Engaging with the quilts of Gee's Bend offers a rich opportunity for students in grades four through eight to develop appreciation for pattern, rhythm, and innovation while learning about history, entrepreneurship, and political activism. By easily accessing print, film, and Internet resources teachers can include these vibrant quilts and…

Discusses the nature of aesthetics, the kinds of activities involved, its sources, and competing ideologies. Recommends a plan for teaching aesthetics. Maintains that, for aesthetics to be fully implemented into the school, teachers must be asked to participate in designing the curriculum. (KM)

Provides a lesson plan designed to introduce students in grades four-six to the concept of social realism as it is portrayed in twentieth century Latin American art. Uses Antonio Berni's "Noon Time" in implementing instructional strategies which enhance analysis, interpretation, and judgment. Suggests a creative activity for studying…

Uses excerpts from "Alice In Wonderland" as introductions to a tour of the uses of the World Wide Web in art education. Discusses such issues as access, copyrights, costs, and benefits. Includes an index of terms, list of related Websites, and suggested teaching activities. (MJP)

Maintains that the nature, aims, and processes of architecture parallel those of education. Discusses the interconnections between the disciplines and suggests that architecture is an effective way of integrating art education into the K-12 curriculum. Recommends an approach to architecture emphasizing the humanist and inclusive aspects over the…

Describes an art project that constructed a realistic model of a frozen prehistoric cadaver including its clothing and tool kit. Originally conceived as a way to introduce students to art materials, ancient history, and different cultures, the project grew to include a traveling exhibit and instructional puppet shows. (MJP)

Considers the process through which a group of teachers enrolled in an art education course established friendships with selected works of art by regarding them as metaphors for their lives. Teachers connected with the art works through religious references, family bonds, formal contexts, and ties to nature. (MJP)

Observes that the focus and special quality of art education can sometimes be diluted in an interdisciplinary setting. Provides several examples and suggests creative and cooperative responses. Includes guidelines for maintaining quality art instruction in an interdisciplinary context. (MJP)

Describes a project for preservice art educators where they design their ideal classroom and then build a diorama expressing this vision. The students' ideal schools go through an evolutionary process involving decisions, modifications, and visual risks. Eventually, the dioramas come to express individual philosophies. Includes several…

Postulates a broad, interdisciplinary art education curriculum. The curriculum is built around nine increasingly cognitively challenging understandings expressed as instructional objectives. These objectives incorporate a series of questions examining art's functional, cultural, historic, and social contexts. Includes a discussion of the project's…

Maintains that student-centered curriculum embodies the progressive and constructivist principles of active, participatory learning. Advocates emphasizing the importance of context as part of a constructivist approach. Includes instructional examples of connecting contextual information about artworks to constructivist activities. (MJP)

Presents four paintings and summarizes a discipline based art education approach to studying them. Each painting is followed by a brief text consisting of information about the subject and artist. The text also includes writing assignments, research questions, and related activities. The paintings include portraits by Goya and Joan Miro. (MJP)

Defines self-regulated learning as a problem-solving or goal-directed process orchestrated by the student but influenced by others in the student's environment. Discovers that self-regulating programs in Japan and the United States are remarkably similar with some differences. Praises Japanese instructors' emphasis on effort over ability. (MJP)