Choice Without Chaos

What is your goal as an art teacher? Do you want to help build students who know how to be self-directed, find joy in their work, and are able to recognize emerging possibilities in all kinds of situations?

Teaching with choice is in the best interest of students. It not only respects them as learners, but it also helps them to develop traits we value in adults; creativity, perseverance, flexibility, self-expression, and diligence. An art class built around choice is the perfect place to develop skills for an ambiguous and ever-changing world. Rather than follow a teacher’s “recipe” for artwork that is supposed to look a certain way, students test their own hypotheses. “What happens if I press hard? How many different colors can I make using blue? Is there a way to make this move?” As a result, they understand why they are doing what they are doing and engage much more deeply with their learning.

Through text, photos, and links to movies of the classroom in action, this book will help you understand how to lay the foundation for successfully teaching with choice.