To answer these research questions:
What art journaling activities are the most appropriate for middle schools students?
How do art educators engage their students in art journaling?
I decided to come up with a formula for the students to understand how artists develop layers and apply meaning to their actions. I thought about the process of creating and how I could facilitate a mode for my students to follow, but also have autonomy in their decision making and experimenting.
We walked through these prompts to build their first spread together. I modeled each action and had them practice before applying the process to the art journal.
At the end of this process, I had the students answer reflection questions about this process. Most of the students wrote that they felt ready to start their own art journal pages with their own ideas.
What art journaling activities are the most appropriate for middle schools students?
How do art educators engage their students in art journaling?
I decided to come up with a formula for the students to understand how artists develop layers and apply meaning to their actions. I thought about the process of creating and how I could facilitate a mode for my students to follow, but also have autonomy in their decision making and experimenting.
We walked through these prompts to build their first spread together. I modeled each action and had them practice before applying the process to the art journal.
At the end of this process, I had the students answer reflection questions about this process. Most of the students wrote that they felt ready to start their own art journal pages with their own ideas.
The above images are examples of the two spreads we completed. Following this process, the students felt ready to begin working independently. They also practiced using all of the materials that I made available. Crayons, ink and writing quills, collage papers, oil pastels, color pencils, and of course graphite. The students were allowed to choose the materials they found the most success with while mark making to finish the spread.