The concept of a learner's identity in mathematics is complex and multifaceted. Based on a review of the relevant research, the authors believe most factors that influence one's mathematical identity fall within these four categories: (1) past mathematics experiences; (2) personal beliefs and efficacy; (3) future self-representation and belonging;…

Teaching artists typically work as solo agents, without the comradery of a like-minded community. After a year of focus groups, teaching observations, and conversations with school and arts administrators, we identified a need for experienced teaching artists to have a chance to reflect upon, renew, and reconsider their teaching practices with…

Art education has celebrated pluralism and cultural diversity to bring a more profound understanding between people from different backgrounds. However, since the spread of COVID-19, horrendous discriminatory crimes have increased, such as the 2021 Atlanta massacre, a shooting that targeted Asian American-owned massage parlors. These alarming…

During the summer of 2016, through a teen arts internship, the author conducted research on some of the contexts, narratives, and activities that shape artist identity formation. The teen arts interns spent mornings engaged in activities such as discussion, writing, and making art, with a focus on art as activism, and spent afternoons as teaching…

In this article, I share ways in which I have used the artworks of contemporary artists to encourage middle school students to reflect on the concepts of identity, diversity, and social justice. Specifically, I focus on the "Comfort Hair" series by Yuni Kim Lang, a Michigan-based Korean American artist, and a piece from the "Giant…

"Autobiography on the Spectrum" challenges prevailing notions about autism by offering a critically unconventional perspective--the viewpoint of adolescents who are themselves on the spectrum. Examining a year-long inquiry, Myers highlights the autobiographical works of the students through writing, photography, poetry, art, and more.…

The following article tells the story of how a qualitative research methods PhD course and the creation of a researcher portfolio helped to answer the sometimes elusive question of, "Who am I as a researcher?" and ultimately led to a rediscovery of voice. This story describes how using various modes of inquiry set the groundwork for my…

The combination of verbal and nonverbal channels provided by the arts can offer valuable opportunities not only for students with language delays but also for English language learners. More generally, arts enrichment may help to bridge the gap that often separates home and school for children from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds. The arts…

Place-based education incorporates local communities into school curriculum, recognizing the importance of local traditions, communities, and ecosystems, and emphasizing content that has reference to community life and local ecology. One elementary art teacher worked to connect place to her own artistic identity and to her work teaching elementary…

In this article, the author strengthens and develops the theoretical platform for her concept of little public spheres. Hickey-Moody does so in order to present the concept as a tool for theorists who want to consider the political significance of marginalized youth. The concept of little publics is a theoretical frame the author developed to show…

Media have become ever-present factors in most college students' lives (Turan, Tinmaz, & Goktas, 2013). Despite this infiltration, students (and most of the public) remain remarkably unaware of the significant role the media can play in the construction of a social reality and, in turn, how individuals act and interact on a daily basis…

This article describes a community art therapy program that was designed to promote health and well-being in old age. Observations of diverse participant interactions in the nondirective therapy studio over the course of 6 years revealed the benefits of art making and how it may influence well-being during the process of advancing age. Program…

Teaching is vulnerable work where self and other enter into intimate encounters that can change one's sense of self and purpose within the world. Through this poetic rendering, I seek to piece together a story of communal becoming within the space of a student teaching seminar. The work was collaborative and ongoing as students engaged with one…

Community-based arts projects can act as powerful learning opportunities in a variety of lifelong and life wide contexts. Many of these projects involve artists, who usually undertake a leading role to ensure that some type of transformation takes place for those involved. The impact on the leaders--in this case the artists--is difficult to…

Teachers know about the joyful discoveries children make when they create animal masks, draw with a handful of crayons, use spices mixed with glue to paint a self-portrait, or compare their colorful fingerprints. Art activities fit beautifully with early childhood education's emphasis on social, emotional, cognitive, and physical learning…