October 24, 2023
By MEALAND RAGLAND-HUDGINS
Rutherford County Schools
Shawn Baughman challenged a class of second grade art students at McFadden School of Excellence to use visual evidence to determine which works of art displayed on the screen were paintings or drawings.
The students studied the images and talked amongst themselves. When it was time, they shared their thoughts with classmates.
“A drawing utensil doesn’t make marks like that,” one said.
“The textures look more like paint,” another said.
Some of the works shown included those by Georgia O’Keefe and Jean-Michel Basquiat, but the who wasn’t as important as the how for this particular exercise.
Students are learning how to use textures, tools and various forms of paint and fibers to help better define the outcome of their projects, allowing the students to be artists on their own terms rather than being led step-by-step through recreating a piece.
It’s a method known as Teaching for Artistic Behavior or TAB, which dates back to the 1970s. By contrast, discipline-based art education focuses on art history, aesthetics production and critique.
Baughman, who blends both methods in her teaching, likened TAB to moving to a new area and learning how to get around town.
“A friend of mine moved to another state and she said, ‘I can follow the (GPS) but I can’t get there on my own,’’’ Baughman said. “And that’s when it really, really hit me, that art isn’t about the final product but the process of creating the work.
“We’re trying to prepare them for jobs that don’t exist, but they can still be creative and work toward a certain objective or measurable goal,” she added.
Other schools making the shift to TAB include Rock Springs Elementary, Rockvale Elementary, Siegel Middle and Siegel High.
Baughman still encourages her students to put forth their best efforts to present a complete idea while creating something original with meaning. Once the artworks are finished, Baughman and the students go through a review process that includes highlighting something positive, asking the artist a question about their work and providing a suggestion.
“Just because you make a suggestion doesn’t mean they have to do it,” the teacher said.
By the spring, students will have been exposed to different materials and styles, using what they’ve learned to create a final project for display in McFadden’s year-end art show.
Shifting to the TAB method has been a big adjustment, she said, but worthwhile.
“I feel like I learn so much more about them. They share through art about the places they travel, the teams they like or any kind of experience they’ve had. (The work produced) is more authentic and genuine,” Baughman said.