The present longitudinal study examined whether extracurricular activities in the arts and corresponding scores in art classes have a positive association with general academic performance. Data were collected from 488 seventh-grade children (259 boys and 229 girls) for over two years. Information regarding their participation in extracurricular…

This study aimed to investigate seventh-grade students' visuospatial thinking processes in an art studio environment, where students were engaged with geometrically rich artworks. The students were asked to observe minimalist artworks, then create and critique their own and others' artworks based on the Studio Thinking Framework. Data were…

The importance of design and technology (D&T) education has been advocated by numerous researchers over the last three decades. For instance, Nigel Cross suggests that in design education, there are ill-defined problems and "designerly ways of knowing" (2006). Today D&T in school education is employed globally and the common…

Art and artistic activities that play a significant role in the lives of both children and adults are an important requirement for all individuals. Cultures develop, expand, and enrich through artistic activities, which are important for the development of visual literacy, especially in social studies. The present study aims to determine the…

Based on the learning outcomes, values, skills/proficiency and job safety for grades 6, 7 and 8 from the 2017 Visual Arts Course Curriculum (MEB, 2017), outcomes related to three-dimensional work have been associated with care, love, responsibility and inquiry and activities "My Money", "Abstract Sculpture" and "Talking…

In this article Matthew Etherington shares his experiences, successes, and challenges in implementing a 7th-grade fashion design unit in which he attempts to realize his curricular vision through critical visual culture pedagogy and role-playing. During the 4-week lesson period, Etherington's instructional checkpoints were broken into three main…

Rangeley Friends of the Arts (RFA) is a nonprofit arts organization in Rangeley, a town of 1,200 souls in the rural western mountains of Maine. Working with existing facilities and a largely volunteer workforce, the article explains how this group established Creative After School Arts, or CASA--a program that provides a safe home away from home…

The national COVID-19 lockdown during school Term 1 and continuing in Term 2 2020, provided a unique context to investigate?children's experiences of informal, everyday learning in their household bubble. In Terms 3 and 4, 178?children in Years 4-8 from 10 primary schools agreed to participate in a group art-making activity and?an individual…

Teachers and school counselors have the responsibility not only to build a positive school climate in which students want to perform and stretch themselves academically and socially, but also to create an environment in which students know that their teachers and school counselors are aware of their needs, anxiety, and other factors preventing…

Examining lessons learned through 4 years of experience of hosting Camp Launch, a university-based residential science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) enrichment program for low-income, high-ability, middle school students, this article explores components of the program and offers suggestions for implementing programs that serve…

The ecological realities of many communities are desperate but not determined. As teachers inevitably encounter these realities in their communities, they can respond by activating students' imaginations to conceive of better alternatives. Greene (1995) outlined how the imagination has the power to envision alternative realities and better…

After reading "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, this author was excited to introduce the story to her art-club students in grades five through seven, and to incorporate the message into an art lesson. She was inspired to use the story because it causes students to become globally aware of other people and…

Writing about the teaching artist practice should mean writing about art making. As both teacher and artist, the authors are required to be cognizant of their own art-making processes, both how it works and why it is important to them, in order to make this process visible to their students. They also need the same skills to write about how and…

Sometimes, the inspiration for an art idea comes from the strangest and most unexpected places! The author wanted to provide students in grades 5-7 in a fine-arts module an opportunity to be creative in a unique and inexpensive way, while incorporating a three-dimensional element. Since she personally enjoys thumbing through "Architectural…

The Pardada Pardadi Girls Vocational School (PPGVS) in India was established in 2000 by Virendera (Sam) Singh, a retired U.S. Dupont South Asia department head to address the issue of gender bias in India. According to the school's website, nearly half of India's population is illiterate: males outnumber females two-to-one in literacy and drop-out…