Unit 4: Play Erika Rodriguez

Art 133, T/Th 3-4:50pm

In Unit 4, the big idea was play, and its 21st century art education approach was choice-

based and learner-directed. The way that I view play in schools is by teachers experimenting

their styles of teaching. In her article One Art Teachers Search for a Holistic Approach,

Virginia K. Freyermuth describes her newfound style of teaching. Freyermuth (2012) explains

how she began to question herself and if she was bored with the way she was teaching, if her

students were, too. Her new form of play started when she decided to change her way of

teaching by asking her students questions to which I did not know the answers to (2012, p. 49).

She let her students take the lead in their art learning and let them figure out how they wanted to

learn and what were the things that truly interested them. In Douglas and Jaquiths Defining

Teaching for Artistic Behavior: The Four Practices (2009), they have a similar approach to

choice-based and learner-directed teachings. Douglas and Jaquith say it themselves, the student

is the artist (2009, p. 20). They recommend four different practices for when teaching students:

students as artists, pedagogy, classroom context, and assessment (2009, pp. 20-23). Douglas and

Jaquith both give their own advice and opinion on how teachers could let students feel more

empowered in their work and learnings.

I personally find this big idea and 21st century art education approach to be extremely

helpful for my future teachings. I want to teach third grade in the future, and I am a big believer

in letting children be independent when playing. In this case, students would be playing with

their art, and they will be trying to find their own personas within their art assignments. A project

I would give my students is to draw something that they love to do, whether it be playing a sport

or reading a book. I would give them plenty of art supplies to choose from, such as colored

pencils, paint, and markers. I would only tell them to draw or paint what they love to do, but it is

up to them on how they distribute those thoughts onto paper.

Unit 4: Play Erika Rodriguez
Art 133, T/Th 3-4:50pm

References
Douglas, K. M., & Jacquith, D. B. (2009). Engaging learners though artmaking: Choice-based

art education in the classroom. New York, NY: Teachers College Press

Freyermuth, V. K. (2012). One art teachers search for a holistic approach. In L. H. Campbell &

S. Simmons III (Eds.), The heart of education: Holistic approaches (pp. 266-269).

Reston, VA: National Art Education Association