Arty On

New year, new thoughts...well not really.  I've actually been dwelling on the buzzword, "agency", floating around the PYP Twitter-sphere over the last year and decided to take the opportunity to think about "agency" not just as it relates to students, but also as it relates to teachers. Emphasizing student capacity to choose, act and decide seems foundational to education and lifelong learning.  I love that related topics like "play", "growth mindset" and "voice" are getting more attention beyond early childhood education.  I am excited for the opportunities students are getting to discover themselves by having time to make mistakes, collaborate, and make authentic, personal connections to their learning.  I welcome "agency" as a buzzword and hope it doesn't fade with the educational trends of the future. So there's no doubt that I can get behind "agency" and am seeing some great successes and failure...

"It's like I'm a real artist today." (G3 student comment as she made the choice to use an easel to create for the first time.) "Wow, everything is so organized.  We should keep it that way." (KG student commenting to his peers as the class took a tour and observed all of the new materials available to use.) "So I can spend the next 9 classes on just ONE artwork if I want to?" (G5 student considering the options available to her as she decides how best to spend her time in the art studio.) "I like it this year, because we used to save all of the good art materials in the store room, and now we get to use them!" (Art Teaching Assistant comment about the variety of materials available at one time for students to create with.) As students begin the new school year and are introduced to our choice-based, student-centered approach in the art studio, their comments say it all.  The overall feeling to the start of the year...