Sarah Thompson Art 211
Laura H. Chapman: Art Educator
Laura Chapman is an art educator who has been involved in the field for over forty years. She mainly writes and gives speeches on the issues of curriculum design, instruction methodologies, assessment and policy issues. She writes books that proceed in developmental order (stage 1, stage 2, etc.). Her books mainly focus on elementary education levels. Her more popular books are the “Adventures in Art series.” Chapman taught in undergraduate and graduate programs at the University of Illinois, University of Cincinnati, Indiana University and Ohio State University. She has a passion for teaching pre k -12 and is currently based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
“Can the Arts Win Hearts and Minds?”
While reading her article I basically took in the main concepts of her writing. In the article she argues that the arts in educational setting can’t really be assessed in ways other subjects are. Most tests are made up of reading, writing, science and math. Art does not fall into any of these categories so it is harder to see how students are learning and whether or not they are achieving standards and goals. She states that art isn’t necessarily something you can test students over it’s more the final project work to really assess if the student understood the assignment and its objectives. She then compares art to a drama classroom. There’s really no way of testing the students over what they learned in the classroom rather than a performance in which you can see that teaching was successful and that learning took place. She explains that in order for art to become more advanced in an academic setting teachers need to find ways of assessing their students and really committing to creative and unique projects to trigger their imagination and creativity. Chapman explains that art educators must be more creative in their assignments rather then focusing on reproduction and copying. Students must be creative and learn techniques rather then copying someone else’s work and calling it their own. Overall, I think Chapman is telling us to assess our students in more ways so the educational system sees our field as more of an academic need than a privilege. I also agree with her opinion on how we should focus more on assessing student’s total process rather than a final product. We as future teachers need to devise more informal and formal ways of assessing our students. I also agree with her opinion on the quick reproduction of work just to finish projects. I would rather see a student take more time on a project that will be extraordinary then turn in something quick and have it be ordinary. Copying someone else’s work and calling it your own is not creative and the student isn’t learning anything from a classroom that is set up in that way. Overall, I couldn’t agree more with what Chapman has stated in her article. I think she was right on in her argument and I think she is probably a great influence on the students she has taught.
References
Chapman, L.H (2001), Can the arts win hearts and minds? Arts Education Policy Reviews,
102(5), 21-23.
Laura Chapman. (n.d) retrieved March 29, 2010, from
http://www.zoominfo.com/search/persondetail.aspx?personID=289731959