There are not a lot of conceptual tools that can help a family therapy teacher to talk and teach about the importance of the therapeutic relationship in family therapy practice. The idea that family therapy can be conceived as a dialogue might offer a fresh and promising perspective. Mainly inspired by the work of Bakhtin, Voloshinov, and Shotter,…

This article, which is a revised version of a paper presented at the XXIV World Congress of OMEP conference in Melbourne in July 2004, reports on a study that explored young children's (5-9 years) vision of their future environment in South Africa--as temporal dimension, illustrating their conceptual understanding of this concept. A sample of 320…

This study examined characteristics of human figures representing the self as drawn by 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds and the presence of age or gender differences. A total of 150 children who were selected randomly from day care centers drew themselves on paper with crayons. There were equal numbers of boys and girls in each age group. Human figure…

This work presents a collection of craft projects that can be created by children. Necessary for completion of each craft is an IBM-compatible computer running Windows, "Word for Windows 6.0," with a mouse, a printer, and plain white printer paper. Simple craft supplies, including glue and scissors, also are needed. In each activity the child is…

This handbook was developed to serve as a point of reference in identifying potential dropout problems. Included are several crucial recommendations for establishing an effective partnership between home and school that will help children succeed in school. Recommendations focus on preventive action in the classroom and at home. Artwork and…

The nature of children's writing and drawing forms a useful starting point for examining journal writing with young children. Much research and literature suggests the educational value of having children write, yet a controversy exists among writing authorities concerning whether children's drawings are a necessary part of journal-writing…

This book is designed to be of assistance to primary school teachers who have had little training in arts and crafts and for use in teacher training colleges. Tested in Nigeria and Jamaica, this manual gives children an opportunity to develop their natural creativity, and also develops accuracy and manual dexterity in hand skills. Lesson plans are…

Literature on children's drawing was reviewed for the purpose of illuminating issues of developmental stages, differences in development, perceptual problems, and instructional methods that influence learning in children's drawings. A glossary of terms used in the literature was compiled. Conclusions were drawn from the studies reviewed with a…

This collection of 10 papers focuses on art testing and Norman C. Meier's role in this area of study. The titles written by Gilbert Clark are: (1) "Early Inquiry, Research, and Testing of Children's Art Abilities"; (2) "Norman C. Meier: A Critique of His Tests and Research"; and (3) "Recent Inquiry and Testing of…

The paper describes ways of incorporating a ceramic program into existing curricula for exceptional children. The program focuses on the process of producing clay products and has as its goals: tension release, heightened self-image, improved coordination, personal growth and emotional maturity. The manual describes organizatonal structure, goals,…

Case's cognitive developmental theory was used in an investigation of unconstrained drawings by children 4, 6, 8, and 10 years of age. The objectives were: (1) to look for qualitative changes in drawing at these ages, (2) to relate whatever changes were found to qualitative changes in other tasks during the same period, and (3) to test whether a…

Children's drawings of "a house with a tree behind it" were analyzed for (1) developmental changes in graphic representation over a 3-year period; (2) relationship with Piagetian tasks (the Nebraska Wisconsin Cognitive Assessment Battery of the NC-124), Peabody IQ, and WISC-R; and (3) correspondence with the Luquet-Piaget sequence of…

Art can be a valuable tool for understanding children's affective states and their personality strengths and weaknesses. Knowledge about the use and interpretation of such drawings may be an important tool for elementary school counselors in their efforts to understand the affective states of their pupils. (Author)

A project involving painting large murals on the courtyard walls of a school not only halted vandalism but improved the quality of education for all students by integrating the arts into their basic education. (JD)

A study of children's art as a function of gender of child, picture condition (drawings of same-sex versus mixed-sex dyads), and child-rearing setting (United States town, Israeli town, and Israeli kibbutz) confirms that boys, particularly Americans, are more aggressive, competitive, and hierarchical in their depicted relationships than are girls.…