Comments on: Do Outlines & Blackline Masters Stifle Creativity?

By: Kim

Kim — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 01:56:58 +0000

I really liked using the blackline masters when I was a Montessori student many years ago. It was fun to have the lines already there because I found it frustrating because my drawing skills weren’t good enough to reproduce animal shapes and body parts exactly the way I wanted them to look in my mind’s eye. Decades later, it turns out my art skills are in the area of graphic design and animation, not technical drawing, which I still find impossible.

Following the blackline masters is only one of many drawing opportunities in a classroom and children do not have to use them. I suggest providing an art shelf and art supplies and letting children choose what to use.

Great article!

By: Lori Bourne

Lori Bourne — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 21:28:18 +0000

I’ve been thinking a lot about this topic, and I’m so glad to see more comments and additional points of view.

Knowing the Montessori method as I do, there must be a “reason” behind the creation and use of blackline masters. Since that wasn’t emphasized in my training, I am hoping that someone comes by to share it.

One of my thoughts on this topic is that Montessori materials are always about providing one salient point for each work, and by providing blackline masters, you allow the child to focus only on learning names for “parts of”, rather than having to focus on drawing and learning names.

By: PSMontessori

PSMontessori — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 06:11:40 +0000

I’m glad you posted this. I have been questioning this lately. My training greatly emphasized NOT using blackline masters for all of the reasons mentioned above. I have followed this suggestion, but I have found many of my children flat out REFUSING to even attempt drawing “parts of” cards, even though they were very excited by the idea. Oddly enough, I found that if I drew (by hand, in front of them) just the outline of the object (pumpkin, apple, etc…), the same children who had refused, readily filled in the missing shapes on the inside, colored, and labeled the entire picture. I suppose what I’m saying is that I do not believe in blackline masters. I don’t offer any in my classroom. However, a little suggestion or a push in the right direction could give a child the confidence that he or she needs.

By: Dora

Dora — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 05:09:16 +0000

I teach in a public Montessori school. I have had many students with special needs that required breaking down work into even smaller steps than the ones provided by Montessori. Sometimes that means giving the student the work that will challenge but not overwhelm because of his or her “challenge”. I find that the booklets I provide can be used by most and I found that after using the booklet they seemed to be able to draw and label on their own. When I ask some of my students to draw on their own they seem frustrated when their drawing does not look like what they are attempting to record. I look at the booklets as a form of ditto metal inset. We would not expect the student to look at the inset and create the shape initially. They trace the shape and eventually their fine motor control becomes perfected. Most importantly I have learned that Montessori follows the child and that child’s needs. I would not restrict a child who has demonstrated the ability or desire to record their work without the use of outlines.

By: Dee Kelln

Dee Kelln — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 02:54:16 +0000

I definitely come down in the middle. I taught elementary for 7 years, both 6-9 and 9-12 at different times. Children working on “parts of” activites had several options . . . they might do a booklet, or a carefully colored and labeled outline, or they might trace a puzzle, or they might choose to draw their own illustration. The choice made was very dependent on the individual, their goal/inspiration, and the mood they were in that day. Occasionally a student would revisit the activity choosing different methods each time. Usually one child’s inspiration led to others.

As a teacher, the blackline master insured that I had an activity that anyone could complete competently to show understanding about the topic. Not every science learning activity needed to also be an art activity.

By: Lori

Lori — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:23:45 +0000

the point i was trying to make, tracy, was that if you can provide two activities and one meets all the requirements of the first AND does much more, why would you ever choose the first? just because children enjoy fill-in-the-blanks crafts doesn’t mean they wouldn’t enjoy — and get much more out of — more authentic art activities.

re: challenging vs. relaxing — these things don’t have to be mutually exclusive. and my comment about the child who crumpled in frustration was pointing out that he had become reliant on coloring sheets.

lori, hey, i took your challenge and i was perfectly willing to be the one to say blackline masters are bad! ;^) interesting article and very thought-provoking!

By: Lori Bourne

Lori Bourne — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 02:13:58 +0000

No one will flame you here, Tracy!

I have a very vivid memory of sitting in a 3-6 classroom while an extremely experienced directress showed the children how to make a lion with construction paper. She didn’t speak the entire time, just demonstrated how to wrap the strips of paper around a pencil to get them to curve into a “mane”. The kids were absolutely rapt – you could have heard a pin drop for about 20 minutes.

After she was done, each child set about to make their lion. Each project was completely different, as they were just given plain pieces of construction paper and had to cut out the lion’s body, head, and mane themselves. The results were astounding.

I think there’s a place for “crafts”. Often, when you endorse crafts, people assume you never give children a chance to freely do art on their own. Why is that? In every classroom I’ve ever had, as well as my own home, there are tables and shelves and trays filled with art supplies so that kids can make/create anything they want to at any time.

But, we have done crafts too. Through a craft, you can teach a technique that ends up being used again and again in other projects.

While the metal insets are primarily for handwriting, they most definitely end up being about artwork once a child learns how to manipulate them. I don’t think anyone could disagree with that…it’s right in my albums. And isn’t one of the nicest things about Montessori materials the fact that they often cross curriculum lines?

There are some truly nifty things that can be done with printed outlines like coloring books. One of my favorites is to turn the picture upside down and color. This immediately engages the right side of the brain. It’s also fun to draw upside down, and lest someone say that only the latter should be done, I find value in (and a different experience from) each of those activities.

By: Tracy

Tracy — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 02:01:46 +0000

Ok so I’ll set myself up to be flamed by “creativity purists” here but in my 3-6 classroom I not only use masters, I even sometimes put out seasonal “coloring sheets”. Yes I do. Not only that, but sometimes I put out “kit” projects with precut materials and step by step diagrams. Some children love doing this and if this is how they choose to spend time on “relaxing work” why not? How is a child using these types of materials being any less “creative” than the child who pastes cutting strip pieces on a paper as collage work everyday for months at a time? Both are adressing an individual need in a way that is pleasing and useful to them. Our children have a wide range of art supplies available and the choice to use what they want as they wish. As you say, some do beautiful work with insets (ok- just waiting for comments from those who want to tell me they are *not* for art work they are for handwriting practice.) Others do lovely drawings. Others love to paint or cut and paste. All of these address important fine motor skills, following patterns/directions, as well as individual creativity. After a recent “kit” project of a paper bag Rudolph (I know, I know…holidays in the classroom…make believe characters) one of my 5 year olds went on to make puppets of the whole Holy family -shepherd-angel -wise king- mean king -right out of his own imagination. How is that not creative? Not to mention how it helped him think about the Christmas story. To anyone who is against coloring (as opposed to drawing/sketching) pull out some crayolas and see how fun and relaxing it is. We always try to offer the children a mix of “challenging” and “relaxing” work. Frankly, I think it is kind and respectful as well as serving many useful purposes. If a child “crumples in frustration” when handed blank paper and art supplies how is that serving him or her? There are all types of learning styles. To try to force all children into one style because it is more pleasing to adults is not by any means following the child.

By: Lori Bourne

Lori Bourne — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:54:23 +0000

While I’m not a huge fan of blackline masters or outlines, as I stated in my post, I have seen them used in Montessori classrooms in a way that complements the materials.

I also think they should fit the ages in question – elementary age children should be able to draw their own pictures rather than coloring them in. If blackline masters are used, they should be used in 3-6.

By: Lori

Lori — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:50:56 +0000

What matters *is* the goal — if a child gets frustrated drawing freehand, should they be given outlines to color in? Or should they be taught to draw from a young age? I never saw a child shy away from a challenging drawing assignment if they were exposed to drawing early.

What is the goal?

Can you learn the names of bones and organs with a coloring book? Sure. Is there a way to learn those same names without using a coloring book? Yes! And which method meets more learning goals?

Absolutely, learning and processing information can be done — while accomplishing many, many other goals — while doing real drawing. I don’t see any learning goal whatsoever that can be met by outlines and blackline masters that couldn’t be better met with using a full spectrum of art techniques including drawing, painting, constructing, etc.

There’s no reason to “use both” if one method far, far exceeds the learning opportunities of the other.