Encouraging Children's curiosity about art is paramount in the delivery of the PYP visual arts program. Visual thinking allows children to respond to works of art based on their own experiences and connections. This is an important feature of the responding strand in PYP as children have the opportunity to use their knowledge of people, places, expressions, moods, costumes, weather, space, light, colour etc in responding to artworks. All that we see and imagine finds its way into the visual arts from various times and cultures.
Art history images.
Just in the same way we select appropriate books for children images are chosen with familiar subjects but also images that have a sense of mystery which stimulates children's interests and backgrounds. Style and medium are also important to allow children to decode a range of images.
WHAT SKILLS DO CHILDREN GAIN?
-observational skills.
-extracting meaning
-discovery process.
-making sense of a combination of elements.
-Using eyes and mind to reason.
-For second language learners images and words become connected.
Giving time to children before they speak is an important part of the visual thinking process
THE PEASANT WEDDING BY PIETER BREUGHAL-1549
Summarize student responses this keeps the conversation open to other interpretations from other students. Open with: “What’s going on here?”
- If appropriate: “What do you see that makes you say that?”
This encourages students to back up their statements with things they see in the work of art. - Ask the group: “What more can we find?”
This continues the conversation. - What things do you wonder about when you see this painting?