Thursday, May 01, 2014

6th Grade Boy: "Art Should Be....Like the Whole School!"

In a TAB classroom, students are not outside the decision making process central to the learning activities they engage in.
One of the beautiful and most compelling things about TAB is the contingency that children are able to co-construct the curriculum. There is ample evidence that intentionality, creativity and independent thinking are systematically driven out of children by curriculum focused on standardized test driven-accountability as students progress from Kindergarten to the upper grades. Looking at the bigger picture, the question becomes: Do schools support children's independent thinking and entrepreneurial capacities? Unless you are a TAB art teacher or educator who provides regular autonomy or opportunities that support learner-determined curriculum the answer is no.