Saraid Wilson

3rd Year, Art Education Specialization

One Lesson

One Lesson is a closed social network that relies on the same principles of Facebook to connect community centers and art education students to promote social change through mutual benefaction.

I have established One Lesson in response to my own experiences teaching art at community sites, and seeing the great need in these important venues for art teaching and learning. As a Concordia Art Education undergrad, I am also very aware of our own need for real-world experience teaching art – as well as of all we have to offer. In 2011-12, I worked as the after school care Homework Program Supervisor at Dawson Community Centre, in Verdun. There, the ‘5 to 12 Program’ offers after school care including: homework tutorials, nutrition, physical education, anti-bullying prevention, and the arts. The centre is also a neighbourhood hub that provides parent counselling and social aid. These programs are primarily funded by corporate bursaries and government grants, with some private sponsorship. Budgets for art supplies and materials are significantly smaller than those of most elementary and secondary schools, if any budget exists at all. At Dawson, I could see the need for relief to overworked community organizers and the injection of new fresh ideas for the arts.  

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Figure 1: Screen Shot of One Lesson Plan Website


 
For our part, Concordia University art education students are in a position to provide a service to their community, demonstrate the importance of their discipline – all the while benefitting from practical experience. This reciprocity is the premise behind One Lesson. One Lesson asks Concordia art education students to sign up to the website and volunteer to teach one lesson in exchange for a professional letter of reference from the community centre organizer. Art education students would cover partial or all costs of materials and provide a rich, balanced lesson. All students who join the website must be an approved Art Education Concordia Facebook member for security purposes and can sign into the One Lesson website using their Facebook profile.

Figure 2: Screen shot of One Lesson website shows members sharing video tutorials


Community centre organizers can join the site and post an `Event’ to which students can reply directly to the organizer with an idea of a lesson that would fit the needs of the community centre’s population and area of focus. While it is still in the development phase, One Lesson will, I believe, allow for the establishment of a new network for art education students, who can gain experience for their professional practice while implementing growth and positive social change to the community, and integrating Concordia University’s Art Education program even more deeply into Montreal communities.


Join One Lesson today at onelesson.wall.fm