Aoe Live

Check out AOE Live's final episode as the guys talk to Laura Lohman, elementary teacher and author of the incredibly popular Painted Paper blog. She was able to give us some great ideas for diving into paint with your kids, some insight into the inner workings behind her blog, and why she loves to share what she does with art teachers around the world.

Andrew and Tim had a chance to chat with Bob Reeker, the Coordinator of the NAEA 2016 National Convention in Chicago. The talk covered all things related to the convention, the role of NAEA in art teachers' lives, and why professionalism and positivity are of the utmost importance.

Addie Hirschten stopped by to talk about the role of storytelling and making meaning in art. Storytelling is a great tool for artists, teachers, and students alike. Addie is the author of the book “The Alchemy of Art” which compiles fifty folktales throughout history and cultures to detail the creative process. Addie weaves themes and stories together to show how humans have always been using stories to teach ourselves how to build empathy, persevere, be patient, tolerant, and find inspiration.  Check out this podcast and the book (Addie’s website azhirfineart.com). We think you’ll really enjoy it!

Laura and Matt Grundler of "Team Grundler" fame stopped by to talk about their incredible Twitter chat #K12artchat which you can check out every Thursday at 8:30.  We discussed why art teachers should be interested in building an online presence, and how to create and make meaningful connections with a PLN or Professional Learning Network.  We heard the story of how a little idea for an online chat has turned into vital professional development for art teachers around the world.

Art teaching superstar Nic Hahn, an elementary teacher from Minnesota, stopped by the show to offer up her expertise on a variety of subjects. Tim and Andrew talked to her about artist trading card swaps, her Mini Matisse blog, and the idea of social media as professional development. Most importantly, the three of them dove into how the little things we do as teachers can have a big impact and create even bigger connections to the world around us.

Sarah Dougherty, Visual Arts Curriculum Coordinator and Turnaround Arts Program Coordinator for the Des Moines Public Schools, dropped in for a chat. She was able to share her expertise on all things grading and assessment, and how we can work toward "Taming the Grading Game". The guys talked to her about also ask her about the Turnaround Arts Initiative, Arts Integration, and why we should never grade behaviors.

Cindy  Foley joins the show to talk about the upcoming creative revolution and how and why art teachers should be at the forefront of this shift.  Cindy is the Executive Assistant Director and Director of Learning and Experience at the Columbus Museum of Art. You may know her from keynoting the AOE Summer Conference or her fantastic TED talk entitled “Teaching Art or Teaching to Think Like an Artist?” Some big takeaways from this episode go back to the three big tenets Cindy laid out in her TED talk on how to get students thinking more like an artist and not just going through the prescriptive motions of an art program. Being comfortable with ambiguity, learning how to generate ideas, and delving into trans-disciplinary research… research that truly serves student curiosity. 

Learn some great back to school strategies with the one and only Janine Campbell.  Janine is a fantastic middle school art teacher in Michigan and a big proponent of TAB and CBAE. She's heavily involved with the Scholastic Arts competition and has presented widely at the state and national conventions.  Learn how Janine taps into what she calls the “avoiding the car accident” and how she gets her kids into something fun and messy like clay on the very first day of school.   Many teachers think they have to set the right environment and get everyone on the "same page" that first day.  So ditch the boring old syllabus and rules talk and don’t let your class fall into the same old "sit and get" first day.  

An oldie, but a goodie! We look back at Andrew and Tim's debut AOE Live Podcast where they on take on the subject of classroom management. Special guest Alecia Eggers, elementary teacher, organization extraordinaire, and writer with The Art of Education joins the guys for an in-depth conversation on keeping a positive environment, tips and tricks for classroom management, and how you deal with your worst students. And what does Andrew mean when he says “Kids don’t do ‘nothing’ well?”

Join Tim and Andrew as they talk with Joy Schultz about all the fantastic work she does with her high school student inside and outside of school. Joy is a fantastic champion and model teacher who uses service learning to provide truly empowering and creative avenues for her students to change the world.  Her creative approach to art education naturally lends itself to effective arts advocacy as she was doing all those educational initiatives like STEAM, Design Thinking, service learning, entrepreneurship before they were buzz words.  Joy talks about how she finds the energy to do it all while keeping her passion and fire for art education burning strong.  

Ian Sands stops by to kick off his AOE farwell tour!  Ian is a long time contributer to AOE by way of North Carolina and has become a huge champion for Choice Based Art Education and TAB at the secondary level.  He'll be sorely missed at AOE.  Tim and Andrew get one last chance to talk Zonkeys, opening up your classroom and your teaching style to choice to empower students to make authentic art.  Ian shares his vision for the future of art education covering how space could be better utilized to spur authentic creation, new media in the artroom, and the possible stumbling block of SLO's and standardized assessments. Listen in as Ian pounders the slight, yet profound difference between getting great results from your students or your students get great results.  While this sounds a bit confusing... that's a whole different way of looking at art education. 

Join Tim and Andrew as they sit down and talk STEAM education with Cassidy Reinken.  Cassidy is a former middle school and elementary art teacher.  She’s also written and taught for the Art of Education before transitioning to be the new STEAM Magnet Coordinator for Johnson STEAM Academy Magnet School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  You’ll see what we all can learn from a STEAM magnet model (regardless of how invested we are in STEAM education).  As Cassidy points out, the Arts is the glue that makes STEM work.  See how this new hybrid school aims to revitalize not just the school district, but the larger community through arts integration.  Finally, learn some tips on how to build buy in while aligning curriculum vertically and horizontally. We know you’ll love this one.  

Join Tim and Andrew as they sit down with Art of Education founder Jessica Balsley and discuss how to find that sweet spot at home and at work. They discuss the myth of the work/life balance, why multi-tasking is overrated, and how to let positivity drive your teaching.  Learn how to get the most out of teaching and life with some simple tips like "layering" and using the idea of an “ideal day" to strive towards excellence.  This episode is filled with so much great advice from Jessica's years of teaching and being an entrepreneur. You'll walk away from this episode rejuvenated and ready to find you own sweet spot of success, productivity, and balance!

 Learn some incredibly helpful tricks for getting your students to put on and promote their very own art show.  Join the guys and their guest Kristin Stephens, a secondary parochial art teacher from the Washington D.C. area, as they discuss the three strategies for launching an effective student-run art show. Just imagine, you’ll have enough energy left over the night of the opening… you might actually be able to  sit back and enjoy the process!  Kristin walks us through how she starts planning months in advance, gets student committees responsible for the majority of the work, and then delegates like a boss to execute the whole big thematic art show. You'll especially enjoy seeing how this process ties in with the new NCCAS.  Tons of great tips in this one!  Get into it!  

Ted Edinger of "Art With Mr. E" fame stops by to talk about all things art teaching; student teachers, developing your strengths as a teacher and improving upon your weaknesses. His insight into these three keys of teaching will make this episode a must-listen! We had a few audio issues with this episode, but stick around until the end to find out why Ted is Andrew's new hero.  

Art Teacher, Blogger, and Fashion Inspiration Cassie Stephens stops in to AOE LIVE to talk about her fashion creations, her teaching style, her passions, and how to remain authentic as teachers as we tell the stories of how we came to be where we are today.  The conversation ranges from accountability, passion, bedazzled khakis, and Elvis Cats!  

Andrew and Tim discuss why art is the most important class with The Artistic Edge’s very own Lisa Phillips.  Lisa is an author, speaker, mentor, and business owner.  Her passion for helping young people achieve success in all aspects of their lives inspired Lisa to publish The Artistic Edge: 7 Skills Children Need to Succeed in an Increasingly Right Brain World. Check out the conversation as it covers how the arts instills leadership skills and gives students an edge in ever-changing world.  Find out some tips for not only building an art program the debliberlaly teaches such skills, but also discover some ways to promote such a program!  Explore more great links for all things promotion at The Art of Education’s website http://www.theartofed.com/ and The Artistic Edge http://theartisticedge.ca/

Andrew and Tim dig in deep with Wisconsin Art Education Association and NAEA Elemntary Division Director Elect, Jen Dahl to discuss all things inspiration. Join their in-depth converstation on inspiration for new lessons, inspiration for overall teaching style, and on finding that inspiration to endure and evolve in the classroom. Listen closely to see why Jen has such an infatuation with Kenny Rogers and "The Gambler."

Andrew and Tim debut the AOE Live Podcast and take on the subject of classroom management. Special guest Alecia Eggers, elementary teacher, organization extraordinaire, and writer with The Art of Education joins the guys for an in-depth conversation on keeping a positive environment, tips and tricks for classroom management, and how you deal with your worst students. And what does Andrew mean when he says “Kids don’t do ‘nothing’ well?”