A student's lack of belief in his or her own ability to do well in school can be a driving component of disengagement. In response, the author created art activities aimed to build students' confidence in their ability to learn, carry out a given art task, and identify a competence; such asset-based thinking approaches encourage students to reach…

USING ART AS A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION AND EXPRESSION, THE DEAF OR APHASIC CHILD CAN REMEMBER, IMAGINE, ASSOCIATE, GENERALIZE, AND EVALUATE WITHOUT LANGUAGE. PAINTING CAN ENABLE HIM TO DISCOVER AND TEST HIS POWERS, AND THUS MEET HIS EMOTIONAL NEEDS AS WELL AS PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR HIS AESTHETIC GROWTH. THE CHILD MAY SHOW UNEXPECTED TALENT AND…

Explains how artist, Tim Rollins, worked with Kids of Survival, a group of secondary school students in the South Bronx area of New York City, to create large scale art works inspired by Franz Kafka's book, "Amerika." Describes scale, materials used, use of contrasts, and inspiration for these artworks. Suggests similar art activities…