Good Luck

For anyone still checking this blog, just wanted to say hope you had a great semester and wishing you the best of luck in all your future adventures! Enjoy!!
Joanie Anderson

Stage Combat

Hello!
As well as being an actor and graduating as an art teacher this spring, I am also a stage combat instructor. Is acting tought at your university? If not, why?
Is there any stage combat tought? If not, why?
Are you all fine art teachers, or is any among you that is an acting teacher, music teacher or dance teacher?
With kind regards,
Max.

Hello!!!!

Is anybody out there? I've been watching for new posts and nothing seems to be going on. Is anyone else in the same boat? I'm wondering if it's an internet service issue from Iceland (??)

For Icelandic students

In Public School Art here, there is not a set of guidelines for lesson plans. Teachers have standards that must be met and lessons are tailored to meet these standards. How is it in Icleand? Are you given a preset curriculum or are you allowed to develop your own lessons?

Punishment

Do the student get paddled in the schools in Iceland when they are in serious trouble? Some school districts in Arkansas still believe in this type of discipline (and they are the better districts) and some districts will not even consider this due to law suits.

Icelandic students

For those of you who are not yet teaching (like me), do you think you'll have a problem getting a job? Is there are big demand for the arts in public schooling or is the private sector the place to look?

wiggly kids

My son is figgity in class (2nd grade and almost 8). He isn't very sports minded but enjoy's being creative with his hands. When he gets is hands on crayons or other medium he concentrates better. My question is: Do you find children, that otherwise are disruptive in the standard classroom, become more engaged with the creativity in the art classroom?

Technology in art class

I wanted to know if you use computers in your classes either for teaching or for learning. If you do use them, to what level do the students use them for art i.e. digital photograghy, drawing, drafting or animation?

Traditional vs Non-Traditional

Hi everyone. I wanted to know how many of you are teachers already and how many are not. I'm not a teacher yet but I have an Art Degree. I am enrolled in the masters program to get the education classes necessary for state certification. This is basically the traditional way to get certified. There is also a non-traditional route that involves a lot of workshops and classroom courses that are not through a university, but through the state. Do you have an alternate program for certification? Does your experience in the working world as an artist get applied to certification?

Iceland Students

Are students with behavioral problems( that are controlled by medication) ever and issue in your classrooms? If so, what measures do you take to insure that they are learning also?

Which is better?

I just read about the beginnings of art education and how simple lines and geometric forms were used to educate children in drawing. While I agree that art should be about freedom of expression, do you think that this approach (simple basics) works better for some children?

vacation on full salary

After teching for ten years icelandic techers can get one year vacation on full salary to study . How is it un US?

Hello everyone!  I was wondering are their certain ways you deal with teaching art to children with special needs?  

Teaching Methods

What are your favorite teaching methods and why? Which method do you have most experience in?

Hi Mary,

you ask what medium we enjoy working with in the classroom. Well my answer to that would have to be that the medium to me is secondary. The main purpose is to open their minds. As an artist I come from an mixed media background and in short that could be explained that I as an artist find the appropriate medium that serves the idea or the concept while the painter (for example) one would have to work with an idea that serves the medium. I have never worked as a teacher (witch might explain how vague my answer is) but I expect that even if working with different mediums is very interesting, for me the goal would be to contribute to the students self discovery and growth as a creative human being.

Helga Oskarsdottir

Iceland Students

Is there a particular lesson that your students enjoyed that you could recommend?

Issues that might affect learning in the arts in Iceland?

In my school, we have a large ratio of students that have special needs, particularly students with different forms of Autism. I have found teaching art to students like these is particularly difficult. Is this prevalent at some of your schools? If so, how do you adapt your teaching of art (a very abstract and open-ended subject matter) to reach students that have a hard time grasping anything that is not concrete?

Want to know

What medium do you enjoy working with in the classroom with your students?

All Year????

Do your students go to school all year around? Or do you get a summer break too?

Elementary Art

About five years ago, Arkansas passed a law requiring one hour of art per week for every student, grades one through six. Before that, some elementary schools had teachers designated specifically for art, but many did not. I think those students participated in art projects with their regular classroom teachers. What is the situation in Iceland for the visual arts in elementary schools? As an educator to elementary aged students, I'm interested.

American Art Educators?

I was curious if the recession is affecting budget cuts in the usa? I know that art departments there tend to be the first to go.... Do requirements by the school districts become constrictive in how free you can make your lesson plans during budget cuts? Just curious on what your creative license is.

evaluation

comrads.

in a class here couple of weeks ago, we discussed how to get students to realize whether/why they like/are moved by a particular art work. it came up in the discussion that it was a good idea to picture it in your home. what´s your thought on this? 

do you think it serves the purpose to have students think this through their (parents) living room?

Introductions

Hello there

My name is Ragnar Freyr and I'm a graphic designer.

I was wondering if we could get a little introduction thread going on here. Please comment to this post by telling us a little bit about yourself. Just short and sweet. Maybe a link to your website/portfolio as well.

I'll go first: As stated before my name is Ragnar Freyr. I'm a graphic designer by profession and run my own little studio. I'm a procrastinating productivity enthusiast, love books, music and mythology. I'm married to a product designer and have a little pug princess.

My website can be found at: www.ragnarfreyr.com

Iceland Students

Hello everyone. I wanted to ask you how the current state of the country effects your ability to focus on art or life in general, and does it make it harder to be creative?

TOO ALL STUDENTS

THis week please respond to a POST in the COMMENTS SECTION to a post in the BOTTOM RIGHT corner.  If you are posting a NEW QUESTION use the button saying NEW POST at the TOP RIGHT,  Have fun, I love reading you Q & A's hope you are too!  HAPPY WEEK ! Heidi  

question for Icelandic student...

How do you fine the general attitude that your students have towards the arts? Are they intimidated, excited, apathetic? Does there seem to be a large art enthusiast-base in the community you teach in?

a typical school day...

My day at school starts at 9 am but only 3 days a week. No school on mondays and tuesdays. That would not be a typical for most people... Usually it´s every weekdays. But we mostly have lectures so there is a lot of sitting and sitting still...a bit difficult :-) therefor I am very happy to have Heidi over here teaching us, she is so lively and we do stuff with her. we get breaks though during the class ours, coffee breaks and lunch. Classes are finished at 2-4 o´clock, so that is pretty much what we do or at least I do.

In the U.S., art is considered an elective, or secondary education. Is it the same in Iceland, or is art a primary subject?

To begin with..

Godan daginn(means good day in icelandic). I have never blogged before so if I am doing something wrong please tell me. My third week at the icelandic academy is almost done and I am excited. Of course everything is a bit too much and it is a bit difficult to get your schedule together, the most difficult part is to fit your old life with the new one. It's hard to be painting and thinking about my own art theses days but hey.....relax Soffia(I am talking to myself now)you will get there. I teach an oil painting course at a private Art School, and just started last night after christmas break. It was great to start and as an inspiration the name of the course is " Home sweet home". The first assignment is to paint an object that you bring to class that represents that phrase to you(favorite coffe cup, walking boot, pyjamas...etc.)and it is supposed to be small. I showed them american painters, Philip's Guston and his wonderful strange colors and funny images and Richard Diebencorn's "Ocean Park" Paintings. The students loved the colors(something we really need up here these days!!)and I am excited to see how they will do this assignment. From there I want them to decide the next assignment based on the first one and what they have done before. My goal is to get each student to do a learning contract(or a statement, we have been learning about that at LHI) with me where they set a goal on what they want to do (concentrate on color, form, drawing, be more creative etc)and we make an agreement on how to get there. I have never done that before so I am excited to see how that will work out. I have had this class with the same people for three years so I know the student's fairly well and therefor I think it is okay to try something new and challenge them and me.

Visual Arts

Is there a focus on any particular medium of the Visual Arts in Iceland? Here, we have such a variety in the Studio Arts that many things fall into this category.

US STUDENTS

PLEASE When you ask questions create a new post, when you respond, respond under the post, not with a new post.

What is a typical school day for you in Iceland?

When You ask Questions please create a NEW POST-top right corner says New Post

Post a question that you have for either a US student or an Icelandic student

Pose a question for another student and then respond to someone else's post.  Think in terms of what you as a student, in-service teacher, or future teacher wants to know about the other's country and how education works.  Let's see what we can get talking about...