I agree wholeheartedly, @Aimee_DeFoe! Especially teaching younger children, the idea of ‘open ended’ can seem like you’re inviting chaos. BUT open-ended challenges can be incredibly rewarding for all involved - ESPECIALLY the teacher!
One thing that I found was most helpful when doing any kind of open-ended activities with my classes was to build up to the open-ended part, and start with slow, careful, framing of what the materials were that we were using, how to use them, etc.
Careful framing enables students to focus completely on each component of the open-ended task, to explore it, to ask questions, and to gain comfort with it. Then, when these components come together in context, it is an exciting and engaging opportunity - not an overwhelming experience where they don’t know where to start.
For instance, if I wanted to do a painting activity with kindergarten, I wouldn’t start with an 8 color palette, multiple brushes, water to clean the brush, and a giant canvas. I would start with 1 medium sized brush and a square of cardstock. Students would feel the brush, test out how they could move it on the paper, think about the kinds of marks it would make with each movement, etc. Then, they’d get 1 color of paint to begin to paint with, and we’d practice how to gently dip the tip of the brush, tap off excess paint, and make a ‘test’ stroke on the paper. We’d do this a few times so kids could see the different kinds of marks they made with more/less paint on the brush.
Then on a new page, we’d set a really simple goal like ‘create a shape’ and leave white space on the paper. (Introducing the open-ended element here, but giving a parameter so kids have a starting point). Then we’d let them dry a little, and add a second shape inside or outside the first. We’d talk about why we might want to fill in a whole paper with paint, and what the pros/cons of that are as things were drying. Giving reasoning for now going crazy and painting without thinking. The purpose of our painting was always to create something thoughtful.
Over time we’d build up to doing things like drawing and painting portraits or doing still life painting - which we were able to do in a comfortable, engaging and open ended way, because there was comfort with how to use the materials, so kids could experiment with how to get a desired effect from a place of knowledge and foundational skill. And they were working intentionally with the materials - to make their ideas come to life.
Infants and Toddlers at Work by Ann Lewin-Benham is a fantastic foundational text about working with young children, and does a great job of outlining framing and how it corresponds to brain development, etc. Even if you’re working with older students, there is MUCH that is transferable - especially when you’re talking about a novel experience or material!
@Anna_Blake and @Omar_Cortez and @Mark_Johnston how have you gotten comfortable with open-ended teaching? You all teach different ages of kids, so I think that would be interesting to see the similarities/differences across the continuum.
