Glendale Community College showcasing a student’s art on September 17th, 2024 reveals how praising students increases motivation in class.
A student in Glendale Community College’s Photography class, named Tyrin Clay, was awarded by Juror’s Choice award from the League for Innovation International Student Art Awards for an image they took called “After Friday Night Lights”. The award itself was said, by GCC’s news page, to be “a selection of the best works being created by today’s community college students”. This brought to light the significance of showing off students on college platforms such as this news page.
Last year in my own GCC class, ART 116, or “Life Drawing”, a close classmate of mine had multiple pieces of her art chosen by our professor, Mitchell Mantle, to be put on a nearby art display. I contacted her to see how this opportunity affected her and her classes. “I actually am a major in Psychology and took this class for fun since I thought it would be a cool experience.’ ‘After he asked me if he could take my art I was so surprised and it really boosted my confidence in my own skills.”
Glendale Community College has a continued effort to praise students as seen in this news report and my own experience but also in many other ways. On GCC’s official website, they communicate that a “Student Art Show is an annual event held in the spring semester at Glendale Community College. Each year, students are encouraged to submit art for a chance to have their art displayed and to receive recognition for their hard work.” This goes to show how many opportunities GCC gives students to be appreciated for their work.
A study conducted by Paul Caldarella, a professor at BYU’s McKay School of Education even states “If teachers praised as much as they reprimanded, students’ on-task behavior reached 60%,’ ‘“However, if teachers could increase their praise to reprimand ratio to 2:1 or higher, they would see even more improvements in the classroom.”. Students feel seen and appreciated when their work is called out for good and when students are praised they are more likely to improve their behavior or work. Glendale Community College seems to recognize this effect or just enjoys sharing their students’ successes as it feels good for both parties involved and improves students relationship to classwork.
Not only does showcasing students affect their classwork or drive to do better it effects their future and job possibilities. When a student has their work showcased on a large scale that becomes something they can add to their portfolio and when jobs are looking for people to hire this can affect their likelihood of being selected. An article from Capella University states, “Portfolios are a great way to demonstrate the competencies and accomplishments you would list on a resume or talk about in an interview – they allow you to show, not just tell. Your portfolio helps you showcase your proven work to potential employers. It presents evidence of your relevant skills and abilities”.
Sources:
Glendale Community College Website, News Page:
https://www.gccaz.edu/news/2024/gcc-student-photographer-earns-art-award
Glendale Community College Website, Art and Humanities Page:
BYU study:
Capella University blog on Portfolios:
https://www.capella.edu/blog/career/why-a-portfolio-is-important-for-your-career
Hi Remini, this was a great article about how our school supports students! You did a great job using the inverted pyramid technique when it comes to how you delivered the information in a way that sorts the most important information to less important information. The sources you added also really helped add some stability behind the information in the article, and helps give it some solidity.
It is great that your friend had a good experience in her art class that made her have more confidence in her art skills. I was also in Mitchell’s life drawing class last year, and had a similar experience too! He convinced me to submit a few of my drawings into the exhibit and because of him I decided to give it a chance, and a few of them were hung up in the student union. He is a fantastic teacher, but I have had other experiences of teachers making sure to sing your praises in other classes at this school too. My English 101 teacher last year always gave great feedback that always went above and beyond. Although too much praise can be a bad thing for students, I definitely agree that praise is very important for students to hear to give them the confidence they need to be the best person they can be.
Hi Remini, I enjoyed reading your news story. It was well thought out and informative. I think it is wonderful that GGC is enhancing opportunities for students by highlighting some of their artistic endeavors. Through my experience with GCC, I’ve noticed that the teachers and staff have a lot of value for art students. Teachers want students to not just be successful in the technical skills of art, but they want them to know the skills and requirements needed to be successful in the field. Many of the teachers I’ve had so far have taught me how to build a portfolio and the importance of connections. My current animation teacher encourages us to get to know each other because it is important to have connections in the field of animation. It is heartwarming when it feels like a school is looking out for its students and providing them with immense amounts of opportunities so they succeed. Colleges are communities; it always feels good when communities support each other. I’ve been impressed with the support for artists I’ve seen at GCC. Highlighting students’ work is a great way for students to get noticed! I also really enjoyed hearing about your friend’s art being praised!
Hello Remini, I liked reading your article because it was full of information and personal experience. I’m really happy to see that there are more opportunities for students to advance their education while taking an arts degree. My personal experience with the digital media arts degree program has been really fun and I loved doing it for the past two years. I think it’s important for the school to be taking these steps to make sure that we and future students are cared for in terms of pursuing our educational and career endeavors. Many of my teachers have given me the skills to advance my education and set me up for my future career, and I’m grateful for what they have taught me.
Hi Remini! This was such a great topic for your article and very interesting to read. I am so glad that GCC is doing so much to motivate their students. I also took Life Drawing a couple years ago here, and it was my favorite class I’ve ever taken. That class also really motivated me to continue making art in my free time. The critiquing process was a little scary at first, but it was so beneficial. Sometimes you think that having your shortcomings highlighted in front of a whole class would be embarrassing. However, I found it to be even more motivating. I loved seeing everyone else’s art and seeing their thought processes. I think it’s so great that your class mate was able to have their art saved and shared for display. That is such a good way to boost someone’s confidence in their art skills. You really did a lot of research for this article! It was interesting to hear about all the different classes motivate their students with praise. I think that is such an important thing for professors and schools to do for their students. It’s definitely important to lift others up and celebrate each other’s wins.
It is encouraging to see how much the college values student creativity and fosters an environment where we can thrive. Tyrin Clay’s achievement in receiving the Juror’s Choice award is impressive and shows the talent present you’d find at GCC. This kind of recognition can have a significant impact on students’ motivation, as evidenced by your friend’s experience in the Life Drawing class. It’s inspiring to see how praise can boost confidence and encourage students to take risks in their artistic pursuits. The annual Student Art Show is an excellent initiative, allowing students to share their work with the community and gain valuable exposure. These events not only enhances the students’ portfolios but also preps them for future career opportunities in the art world. It’s great to hear that instructors at GCC are actively involved in supporting students through their journeys. It’s so important to build a portfolio, for it serves as a crucial tool when applying for jobs or internships in the art industry. I hope to see more instances like this at GCC, we can always use it!