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In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of integrating art and design into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. While STEM subjects are vital for fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills, incorporating choice-based art education within a STEM program can bring a new dimension of creativity, innovation, and personal expression to students' learning experiences. Choice-based art education allows students to explore various artistic mediums, techniques, and styles based on their interests and personal preferences. Choice-based art educators are apt with the experience of facilitating student-directed environments. They understand how to manage a creative space, utilize technology, scaffold material choices, apply the creative or design process, and foster soft skills. Facilitating a choice-based art classroom, for almost 10 years, has been an invaluable experience in blending choice philosophy and structures with my (Jessi) STEM program.  Jessi's Creative Space Environment and Material Structures One significant advantage lies in my extensive experience in designing and managing studio environments. Drawing from my background in Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB; Douglas & Jaquith, 2018) and early childhood education, I have a deep understanding of the most effective techniques for organizing space to nurture student independence. These same practices should be reflected in a maker space or STEM instruction. TAB and early childhood spaces are generally organized by subject or media. Each space utilizes transparent containers for items with clearly labeled contents. These visual cues, combining pictures and words, empower students to easily find what they need. This approach gives students a sense of ownership and fosters their responsibility for maintaining the space.  Middle school rubber band car challenge. Instruction & Approach My school is a recently established k-8 institute with an array of students all with different backgrounds and experiences in art. I quickly learned that I had to [re]design my instruction to fit my new school community, especially to align with the engineering and STEM concepts and curriculum. As a starting point, I [re]developed my choice-based art lessons to hone in on STEM and engineering skills. My vast understanding of how to scaffold skills with materials has been a great advantage in developing STEM lessons for students. One example is how I use TAB skill builders as an opener for a STEM challenge. Nevertheless, it is a process. the blending of choice-based art education with a STEM program creates a dynamic and well-rounded learning environment for students.  Jessi's Creative Space Design & Creative Process Honoring and teaching students a process is vital to STEM and choice-based classrooms. My whole school follows an engineering process that is integrated into all subjects. This process comes from Project Lead the Way which is very similar to the creative or artistic process. In my past experiences, I created units of learning for my TAB classroom that followed the artistic process. I believe deeply in teaching students a method or system, especially in a student-directed setting because it guides and sustains student-directed learning. If students are expected to be independent and solve problems, it is the teacher's responsibility to provide tools for them to be successful. I learned that I can apply this ideology to STEM and engineering classes. Soft Skills This integration enriches the learning experience and nurtures skills such as empathy, adaptability, and collaboration—essential qualities for success in artistic and scientific fields. All of my lessons are centered around developing “soft skills.” “Soft skills” are described as a set of personal abilities required at all jobs. These are the skills that employers highlight like collaboration, communication, and time management. I believe that“soft skills” should be [re]named to “essential skills.” These are the skills that all teachers should be nurturing in their classrooms. The intersection of art and STEM accentuates the prominence of these skills. My students have to utilize teamwork and communication throughout every lesson, underscoring their significance. In conclusion, the blending of choice-based art education with a STEM program creates a dynamic and well-rounded learning environment for students. By embracing creativity, personal expression, and interdisciplinary connections, this approach equips learners with a diverse set of skills necessary for success in the modern world. The integration of art and design principles within STEM education empowers students to think critically, collaborate effectively, and innovate in ways that will shape the future. As educators, we have the opportunity to harness the synergies between these disciplines and unlock the full potential of our students by embracing a choice-based art education approach within the STEM curriculum.
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 Have you ever noticed your energy dips during the 3rd quarter? I (Roni) have. It’s about the 3rd Quarter where kids get squirrely. Right after the holiday the weather is gray and so is the skip in your/my step, the students… are…dragging. It’s about all you can do to look ahead to Spring Break but in between you have testing and your 8th graders have gone nuts. I teach Preschool through 8th grade, so I run the gamut of children's behaviors and see kiddos who can’t wait to get back to me and some who put their head down on the table and can’t wake up. What’s an art teacher to do?
I want THEM to have the ideas, the choices and experiences. PLAY for me is the answer. PLAY BASED LEARNING IS MY ANSWER: I dive deeper into play and community when I want to give up on the sound in the art room, endless questions and a reliance on me that I work and model hard to teach out of my students. I want THEM to have the ideas, the choices and experiences. PLAY for me is the answer. Play has been said to be the work of children by both Maria Montessori and Jean Piaget. I say, it is the work of adults as well. I created the Collaborative Cup Challenge to engage and get my students (and myself) back on track. I originally developed this for a class of kids who had a hard time working together respectfully. This community based challenge is what I need to remind me what I love about teaching. The relationship building, the collaboration of ideas, the laughter as well as working through a problem and compromising and then having the AHA! MOMENT…look what we created together that was not here minutes ago?! That is the magic for me and the laughter is icing.Try this challenge to foster independent as well as collaborative thinking and get yourself and your class back on track.
Steps: 1- Prepare cups with rules on the cup. We are fostering their autonomy and we want them to figure this out. One cup for each table of 4 students. 2- Sit four students at a table. (Want to add in a bit of Social Emotional Learning?) Put two students who have a difficult time working together and you will see some amazing relationship skills emerge. 3-Every student should ideally have their own roll of tape. 4-Tell students that they are to collaboratively build one object together. They can discuss what they are building, build it in parts together BUT there will be one abstract sculpture or concrete on their black paper at the end of 15 minutes. 5-Create a sculpture garden! On an index card fold over as a tent :students will name their sculpture, add their names and place on black paper. Walk around view and hold a reflection/critique;take photos. “This is crazy fun!”~ 6th grade review, with all students begging for more time, laughing, talking, and cheering one another on. I give them 30 minutes more. The collaboration and teamwork was palpably
[re]Imagine your 3rd Quarter...
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