Jackson and Blake, Space.

Janine Campbell

During my last two decades in the middle-school art room, I have taught design in many ways, sometimes demonstrating concepts explicitly with lessons tied to specific elements of art and principles of design, and other times implicitly through the use of artists and works that embody a variety of the concepts within the pieces.

Through these approaches, I have found that the most success in artmaking comes not from an “either/or” option but from a “both/and” exploration. Lessons that use collaboration to engage learners have a bigger impact on their learning. Asking students to pair up and work in teams on design challenges creates a sense of community and helps them focus on the scope of how and why artists use these concepts in their work to draw the viewer in and deliver their message with the biggest visual impact.

I have found that the most success in art-making comes not from an “either/or” option but from a “both/and” exploration.

This collaboration was developed during the 2020–2021 school year, when the pandemic made working together a challenge. With the implementation of Google Docs and Google Drawings, the barriers to collaborating were overcome, and students were able to work with either virtual or in-person instruction. This lesson has successfully transitioned beyond those conditions into today’s classroom, while still remaining flexible for students who require alternative learning environments.

Getting Started
Because I teach in a choice-based, thematic-driven classroom, students are usually able to choose which materials they want to work with. For this collaboration, however, students are limited to using Google Drawings.

To get started, students choose a partner. One student creates a T-chart to take notes (one side for the elements of art and the other for the principles of design) as we cover the basics as a class. After notes are taken, each group signs up for one element or principle they are interested in researching and expressing through a nonobjective digital work.

Caleb and Sebastian, Shape. 

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