AGE 9
Physical: increased coordination, pushes physical limits, fatigues easily, numerous injuries, somatic complaints, tension outlets (nail biting, hair twisting, lip pursing)
Social: highly competitive, self-aware, impatient, anxious, aloof, complainer (fairness issues), notices adult inconsistencies and imperfections, critical, moody, individualistic
Language: descriptive, loves vocabulary, enjoys language play, occasional baby-talk re-emersion, use of hyperbole, negatives ("I hate", "I can't", "boring", "yeah, right"), "dirty" jokes, graffiti
Cognitive: industrious, self-critical, use of bigger words, less imaginative, intellectually curious, ability to deal with multiple variables, trouble with abstractions (large numbers, periods of time or space)
IN THE ART CLASSROOM: Students are very self-critical at this time and need the opportunity to work with many others to embrace their own strengths and understand the variety of strengths among their peers. Since students also become highly competitive, it is especially important for the teacher to equally and appropriately give praise to each student. A lesson for students at this age may involve students independently creating a three-dimensional character out of various materials and using its strengths to defeat a problem. Students will break into small groups and write a play using a worksheet to guide them about how their character’s individual strengths help defeat the problem at hand. It’s important to note that students should be encouraged to use new vocabulary words in the play’s dialogue since they enjoy learning bigger words. Students can then use their bodies to act out the actions of their character before translating the actions to their character to embrace the advancements in their physical coordination. This allows students to find independent strengths in their own art and encourages collaborative learning and teamwork among classmates.
Drawings made by nine year old students in free drawing exercises.
AGE 10
Physical: large muscle development, desperately need outdoor time and physical challenge, handwriting often sloppier, snacks and rest periods helpful for growing bodies
Social: fairness issues peak, quick to anger and quick to forgive, generally content, work well in groups, enjoy both family and peers, likes clubs- activities- sports, leaps in moral development (usually truthful), good at solving social issues
Language: good listeners, actively receptive, voracious readers, expressive, talkative, like to explain, cooperative and competitive, friendly, generally happy
Cognitive: memorization productive, increased ability to abstract, likes rules and logic, classification and collections of interest (likes to organize), able to concentrate, good problem solvers, proud of academic products
IN THE ART CLASSROOM: Generally students at this age enjoy the advancements they have made regarding their fine motor skills and need a teachers guidance to help them fulfill their desire to continue to progress. A good activity to encourage the development of fine motor skills is to have students collage an image and use tracing paper to refine their image since students at this age like to be proud of their academic products. The concept of the project would be to college images about a time when you were upset with someone and forgave them to increase their awareness of moral development and success with solving social issues.
Another lesson idea for students at this age is collaborative abstract printmaking using outdoor materials. Since students enjoy working together, have the ability to think more abstractly, and crave outdoor time, this project would allow them to meet all of those needs. Students will be challenged to find objects that are hard to recognize when they see the silhouette of the object held up against the sun. Part one of this project may consist of organizing the materials they gather outside by various categories such as texture, size, location found, color, and facts about the objects found since students at this age enjoy organizing, logic, memorization, and problem solving and generally learn about topics such a geology and land formations in their science class. he teacher to provide equally positive feedback to each student because students are highly competitive, self-critical, notice adult inconsistencies, and complain about fairness issues.
AGE 11
Physical: appetite for food- physical activity- talking, growth spurt for some girls, restlessness, increased frequency of illness, need for more sleep, physical aggression, good fine motor capability
Social: moody, sensitive, oppositional, tests limits, often does best away from home, impulsive, rude, unaware, loves to argue, difficulty with decisions, self-absorbed, extremes of emotion, inclusion/exclusion (height of cliques, seeks to belong)
Language: introduction to cell phones and social media, impulsive (talks before thinking), can be cruel, argumentative, debater, appreciates humor, imitates adult language
Cognitive: prefers new tasks and experiences to reflection or revision of previous work, able to abstract, deductive reasoning advances, can establish and modify rules, develop hypotheses, increased ability to de-center and see the world from various perspectives, loves to argue
IN THE ART CLASSROOM: A possible project may include juxtaposing stereotypes so that students can learn that cliques do not solely define their identity, yet can aid in a sense of belonging. This encourages students to de-center and see the world from various perspectives. Students would use toys to juxtapose the gender or ethnic stereotype that is typically associated with that gender or ethnicity. These toys would then act as game pieces for a board game they create as a class which challenges the others to think about stereotypes that exist. Playing the game reminds those playing to constantly reshape how they see others.
Another topic for a project may include looking at advertisements (some digital and some not) and understanding the target audience as a platform for students to create their own advertisement for that target audience. Students will consider the various perspectives of others and debate whether the advertisements are effective or not. The first part of the project would include students gathering images (some from social media, some from other digital platforms and some that are hard-copies found in their town) and videos (to convert to URL codes) related to the particular target audience select and then collage those elements using new media for the first part of the diptych. For the second part of the project, students would design a product they want to advertise to that audience. They would use a pencil to sketch their advertisement using different types of typography as their fine motor skills advance, and references images they found for the first part of the project to support how they will display their visual information. Finally students would scan their images to be printed and displayed around the school. Having students display their new advertisements in the school emphasizes the importance of art to be shared with others.
Both lessons help students become more aware of the constant input the receive from the world in order to help them respond appropriately with conscious minds. It’s important for the teacher to use the vocabulary while speaking because the students imitate adult language. At this age, students may enjoy listening to music to aid in concentration as well. Creating art and listening to music together can be an emotional outlet for stress.
AGE 12
Physical: high energy, must rest needed, growth spurt, signs of puberty, menstruation for a majority of girls, food is important- especially mid-morning at school, physical education and sports valued
Social: adult personality begins to emerge, more reasonable and tolerant, enthusiastic, uninhibited, will initiate own activity, empathetic, self-aware, insightful, can set realistic goals in the short-term, appears secure, peers more important then teachers
Language: sarcasm emerges, double meaning, word play, jokes of intellectual interest, enjoys conversation with adults and peers, peer "vocabulary" (slang) important
Cognitive: increased ability to abstract in intellectual pursuits, may show emerging ability in a particular skill or content area, can and will see both sides of an argument, high interest in current events- politics- social justice- pop culture- materialism, research and study skills advance with increase of organizational discipline
IN THE ART CLASSROOM: Given the societal influences of gender expectations, it would be helpful for students to create clothing of the modern day that does belong to either gender. Designing clothing meets students desire to take on more complicated visual-motor tasks. Since most of their bodies are going through puberty, they would be able to think about how clothing fits female and male bodies differently as they create clothing that does not adhere to one specific gender. This also provides students with the opportunity to learn life skills such as sewing. Students would also have the opportunity to perform their piece by walking down a runway. Students who are in the audience would write down comments about the piece as the artist wearing their work walks down the runway as a unique method of critique.
AGE 13
Physical: high energy, skin problems emerging, hygiene is a key issue, most girls are at 95% of their mature height, most girls have begun menstruation, a voice change for many boys, boys experience a growth spurt one year later than girls
Social: neatness a key issue with personal appearance (not with personal environment), the mirror is their best friend and worst enemy, often quieter, like to be alone at home, feelings easily hurt and can easily hurt others feelings, mean=scared, touchy, flaring anger, close friendships are important to girls, boys hang in groups, girls more interested in older boys, strong interest in sports for both genders, cells phones- computers- video games- electronic diversions is a major time factor, music becoming a major preoccupation, peer pressure increasing (dress, language, music, in-out, being cool), worries about school work, humor highlighted by growth of sarcasm, horseplay and practical jokes are still high in boys, collections of things (jewelry and make-up)
Language: one word answers to adult questions, minimal feedback, street language/peer language important, extreme language and volume in face of parental involvement, rudeness
Cognitive: withdrawn and sensitive nature is protective of developing self-concept and intellectual ideas that remain not fully formed, abstract reasoning and formal operations begin to be functional, tentative approach to difficult intellectual tasks, not willing to take big learning risks, like to challenge intellectual as well as social authority
IN THE ART CLASSROOM: Many students at this age enjoy solitary activities and are not willing to take big learning risks. In math class, students develop an extensive and sophisticated use of geometric tools such as the compass. It may be helpful to have students learn about one-point perspective to increase their familiarity with tools that help enhance their drawing abilities. Because students are withdrawn and sensitive in order to protect their developing self-concept and feel the stress of peer pressure, the concept of the one-point perspective drawing would consist of them drawing a creative safe space. Students would consider what makes them comfortable and how the architecture of the building would influence the feelings they have when being in that space. Students would have the opportunity to journal about their safe space: why it makes them feel safe, why they might need to go there, who might be there, if anyone. Students would not be required to submit the journaling, but would have the privacy of their minds to explore everything they are going through. They would be able to reflection and establish possible resolutions. Students would later have the opportunity to shred their journaling assignment and sculpt it into one of the items found in their safe space through the use of paper mache. This helps create trust between the teacher and student by giving the student privacy when they don’t feel open to sharing. This project uses materials that aid in boosting students self-concept and conceptually encourages them to explore the people, places, and things that make them feel comfortable.
AGE 14
Physical: high energy, generally healthy age (pushes through illness in desire to participate with peers, loud, alcohol and drugs a major influence on physical well being, full development is nearly complete for girls, growth spurt continues in boys, both become sexually active in increasing percentages, upper body strength begins to develop in boys, high need for physical exercise and snacking
Social: like to do as much as possible (cram as much into the day as they can), more of their own adult personality is evident, often embarrassed to be seen with their parents (critical of parental dress, habits, friends, and ideas), loud, especially don't like or respond well to adult lectures (feel that they know what is going to be said once a few words have been spoken - "know it all stage"), can be a pain at home and a star at school
Language: peer language patterns of paramount importance- but learning to negotiate adult world as well, will engage more in group discussion, interested in the meaning of words (developing a broader vocabulary), loud
Cognitive: more abstract reasoning is evident (especially in regard to cause and effect), more willing to admit an error (revise their work or try something a second or third time), very aware of problems in larger world and generally still invested in finding solutions and participating in learning more, interested in technology and how things work, learn well in cooperative groups, respond well to academic variety and challenge, easily "bored"
IN THE ART CLASSROOM: Since students become very invested in technology at this age and enjoy cooperative learning, having students create their own video game using the program Scratch and using their classmates as support while they tinker to resolve their video game may be a good lesson for these students.
Students at this age also enjoy doing research since they are able to stay focused on a task for long periods of time. Since students are becoming more aware of their emerging adult personality, they may enjoy finding parallels between themselves and other artists. Students could work on a project where they find an artist who has a similar big idea that aligns with their own ideas of themselves to create artwork that is inspired by that artist, yet is not mimicked. Because students can begin to think more abstractly, they should be highly encouraged to create abstract art related to the artist they selected.
Generally, it is important to give students a stretch break in class or prompt activities where the students can sprawl on the floor, because they have high levels of energy, get easily “bored” and respond well to academic variety. Since students are interested in the meaning of words, they should be encouraged to title their pieces and consider large vocabulary words they can use to support the meaning of their piece. Encouraging students to use vocabulary from the lesson in their artist statements will enforce students desire to learn new words. An interdisciplinary foundation for a lesson may be using slam poetry to inspire artwork. This considers students who learn linguistically and are intrapersonal while exploring the value of crossing subject matter for strong cognitive advancements.
Reference: Wood, C. (1997). Yardsticks:Children in the Classroom Ages 4-14. Greenfield, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children.