Use Art to Get to Know Learners

NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Nurture a Meaningful Learning Community Course

Research consistently shows that when students have supportive relationships and feel known at school, learning accelerates. Making consistent, strategic efforts to deeply see and know your students will provide a powerful foundation for learning.

Bright Spots

Gain inspiration from authentic examples of this strategy shared by teachers who have used them with their learners.

Creating your own Bright Spots? Let’s get them out into the world! Share yours here.

Asset-Based Self-Portaits

Source: Ms. Vuong-Dac on Twitter

Provide students a silhouette of a face or have them draw a self-portrait and fill it with attributes that describe their best qualities.

Who I am Flowers

Students in Kindergarten Spanish class described themselves in Spanish and drew pictures to create a flower that represented who they are.

QR Code Videos

Have students create videos sharing about themselves and then create QR codes to display in the hallways for all community members to learn about each other.

I am Posters

Students in a 5th grade Spanish class wrote on white boards words to describe themselves. The poster in the middle says “I know who I am and I am full of possibilities”.

Where I’m from poems

Source: Iliana Sucre on Twitter

Poetry is another form of art. Consider showing Willow Smith’s “I am Me” music video to spark student thinking for their “I am” or “Where I’m From” poems.

Identity Boxes

Personalized Boxes

Kindergarten students at Design 39 Campus share who they are on cardboard boxes that are hung from the ceiling to display who students are.

Related Learner-Centered Content