Kelly A.

White
Student ID #218692930
ART 133
29 March 2016
Unit Paper 4
Choice-based and learner-directed art education enable teachers to create broader
curricula that interest and motivate students through various media and techniques. When
children are given the opportunity to direct and own their learningspecifically with play as a
big ideathey develop skills based on personal connections, which allows their personalities to
shine through their work. As Freyermuth (2012) attests from her holistic approach, children
become the teachers when they express whats important to them rather than simply repeating
structured design techniques week after week. Szekely (2011) agrees, childrens play is not only
their art, but also their means of discovery (p. 65)
To incorporate play with learner-directed art instruction, I would present a question or
prompt regarding cultural background and identity. With diversity as the big idea, children would
learn about inclusion and how to avoid biased and/or cultural appropriation. Rather than
celebrating stereotypical aspects of a particular culture only during Americanized holidays,
students would be asked to dig deeper to express their personalities through experiences and
artmaking. Szekely (2011) suggests that students should be given creative freedom to investigate
themselves using a multitude of methods and materials. Using this constructivist teaching style
would help children remain engaged and driven to create more interesting pieces; a room full of
individual works of artinstead of replicated sampleswould foster inspiration and ingenuity.
References
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. 266269).
Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.
Szekely, G. (2011). Testing the world through play and art. In D. B. Jaquith & N. E. Hathaway
(Eds.), The learner directed classroom: Developing creative thinking skills through art
(pp. 6476). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.