Treasure quests in virtual worlds can help students develop multi-literacy communication skills and promote community, offering insights about art teaching and learning. As part of the new media literacy, students explore the offerings of Second Life (SL), a virtual world, as a series of quests. Multi-literacy involves communication. Through their…

Students, during the ages 11 years old to 13 years old ("tweens"), experience a growing desire to think and act independently while caring deeply about being accepted by the group. Tweens may feel vulnerable and self-conscious during the many changes that occur during puberty. These feelings can lead tweens to doubt their abilities and disengage…

The idea of "taking art education to the streets" is important for making art education more visible in the community. Such arts-based events demonstrate the value of the arts in the community. As education moves from the classroom into the streets through the media of art, music, and performance, participants build solidarity and…

In this qualitative pilot study, the authors report on curriculum field trials within a personal learning environment (PLE) designed by a collaboration of academic researchers and nonprofit volunteers working together in the virtual world of Second Life. The purpose of the PLE is to provide learners less likely to have access to educational…

This case study outlines the program that a teacher developed to integrate a course entitled "Southwest Cultures through Art" for middle school students around an anthropological theme. The course featured units on collage, petroglyphs, and pottery but mostly vernacular architecture. The case starts with a description of the context and…

A shadow puppet is basically a two-dimensional cut-out form with moving parts. When light is projected behind a screen, the puppet appears as a silhouette, or an opaque drawing in profile. A puppet is successful if it seems to take on a life of its own. Although India is the general source of puppetry that spread throughout Europe through gypsy…

In this article, the author discusses the importance of Viktor Lowenfeld's influence on her research, describes visual anthropology, gives examples of her research, and examines the implications of this type of research for teachers. The author regards Lowenfeld's (1952/1939) early work with children in Austria as a form of participant observation…

This participant observation study describes an effective elementary art teacher in a working class community. Focus is on her perceptual organization and framework of beliefs and conceptions concerning art education, revealing some insights on art teaching. (Author/RM)

At the NAEA conference in Minneapolis, Carpenter and Sessions asked, "What are we teaching, especially about ceramics?" Art educators are often criticized for leaving out historical context when teaching studio art. In this article, the author offers guidelines, based on national and state art standards, and share the results of teaching…

This article reports the results of a study of 25 second-grade students' conceptions of art. The study used a combination of participant observation, questionnaires, and interviews. Concludes that second graders generally like art and conceive of it as an activity, a place, and as an object. (JDH)

How the concept of drama includes the idea of meaningful intensification--the revelation of the unified spirit or energy that characterizes a community--is discussed. Within the context of art education, meaningful intensification is interpreted within a class social structure. (RM)

Describes spatial, pedagogical, and psychological dimensions of the pottery studio as an art learning environment. Contends that the art learning environment, at its deeper levels, is determined by the philosophic meanings and underlying attitudes of student and instructor as conveyed in their speech and writing. (RM)

This articles explores authoritive problems in interpreting art education in research, namely authorization and authorship. Authorization rites and rights are now under institutional surveillance. A researcher should proceed with ethical fairness. The process of authorship is one of the negotiation of conflicting meanings, and at times subject to…

Depicts the instruction of a junior high school art teacher and describes her struggle to understand her students within a nine-week program. Focuses on her framework for understanding the aims and content of teaching, student learning, and teaching style. Content and comparative analyses and time sampling are used to determine types of…

This cross-site, collaborative study focused on the instructional practices of three middle school art teachers from Arizona, Indiana, and New York. The researchers found similarities as well as differences among the teachers' strategies. At all three sites, emphasis was on curriculum related to their students' lives, developing technical skills,…