Talking With Young Children About Their Art EDU 151 Spring 2014.

Talking With Young Children About Their Art

EDU 151 Spring 2014

Copyright 2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.

Verbal comments that teachers traditionally make concerning children’s art

take the following six approaches:

• Complimentary • Questioning• Judgmental • Probing• Valuing • Correcting


Complimentary Approach

• With the complimentary approach, teachers tell children that their art is nice, pretty, lovely, super, or beautiful.


Judgmental Approach

• With the judgmental approach, the teacher tells children that their art is good or great.


Valuing Approach

• With the valuing approach, the teacher tells children that she likes or even loves their art.


Questioning Approach

• With the questioning approach, a teacher directly and bluntly asks children, “What is it?” or “What is that supposed to be?”


Probing Approach

• With the probing approach, the teacher attempts to draw from children some hint, title, or verbal statement about their art. Typical comments include, “Please tell me all about it” or “What can you say about this?”


Correcting Approach

• The correcting approach attempts to provide children with specific feedback that will enable them to improve their art or make it better by more closely approximating reality.


Teachers can use the aesthetic elements of art as a framework for verbally responding

to children’s art.

• Color • Shape• Line • Space• Mass or volume • Texture• Pattern


Keep three principles in mind when talking with young children about their art:

• Consider children’s developmental levels.

• Relate comments to the artistic elements the child has used in picture making.

• Use encouragement rather than praise.


Too Much Praise

• Overuse of praise undermines the behaviors we want to reinforce.

• Praise does not encourage children to think about what they have done.


How should teachers verbally respond to young artists?

• Think about what you are going to say.• Practice responding to children and their

artwork.• Speak to children individually.

Talking With Young Children About Their Art EDU 151 Spring 2014.

Documents

cengage learning

judgmental approach

valuing approach

complimentary approach

probing approach

correcting approach

questioning approach

young children