By Riko Yamamoto
“I am not good at drawing” Some people say that in art subjects. And some people say that teachers should not rate works made by students. Unlike English lessons that we must remember a lot of vocabulary and math lessons that require comprehension, art lessons are very easy because it is a class that relies on our sensibility. Students tend to think that in art classes, they emphasize the skill of drawing and the presence or absence of originality. Thereby some people say that individual’s artistic concept should not be evaluated by others, and that some people are no good at drawing, so it should not be evaluated in art classes. So why is it still being evaluated in art classes? This time I introduce 3 reasons why teachers should give an evaluation in art classes, completeness of the work, knowledge of art, and beauty perspectives.
Giving an evaluation in the art class can improve the perfection of the work that students make. If they are not good at drawing or they who don’t like drawing, they will not try to draw properly when it comes to not evaluated. In a lesson where the students are lazy, there is no reason in giving the lesson. In such a class, students who are not good at drawing and dislike drawing will remain as they are. It is important to give an evaluation in terms of motivating students.
Art classes can be evaluated not only by the works made by the students, but also by the knowledge test. These knowledges are the knowledge about history in art. In other words, by giving an evaluation of art, we can be willing to gain historical knowledge about art. Drawing and making works may have few useful moments in our life, but I think that gaining knowledges about the history of art will bring depth to our future life. When we have to go to a museum for some reason, it is many times more interesting to look at a painting with a historical background than to look at a painting that you don’t understand.
The criteria for art classes are also whether we understand the perspective of beauty, and if we understand them well, the evaluation will be good. For example, being able to understand the properties of shapes, colors, materials, light, and the effects they have on emotions is useful even after graduating from school and becoming a member of society. (About learning evaluation) Evaluations should be made in art classes that encourage people to learn about such emotionally influential beauty perspectives.
Some students say that in art classes, individuality should be valued and teachers should not rate it. Certainly, it is not nice to be given a bad rating for our work. However, in art classes, the degree of perfection of a work is not the only evaluation. As mentioned above, it is also evaluated by the degree of understanding such as historical background and beauty perspectives. Of course, it is evaluated by the degree of perfection of the work, but if we are not good at making it, we can supplement the evaluation by the result of the knowledge test. Isn’t it easier to get a better evaluation than other subjects because I can be evaluated and supplemented from various points of view?
In conclusion, there are many advantages to evaluate in an art class. Art classes have different evaluation perspectives then other classes. Whether it works good or bad depends on the person. However, the ability to create works, the understanding of the history of art, and the perspective of beauty that are cultivated in art classes are very important in future life, and I think that they will be acquired more by being evaluated.
