Tell Me Which Way I Ought To Go From Here?

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.

                                                                                                -Alice in Wonderland. 

"How do we make it more likely - by our design - that more students really understand what they are asked to learn?"

*Understanding by Design, Wiggins and McTighe 

 I'm in the middle of major curriculum reconstruction. My supervisor and the previous art therapist passed on fantastic lessons and a context to teach those lessons, and now I'm trying my best to document it. This process makes me very aware of the gaps between what I expect students to know, and what I actually teach them; what's gold, and what may get in the way. 

Handy for me, backwards design is very similar to setting therapeutic goals, which I had lots of practice in my 2nd year of grad school. I say that because my peers will let you know -I wasn't gettin' it. And it's still hard to get. I'm spending hours thinking about outcomes, and evidence, and scaffolding. It will be worth it though because duh -you can't build a  house on the sand. 

So! Starting backwards....what's the point? What do I ultimately want students to understand?

• Art 1: Visual Literacy & Personal Definitions of Art. 
• What is Art? How and why is art used as a vehicle for communication

• Art 2:  Looking at Art & Artist Identity
• How do you evaluate art? What artists, mediums, and content inspire you?

"To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. it means to know where you're going so that you better understand where you are now so that the steps you take are always in the right direction"

-Stephen Covey