's pretty universally liked) it provides students reflection points in the artistic process. What artist doesn't reflect, revise, and revisit? But do we always give students the time to do so? How do we teach this with fidelity through authentic standard driven assessments? 

The most overlooked and under-utilized National Core Art Standard is the poor present standard. Students should be a part of the process of choosing and displaying their artwork. It is their work after all right? Why remove them from the process and keep this learning all in the hands of the teacher. 

I see, I wonder, I notice! Students are curious, but teaching students how to interpret and analyze artwork is hard. Unpacking this standard took a lot of work. We had to dig deep to find the meaning of "Interpret art by analyzing characteristics of form and structure, contextual information, subject matter, visual elements, and use of media to identify ideas and mood conveyed". Say what?

One of art teachers' number one complaints is that students do not know how to come up with ideas. They either have an idea and do not know what to do with it or they have brain block. Are we surprised though, when we always come up with the ideas for how a project should look and they just complete it to practice hard skills and be compliant? 

Sauce is not just for fries. Without sauce, at best you have a dry, sticky, slimy hamburger. Students need to connect and relate to why they are learning art, why it should be important to them, and why art is a part of what it means to be human. From why art is made, to observation skills, and the power of art, student NEED to connect to the art curriculum. Time to get saucy!

Just like a middle bun helps the ingredients from sliding around, formative assessments that are derived from unpacked standards, turned into I can statements, help teachers respond to students' needs. In Professional Learning Communities (PLC - DuFour) teachers ask: What do we want students to know? How will be know if they know it? What will we do when they don't? How will we extend the learning if they do? 

Formative assessments (common formative if you are in a PLC district) help teachers assess student learning so that you can adjust the curriculum as needed. This is hard! And this step in the teaching process cannot be done if the work of prioritizing and unpacking standards have not been done first. 

There are so many options for cheese on a hamburger: American, Swiss, Pepper Jack, Blue Cheese...the list goes on and on. There is so much power and influence in the selection of artists. We as art educators should be conscientious that we are inspiring students with artists that lift up the voices of marginalized groups and decolonize the curriculum. 

While most of us grew up on the cannon artists, the reliance on dead white males in an art curriculum does not provide a space for students to see themselves as an artist. While we might like old stinky cheese like Blue Cheese and Limburger, there is a time and place for that. Stinky old cheese literally gets old after awhile. When we select local, relevant, living, artists we show students that someday too, they can be a living working artist in their community. 

Even vegetarians and vegans are jealous when they smell bacon. Come on everyone loves bacon (ok maybe we are exaggerating...but not really!) Skill builders, warm up activities, artist tasks, and all those things that make our hands better at creating art part of the art making process, but they are not always the main project. Bacon sizzles and adds immense flavor, so do not forget to leave it out!

The main thing students do in art is create, but we want to be intentional about what we are asking the students to create. Do they have agency? Do they have choice? Do they get to practice skills as they see fit? Does the project relate to the standard or are we just asking students to make something that we like, because we like it? Are we building up or tearing down the confidence of our students through the making?

We can aim to please everyone because a burger patty doesn't always have to be made out of beef, it can be lamb, chicken, turkey, pork, beans, salmon, cod, quinoa, soy, mushrooms, etc... anything to fit you and your students' dietary needs. 

How do we know students learned what we wanted them to learn? What are the assessments really asking student to know? Is the assessment derived from the standard or is it just assessing compliance? How do we know we are Grading with Equity? Authentic assessments that are driven by standards can impact student learning. Justice centered grading is essential in a culturally responsive classroom. 

It's a large world of isolation and limited access to growing as a professional in the art education world. It is the nature of the beast, sometimes being the only art teacher or having PD that is not through the art content lens. Abi and Leah are here to help. Check out the dessert menu of options where Abi and Leah can help grow your knowledge and practice in the field of art education.