The Moth is a nonprofit performing arts organization dedicated to true stories told live, and its education programs make space for students and educators to tell their stories. In this edited transcript of a panel discussion given by student alumni of Moth storytelling programs, participants discuss the impact of personal narrative performance on…

In this piece of writing, I respond to Anon's reflections on her/his experiences of being taught Drama in a British high school, recently published in this journal (see Anon. 2017. '"Where the wild things are" -- an insider's experience of the contemporary drama classroom', RIDE: "The Journal of Applied Theatre and…

When talking with New York City educators about the circumstances of teaching during the upheavals wrought by COVID-19, common terms get repeated: "brutal," "chaotic," "confusing," "traumatic," "disorienting," "sad," and "lonely." While art education often includes digital tools…

Context is everything. Very little in art or in history (or in life) happens in isolation, although works of art and events in history have been studied this way. This is especially true of the arts, which are so intrinsically connected to the cultures from which they emerge. This essential interconnectivity was also the premise behind the design…

In this reflective essay, Linda F. Nathan, the founding headmaster of the Boston Arts Academy and currently the executive director of Center for Arts in Education at Boston Arts Academy, shares a story about how one student, Ronald, expands his vision of self through his engagement with the arts. In presenting this reflection on Ronald's…

This document provides Q&A with webinar presenter, Susan Riley. Riley's presentation looks at broad ideas of clarifying best practices in using arts integration (AI) and/or STEAM at any grade level. Questions cover topics such as: the creativity crisis in US schools, integrating art into math adult education (GED and ESL), theater arts in the…

Art educators and administrators allowed a project to evolve based on the "street life" experiences of ordinarily invisible people. The goal was to create a space or number of spaces for celebrating the human spirit through art, music, dance, poetry, theater, and story while also providing a forum for exploring some of the social issues affecting…

In this article, the author relates his experience working for the Department of Education as an "arts content coach" and visiting in rural Alaska's schools. He shares how he is guiding the youths in analyzing the visual elements of stage pictures so that they can create their own tableaux of important historical inventions. He asks some…

In this article, the author describes her experience with her daughter, Grace, who always had an interest in art. She states that being the parent of a child who has talent in an area that is not one's own can be daunting. Here, she stresses the importance of understanding the unique developmental path of each child. Some students show their…

Background: The high school production offers our students a creative way to develop their literacy, numeracy and social skills to mention a few. Why then do we permit anyone to teach the production and usually expect teachers to volunteer? Purpose: To do research into why the school production should be adopted as an integral part of our…

Room M219 of Tucson's Catalina High School feels more like a hip design shop or bustling photography studio than an advanced English as a Second Language (ESL) class. Printouts of photographs lie scattered amidst rows of computers. Fingers dash across keyboards and images flash onto monitors as students review their own work. One would never guess…

This article describes Nilaja Sun's groundbreaking one-woman show about a TA, her students, and her school, and includes interviews with the author/performer, an excerpt of the work, and a discussion of the organization behind it.

In this article, the author describes that teaching students how to unlock the color of white is his passion. Like so many other art teachers, he struggled for years teaching color wheels and making value scales, only to be frustrated when students produced colorful charts and then made colorless paintings. He was teaching students how to mix…

In painting and drawing classes, it is typical to ask students to work directly from a master. It is one way to study composition techniques, and to become familiar with classical style firsthand. In museums, easels are set up as artists work, not in an attempt to copy or plagiarize, but in an attempt to be part of history by participating in it.…

In this article, the author describes how she conducts her art classes. She relates that she begins all of her classes by asking prompting questions and presenting basic information such as a definitions of art terminologies to her students. The author believes in brainstorming with her students, an effective way for creating a dialog with her…