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1. The main takeaway from Walker's article for me was the success of the BIG IDEA model. Walker argues that modern education needs to be re looked at and changed and needs to be more about contemporary work and should also have more relevancy to the students lives socially and personally.

2. I think Walker puts more emphasis on big ideas and Gude is more on the subject of this sort of interactive method that approaches art. I think both Gude and Walker want to see a sort of change in art education but one seems more on the topic of exploration of art through multiple different kinds of mediums where as the other is wanting to make the students lives more relevant in their art and more personal.

3. I think I got a lot out of both articles because I really agree with both of them. If it were up to me I would combine both of their ideas. When I was going through art education when I was younger I absolutely loved the freedom to explore different mediums as well as have what I was creating mean something very personal to me.

4. If I met the authors I would start off my conversation as a super normal one and then I would really dive deep and ask them to really explain where these ideas came from and really get to know them personally through their separate backgrounds

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1. Walker has a deep understanding of the importance of an evolving teaching style for art students and how that affects their conceptions of art in the future (wether they decide to pursue art or not). The points that stood out to me the most were that it is necessary to teach art students about contemporary art processes, the goal of art class is not to train students to be artists, and big ideas can be immensely helpful in teaching students how to engage in meaningful artmaking. I was especially impacted by what one of Menke’s students had to say about the process she led them through: “I mean I think about my big idea all the time. I am in the middle of math class and I have an idea for a work of art. I am eating dinner and I think about uncertainty in my family. It’s weird, now I think about everything in terms of my big idea”. I think that Menke was very successful in reaching and engaging most of her students with a big idea approach to teaching.
2. Gude’s points tend to be less based in a TEKS standards sort of way; Walker’s structure for her students’ projects seems to be more in line with the state’s requirements for a K-12 art class. However, just because they are different that doesn't mean they are mutually exclusive. Gude mentions towards the end of her discussion that the “Principles of Possibility” were not created to replace current principles and elements of design rather they are meant to guide art teachers in assisting their students effectively so that they leave the classroom with critical thinking skills and a heightened ability to engage in art meaning and making.

3. Before the Walker article, I didn't have many opinions about the use of big ideas in classrooms: generally, I liked them. The results of Menke’s education plan and bid-idea-based learning, I realized how impactful it can be. The students in her class seemed profoundly affected by a big idea that was personal to them; I think that’s so special and I truly believe that is one of the best ways you can engage students in an art class.

4. I don't really have any questions for Gude, as her article was extremely detailed and long (and understandable).

However, I'm very interested in Menke’s classroom; I would love to see these projects unfold so I might ask her if she had documentation of some of her students’ projects (process and final). I would ask Walker how she thinks her teaching Menke impacted her teaching style. I’m also interested in learning about how both authors decided they would pursue art education and what prompted them to write these articles.

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1. Walker really talks about this "big idea" methodology in wanting to improve the art educating system. She points this importance on this need for more contemporary art and with the students having personal input.
2. as mentioned before, Walker puts a lot of emphasis on big ideas whereas Gude is more interested in this interactive method of approaching art. Both want better reforms and change for art education. Gude seems more interested in this exploration of art through different mediums while Walker is more interested in intergrading the students lives with the arts.
3.I did not really get much out of these articles since I mostly already agreed with what they had to say. I was interested in the point of view Gude brought in. I was interested in how they viewed was should be held at a higher importance within art education such as this idea of process, examination, and exploration.
4.If I meet the authors, I think I would ask them how their day was, how life is, and how they came into art education. I would also ask them when was it that they knew art education was what they absolutely wanted to do. I would then finish off my questions with asking what their spirit animal was because you can learn a lot about a person based on what they choose their spirit animal to be.

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1. The most important points that Walter makes in "Rethinking Artmaking Instruction" is a topic we have discussed in class Big ideas as well as the connections students are able to make during artmaking. The author points out the importance of creating lessons that allow students to make a connection with themselves and the social as well as artistic world.

2. I found that both articles made similar points when it came to the fact that teachers should not only focus on the art of the past but also contemporary art. I think this goes back to Walker's statement that art should be about making connections with themselves, social and culture, and it would be easier for students to be able to do this if they are able to learn about contemporary subjects and connect to what they are experiencing currently.

3. Both articles are of importance to me as they express two different points of views, I leaned more towards Walker's article because that is the type of art teacher I would like to become. I want to be able to help students make those connections and I feel that the art subject is the perfect place for them to be able to do that.

4. I would ask them about the mistakes or the experiences that led them to develop their ideologies regarding art education. I feel that once you enter a profession you adapt and evolve in order to better serve your clients, consumers, and in this case students. Therefore, it would be interesting to know how they have grown in their profession and what life experiences, other than research, led them to their current ideologies.

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1. Throughout the article, “Rethinking Artmaking Instruction”, Walker discusses the Big Idea concept. She makes the claim that a reform must be made to place big idea in the arts instruction. Educators should also include contemporary artworks in to the lessons. Another aspect she says is important is making education relevant to students. They should have a personal connection to what is being taught.
2. Gude and Walker share the same belief that serious changes should be made in art education. They both advocate for the teaching of art of today. Gude wants to encourage experimentation and exploration of new mediums. She also is not a fan of standards that interrupt the student-centered learning.

3.       I believe that art education can impact a student’s life. What Gude and Walker stated in their articles matched up with my own beliefs. I often forget how valuable the experience of making art is. These articles reminded me that there is more to an art class then creating good art.

4. If I were to sit down with the authors I would ask them how to stimulate the uninterested students. I also have trouble brainstorming big ideas. I would probably ask them for tips on that as well as the big ideas they have found to get students interested in lessons.

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1). Within her writing, “Rethinking Artmaking Instruction”, Sydney Walker drew a strong emphasis on the implementation of “big ideas”. In describing her past student Katie’s experiences while teaching with a “big idea” with the purpose of having her students examine their lives and the world around them, Walker is able to express what a transformative process it is for those students that truly engage themselves. Like all things in life, you get out of it what you put in. For those who are not reluctant to partake, they are rewarded with a deeper more complex meaning of the creative process.

2). In both “Rethinking Artmaking Instruction” and “Principles of Possibility” the authors Walker and Gude stress an importance on stepping away from the cookie cutter mold of traditional art teachings and focusing more on a contemporary stance resulting in the commonality of “big ideas”. However, they begin to differ in their views of standards and whether or not they are restricting or feasible through a “big idea” approach.

3). I have always been a firm believer that art education is a medium in which you can effect lives so much greater than just the teachings of basic elements and principles. Within both Gude and Walker’s writings my feelings were strongly reiterated. There is no measure to how much power there is in having a student centered teaching style, the possibilities of learning become limitless.

4). I would preferably like to sit down and speak with Sydney Walker and gain insight into her thoughts on connecting “big ideas” to various curriculum aspects. With that I would also be curious as to see her recommendations on ways to aid students in the formation of their big ideas, how do you get a student with a mental block through it?

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1. I really appreciated Walker's comments about how art education and curriculum don't just need a little work done, they need full reconstruction. The dilution of powerful ideas is a big problem in education today; administrations will implement a convoluted and weak version of an idea that would be successful, and take away its main components, and then complain that it doesn't work. In addition, the concept of 'big ideas' being so intertwined with the student's life, and developing an artistic mode of thought were also very important to me.
2. Gude also writes about the 'big ideas', in different words. She believes that the national and state curriculums are very divorced from the actual art-making process, and wants another type of reconstruction, if possibly less severe. They both make wonderful points about the importance of cultural context in art curriculum- can lessons from an ethnically homogenous American school in the 50s really apply to today's more diverse population of children? Structure based on the students as opposed to some divorced national standard is emphasized. However, Gude seems to favor a less structured approach, preferring play as a means of learning.
3. I never really considered, in-depth, how much revision or reconstruction the current art curriculums and standards may need. I always figured that I would be working within those parameters, no matter how I felt about them, and these arguments are very inspiring in that way. They make a great case for their beliefs, beliefs that I strongly support and would like to implement in my own teaching career. Big ideas were, in a way, integrated into my own art education at the high school level, and they definitely resulted in the production of some of my most highly motivated and compelling works. The concept is wonderful in that it inspires both student and teacher.
4. I think I would just ask Walker and Gude what ways a teacher could try out the "Big Ideas" while working with an uncooperative administration, as I worry that's what will happen. I am also curious as to the difference between a big idea and a theme, because I was taught with themes as a driving force, and people's "themes" often lined up conceptually with a big idea, or if I'm just missing the point.

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1.) The most important points in "Rethinking Artmaking Instruction," Walker mentions how incorporating big ideas while applying knowledge of art from the self, world,  and the current time/era to the making of art is extremely essential.  Students will be able to explore their own society and themselves while also contributing to the world and being able to think of the big picture as an artist.   Big ideas can be applied at almost any age: from elementary school to high school and so on.

2.) Both Walker and Gude think that a "big idea" is essential to teaching art, as they both believe that being open ended and allowing the students to come up with their own ideas and expand from there is good. Gude focuses on the importance of "play" and experimentation of more abstract art as well as new ways of portraying the self that isn't limited to a single aspect about yourself. Gude doesn't want students to only know how to draw a line and make shapes but to apply this knowledge as well as applying factors from their lives into art. Though Walker and Gude both want to create curriculums that focus on "big ideas," Walker seems to have an easier time incorporating this while Gude receives some questioning for her methods.

3.)  Gude and Walker has been really inspiring.  I had always known that creativity and exploration was important in art, but I was never taught that in a school setting.  I had believed that getting an art education was all about learning the foundation and the basics first before moving on to whatever the artist actually wanted to create.  Now I know that while it is still important to teach foundations, it is absolutely essential to teach about "big ideas" and implement and artist's way of thinking as early as possible so the student can practice this from a young age.

4.)  If I could ask the authors a question, I'd ask how did they come to the realization that "big ideas" were an absolute essential to teaching students about art, especially in a public school and I'd ask what was their own art education like and if they had a similar backstory to me.

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1) Throughout "Rethinking Artmaking Instruction", Walker alleges the possibility of greater success in the field of Art and Art Education would increase if we pushed for more student participation with "Big Ideas", contemporary culture, and art. Naturally, these additions I believe would make the art classrooms, museums, and community spaces much more democratic in their function as units in society that help shape and reflect culture.

2) While both Gude and Walker aim to reform art education in ways that deeply engage students on a personal and cultural level, Gude definitely takes a bit more of a radical standpoint in comparison to Walker. Walker's view may seem to most people to be the more realistic one of the two in that she believes that it's possible to integrate the notion of using "big ideas" to enhance student engagement into the mainstream and in accordance with state and national standards, which Gude rightly finds as restrictive.

3) I had always assumed from my own art education that the utmost important part of art instruction are the technical design formalities and realism, while the cultural aspects were more of an enigma to me, barely covered in my classes. These articles definitely flip my conditioned beliefs around in my understanding of art's function in society. As a prospective art instructor, I knew there was something deeper all along that I felt was lacking in my own grasp of the reason I saw the necessity for art instruction-- beyond the surface, beyond simple physical notions of art such as line and form and color.

4) If I were to meet Gude, I'd ask her what she believes is most important for artists that work among the community to know, and her view on the role of art museums and murals(of the gentrifiers) in gentrification. (for example, Blue Cat Cafe's cat murals) Is art like that still valid if it takes part in wiping out other cultures?
As for Walker, I'm curious as to how big "big ideas" can be, how vague can they be? What is the process like when you take a relatively broad big idea and work with it to create a porfolio but the idea is too broad for people to notice the theme? I feel like this relates a little bit with my AP concentration portfolio, except we eventually narrowed down our big ideas into more specific ideas throughout the process of creating it.

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1.)  I really enjoyed reading the article Rethinking Artmaking Instruction by Sydney Walker. She focused her article on the topic of Big Ideas. She gave an example of Big Ideas being used in her old student’s High School Design class. She talked about how successful it is to introduce Big Ideas in art classrooms. She explained that “not all students had a transforming, magical experience” but for the students who made the effort, they reached beyond their wildest dreams and Big ideas will make a lasting impact. Walker’s made it clear that artmaking is “an exploration and expression of significant ideas with personal and cultural import.” She talks about the importance of letting students make work that helps them discovery who they are and their relationship to the world.

2. ) In “Principles of Possibility” and in “Rethinking Artmaking Instruction”, both Gude and Walker make similar points. They both argue that art classes should be teaching today’s art practices and not just the past and traditions. Teaching today’s practices allows for students to explore more of their personal interests. Like Gude stated in her article, “Do we really want students to say that art is “about” line, shape, color or contrast and repetition?” And Walker agrees that “contemporary culture and personal relevance are key factors in meaningful art learning.”

3.) Gude and Walker just reinforced my beliefs about art education. I completely agree that students must learn more than just technical and traditional skills. They also need to be exposed to Big Ideas and contemporary culture. I believe art should allow students to create freely about something they are passionate and interested in. Students get so much more from making meaningful work than just learning technical skills.

4.) If I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with the authors I would ask for advice on how to get the uninterested and checked out students to get involved? How to motivate them and get them more interested. Also, I would ask to hear another Big Idea success story and ask what their favorite Big Idea is.

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1. The most obvious takeaway from Walker's article is the success of the Big Idea model. Walker also argues that modern art education needs reform, and needs to be more focused on contemporary artwork as well as have personal and social relevancy to the students.

2. Gude and Walker both start out by arguing that today's art education needs more personal and social relevancy to the students it serves. Gude also talks about open experimentation with media that is not hindered by the idea of mastering a technique, and abandoning projects with the cliché of "showing the real you," which I personally find refreshing. I also get the impression that instead of the Big Idea, Gude seems to be more invested in the personalization of the artistic process and the growth that comes from that.

3. Admittedly I got more out of the Walker article than I did the Gude article; I'm already very big into process and experimentation in my personal art. The extreme success that the Big Idea sees in Walker's article really piques my interest because I personally have trouble wrapping my head around learning models like it. I'm more inclined now to really try it and see if I have similar success.

4. If I met Walker, I would ask to see some of the student's portfolios and presentations that they mentioned. If I met Gude, I would also ask to see some work that their students did, and ask about what kinds of processes they used to get to their final piece.

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1. Throughout the article, Walker discusses the success of art and graphic design classes when they are taught using "big ideas". She believes that art classes should focus on contemporary culture, personal relevance, and contemporary art and practice.

2. Gude's points are similar to Walker's in that they both believe that art education should introduce students to today's practices in art  in order to help them create  artworks that are more deeply felt and personal to the students.

3. Both articles reinforced my beliefs that art education should be more than just learning technical skills and basic principals. It should not be centered around a set state or national curriculum. Instead, it should be student-centered and be about finding personal connections to contemporary culture in order to help you create art that is deeply meaningful to you.

4. If I could meet the authors, I would ask them
what advice they would give to teachers who are having trouble teaching with "big ideas". What suggestions would they give that would also help any students who are struggling to understand how to use "big ideas"? In their experience, what has been the biggest challenge when centering curriculum on "big ideas" and how do they recommend overcoming it if I am faced with the same problem/challenge

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1. Walker makes a lot of important point throughout the article, the one that stood out the most to me is interweaving personal and social artmaking. I think in teaching art, we something thing we have to pick for example community-based ideas for art is the Big Idea but do not touch on the importances of personalized artwork.
2.  Walker and Gude both believe their should be change in contemporary art classes. Some differences is their view on the Big Idea. Walker talk about how Kate used the Big Idea before but "wanted a way to make learning about art more real for my students”.  Walker fears that the Big Idea will become an add on to existing traditional content and not have

progression with the changing art world.

3. Gude and Walker impacted me by showing the important of changing with the times. And shown the important to not throw the Big Idea on old way of art educating but the Big Idea will help student art if you use it correctly.
4. If I was to meet Walker and Gude, I would ask how their teach exactly with maybe some examples of using the Big Idea in a contemporary way.

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1. Walker calls for a reconstruction of art instruction such that classes are relevant to contemporary issues, art, and to the students. She points out the success of classes that are formed around "big ideas" and still keep curriculum/standards in mind.

2. Gude's stance is similar to Walker's in that they both want a more contemporary art class. Gude goes into more detail into how curriculum should be centered towards "big ideas" by breaking the concept into categories such as "playing", and "empowered making". Gude differs from Walker in that she calls for a release from what she sees as restricting national/state standards. Walker believes a curriculum based around "big ideas" can still fit around state/national standards.

3. Gude and Walker's articles remind me to keep contemporary issues in mind as I build curriculum in the future. They bring a big prompt that curriculum should be built around the students, contemporary issues, and the setting that the learning is being made in, rather than being built around what the state/national standards say. The information I gathered from these articles show me that art education is beyond learning art/design principals, and should be more towards the students and their own experiences.

4.  I would ask the authors about what challenges to expect when attempting to reshape curriculum around "big ideas". I would also ask how I could simultaneously teach technical skills along with the making of idea/theme driven art.

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After reading Rethinking Artmaking Instruction by Walker

and  Principles of Possibility by Gude.

Type your name at top and number your answers 1-4.

Prof. Murphy wonders...

1. What are the most important points that Walker makes in "Rethinking Artmaking Instruction"?

2. In "Principles of Possibility" Gude lists several ways to revision art education. How are her points similar/different to Walker's vision?

3. How did the Gude and Walker articles impact your beliefs about art education?

4. If you could meet the authors, what questions would you have for them?