GRETCHEN SCHREIBER FACILITATION #1

Title: Characteristics of Drawing During the Gang Age

Author(s): V. Lowenfeld & W. L. Brittain

Source/Date: Lowenfeld, V. (1987). Characteristics of Drawing During the Gang Age.

In Creative and Mental Growth: A textbook on art education (pp. 305-343). New York, NY:
Macmillan.

Main Idea/Purpose:
Middle school aged children experience a range of social, emotional and physical
changes such as an increased social independence and the desire to work in groups, new
emotions and awarenesses, and the physical changes of puberty. Since these changes are
paralleled by changes in their drawing styles, art educators should use art lessons as
opportunities to access middle schoolers’ perspectives and emotions. Art can also be used as a
tool to cultivate positive self-images, identities and modes of thinking.

Short Overview:
Children between the ages of 9 and 12 begin the transition from children who are
constantly under the watch and control of parents, into miniature people who think for
themselves and begin to understand the relationships between themselves and their
environments. Since these changes are accompanied by emotional and physical changes,
transformations within their social setting and oftentimes a transition into a new school, their
psyches are predictably fragile. Lowenfeld describes that children of this age become paralyzed
by self-doubt which prevents them from seeing the bigger picture and their place in the world.
He explains, “Developing a positive self-concept is essential in order to establish personal
attitudes and is closely related to the ability to learn” (Lowenfeld, 1987, p. 321).
That being said, educators should be careful as to not project their view of what is “right
and wrong” in the art classroom, since it is likely that the students are already critical of
themselves. He rationalizes this theory by saying, “Such teaching only disturbs spontaneity and
makes children insecure in their own developing [skill]” (Lowenfeld, 1987, p. 312). Rather,
educators should encourage artistic freedom without the constraint or expectation of realism.
Middle school aged children are just beginning to develop self-awareness and to
understand that they are only a cog in the machine of society. At this age, they are beginning to
recognize relationships between objects, and this is evident in the presence of overlapping and
depth in drawings. Art teachers can use this natural perception to their benefit and use it as a tool
to demonstrate how students’ own actions affect other people. Just as children need to be
involved in each step of the artistic process in order to gain appreciation for the final product,
they also need the learning process to be framed around their own experiences in order to
develop a well-rounded view of the world. Lowenfeld elaborates, “Art experiences aid in the
development of emotional growth…To be able to express sensitivity and to develop in emotional
growth, children need to identify with their own experience in the art” (Lowenfeld, 1987, p.
326). Art educators can tap into middle schoolers psyches and develop lessons that promote
exploration, self-confidence and empathy.
Critical Response:
Much attention has been drawn to the awkwardness of adolescence, teen angst and
resistance to authority. While many of us look back on our pre-teen selves as caricatures of our
adult selves, we forget that our experiences at that time were very real. It is easy to look back on
our experiences as a pre-teen and write them off as petty, but the truth is it was those experiences
that had the biggest impact on what type of adult we turned into.
It was around 7th grade that I started testing authority. It wasn’t that I disliked all of my
teachers, but it was my middle school mission to test the boundaries and see exactly how much I
could get away with. I was in no way easy to teach or to relate to, but my teen angst came from a
place of crippling self-doubt and low self-esteem. One thing that Lowenfeld said about self-
image struck a chord with me. He pointed out that girl’s emotions can be found hidden in
journals and doodles, but that, “when asked to draw a person, girls begin to draw males at nine
and ten…and [conversely] 100 percent of the boys were drawing males” (Lowenfeld, 1987, p.
334). While Lowenfeld includes this as a side note, I think it spoke volumes about the ego of a
middle school aged girl. By the age of 9 or 10, girls are already developing a sense that they
come second to boys. By 9 years old, girls have already intrinsically lowered their self-worth.
In 8th grade I had a young teacher named Ms. LaMack who gave us an assignment to
write in a journal every day. Some days were prompted, but others were just free writing days.
She vowed to us that the contents of the journal would be kept private, but at the end of every
week she collected the journals, read them, and wrote us responses. What may have seemed like
such a small gesture meant everything to me. This teacher found a way to cultivate an
environment where I felt safe enough to express myself, but her responses also left me confident
that I was supported. This display of mutual respect made a world of difference for me as I now
had a space where I could explore my own interests and explore who I was and who I wanted to
be.
Developing a classroom that encourages spontaneity and exploration will allow students
to test the boundaries of what is possible and take risks without the fear of failure. It is important
for art educators to stress not what is “correct and incorrect,” but to ask what matters and why.
Art educators should develop lessons that encourage students to look at themselves from
different perspectives, how their actions affect others and what their potentials are. When
adolescents feel good about themselves, they will be more likely to take risks and take steps
towards positive growth. It is the art educator’s job to facilitate experiences where this is
possible.

Discussion Questions:
-Can you think of a project that you were given in a middle school class that stuck with you?
What aspects of this project positively impacted you, and how can this be applied to your own
teaching?
-Lowenfeld argues that students should not be coached to a predetermined view of what is “right
and wrong.” How, then, can technical skill be taught in a middle school classroom? Or, should
technical skill be ignored until children have more strongly developed sense of self?
-In what ways can art educators develop classrooms into spaces that are safe and supported?

References:
Lowenfeld, V. (1987). Characteristics of Drawing During the Gang Age. In Creative and Mental
Growth: A textbook on art education (pp. 305-343). New York, NY: Macmillan.