Texas Trends in Art Education, Volume 3, Number 1, Fall 1985 Page: 44
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that are known to make positive contributions to good discipline. He
shows teachers how to build systems of discipline that match the
needs and personalities of students, and at the same time are com-
patible with their own needs.
Discipline is not an easy task for teachers. It is difficult to
implement and maintain at an optimal level. Charles attributes diffi-
culty in discipline to four basic factors of human nature: the fact that
we resist doing what others try to make us do; the fact that it's
fashionable to denigrate authority; the fact that each student has
different needs, values, interests and abilities; and the fact that stu-
dents must undergo psychological weaning from adults.
Fortunately, teachers know a good deal about student's traits,
interests, and abilities. This knowledge helps teachers control and
channel student behavior. Teachers also have on their side the fact
that parents and students alike want good discipline and consider it
necessary for learning. Charles believes that as a whole, students
need and want order and justice and security found in discipline.
Students are social beings that want to belong. Tell them what be-
havior is tolerated and what is not. Remember that cultural differ-
ences call for different forms of discipline. Understand that group
/44 behavior creates conditions that cause students to behave in certain
ways that win them acceptance into the group, and that individual
behavior affects the group. Also keep in mind that students admire
teachers who hold high standards and enforce them humanely, fairly,
and consistently.
According to Charles, teachers must never lose sight of the fact
that students are basically good and most disciplinary problems are
just lapses in self-control found even in the best students. Teachers
need to set down the rules and then be consistent. Several methods
suggest posting rules the first day of class and then referring to
them when discipline calls for it. The overriding theme is to avoid
"overkill". Use the least amount of discipline but use what is neces-
sary and never give up. "Total discipline" is Charles' term for his
three-pronged approach that stresses equally necessity of preven-
tive, supportive and corrective discipline. He concludes his argument
by demonstrating how models and the supplement work together for
a preventive-corrective continuum.
Used as an overview to different discipline approaches or as an
introduction text for undergraduates and education majors, Charles'
book offers useful and practical alternatives and recipes. Building
Classroom Discipline combines informative descriptions with focused
prescriptions that enable the educator to re-evaluate his methods of
maintaining discipline in the classroom. Teachers should never be
reluctant to discipline. It is the key to learning, sanity and joy in the
classroom.
Barnet, S. (1981). Writing about art, Boston: Little Brown & Co.,
144 pp. ISBN 0-316-08214-7.
The first two chapters of Sylvan Barnet's Writing About Art center
on why students should write about art and the analytical thinking
that goes into writing about what they see. The rest of his book
serves as a good, solid guide on how to research and write a paper
for college level credit. Chapters three through eight of Writing
About Art should be xeroxed and handed out to every college stu-
dent at registration.
Barnet's book is a highly specialized study of the essence of
what students see in the art they view. Barnet presents written art
analysis as a way to educate both the writer and the reader. Seeing
art and writing about it are worlds apart and yet they are inseparable
because a student must be able to put down on paper what he or she
sees or the meaning of art can't be conveved.
In order to convey the meaning of art in written form, Barnetfirst distinguishes between subject matter, content and style. Sub-
ject matter is simply the topic being portrayed. Content is the style
or form, the meaning being portrayed in a work of art. Style is the
ability to tell the difference between a Van Gogh and a Norman
Rockwell painting. Style is revealed in form which an artist creates
by applying certain techniques to certain materials to get a particular
vision. Style is linked directly to a given period.
Through formal analysis of the content and style, students can
begin to write about the thoughts and attitudes of artists and so-
cieties that produce certain images. Formal analysis then, is an
analysis of the form the artist produces, made up of line, shape,
color and texture. These give the stone or canvas its form, expres-
sion, content and meaning. Formal analysis is not description. De-
scription tells us such things as the head faces front, the right arm is
missing, and so forth. Likewise, formal analysis is not interpretation.
Interpretation trys to answer the question of what the work means.
Comparison of art objects involves analysis. This means giving
resemblances to and differences from other things as opposed to
contrasting which emphasizes differences rather than similarities.
Barnet outlines ways of organizing comparisons. He recommends
students organize their thoughts along the lines of a general intro-
duction of two 'objects X & Y, show the similarities between X & Y,
and then show the differences between X & Y.
Barnet suggests looking at the work or works carefully, choos-
ing a worthwhile subject, and narrowing the topic. Keep looking at
the art being written about. Ask questions about the art to help
stimulate understanding and responses. For example, "What is this
doing?" "Why is this figure here and not there? Why is the work in
bronze and not marble?"
Once the art has been carefully studied, he suggests using
three-by-five cards to jot down thoughts and notes. The cards can be
sorted and grouped to organize thoughts before actual writing
begins.
Then the hard part starts. An art analysis should first state the
problem, then go into objective discussion, and finally, give a general
interpretation and evaluation. This organization helps the reader see
the evidence in the argument being made.
Barnet explains principles of writing style and says the best
way to learn to write is to do it. He discusses denotation, (using the
right word to convey the right meaning), connotation, (words with
the right implication), and concreteness (say what you really mean,
don't mince words). He emphasizes economy in writing by using the
least words possible. Something is wrong with a sentence if words
can be deleted without losing the sentence content.
Barnet refreshes the memory on basic manuscript form.
"Write on one side of the paper only," "Put your name and class or
course number in the upper right-hand corner of the first page," and
"Use 8 1/2-by-11-inch paper of good weight," all basic but necessary
criteria for good clean manuscripts. He covers the use of quotation
marks, acknowledging sources, and preparing footnotes and en-
dnotes and he includes examples that show the format for each. Do's
and don'ts are presented for the apostrophe, capitalization, the dash,
the hyphen, and sexist language.
A research paper is largely personal because the author uses
his or her own judgement to evaluate the evidence and decide what
is relevant and worth using. Research material is divided into two
sorts; primary and secondary. Primary materials are the subject of
study. Secondary materials are critical and historical accounts of
primary materials. Barnet tells how to find material in the library
and talks about the card catalogue, Encyclopedias and Book Re-
views. He then tells how to use the information obtained from these
sources. Indices are covered, showing these to be valuable re-
sources that will save time and frustration. He even gives sugges-
tions for taking notes such as using four-by-six-inch cards and
writing summaries instead of paraphrasing to avoid plagerism.
Writing about art is often an afterthought for busy art teachers.
Writing About Art by Barnet is specifically designed for educators
who commission art and who are responsible for seeing that stu-
dents understand what they see. It is also an excellent reference
book on how to go about researching a subject and writing a top-
notch research paper. For art educators who assign art researchTRENDS / fall 1985
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Texas Art Education Association. Texas Trends in Art Education, Volume 3, Number 1, Fall 1985, periodical, Autumn 1985; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth279681/m1/46/?q=architectural+drawings: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Art Education Association.