Why we Should Teach Sculpture.

"As schools (around the world) cut time for the arts, they may be losing their ability to produce not just the artistic creators of the future, but innovative leaders who improve the world they inherit. And by continuing to focus on the arts' dubious links to improved test scores, arts advocates are losing their most powerful weapon: a real grasp of what arts bring to education. It is well established that intelligence and thinking ability are far more complex than what we choose to measure on standardized tests. The high-stakes exams we use in our schools, almost exclusively focused on verbal and quantitative skills, reward children who have a knack for language and math and who can absorb and regurgitate information. They reveal little about a student's intellectual depth or desire to learn, and are poor predictors of eventual success and satisfaction in life…. While students in art classes learn techniques specific to art, such as how to draw, how to mix paint, or how to centre (sic) a pot, they're also taught a remarkable array of mental habits not emphasized elsewhere in school. Such skills include visual-spatial abilities, reflection, self-criticism, and the willingness to experiment and learn from mistakes. All are important to numerous careers, but are widely ignored by today's standardized test. "

- Lois Hetland and Ellen Winner, Studio Thinking, Boston Globe newspaper, September 2007

We are all trying to find ways to further increase the use of higher order thinking skills into our teaching practice. The strategic goals of the school, to which we must link our own individual goals, and lots of the professional development we will be doing this year, emphasis and encourage this. Including sculpture in our visual arts program is one way to incorporate higher order thinking skills easily.

Sculpture makes students think differently to when they are making two dimensional artworks. The students experience a different creative process having to interpret the space differently and think about how their artwork will look from all sides. They have to use different problem solving techniques and use materials that they may not be as familiar with, as they are with pencils, paints and paper. Creating large scale projects where students have to work interdependently encourages team work, co-operation, social skills, negotiation skills and helps students learn how to value others contributions. 

When participating in creative activities like sculpture, students are utilising their higher order thinking skills with sculpture activities fulfilling many, if not all, the ‘Habits of Mind’, they will stretch students thinking through the upper levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Tony Ryan’s ‘Construction’ Thinker’s key could be used to encourage students to explore different materials and the thinking routines from Harvard’s Making Thinking Visible allows students to communicate their thinking through appreciation of sculptures made by artists or by their peers. 

 “The practice of looking at art requires thoughtful attention to what the artworks have to show and say. And works of art connect to viewers’ personal and social lives. Thus looking at art “provides an excellent setting for better thinking, for the cultivation of what might be called the art of intelligence.”

- David Perkins, Senior Co-director of Harvard University’s Project Zero at the 2008 Aspen summit.

Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy	Creating: can the student create new product or point of view?	assemble, Adapt Anticipate Categorize Collaborate Combine Communicate Compare Compile Compose Construct Contrast Create Design Develop Devise Express Facilitate Formulate Generate Incorporate Individualize Initiate Integrate Intervene Invent Make up Model Modify Negotiate Organize Perform Plan Pretend Produce Progress Propose Rearrange Reconstruct Reinforce Reorganize Revise Rewrite Structure Substitute Validate
	Evaluating: can the student justify a stand or decision?	appraise, argue, assess, Compare & Contrast Conclude Criticize Critique. Choose defend, judge, select, support, value, evaluate Decide Interpret Judge Justify Predict Prioritize Prove Rank Rate Reframe Select Support
	Analyzing: can the student distinguish between the different parts?	appraise, criticize, experiment, question, test. Break down Characterize Classify Compare Contrast Correlate Debate Deduce Diagram Differentiate Discriminate Distinguish Examine Focus Illustrate Infer Limit Outline Point out Prioritize Recognize Research Relate Separate Subdivide
	Applying: can the student use the information in a new way?	Act Administer Articulate Assess Change Choose Collect Construct Contribute Control Demonstrate Determine Develop Discover Draw Employ, Establish Extend Illustrate Imitate Implement Include Inform Instruct Operate Paint Participate Predict Prepare Produce Provide Relate Report Schedule Select Show Solve Transfer Use, Utilize, Write

Further resources:-
http://acaptein.wikispaces.com/file/view/Habits+of+Mind+Bootcamp.pdf
http://www.pz.harvard.edu/tc/index.cfm
http://www.wellsville.wnyric.org/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=113536

Belinda