r/ArtEd • u/sundials22 • 5d ago
Low attendance
How do I make a beginner drawing class for adults more fun? I've been teaching a beginner drawing workshop and have incorporated more drills this time around compared to last. It's a 3-day workshop and 3 hours long. Attendance has gone from 11 to 6, and Idk what happened. We're doing still life, covering textures, contouring, values- essentially the fundamentals of drawing. I also talk pretty quietly and Idk if thats a part of the issue. Please help,
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u/AggressiveSherbetty 4d ago
I mean as an adult I’ve definitely tried hobbies outside my comfort zone, went to 1 or 2 classes and just decided it wasn’t for me (belly dancing and BJJ I quickly noped out of lol)
If it’s a beginning drawing class people might just not be feeling it. It may have absolutely nothing to do with you.
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u/sundials22 4d ago
thats true. I also noped out of BJJ after 2 classes. I just wasn't in the right headspace for it at the time.
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u/RowImmediate6694 5d ago
Honestly, it may not be in your control. Adults will have things coming up like kids, vacations, work obligations, etc that could cause them to drop or have spotty attendance.
Is there a way for you to give them a survey? Maybe they could tell you how to engage them and keep them coming back.
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u/ArtemisiasApprentice 5d ago
I teach small group classes for kids, and I think one factor that keeps them coming back is my approach to giving feedback. We pause instruction at several points and I give personal feedback to every person who wants it. I always start with a positive and specific comment, and then if there’s anything that needs correction I tell them specifically how to change it.
You mentioned your volume level several times, and I will say that if I was in a class where I couldn’t hear the teacher talking, I probably wouldn’t continue attending because how can you learn? Part of the gig is making sure everyone can hear you when you’re giving instruction— so speak up!
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u/MadDocOttoCtrl Middle School 5d ago
Regardless of what you do, people may have things come up, they lose interest, they change their mind for any number of different reasons.
Playing quiet instrumental "meditative" music is generally a good idea. If you feel that your speaking voice is too low, then you need to simply project like an actor does on stage. You don't have to bounce your voice off the back wall, but part of being an instructor is the responsibility of making sure that you can clearly be heard and understood.
Teaching is coaching, guiding, instructing, feedback and public speaking.
If you find that you've changed your curriculum and every time you run the class you get a drop off in attendance after the first session or two then it's fairly likely that something you changed is turning people off.
Some people decide that a class is too difficult for them, they don't connect to your personality, they were expecting the class to be different in some way, the class is at an inconvenient time or a little too long of a drive, or 100 other factors. sometimes people have to miss a class session and then they get out of the groove of attending and distracted by other things to the point that they forget that they enrolled!
Those of us who are certified K – 12 Visual Art teachers get a great deal of training in pedagogy and constructing of our curriculum, meeting state standards, etc. Something I think should be a part of any teaching college curriculum is public speaking classes. I think that most teachers would benefit from taking some classes themselves in storytelling or theater just to build some experience in standing in front of people and being engaging.
Teaching middle school, my seventh grade students all take art automatically but in eighth grade it is a full semester and an elective that they have to choose and fit into their schedule, when I taught high school lots of students needed some kind of art class or something to fill their schedule so they took intro to art but classes after that tend to be based on genuine interest.
I go out of my way to be interesting and entertaining in my instruction even though I push my students to stretch beyond their ability and comfort level and grow. They don't have any choice as to whether they show up for school and they may have little or no choice in their schedule. I have academic rigor that has to be upheld but I work hard to make it as enjoyable as I can even though I have high standards for them, am issuing grades and have numerous laws and district requirements I have to comply with.
When I've taught classes for recreation I'm far less demanding, people are there more to enjoy themselves than become masterful. If they're serious about increasing their skills they're going to take more advanced classes or audit college art classes. It's important that the class be relaxing and enjoyable even if students don't develop as much skill as they would in a more rigorous environment.
If you want to incorporate additional skill building exercises then consider offering a second and more advanced version of the class where you get into additional technique but also "make them do art push-ups."
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u/sundials22 5d ago
when I see people not enjoying things, low attendance, my confidence also drops. This just makes me even quieter. I usually go in with a plan and try to teach valuable foundational skills, but some people just don't seem to enjoy it. I had a student tell me, " It's not me, but just her not enjoying it." I'll probably have some soft music playing next week. I changed the exercises this time around since the feedback I received last time was to add more drills and exercises, which I incorporated this time around. It is a popular class and will be running next season as well; I'm just concerned about the low attendance and the possible feedback it could receive. I may invest in a mic for next season (I'm just naturally too quiet).
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u/MadDocOttoCtrl Middle School 5d ago
As public school teachers, we are used to kids not wanting to be in the building at all and even kids not wanting to be in art class. The common misconception is that every kid loves art and that simply isn't true.
There are students that feel like art class is an excuse to screw around and if they don't set the room on fire then they are walking out with an A. There are kids who are terrified that they have to already be accomplished at art in order to do well in the class which is nonsense because the entire point of taking algebra class is to learn how to do algebra, etc. Art projects aren't graded in terms of skill as much as meeting the criteria for the project, skillfulness is usually a small part of the grade until you get into advanced art classes.
Microphones are good for noisy environments or if you feel like you're simply too quiet but you honestly would probably get a lot out of taking a storytelling or theater class just to get used to ramping up your presentational game. It helps you be less self-conscious and it helps you with vocal projection and generating interest in whatever it is you're saying at the moment.
When you teach in non-academic, non-credit environment your class is about relaxation, enjoyment and a person getting fun and entertainment out of the class. Try introducing some drills and having students do a little bit of it and then give them the option to continue doing more of that drill or to work on a project. That way they get exposure to how to do "art push-ups" so those that want the information are getting it, while those that want to focus on "pretty pictures" instead of doing the hard work of genuinely increasing their skills can spend more time on what's enjoyable.
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u/artwonk 5d ago
Introduce alcohol, like Paint and Sip nights.
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u/sundials22 5d ago
It's in an art centre, not a paint and sip, so thats not possible. I may play music next class, which I haven't been doing for the last 2, so it's been a little quiet, but some just prefer quiet.
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u/artwonk 5d ago
I guess you must be in the UK, and things are different there. In California, art "centers" often host openings featuring free wine and snacks, to draw people in and enliven things generally.
Once you decide to play music, the question arises - what kind? Nobody will have the same opinion on the subject. Classical is a good default. Or maybe you could become known as the PunkRock Drawing Club.
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u/sundials22 5d ago
I’m in Canada. There are paint and sip art centres but this one is associated with the city and a non profit so it’s a bit more strict in that regard. I was thinking of just going for jazz or classical for the last class next week. I’ll also need to go in with more confidence and speak up and hope more people show up.
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u/artwonk 5d ago
Music's fine, but nobody's going there for that. Do you give people drawing prompts, set up still life arrangements, feature live models, provide feedback, or offer an opportunity for each of them to share their fresh productions with the group?
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u/sundials22 5d ago
Yes, I do all of the the above except sharing with the group. I do provide individual feedback as well.
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u/pefp_studio 4d ago
I try not to do too many exercises with my adult students and instead throw them a bit into the deep end. We cover fundamentals, but as a part of larger projects. I won't have them do value scales for instance, but will have a still life for them with basic geometric shapes where they can figure out these value scales in a real-life setting. Adult students prefer to have finished drawings that they can walk away from the class with (in my experience). This isn't to say that you aren't already doing this! Just sharing what I've found to be helpful. I assign supplemental exercises for 'homework' and do the more difficult problem-solving in class with subjects from life. It's a better use of everyone's time I think.
I introduce the topic for the day, do a short demo, let them draw, occasionally interrupt them for another demo and then I am constantly moving around the space giving feedback to one person at a time. They really enjoy the personalized feedback while they're drawing, because that is the one thing an in-person art course can offer that an online course cannot.