 Over the last week I've run into a few different sweeping judgements of TAB teachers. We're pushy, I read, and aggressive. In the past I would have been upset about these sort of classifications and written an angry response straight away. I didn't. Not even a comment, but I've been thinking about it since and come to some conclusions. What it comes down to is this; TAB represents change and that makes us uncomfortable. TAB, or Teaching for Artistic Behavior, is a philosophy centered around a three sentence curriculum:
These ideas represent a profound change in art education and have been deeply transformative for many TAB teachers. For me, TAB provided the change I needed at a time where I was considering leaving education. I was able to transform my classroom, in a Title 1 school where I had constantly struggled with managing behavior, to a place where all my students were creatively engaged. The issue with TAB teachers is that many of us have seen the other side of art education and rejected it. We've had DBAE classrooms where we planned the work our students would create. Then we experienced the opposite - teaching students to plan and create their own work with their own ideas - and realized that the rest isn't needed and gets in the way of actual art-making. Many feel strongly enough about the experiences we've had to advocate for change in art education from a teacher-centered approach to a student-centered one. As women, which so many teachers are, we were raised to be nice, polite and get along. Strongly advocating for a teaching philosophy, even disagreeing with the pedagogy of others, challenges this expectation. We could call this behavior "aggressive" or "pushy" but also "passionate" or "dedicated". Art education is better when we question how it's taught and debate best practices. We need passionate teachers who deeply believe in what they're doing and who work for change to continue to grow and evolve as a profession, both inside the TAB community and in art education as a whole. If that makes me pushy, I'll take the label.
5 Comments
If one considers that Teaching for Artistic Behavior is an approach to art education formulated and refined not in the halls of academia or corporate board rooms, but in art classrooms by children and teachers where art education in school is practiced and experienced, then TAB is a grassroots art education movement whose time has come.
Sarah Whitney
4/2/2018 06:36:59 am
This is the reason I wanted to come and observe you and Ian my first year teaching in a Public High School. I saw your website and was so excited at what I was seeing and hearing. I knew that I could go into the classroom setting and still bring that curiousity, creativity, problem solving, collaboration and so much more. Not looking at what I thought it should be but what my students would be willing to express if given the freedoms and open ended questions to explore.
Agusta Agustsson
3/31/2018 06:21:12 am
Embracing TAB is transformative. TAB teachers want to share this experience. It was also hard to admit to myself that I could have been a better teacher in the years before I converted. It is easy to see how people can feel I am judgmental when what they are probably experiencing are their own misgivings. Change is scary and uncomfortable.
Clark Fralick
3/31/2018 09:44:33 am
I am so glad you brought this up. I am ecstatic there are passionate teachers who believe in pushing students to their highest potential. The TAB philosophy is not a new one and is a direct response to bureaucrats with no concept of what happens inside a classroom from a grassroots level. If some think we are pushy/aggressive, it’s because we know what happens when children are given agency in school. Is it messy? Yes, Does it promote compliance? Nope! If it is considered rogue because it spits in the face of conventional teaching, why do we have a maker movement, why are experts writing about the need for more choice in the classroom like The Daily Five and other ways to encourage choice.(https://educationcloset.com/2017/09/01/student-choice-manage-classroom/) Anyone who thinks that TAB teachers are pushy or aggressive should step back and reflect as to why these teachers are so fervently expressing their feelings about choice and TAB and think about the reason they’re teaching.
Leslie Gates
4/1/2018 10:59:01 am
You go, girl. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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Mrs. PurteeI'm an high school art teacher who's really interested in student choice and creating opportunities for self expression. I'm also a writer for The Art of Education and co-author of The Open Art Room. Archives
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