This article explores the technology fluency of the preschool "digital native" and how this familiarity with technology influences learning in the classroom. The study involved introducing tablets as a tool for mark making and observing how students engaged with the technology creatively. This study considered the continuously rising…

In this article, the author provides a brief synopsis of a study he conducted about the nature of children's drawing among first and second grade students. Laroche noticed that when first and second grade students sat at a table of four or had their individual desks grouped in fours, frequently the drawings from that group of students had similar…

Current beliefs about how children draw emphasize the importance of drawing from memory, rather than from observation. However, an experiment with children aged seven to nine showed that observation drawings included greater detail and complexity. More research on observation drawing is recommended. (IS)

Noting that Asian children frequently develop artistic sensitivity and skill at a very young age, the author presents insights gained from a year's study of Japan's art education practices and of cultural attitudes which foster children's art in that nation. (SJL)

During a visit to Williamsburg Elementary School (Williamsburg, Iowa), this author was introduced to J. C. Holz, a 10-year-old boy who had already exhibited the characteristics of a prolific artist. During one of the interviews with J. C., the author encouraged him to have a solo exhibition of his work at the University of Iowa. The exhibition was…

Section One of this article reviews extant theories of children's art. Section Two outlines evaluative criteria based on developmental approaches: degree of representational detail, expressiveness, and representational accuracy. Section Three explores the theoretical support for alternative standards for evaluating children's drawings. (SJL)

After reviewing the socialization models of Berger and Luckmann, Speier, and Piaget, the author relates the drawing process to these theories as a form of social interaction, citing changes in drawing style and subject matter with gains in social maturity. She concludes with implications for art educators. (SJL)

It is important for art teachers to understand how children develop artistically. This kind of knowledge is essential for choosing age-appropriate teaching strategies and content for the units and lessons that the art teacher develops. Beginning art teachers study developmental theory in educational psychology classes, but it seems that this is…

Presents a case study, through observation of a child named Hawk Weisman, that demonstrates a child's use of drawing to find meaning. Discusses Hawk's motivations for drawing, the recurring themes that encompass both humanistic and scientific concepts, and his homemade books. Addresses the educational implications. (CMK)

Reports on insights about sociocultural influences on Brazilian children's drawings, using visual anthropology to examine children's drawings that depicted what they like to do. Discusses visual anthropology, provides information on Brazilian educational influences, and presents the context and findings of the study. (CMK)

Explores how the universal stages of graphic language development manifest themselves in children living in the Amish community and how the uniqueness of this subculture is reflected in their drawings. Explains that Amish children focus on an agrarian environment and use copying as a means to finding an accepted place in the community. (CMK)

Describes the history of the Chautauqua Industrial Art Desk, a teaching machine that was created around 1913, and the two teaching guides, "The Home Teacher" and "Child Life," that accompany the desk. Explains that the desk was a response to the industrialization and urbanization of society in the early twentieth-century. (CMK)

Examines the relationship between handwriting and early drawing. Maintains that often the quality of line in drawing becomes more reserved as the acquisition of the skill of writing-as-script becomes more fluid and automatic. Includes exercises that illustrate this process and use handwriting to explore creativity. (MJP)