Have you heard this reason for using product art? I heard it all the time in the teacher-directed program I used to work in: “Art is such a great way to teach children to follow directions!”.
But is it? Do children need art to learn to follow directions?
Consider taking this challenge: The next time you are with your class, grab a notebook and pencil and make a tally mark each time you give the children a direction. My guess it that they’ll have no shortage of opportunities to follow directions!
Planning art around the idea that it will be a covert way to teach direction following means that the children will no longer be given the opportunity for creative expression…which in essence means it’s not really art. There are way too many benefits to process art to cut it out of the curriculum in the name of teaching direction following.
I have found that the more freedom I can give my students to make choices in their art, the happier they are to follow a direction when it is given. It seems counterintuitive, especially in a culture where control of a classroom is seen as a sign of a good teacher, but the peace and harmony in my art center–even when it appears from the outside to be messy and chaotic–is night and day different from the days when every child was given the same kit of pieces and told exactly how to assemble them to make near-identical finished products. The pride a child feels at being trusted to squeeze out their own paint and mix colors as they see fit is worth every missed opportunity to follow a direction!