One afternoon during the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown, as I was retooling my in-person courses for online instruction, I took a break to see how the educators and artists I follow on Instagram were faring. As I scrolled through a variety of posts, I happened upon an image showing a page torn from the 1940 children's book "Lentil"…

The emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines in schools has caused advocates for art education to propose the addition of the arts to the study of STEM, transforming STEM into STEAM. One method of implementing STEAM is Design Thinking (Henriksen, 2017). STEAM education and Design Thinking are both models for…

African American artists have participated in every major art style and movement since before the founding of this nation. However, until recent decades, this "grand epic" had been marginalized within the traditional survey canon of American art. Art historians have undertaken considerable scholarship (Bearden & Henderson, 1993;…

This article explores the concept of being an intrapreneur and a hybrid professional. An intrapreneur is a person who fills a need and starts programs, products, or services inside of a company or nonprofit as opposed to starting from nothing, which is what entrepreneurs do. A hybrid professional is someone who integrates multiple professional…

In the vast repository of research on family involvement in schools, researchers agree that both students and schools do better when families are involved (Epstein et al., 2009; Lareau, 2011; Mapp, 2002). There is little research, however, on parent involvement in the arts. Notwithstanding the lack of published data, programs offer funding and…

An important part of the Progressive Education movement, the playground, influenced John Dewey's educational philosophy of learning. "The playground, particularly during the Progressive reform movement of the early 1900s benefited from the widespread belief that play was child's work. Dewey portrayed children as miniature adults who…

Continuing the traditions of the avant-garde, contemporary artists often question notions of originality through the practice of appropriation and repurposing familiar or loaded symbols and signs (Barrett, 2011). This Instructional Resource focuses on three aspects of artistic practice: improvisation as a way of emphasizing a process-driven…

Classroom assessment is a hot topic in K-12 education because of compelling evidence that assessment in the form of feedback is a powerful teaching and learning tool (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). Although formal evaluation has been anathema to many art specialists and teachers (Colwell, 2004), informal assessment in the form of feedback is not.…

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…

After 10 years of teaching art in public schools, Carrie Nordlund arrived at a state of query that set in motion her search for alternative approaches to learning. As she was feeling stifled in a seemingly sterile education institution with its overdependence on and pedagogy aimed at standardized tests, she came across a reference to Waldorf…

The acronym STEM--the teaching of science, technology, engineering, and math--now a familiar term in education, is evolving into STEAM--STEM plus "A" for art. Educational researcher Martin Storksdieck's studies have shown that infusing art into STEM allows for "a different way of perceiving and knowing and dealing with the world, as a means to…

Discusses how art teachers can broaden their students' art experiences by showing them how they became personally inspired and how they followed up on their inspirations. States that art instruction must go beyond art appreciation so that students will seek out experiences which become the sources for plans and projects. (GEA)

Examines the use of an art exhibition to help students fully develop their potential as artists. Describes how students gain new insights into their work as they prepare it for exhibition. Discusses three programs which demonstrate the value of exhibitions to school children and includes pictures of student work. (GEA)

This article describes how students at an elementary school in South Carolina use computers to create art. Includes samples of their computer graphics. (JDH)

Argues all humans are profoundly capable of learning about, appreciating, and making art. Points out that for decades educators have stressed a nondirective approach to elementary art education in order to encourage self-expression. Concludes this approach should be re-examined; that art educators must constructively criticize children's art and…