and the Social Sciences
David Andrew Hernandez
Artist - Art Teacher
2001
7th and 8th grade students
Montwood Middle School
I am an artist and art teacher. I currently teach at Sun Ridge Middle School, Socorro Independent School District, in El Paso, Texas. I have a Master of Arts in Art Education. Concurrently, I create artwork in areas of painting, sculpture and photography.
In May 2002, I earned my MA from The University of Texas at El Paso. My thesis is Postmodern Art Education and the Social Sciences�Teaching Art Through Meaningful Current Events. I have found that students do better when the curriculum is relevant. Last year I taught at Montwood Middle School, SISD. As most people, my students were deeply affected by the tragedies of 9/11. They needed an outlet to show their feelings and respond to what took place. As a project, students studied the significance of the World Trade Center, The Pentagon and terrorism. They conducted research, created drawings and created paintings on 9/11. Students were actively engaged and felt a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction by the end of the project. My thesis reflected my students� progress. Teaching art through meaningful current events is significant.
Using affective social issues as a basis for the art curriculum empowered students to be more reflective and creative. In August 2002 I co-presented with Dr. Nguyen, Cognitive Approach in Arts Education: The Franklin Mountain Project, at the International Society for Education through Art (InSEA) World Congress in New York City. I lectured on my research on using the social sciences to teach art. I continue to work toward connecting relative social issues with different art mediums and techniques.
[email protected]
In April 2000, I worked with my classes at Montwood Middle School (Socorro Independent School District) on a mural reflecting the theme of the Jason Project. This is an interdisciplinary science-based curriculum with a yearly theme, investigated in all subject areas. Jason XI, 1999/2000, focused on oceans. Art students researched oceanic life and created sketches and drawings to be used in the mural. A team of 10 students was selected and we created this colorful image (12' x 25') in the student union.
