Responsive Learning: Seeing Shapes

The foundation of the VMFA ECE programming is to listen to how children talk about their process when making art, and asking open-ended questions as children are both viewing and working with materials. Listening to students’ discussions, preferences, questions, and curiosities, can inspire the next series of artmaking.

Art materials to “Open” the Studio Space

• scrap paper
• sturdy solid base paper, such as white cardstock or cut cardboard 
• glue brush in a cup or a glue stick
• scissors
• digital camera for teacher documentation
• notebook for teacher documentation 

TIP: Scrap paper should be a small variety of colors, textures and limited in quantity. This is to avoid an overwhelming amount of materials. Depending on what is available, select colors based on a palette similar to the image/s chosen as inspiration. The teacher should have a stash of additional paper scraps in reserve, but not visibly available. 

A strategic way to organize each child’s artwork is by writing their names at the bottom of a piece of sturdy paper. This is to provide a designated space for each child as the surface for their activity. The remaining paper can be used to keep track of who has completed the project. These blank pieces of paper or cardboard could also be used to design a place on the wall (or hanging in the classroom) where the finished work will be displayed. As the children complete their work, these pieces can be hung back up and photographed. 

TIP: Writing the name small at the bottom is suggested for two reasons: 1) The teacher can flip the paper over and have another side if needed, 2) Photographing the students work with the names at the bottom helps with identifying the work in photographs later.

Questions to Encourage Observations

• “Tell me what you see in this artwork.”
• “What colors do you see?”
• “Can you find any shapes?”
• “Can you find lines?”
• “Does this artwork remind you of anything?”
• “How would it feel if we could touch this?”
• “What do you think the artist was thinking about when they made this artwork?”

Next, show the children the paper shapes displayed on the table and identify the names of the shapes. Ask them to name the shapes (Q&A), or say “This is a triangle, and this is a square, etc.”. Show the students how to use a shape and glue it onto the solid paper. You may need to demonstrate appropriate glueing amounts for attaching the shapes to the paper. 

Start with a small amount of paper shapes in a designated space (basket, bowl, envelope, etc). Decide as the group proceeds if they need more shapes, or need to come back to the pieces later. Do not give the students a big pile of scraps and expect them to sort out “good” pieces. They may need assistance in the organization and assembling of their work.

Observe students as they assemble the paper, asking questions about their arrangement. Not every student will arrange their paper the same, even with the same materials and images in view. Some may change their mind as they begin to use the materials. Encourage the children to narrate their work, documenting their responses, by jotting notes or recording the conversation. Take photographs of the student’s work at varying phases of construction, noting how the construction often evolves. Avoid interjecting assumptions about the student’s work (i.e. Instead of saying, “Is that a window?”, ask “Tell me about that square.”). Use the words square and triangle in the conversation with children. Ask the children if the teacher could share their work with the rest of the class, writing their story/explanation of their work in your notes. 

A note on scissors: Depending on your student’s age and ability, include safety scissors in the course of the project. The supervising teacher may offer a pair of scissors to a child who wants to cut their paper into smaller pieces (for example – a long rectangle strip can easily be cut into smaller squares). This could be a “job” for a student who is finished with a portion of the project (i.e. at a stopping point waiting for their work to dry), or a way to teach safe scissor techniques to one student at a time while the others are working. Cutting scraps could become an activity in rotation with the process of collage construction.

Display the student’s work in the classroom, but allow the children to revisit the studio to add layers to their work if desired (during their turn).  If possible, have the resources from VMFA’s collection printed and visible during the discussion time. This can facilitate connections between the adult artist’s work and the children’s work. 

Add the children’s story adjacent to their work. This can be done a few different ways. Children can narrate a description for the teacher to document, and the description can be hung beside the art. The teacher could also combine a photo of the child in the process of creating, along with a typed paragraph of descriptive comments and this could be hung beside the finished art. 

Photographs of children’s processes can also be shared in an album (for example, on Google Photos), or by printing a series of photos from the documentation process and displaying it throughout the classroom.

The guiding philosophy of responsive learning is that it never truly ends. 

There is a nice cycle of introduction, working and observation.  New ideas and offerings are based on the observations which results in additional  work and observation, etc. As the children move through these cycles, their interest diverges into different  materials. This can inspire the teacher to look at different artworks and offer diverse methods for art-making.