3 Ideas for Design Thinking in Art Teaching

 1. Designing a physical room for art teaching that makes sense for student, teachers, and all materials can be challenging. It might seem banal, but I find the physical organization of space and routines in the classroom very overwhelming. I wonder if having several uniform reminder sheets around the room with helpful graphics about how to wash brushes, store work, etc. would be helpful for my students as well as for me. In addition, I always admire teachers who are able to leverage the space in their room to meet the needs of their students-- for example, having a "cozy" corner for those who need to rest and reset. This  I'm curious about how design thinking can help me organize an art room that best serves my students.


2. I'm intrigued by the idea of designing a sketchbook in advance for students. I like the idea of organizing sheets of daily diaries: a space to draw one thing you saw, write one thing you did, and one thing you felt. I think this routine of using a sketchbook could help students develop the visual and verbal skills required of artists who notice things in themselves and the world around them. 


3. I think anonymous forms and surveys are important for any teacher trying to get to know their students. I would love to design some sort of form that has open-ended questions for students trying to communicate feelings and ideas both big and small. It would be nice to have either a digital or physical suggestion box accessible to every student.

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