MAT Art Education Students Host Free Art Classes for the SVA Community
Due to the New York City public school shutdown, and as learning in the age of COVID-19 has shifted online, MAT Art Education students at SVA have switched from student-teaching in public schools to hosting art classes via Zoom for children of SVA faculty and staff. Five of the student-teachers—Amanda Stefanese, Adrianna Molina, La Shel Olivere, Miranda Jang and Natasha Korzeniewski—recently spoke to us about their experiences teaching in this new environment so far.
From left, MAT Art Education students Lizzy London, Natasha Korzeniewski, Erica Koplitz, La Shel Olivere, Miranda Jang, Adrianna Molina and Amanda Stefanese.
As with faculty all over the world, these art education instructors have had to acclimate overnight to online teaching: figuring out how to use Zoom demos and rethinking lesson plans to accommodate the children.
"We try to use the materials we're sure the kids will have at home: paper, magazines, scissors, glue, colored pencils," Jang says. "We've been doing a lot of drawing, coloring and collage."
While a challenge, the experience has been a valuable investment for the future. "This is a whole new realm of teaching I had never thought about until this happened," Olivere says. "Now, if I have to do online teaching or one-on-one tutoring in the future, I will know how to do it and that I can be just as effective."
Jang agrees. "This is another reminder that no matter what, I can keep teaching. There are always going to be students that need to be taught and want to learn something."
The real joy, though, has been watching the children connect. "They all want to talk," Korzeniewski says. "For many of them, it's the first time they've engaged with a teacher since schools shut down." Jang adds that while there was an adjustment period, things are starting to gel now. "The kids got a little more comfortable. They've settled in, and they even talk across the screen to each other. That's amazing to see."
"They are coming out of their shells," Molina says. "We had one student who had her camera off for the first two days, but eventually, she felt comfortable enough to turn it on. Now she talks to us and she's interacting with another student. It's really wonderful to make these connections."
Students show their work for discussion.
Now that the student-teachers are in their third week of online instruction, the reality of the pandemic has come up in class talks. Stefanese said her group is eager to discuss the coronavirus. "At first, I wasn't sure if they should engage in this topic, but you have to remember that these kids are dealing with anxiety about this also," she says. "It makes them feel better to talk about it."
Currently, there are classes for pre-K through 8th grade. Lessons include animation, self-portrait, paper sculpture, and more. "We bring their personalities into it," Olivere says. One week they made mandalas, for which students turned their names or personal traits into geometric forms. "We're doing self-portraits this week, which also involves identity," she says. "We showed them examples from different artists like Frida Kahlo and Henri Matisse to encourage them."
A screenshot of a brainstorming session. Students and teachers alike can work on the same project through Zoom.
Ultimately, the MAT Art Education students say they're grateful for this opportunity and that it has only encouraged them further. "It reminds me why I wanted to become a teacher in the first place," Jang says.
"I'm always in a great mood by the end," Molina says. "It's a great start to the day, and the children also got to learn something."
The MAT Art Education classes for children of SVA faculty and staff will be held from Monday through Thursday, 10:00 to 11:00am, through Thursday, April 30. Find out more information here.
