A Brooklyn high school photography program encourages students to work for the pleasure of doing something well, not just for grades. Concepts are explained four different ways so students at different ability levels catch on. Working cooperatively encourages kids to recognize their abilities and take on more responsibility. A unique grading…

Presents a workbook extract from the teaching resource kit entitled "Land and Landscapes: Views of America's History and Culture" that examines landscape paintings and photographs from the 19th century to the present. Explains that the main focus of this extract is to question how European American views about landownership affected…

A middle school team of teachers addressed the needs of six high risk students through a three-phase educational action research project. The three phases (listening to students, listening to the environment, and reflecting on practices) were overlapping and simultaneous processes. Photovoice and open-ended interviews were used to listen to…

Research supports the importance of teaching skills within the contexts that they will be used (Falvey, 1989; Nietupski, Clancy, Wehrmacher, & Parmer, 1985), yet many school-based programs face resource constraints which limit the number of opportunities where instruction can occur in authentic, community-based settings. When community-based…

For teaching gifted and other high-ability learners, the idea that understanding is more significant than knowing is nearly a no-brainer. Teachers are continuously looking for ways to raise the intellectual bar through classroom challenges that push these learners to extend beyond the factual knowledge base that is often the measuring stick of…

This article looks closely at one instantiation of a poetry-centered practice as supported by June Jordan's Poetry for the People, specifically in the context of an inaugural poetry contest. It builds on an earlier empirical study, which investigated the partnership between Poetry for the People and one East Bay Area high school and the rich…

Describes ERIC materials that include a range of exercises involving photography, adaptable for most age groups, linking both reading and writing. (HOD)

Describes class projects involving astronomical photography. Includes a description of how to make an astrocamera or convert a pocket camera into one suitable for astrophotography, film choices, and phenomena to photograph, such as star trails, meteors, the sun, and the moon. (DS)

Outlines procedures for using some photographic techniques to start a black and white slide collection. Instructions are given for: (1) necessary equipment and materials; (2) photographing images such as photos, charts or drawings; (3) developing the film; and (4) setting up the filing system. Photographs and drawings illustrate the process. (AMH)

Connects some of the author's classroom discoveries and reflections--made during 10 years of practitioner research--to educational literature. Explains transformations in a classroom which resulted when the teacher focused on "good things." Proposes that teachers make discoveries when they pay attention to details. Notes that teachers also make…

Explores the sensory, formal, and symbolic orientations for studying environmental aesthetics. Points out that environmental aesthetics are related to both the natural and built environments. Discusses implications for art education in developing aesthetically oriented individuals. Maintains that learning something in environmental aesthetics is…

Describes study of undergraduates that was conducted to investigate the effect of quality and clarity of the photographic image on the recall of photographic content. The stylistic elements of photography are discussed; the subjects' information gathering modality is considered (i.e., whether visual, aural, or both); and results are analyzed. (9…

Explores critical activities in the visual arts and how they can enhance art appreciation. Outlines sources of criticism, different types of criticism, the varied backgrounds of art critics, and the artist-critic relationship. Maintains that, by emphasizing interpretive aspects, school art criticism can come closer to professional art criticism.…

Describes a photography and local history project developed by students in a seventh grade language arts class. Discusses the project's success as reflected by student motivation and progress in writing skills. (SV)

Provides background information on the Farm Security Administration (FSA) and the photographic section of the FSA. Identifies six photographers and features three photographers (Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, and Ben Shahn) who were recruited to document farm conditions. Discusses using FSA photos in the classroom and provides lesson plans to help…