Marlynn+White

Carmichaels High School Art I and Art II classes implementing inquiry in the classroom to determine how to improve student motivation to practice.

Students taking the survey included Sr. High Art students in grades 9-12 from Carmichaels High School. These classes are introductory level art classes, and consist of mixed grades and skill levels.

After reading through the survey results it was pretty much what I had expected. Questions dealing with motivation can be summed up by saying students would like to do whatever is more interesting to them. Artwork and topics that are more trendy and new age, and they feel that they should have more freedom in the classroom. .

Success in a New Skill 02/28/12

My CIG created a survey regarding motivation to practice, which I had recently given to my students. The results were expected.. they aren’t really interested in rewards, probably due to their age group. However I’m sure they would not turn down award money! Most of their answers consisted of creating art that is more interesting, more cutting-edge, and trendy. However as I am wrapping up my ceramics unit, I am finding that students working on the wheel are highly motivated! Students who caught on to throwing pots can’t get enough. They would be in my classroom working all day if their other teachers would let them! Ceramics is not a new concept and is not cutting edge, it is an ancient art. The students are excited about doing this art because they’ve succeeded with a new skill. With consistent practice the students realized they can improve and they became determined to create and to experiment. So it’s not necessarily the cutting-edge concepts, but having some success in a new skill enhances their motivation.



As far as inquiry in the classroom, as the students began to “get” throwing a pot on the wheel, they were more than willing to help other students. Together they would problem solve and show some independence. I interviewed a students who seemed to fall into this category. His name is Logan and he is in 11th grade Sr. High Art Class.

Interview: Do you enjoy ceramics and working in the potter's wheel? If so, why? Logan: **Very much! I like doing it because it is something I am good at.**

During the ceramics unit in art class, how often did you come to the art room to work? Logan: **As often as I could! Up to three periods a day if I could.**

So how did all of this practice help you? Logan: **It got me to where I am now. I can center the clay in like 10 seconds and the rest just comes naturally. It’s a good feeling to finish a nice looking pot.**

What do you recommend to other students who are less motivated than you? Logan: **They just have to get past the hard stuff and don’t get too frustrated. They will get it, and then they will love it.**

This behavior became even more apparent in the Art II class. There is one particular student who has a lot of skill and potential, but did not show confidence. Because of this lack of confidence she lacked independence. She would want me by her side every step and always asked “Is this how I should do this, Do you want me to do it this way?” etc. Keeping classroom inquiry in mind, instead of offering suggestions as to what I would do, I asked her questions to guide her to her own conclusions. Like, “How do you see this outcome? What would happen if you went in this direction?” etc. Once this conversation started she went above and beyond in the assignment and seems to get it. Asking students questions will lead them to their own conclusions. This student has motivation but lacks confidence, which leads to a lack in practice! With this newly found confidence she realized that she can create successful art on her own and do her own problem solving. She knows with more practice she can continue to grow.

This assignment she was working on during this discovery was a sculpture. Students were assigned to use their own cast body parts to create a thought provoking sculpture. She knew right away she wanted to use her feet. After going through the long process of casting her feet, she set them on her desk and asked, “Ok, now what?” Which was her usual question to me. So my response was to figure out what to do with these feet. I asked her and the rest of the class, “What do you think of when you see these cast feet sitting on the desk? What are they doing? Where could they have been? Who do they belong to?” Each student had their own sculpture to create but they were all involved in each others projects, which I loved! So the class discussed possibilities in an in depth and sometimes funny discussion. She decided that some of the imperfections of the casting process could be used to her advantage and looked like scars and blisters. Like that of a person without proper footwear for everyday use. The scars and blisters looked sad and tired and worn, like that of a homeless person. Then the ideas came flowing! The outcome was a sculpture of the sad, distressed, dirty feet of a homeless man.

Gaining confidence and realizing they are capable is how to continue student motivation and realization of practice actually helping them.