Summer SAVY 2018: Session 1, Day 4 – Mighty Metamorphosis (Rising 3rd and 4th)
Since we explored adding art to spaces to transform them yesterday, we picked up on that idea and ran it in a slightly different direction today by considering graffiti. Is it art? Is it ever okay? To start the debate we compared some of the work of Tom Bob (see link below) to a more traditional tagged graffiti wall.
(https://mymodernmet.com/tom-bob-clever-street-art/)
From there we began to look at some anti-graffiti ads and analyzed the techniques being used within them to transform people’s thinking. Specifically, we looked at the persuasive techniques of appeals to logic, emotion, and values. To test their own persuasive skills, the students set out to convince me that they should have a slightly longer snack break today. Turns out, we have a very persuasive bunch: they pointed out that a longer break would, among other things, allow them more time to process (!) and more time for me to plan lessons (!!). Clearly, they have my number as a teacher!
(Challenge for tonight: what can your child persuade you to do/not do? What techniques can they use to achieve this purpose?)
With these persuasive tools at hand, we dove into working on our own proposals for transforming the campus with our sculpture project. Each student or group wrote a letter to Vanderbilt administration using the techniques we’d discussed. After that, we tried to plug our sculpture projects into their location on campus using some trick perspective photography. After all, we’d learned in our analysis of the anti-graffiti ads, images are powerful persuasive tools. With our words and photos, how could Vanderbilt administration resist?
Onward!
– Mr. Finn
Example of a Student Proposal
Examples of Student Sculptures in Sunlight
