What is an Enduring Idea?

As I contemplate the second half of both my school year and the second half of my UF experience both of which are NOW upon me, I have to ask myself some enduring questions about how to shape and form the way I interact with my student and how they receive instruction and what enduring ideas do I see for them.

Enduring ideas are designed to open up discussions and create a balance of student ideas and interest across the art curriculum, so that the artwork considered as a catalyst to explore ideas for further meaning (Stewart, M. & Walker, S., 2005). When there is a shift from a dominate discipline based orientation to a focus on real-life issues, students have a buy-in to why they are learning what they are learning. Enduring ideas may be one-word statements or an elaborate phrase. There must be a connection to what the students are familiar with and are able to comprehend in multiple context and experiences. In developing my own curriculum I found it beneficial that Stewart and Walker (2005) broke down criteria for generating curriculum: (1) student interests and needs, (2) artistic understandings and processes, and (3) contemporary culture. These three components allow for a more directed formal instruction with student interest being the focal point of the lesson to promote discussion and exploration of ideas. Having this understanding will promote individual approaches to artwork. In the past I would present a standard and the students would model after me. They may have understood the concept, however they didn’t comprehend it in a way to apply it outside of the art room. At the end of the lesson I would have 25 versions of the same things which is not a meaningful lesson. With a proper enduring idea, students can personalize their work and make applicable life lessons to their thoughts and inkling.