MIDDLE SCHOOL

Spoon feeding in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon.  

—E.M. Forster 

 Taylor E., Drawing of Hourglass on Black Matboard. 

Melody Weintraub

This E.M. Forster quote has often been a reminder of how my middle-school art teaching style evolved over twenty-plus years. Like many art teachers, I enjoyed seeing the visual impact of the artwork from a successful skill lesson adorning the hallway bulletin boards. I knew that if I could keep students engaged in the step-by-step drawing lesson, a successful product was not far behind. This was especially apparent when I used a video tutorial to teach eighth-grade students to draw a glass sphere. 

Working on toned paper, students used an ebony pencil, a dark charcoal pencil, a white pastel pencil, a blending stump, a blending brush, a kneaded eraser, and a circle template. As we watched the tutorial, I stopped the video after each step and told students which tool to use and what to look for in the video. I would also draw it with them. When the tutorial was complete, students each had a formula drawing on tinted paper that looked impressive. 

Teaching basic drawing skills is important, but giving students the opportunity to independently and freely apply those skills is crucial to learning and growth.

Teaching this way had its benefits. Showing students the end product at the beginning of the lesson grabbed their attention. This method also had a high success rate: Students produced the intended results. The problem? All the artworks looked pretty much the same.  

Clockwise from top: Emma F., Drawing of Ballet Slippers. 

I didn't see this as a problem until I realized that students were not retaining the skills they learned by being spoon-fed a lesson. In response to this observation, I extended the lesson and allowed students the freedom and independence to apply what they learned. In the sphere lesson, for instance, I gave each student a clear glass marble and instructed them to draw it using the technique they learned in the video. During this guided practice portion of the lesson, students looked for the details of the lighting and considered which tool they needed to achieve the desired effect.  

After the lesson, I displayed these independent drawings for a class critique, examining what made some of them seem to have more dimension than others. Once students felt confident about applying this technique to the marble, I encouraged them to use it in a themed still life of their own composition and design.  

Brady A., Drawing of Flowers in Mason Jar.

One eighth-grade artist set up a still life based on an hourglass that had been perched on top of the art cabinets since she was in sixth grade. She included other objects related to the passing of time. Using white pastel on black matboard, she pushed the shadows and highlights to new levels each day. The result was stunning. 

Choosing to work on parchment-toned paper using graphite and white pastel pencil, another student arranged silk flowers in a glass canning jar, carefully scattering petals around the base. She said that she chose this composition because it reminded her of her grandmother.  

A third student brought in pink  ballet slippers that were worn and delicate and attached them to a rough piece of plywood. She used the technique she learned from the sphere lesson to show reflecting highlights on the satin slippers and delicate ribbons. Her theme was perseverance, which was in full display when the pandemic interrupted completion of her piece in the classroom. She finished her work at home.  

Teaching basic drawing skills is important, but giving students the opportunity to independently and freely apply those skills is crucial to learning and growth. Rather than sticking to the “shape of the spoon,” the end result should empower students to take risks in order to successfully express original concepts. 

Melody Weintraub is an artist and retired art teacher living in Tennessee. She is past president of the Tennessee Art Education Association. melodyweintraub.com  
Beyond the Shape of the Spoon