Self Regulation & Personal Wellness: Identity, Connection, & Coping

Cultural Partner: Thea Lanzisero, Artist

School: Oregon Middle School

Summary

Students addressed their social emotional well being and preparedness for coping in addition to assessing their own identity through various thinking, making, experiential, and movement based activities before creating a print series and display book. The prints were based on 4 stencil designs that represent their higher self, self doubts, their most reliable positive coping skill of choice, and how they plan to connect with/to and support others.

Rationale

Students in this class are 8th graders approaching HS. Puberty is on its way or already underway. The experiences of young adulthood that students at this age are currently or can expect to face in their near or distant futures–aside from the positive life experiences that they’ll likely go through–will likely be challenging, de-regulating, uncomfortable, negative, and plain difficult. This project began with teaching students coping skills, both positive and negative, before acting some of the positive coping skills out, and designing their project largely based on what they learned and how they were guided to consider themselves (by making an identity map after watching Inside out 2 and learning/discussing/studying the coping skills). These students will need knowledge of and practice/familiarity with positive and negative coping skills to better prepare and equip them recon with their present, future and past, as well as encouraging and preparing them to look out for and act on supporting others with the same anticipated challenges.

What learning goals/standards did this meet?

Arts:

First, students will be introduced to the topic of coping skills, select which skills are most applicable and palatable to their life/style. Students will be introduced to the practice of yoga and the symbolism of Chakras, and select/identify the areas of their body/their chakras that most apply to their challenges and strengths
1. Respond: Interpret and analyze and evaluate meaning in artistic work through applied criteria and personal perception.
2. Connect: Relate and synthesize knowledge and experience to investigate ways that artistic work is influenced by social, cultural, and historical context and in turn how artistic ideas shape past, present, and future cultures.
Then, students will interpret, analyze, and refine their understanding of the above content, consider their own personal experience, background, and identifiers by making an identity map and designing 4 symbols/stencils that represent themselves: their strengths, and challenges/fears, their chosen coping skill, and the way they plan to connect with/support others.
1. Perform, Present, & Produce: Select, analyze, interpret, develop, and refine artistic work for conveying meaning and sharing with others.
2. Create: Generate, conceptualize, develop, and refine new artistic ideas and work.
3. Respond: Interpret and analyze and evaluate meaning in artistic work through applied criteria and personal perception.
4. Connect: Relate and synthesize knowledge and experience to investigate ways that artistic work is influenced by social, cultural, and historical context and in turn how artistic ideas shape past, present, and future cultures.
Then, students will produce a series of Geli-block prints combining color-fields/color-auras via paint blending on their prints and incorporating their symbols in various compositions. They will edition their print series with titles, and an artist statement.
1. Perform, Present, & Produce: Select, analyze, interpret, develop, and refine artistic work for conveying meaning and sharing with others.
2. Create: Generate, conceptualize, develop, and refine new artistic ideas and work.
3. Respond: Interpret and analyze and evaluate meaning in artistic work through applied criteria and personal perception.
Then, students will complete a presentation/critique and a print-exchange wherein they give themselves and each other reflective commentary, specific & helpful feedback, and artistic analysis, explaining their project and their journey creating it. Students will compile their print series and statements in an accordion style display book.
1. Perform, Present, & Produce: Select, analyze, interpret, develop, and refine artistic work for conveying meaning and sharing with others.
2. Create: Generate, conceptualize, develop, and refine new artistic ideas and work.
3. Respond: Interpret and analyze and evaluate meaning in artistic work through applied criteria and personal perception.

CCCR:

Civic Mindset: Demonstrate understanding of self as part of and responsible to larger social society through democratic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and informed actions for meaningful participation in civic life.‍
College & Career Goals: Identify a specific set of college and career goals with attention to personal, academic, and work preferences.‍
How do we make good use of peer relationships to understand our best selves?
Developmental capacities that we can make use of to grow and focus on sustainable habits/practices
HS credit and art “majors”

CR-S:

Creating a welcoming & Affirming Environment: Encourage students to take academic risks
Fostering high expectations and rigorous instruction
coping skills and meditative art making such as line exercises, nature walks, repetitive, etc
wellness…what is good for me/us/community?
bodies as vessels…we get what we give, choosing to be mindful about our actions

Outcomes

Students’ learning has expanded as a result of this project because now they…

KNOW… the benefits of coping skills and some that they will practice in their future, some students expressed the desire to continue practicing of yoga and becoming aware of symbolic meanings like the ones int the of the chakras, understood how they an use their own symbols to express how they feel and how they can articulate not only their feelings in a creative way but to use creativity as the source of learning to regulate their coping skills and responses to the world. They learned the functions of geli-block printmaking and book-making as a tool of expression and communication.

UNDERSTAND… why coping skills are beneficial and important, how to apply knowledge of yogic symbolism into their own personal symbolism, the printmaking process, and the expressive quality of symbol and gesture as one way to communicate feelings, doubts, dreams and through the whole process ways of communication and responding to each other’s experiences, feelings and preocess of creativity.

ARE ABLE TO DO… make use of coping skills, design chakra/identity stencils, create a series of geli-block prints, and present and articulate their creations and findings. They learned how to give feedback to each other and foster communication skills of multiple levels, through symbols, written word, discussions and artistic creativity.