Think Like an Artist!

Funded Nov 6, 2012

Thank you for funding our project!

I teach a state mandated reading intervention course to predominantly Latino students who did not perform well on our state exams. Their consistent underperformance has landed them in intervention courses for the last three years. Most intervention courses are comprised of endless worksheets and workbooks filled with test prep. Simply put, students who don't perform at Proficient or Advanced are not allowed to participate in elective courses and must take all academic classes throughout the day.

It is clear, my students need to prepare for a challenging test, but most importantly, they need to understand learning and how the process of learning opens doors. Often, this learning can be done in many mediums including paint and visual arts.

Even though my students need reading skills, their creative skills must also be nurtured in order to flourish in reading and writing. It doesn't take long for students to take to paint brushes and conjure images that remind them of dreams, themes, and characters in life and in literature. I'm not an art teacher, but I teach students to think of tone and the message that can be created with words and therefore colors. Often, students surprise themselves and hold up their art with great pride. They don't hear themselves talk of darkness and mystique created through deliberate color choices. That's powerful.

I ask them to make the connection to writing. When authors choose specific words or move them around to create a message, it is much like choosing colors and strokes to make a theme. The parallels between writing and painting are infinite and finally I feel that my students can explicitly see the connection.

With our new art supplies, students take Language Arts and Creative Arts to make learning meaningful. Visual Arts allow my students to read and interpret text in a way that no amount of test prep ever will.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Torres