Three students from that spring 2010 course will speak about their experience at the National Art Education Association Conference in March 2011.

Meeting student needs

Art professor Kathy Hubbard split the class into two groups. She assigned three students to work with a group of students with Autism. Young people with autism generally have problems in three crucial areas of development - social interaction, language and behavior.

Students Brenda Coffield, Brianna Deterling, and Amanda Walsh worked with a second group of students who cope with physical and mental disabilities.

Coffield, an art education major, says they developed a set of art projects for their group by learning how each student responds to different materials and activities. "All the students learned differently and we had to adapt to that. It was a big learning experience," she says. "It was the first time I had worked with special education students."

Cotton balls, whipped cream and endangered animals

UW-Superior students held weekly art class sessions with the Superior High School students. SHS were bused to UW-Superior where they created watercolor paintings, weather mobiles, paper piggy banks and other art projects under the supervision of UW-Superior students.

Hubbard said the students with autism enjoyed painting while the group with physical and mental disabilities preferred tactile stimulation projects using household items like cotton balls.

Hubbard recalls a memorable class session when students made print works from whipped cream and food coloring. "A lot of them ate their ink that day," laughs Hubbard. Proud SSHS students were then able to display their works of art during a showcase in May 2010.  

Sharing the experience

Coffield, Deterling and Walsh will join Hubbard in the spring to speak about their experience at the National Art Education Association Conference in Seattle. Both Coffield and Hubbard have attended the conference separately in the past.

Hubbard says she was excited to begin academic service-learning in her course. "I like to teach adventurously. In the beginning, all the players had never done this before. I'm pleased with the outcome."

Coffield says she can't compare the experience to any other. "It was a fun group of students to work with. It was exciting to go to class. Teaching is what I want to do and this class taught me how to adjust to a mix of learning levels."

"Art for Special Education" is part of the Academic Service-Learning program at UW-Superior. Academic Service-Learning enables students to apply concepts and skills they learn in the classroom and give that knowledge back to the community.