Workshops at McKinney Art House

Most art teachers remember their good ol' ceramics class in college where they were thrown into a studio and asked to create ten ceramic pieces, on a wheel, that looked exactly the same. That old ceramics class looks quite a bit different from what they are working with now as a teacher. There are no pottery wheels, a limited budget, and yet, students are excited to “play with clay" and the art teacher has to throw together a plan to teach it with minimal resources. Where do they start?

This workshop is designed to look at the ceramic process from start to finish within the classroom. This hands-on professional development will start by looking at the historical, and cross-curricular, aspects of a clay project, as well as how to fulfill the expectations of TEKS and other standards. We will be looking at and creating different lessons that are geared to certain grade levels. We should be able to fit in several reproducible lessons during the professional development timeframe, and we will the delve into the fiery furnace of "The Do’s and Don’ts of the Kiln!!". *To be read with a deep, scary voice*

The second half of the professional development (to take place a week later) will focus on glazing and decorating the ceramic work we created during the first session. This will include easy traditional techniques like glazing, but will also include alternative methods like paints and crayons. We will again get a hands-on experience with the kiln for a second time.

As helpful as the hands-on experience is, what I really hope will be the most beneficial are the tips, tricks, and problem solving that can be of practical use is the classroom. We will discuss tips for preparing lessons, solve storage problems for multi-day projects, discuss alternatives for low budget art programs, and so much more.

This is a 2 day professional development workshop to be held June 7 & 21 from 6-9 pm at the Art House of McKinney (502 N Kentucky St., McKinney, TX 75069). The two weeks in between classes allows the clay to dry and for teachers to be hands-on throughout the whole process. The cost is $100 with all supplies provided. All you need to bring is a ready to learn attitude, and a willingness to get dirty!

To sign up, please email Brandon Howell at bhowell.pottery@gmail.com.