The past couple of months has been a whirlwind of activity and creativity. Spring has actually flown by, as it does in the desert, and summer is on the doorstep. A few more days of school, and we break for our summer program. In the middle of it all I was wondering what was actually being accomplished. Now, looking back, I am amazed at all that was created. The artspace is overflowing with works.
I decided to participate in the Global Art Project for Peace this year. I let the students take the lead, and just observed the discussions as they developed the theme for their collaborative work.
After brainstorming and deciding on the main theme, they began realizing their ideas.
Hands on fire!
and the final piece…….
This program matches schools, individuals, and organizations around the world to participate in the art exchange. We will be mailing our piece to a school in Pennsylvania, and are looking forward to receiving one from them as well.
My fifth-grade students were the artists behind this effort, and have since worked collaboratively to write some lyrics that will be set to music by a friend of mine (Thanks Michael!) who is a brilliant visual artist and musician in his own right. Here are their words:
A Place to Shine
Our strength is in our friendship
Our power is in our love
Doing the right thing
brings happiness to our world.
We build a place to shine,
Our hands, our hearts, our minds,
strengthen humankind
and our creativity
will protect our Earth,
the blue-green jewel that is our home
and a gift.
So all the birds and fish and animals that run
will sing together with grace
for our success.
Sing with them! Our voices calling out
all the names of beauty!
Trees flowers seeds animals people water air sky moon fruits minerals breezes stars oceans planets rain
rainbows rivers lightening shining sun waterfalls thunder skies night rivers fish butterflies the sun the moon tears of joy cries of sadness
clapping hands building houses planting giving singing laughing
put it all together and we
have a place to shine.
Tagged as:
art of teaching,
creativity and education,
social justice education,
visual arts activism
by Linda on October 9, 2009
My students and I have been invited to Greenbuild International Conference!!
Through our participation with the School of the Future Design Competition, we came to know the folks at the US Green Building Council. The work of the USGBC is inspiring in so many ways, but what intrigues me most is the Education Sector, and the outreach work they do on behalf of schools and educators. What is important here is the active role this organization is taking in transforming the way learning happens. Offering opportunity to students and support to teachers, the USGBC is taking steps towards a fresh and imperative vision of education that transcends ” learning within the four walls ” and moves us into a model of shared responsibility and community enhancement.
Typically, a school is a building in a neighborhood where students enter in the morning and leave some hours later. Usually there is little interaction between the school and its surrounding community. What would learning look like if schools and communities developed collaborative relationships? What if every business, association, etc. had a presence in the schools, offering expertise to teachers, staff, and students, enhancing curriculum and creating innovative and collaborative opportunities? And what if students were encouraged to learn outside of the school walls, with hands-on projects that provide application for classroom learning and draw upon community resources? How could the presence of a school in a neighborhood serve to elevate the surrounding community, as my students asked last year while designing their school? What if communities took responsibility for schools, not just because they may or may not have children in a particular school, but because quality education is a basic right, and schools need and deserve the support? I believe that that this kind of collaboration can move us towards more sustainable learning models by building bridges between classroom and community, and by transforming curriculum so that it is moved beyond mandated standards towards relevant and equitable learning for all students.
I am thrilled to have the chance to attend Greenbuild and am so excited for my students and for what they they will learn there. Mostly, I want them to own this learning and move it into their lives towards the end of becoming advocates for equitable housing, education, and employment in their own communities.
Tagged as:
project-based learning,
social justice education,
sustainability education
by Linda on September 22, 2009
Beautifully written, complete with a brilliant manifesto that articulates an innovative and imperative vision for education, The Third Teacher Project is a collaboration of many minds from the fields of architecture and design who come together in the shared conviction of a quality education for all.
I discovered the Third Teacher website this summer, when I found that they had written about my students and their participation in the School of the Future Design competition. I was immediately engaged and enheartened to see such profound work being done towards the cause of excellence in education as a fundamental right. Particularly wonderful is the way that the work weaves together the thoughts of many people from a variety of disciplines and develops a new way of seeing curriculum and project based-learning that feels as intuitive as it is visionary as it is activist. I have been blessed with a copy of the book for which I am truly grateful. This work is a voice for justice and transformation. Thanks to all who contributed.
Tagged as:
architecture,
learning environment,
project-based learning,
social justice education
by Linda on July 20, 2009
The USGBC asked me to share some of my thoughts regarding a project I facilitated with my students last year. This is the article as it appeared in the USGBC’s K-12 newsletter from June 2009.
Project Profile
Imago Dei Middle School, Tucson, Ariz.
 “It is the spirit of the child that can determine the course of human progress and lead it perhaps even to a higher form of civilization.” – Maria Montessori
Each year, middle school students from across the country participate in the
Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI)’s School of the Future Design Competition. Each student group designs a school that will enhance learning and conserve resources. Students submit design models and a written narrative, and present before several juries of experts. Winners of this year’s Award of Excellence, students from Imago Dei Middle School (Tucson, Ariz.) looked to their surroundings and community for their inspiration, choosing an abandoned site as a location and reusing remnants from a vacant building to make their model. The lessons learned went beyond design and construction and connected the students to themes of sustainability on a global scale as they reached out to their community, as well as peers as far away as France and Mali for ideas. Their teacher, Linda Cato, reflects on the experiences of her students in the competition and the lessons they continue to learn together.
USGBC: What drew you to the School of the Future Design Competition?
Linda Cato: From the very first moment I read about the competition, I was on board. The project is everything that I, as a teacher, am passionate about and look for in an educational experience. Designing the school of the future integrates all subject areas, asks open-ended questions, provides opportunity for collaboration and community involvement, and gives experience in tactile, hands-on work while developing the eye for beauty and design.
USGBC: How do you see this project fitting into a broader context for learning?
LC: This project is a springboard for a discussion regarding stewardship, sustainability and social justice. I believe that educating for a sustainable future is the imperative of our time. If we hope to fulfill the vision of sustainability as it pertains to environmental, social and economic realities, we must give our children the fluency to grow into activists, advocates and teachers.
USGBC: What is the role of the teacher in this kind of work?
LC: Teachers must be willing to walk the path of discovery along with their students, because so many new questions are being asked, and so many answers have yet to be found. I am learning to trust in my students’ abilities to grasp the complexities of these issues and wrestle with the urgency of the problems so that solutions can be created.
USGBC: How do you see your students benefiting from this work?
LC: My students are excited. The discussion is open and alive and I am listening to my students and watching as their collective ideas are expressed through their design model. The process of designing and building their model becomes a model itself— of learning, questioning and seeking answers. They make mistakes and correct them. They laugh together. As the building begins to take shape, their ideas can be seen and touched. As an observer, I catch a glimpse of futures shining brightly, students with a strong and clear vision who are developing their voice. |
Tagged as:
architecture,
project-based learning,
social justice education,
sustainability education,
visual arts activism
