There are many different tools and techniques for creating differentiated instruction. Differentiation is a method of altering instruction to reach all types of learners by accommodating different learning styles. One of those strategies is tiered assignment. “Tiered assignments do not lock students into ability boxes. Instead, particular student clusters are assigned specific tasks within each group according to their readiness and comprehension without making them feel completely compartmentalized away from peers at different achievement levels.” Tomlinson, C. A., & Eidson, C. C. (2003).
In my search for more information on tiered instruction and scaffolding, I came across a publication Critical Arts Pedagogy: Nurturing Critical Consciousness and Self-Actualization through Art Education by Mernick, A. (2021). This article discusses A. Mernick and her focus on critical consciousness through artmaking in the classroom. “Ultimately, I want my students to develop their critical consciousness through artmaking. Artmaking, to me, is an ideal medium for conscientization—the development of a critical awareness about our world and our role as active participants in transforming it (Freire, 1970, p. 452).” Mernick, A. (2021). Mernick describes her students as mostly people of color with many students of immigrant families.
Mernick’s focus on critical consciousness can not be taught by simply teaching about some different artists or movements, but instead needs to scaffold the teaching in order for students to be able to build up their understanding and analysis of artwork and culture. “ Instead, I curriculum map and scaffold toward critical consciousness over the entire year. Every unit I teach has two objectives: an artistic technique or concept, and an essential question related to equity, liberation, and justice” Mernick, A. (2021). It is clear that this author values social justice, culture, and self-expression through art. I have always said that art history is human history, and the exploration of culture and equity through art is incredibly important and impactful.
Mernick’s scaffolding is crucial for her students’ success in their final project on identity. For example, she mentions discussing color theory and the cultural implications of color use in artwork. Students then explore portraiture and choose an immigrant community member to use as their subject. Students will need to use their previous learning and discovery of culture and color use to create a meaningful portrait that expresses the culture of their subject. “Each lesson provides opportunities for young people to reflect critically on their lives and their world. Over time, students sharpen their critical lens and create more and more complex, conceptual artwork. This culminates in a final project in which students have a great deal of freedom regarding their technique, materials, or media—constrained only by the thematic focus: identity.” Mernick, A. (2021). Through the rest of the article Mernick discusses how her students dive further into the exploration of self and the world around them through their final projects.
I found this article very interesting and inspiring. As an art educator I try to focus my lessons on being culturally diverse and personally significant for my students. While reading this article and reflecting on it, I started to come up with some questions that I wish the author had explored more. For example, I wanted to know more about how they scaffolded their lessons and how students interpreted and responded to the lessons. As a white woman, I also had some questions on how someone like myself would be able to implement some of these lessons. The author is a person of color and has more meaningful things to say about diversity and culture. I understand that my upbringing and experiences as a white woman is very different than Mernick’s. I think it is so important to discuss culture within art education, but it made me think about where “my place” would be in this type of education. Mernick also mentions that her students are mostly people of color and immigrants. I teach in a predominantly white town. I would love to bring more cultural exploration to my students, but I am not sure how to do that exactly. I would love to explore this idea further and hopefully build my skills in teaching about diverse cultures to students of all types.
References:
Mernick, A. (2021). Critical Arts Pedagogy: Nurturing Critical Consciousness and Self-Actualization through Art Education. Art Education, v74 n5 p19-24 2021. (EJ1307166)
Tomlinson, C. A., & Eidson, C. C. (2003). Differentiation in practice: A resource guide for differentiating curriculum, grades K–5. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Cox, J. (2014). Developing Tiered Assignments. K-12 Teachers Alliance. TeachHub.com
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