AestheTECH

What is resilience?

word cloud created at wordle.net

Comments from online discussion among art educators!

"Resiliency is the ability to spring back from and successfully adapt to adversity. An increasing body of research from the fields of psychology, psychiatry, and sociology is showing that most people–including young people–can bounce back from risks, stress, crises, and trauma and experience life success (www.resiliency.com)."

Nan Henderson, M.S.W., President for Resiliency In Action explains how resiliency happens.

Resiliency Wheel described in the above video, see the image in its original context at Resiliency.com

Take the Resiliency Quiz!

Portraits of youth... Do you see resilience?

Children are the focus of Gregory Smith's work in Brazil; street children and other children at risk.  Check out more of his amazing photography as well as heart warming (and heart breaking) stories on flikr.  You might also be interested to learn more about the Children At Risk Foundation – CARF (www.carfweb.net).

Questions for consideration:

1.  When/how have you observed resilience in your students?
2.  What are the characteristics of resilience?
3.  In the book; No Disposable Children, the the authors suggest     
     alternatives to punishment, or "get tough" strategies.  What strategies are
     already working (or do you envision) working in your classroom? 
4.  How does our understanding of resilience relate to the Art for Life 
     teaching model?

How can we (as art teachers) encourage and support our students to be resilient individuals in school and in life?

Please share your thoughts and leave your comment below.

Need more information and resources?
 Check out programs building resiliency through the arts.

Art advocacy for at risk youth (articles): don't forget to click on the article links in the side bar!

Art Gallery of Nova Scotia provides a safe environment where youth can creatively participate in various art experiences.

ArtWorks is an arts program uniquely able to reach out to at-risk youth while enriching communities.

YouthARTs - model programs, data to support the development of programs and toolkit for potential program developers.

What is Art?

This animation from Creature Comforts has been around for a few years but it is worth a revisit.  Teachers; has anyone used this in their classroom?  If so, what was the response?

Want to join in on the "What is Art" conversation?  Check it out on Seesmic!

A layer of white covers my surroundings like a thin blanket; it transforms.

As I walked the property this morning, I had an amazing aesthetic experience.  You must know what I am writing of, having had a similar experience when viewing a sunset, walking along the beach or seeing a baby's smile. 

While walking, awe struck at the beauty around me, a memory came back to me of my first aesthetic experience.  I remember that I was about 7 years old and I was just sitting on a fallen tree in the woods... my friends could not pull me away.  They left and I stayed, just looking around.  I must have stayed that way for nearly half an hour.

I wonder, in this fast paced, high tech world that we live in, how do we ensure that our youth stop and take the time to enjoy the aesthetics that life and nature have to offer?

Here are a few of my photos from today...

Good news!  I am published.  My article: Web 2.0: The Read Write Web appears in the December 2008 issue of School Arts Magazine.  A huge thank you to Craig Roland for turning School Arts onto my blog.  

The article: Web 2.0 is not available online unless you purchase the magazine but the original post is still available here: Web 2.0

As I write this, my five year old daughter, budding young artist that she is, creates yet another inventive drawing and story.  This one is about a mermaid.  I continue to be amazed by her growth this school year.  She is observant and relentlessly practices her drawing and creative writing skills in imaginative and fantastical ways… ah, to be a child again!

In the classroom: I’m currently working on the ultra fun tasks of PR and fundraising for our brand new art program… all while hoping to teach content/art history/production, make cross curriculum connections and keep things fun and interesting.  Keep your fingers crossed for my kiddos & their art teacher ☺   

P.S.  If anyone has figured out a way to add 20 more hours to the day, please let me know!

A friend of mine ends every email with the following quote: "My hands are full, my days are full, but most of all, my heart is full."

She’s referencing motherhood; of which I can most certainly agree.  These days, I too am feeling very full –my life is absolutely insane, and I love every moment.

After nearly a seven-year hiatus with higher education I have returned to the classroom to teach art again.  I’ve been busy preparing a room for over 800 little ones, sorting supplies, and writing and researching lessons.  It has been a lot of work but I’ve been thrilled through all of it… just thinking about sharing creativity and a passion for the arts brings out the giddiness.

Last week, all of my new children arrived on the doorstep of a brand new school.  While I still don’t have everything I need for the year, we had a great time. The kids are so excited about art… & so am I!

I received high fives and hugs, danced the Cha-cha and dried at least two sets of tears.  Make that three sets of tears… my youngest began kindergarten (my tears, not hers).

In the midst of getting my family ready for school each morning, car pool duty, setting up art supplies and planning projects, I continue to think about ways to integrate technology in my classroom.  Right now, my classroom does not have a computer and my own Mac Book will not even connect to the school’s Internet.  While frustrating, I am a firm believer that “Where there is a will, there is a way.”

So until I figure out the WAY… I will do what I can to incorporate the concepts that I find most important in the newest Internet technologies: collaboration, experimentation and choice.  In addition, each time I use a technology at home to prepare for a lesson, I will also take a screen cast as I work. It may be a lot of fun to show DVDs to my classes of how I create digital stories, movies, and graphics.  Who knows, maybe my students will become my biggest technology advocates…