Tribes Learning Communities in an Art class

 I was introduced to Tribes Learning Communities as a student teacher. My first year teaching I implemented a modified version in my art classroom. I bought the book on learning communities and pulled info from there and made my own modification. It is a good resource and has a listing of activities for all ages and subjects.

Visit tribes.com for more detailed information. From the website:

                                                                             ***

                                                 How It Works

Tribes is a step-by-step process to achieve specific learning goals. Four agreements are honored:

attentive listening

appreciation/no put downs

mutual respect, and

the right to pass

Students learn a set of collaborative skills so they can work well together in long-term groups (tribes). The focus is on how to:

help each other work on tasks

set goals and solve problems

monitor and assess progress

celebrate achievements.

The learning of academic material and self-responsible behavior is assured because teachers utilize methods based upon brain-compatible learning, multiple intelligences, cooperative learning and social development research. The teachers and administrators in a Tribes school or district also work together in supportive groups. They too enjoy the participatory democratic process and creative collegiality.

***

In my art room I started off the class placing students into their tribes which I named based on a color. Each tribe name was unique to those students, the included names like Alizarin, Malachite, Celadon and each had its specific color. I used the names to teach students where colors used in paint originally came from. I began the class with color theory in the Introduction to Creative Art class so this wove into the curriculum smoothly.

In the beginning I discussed with them what it meant to be in a tribe and went over the guidelines. These were modified for my class. I used tribes to manage the classroom and organize taking out supplies and cleaning up. I encouraged them to work as a team, but also assigned them roles based on where they sit at the table by letters A,B,C, or D.

Throughout the semester I included their tribe color whenever possible. I had them make a logo of their tribe name.

Had them do warm up activities like creating a mandala out of paper with their tribe color, or doing body exercises like having them make a group sculpture that was symmetrical or asymmetrical or expressed an emotion. I had them mix paint and create tints tones and shades of their tribe color. These were then cut out into shapes, strung together and hung on a class mobile to decorate the room.

Alizarin tribe with paper mandala

Student artwork display for open house with tribe colors

Tribe logos

Open house display

At first I was worried that my teenage ninth graders would not buy into it. But I think overall there was acceptance of the system and they liked it. My IEP students especially enjoyed it.

A couple of tips I would recommend:
-Allow students to choose who is in their tribe and move students around if necessary.

-It helped to give a project in the middle of the semester to give them a break from their tribe. I had them do a group paper maché project with a new group of five.

-Change the roles of tribe members and make sure they complete their assigned duties.

-Include whole class activities as well. They all got together during lectures or meditation or visualization activities.

paper group mandala

Luckily this story has a happy ending- Cadmium Tribe