In this article, Jason Wright begins by describing the "checklist traveler"--a traveler that has a checklist for every city they travel to and once done, they move on. This type of traveler would see the sites they were "supposed to see" and were on a tight schedule. The famous relics, monuments, statues, cathedrals, sweeping…

The National Visual Arts Standards (NVAS) present ways for students in the United States to create, present, respond, and connect to the world of art and artmaking. This article focuses on the practices of one visual arts educator, Educator A, who taught in a state-sponsored specialist music high school, guided by the following question: "How…

Art is visual literacy, some would say more basic than writing and speaking, because it is not hampered by the barrier of language. The process of creating a visual narrative and understanding visual literacy is multi-faceted. Because similar cognitive strategies are used in the practice of both visual and written literacy, incorporation of…

One of the most challenging concepts for preservice and experienced art teachers is to comprehend the difference between aesthetics and art criticism. In this article, the author discusses aesthetics from a historical perspective and reflects on how it can be defined and used in the art classroom. Gardner's (1983) intrapersonal and interpersonal…

Provides four art portraits from various sources to help students question reality and the roles people play in society. Includes background information on the artists, historical contexts, visual analyses, and vocabulary lists. Outlines art and reading assignments for all age groups. (KM)

Explores the sources of art criticism and reviews some extant pedagogical models. Outlines the content skills to be developed and the role of art criticism in a discipline-based teacher training curriculum. Recommends that art criticism should incorporate pedagogy and other disciplines of art. (KM)

Presents the findings from a study in which children acted as art museum tour guides for their adult pre- and in-service teachers. Focuses on the children's conceptions of museums, art museum rules, and tour guides; the children's interpretations of artworks; and the learning outcomes. (CMK)

Focuses on the use of classroom art talk, addressing how to talk about art in school and the scope of classroom art talk. States that there are at least four reasons to study high school classroom art talk. (CMK)

Outlines a collaborative processing model of art education what draws upon the language and learning notions of Lev S. Vygotsky. Emphasizes the role of the learner in collaboration with her/his social environment rather than traditional disciplinary boundaries. Synthesizes the principles of transactional learning theory and the processes of making…

Maintains that philosophical aesthetics must be an integral part of art education. Examines existing methods and materials for teaching philosophy to children from the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (New Jersey). Describes a sample unit showing philosophical aesthetics in action in a fifth grade class. (KM)

Discusses the curriculum model developed by the Art Team, a part of the International Project Division at Arizona State University, that provided technical advice on preservice training for art teachers in Turkey. Provides an example of the model's success in which the students used exploratory art criticism to examine a tapestry. (CMK)

Proposes that teachers use make-believe and fantasy to motivate and assist students in addressing the art object. Provides suggestions for using both familiar and fantasy roles to develop skills and insights related to art criticism. (CFR)

Asserts that neither of the two most popular models of art criticism lends itself to a postmodern understanding of the political role of visual art in the late 20th century. Concludes that the historical context model is rooted in historical understanding and that teachers must prepare for this type of instruction. (CFR)

Considers recent changes in issues and strategies of art criticism and how these relate to computer-generated images and computer assisted instruction. These changes both reflect and inhabit the decentered, fragmentary, and flexible postmodernist vision. Preservice art teachers should become familiar with these changes. (MJP)

Discusses the dilemmas posed by limited financial support for art education programs. Recommends four strategies for dealing with these problems. Suggests that discipline-based art education, which includes lessons on art criticism and art history, can be employed to provide quality art education. (CFR)