Teaching Teachers to Color Outside of Lines: Utilizing Illustration in Arts-Integrated Instruction

This year, I led my first Professional Development (AXIS) small learning group series titled “Illumination Through Illustration”. The series focuses on teachers learning different ways to utilize illustration in arts-integrated lessons for their classrooms. 

The first small learning group focused on how to use illustration to teach Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and conflict resolution skills. To do so, we began by making Emotion Wheels. Then, we used the emotions listed on our Emotion Wheels to fill out Emotion Hearts as a daily check-in. Next, in partners, we discussed times in our life where we faced conflict. Finally, we illustrated those times of conflict as a way to better break down and evaluate the situations. By bettering their ability to identify and articulate their emotions, as well as illustrating methods of conflict resolution, teachers are more able to facilitate emotionally cognizant learning spaces. 

The second small learning group pertained to telling stories through single or multi-panel illustrations. In one lesson example, teachers created book covers related to an aspect of our life stories. This could be a portrait, a house, an object- anything that could be representative of the groups’ lives. In another lesson, we went over how thumbnail drawings can be used as rough drafts by making a series of quick sketches of a Mardi Gras Float House.

The varying designs of the Float sketches exemplified problem-solving in a limited time frame. In the final lesson, we told stories of a person that we deemed “famous” through our drawings. This activity showed how to convey a cohesive narrative in chronological order. 

Overall, “Illumination Through Illustration” provided a myriad of perspectives on how to incorporate illustration into an arts-integrated classroom. Such resulted in several teachers responding with how they would use them in their classes- so all in all, A BIG SUCCESS!