Library Representatives: MAT Art Education

Following on from The Big Book of Therapeutic Activity Ideas for Children and Teens, this book provides EVEN MORE imaginative and fun activity ideas, lessons, and projects for use with difficult and challenging children and teens aged 5+. From ice breakers and group starters to bibliotherapy and monthly character education activities, there are over 90 ideas designed to unleash the creativity of children and teens, and teach social skills, strategies to control anger and anxiety, conflict resolution, positive thinking skills, and more. They make use of art, scientific experiments, expressive arts and books, and many come with photocopiable handouts. The activities can be used in a variety of settings, and they are adaptable for use with both individuals and groups. This is a practical resource bursting with ideas, and it will be invaluable for anyone working with children and teens, including school counselors, teachers, social workers, youth workers, arts therapists, and psychologists.

For more than a decade, Judy Chicago has been formulating a critique of studio art education, in colleges or art schools, based upon observation, study, and, most importantly, her own teaching experiences, which have taken her from prestigious universities to regional colleges, and across the country from Cal Poly Pomona to Duke University and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. ...Creator of the celebrated The Dinner Party, a monumental art installation, Chicago reviews her own art education, in the 1960s, when she overcame sexist obstacles to beginning a career as an artist and became recognized as one of the key figures in the dynamic California art scene of that decade. She reviews the present-day situation of young people aspiring to become artists and uncovers the persistence of a bias against women and other minorities in studio art education. Far from a dry educational treatise, Institutional Time is heartfelt, and highly personal: a book that has the earmarks of a classic in arts education."-- Publisher's website.

"Brings together historians, philosophers, critics, curators, artists, and educators to ask how art is and should be taught. Explores the theories that underwrite art education at all levels, the pertinent history of art education, and the most promising current conceptualizations"--Provided by publisher.

This title presents an anthology of texts which frames the recent educational turn in the arts within a wider historical and social context

"The primary goal of the book is to change and expand our understanding of history in the field of art education, plus to open up a dialog with individuals from other disciplines, especially folklorists. In doing so the goal is to further the kinds of educational partnerships that can and should take place when learning about the visual arts."

Teachers are powerful individuals who have the ability to effect change and meaningful educational reform. Teachers and researchers can benefit from the rich knowledge and experience of art teachers, university faculty members, and museum educators who may balance multiple roles. Examples beyond public school classrooms include senior citizen centers, preschools, museums, and international sites. This collaboration of voices-including those of the authors, a graduate student, and a wide range of researchers with various perspectives on how research occurs in art education-will help new researchers and teachers who may not have considered conducting research as a possibility for them, find a glimpse of themselves as a teacher-researcher.

LEVEL: All. Stimulating creativity in art, each chapter in this resource is filled with photographs, drawings, and activities that illustrate familiar art elements in new and unusual ways. Over one hundred activities are included, as well as the 'Art Synector' guide, which enables you to generate an unlimited number of classroom projects.

Assessing Expressive Learningis the only book in the art education field to date to propose and support a research-supported teacher-directed authentic assessment model for evaluating K-12 studio art, and to offer practical information on how to implement the model. This practical text for developing visual arts assessment for grades 1-12 is based on and supported by the results of a year-long research effort primarily sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, involving 70 art teachers and 1,500 students in 12 school districts in Florida, Indiana, and Illinois. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate that creative artwork by K-12 students can be empirically assessed using quantitative measures that are consistent with the philosophical assumptions of authentic learning and with the means and ends of art, and that these measures can reliably assess student art growth. A further goal was to provide a rationale for the assessment of student art as an essential part of the K-12 instructional program and to encourage art teachers to take responsibility for and assume a leadership role in the assessment of art learning in the school and the school district. Assessing Expressive Learning: *reports on current assessment methods but also stresses a time-tested portfolio assessment process that can be used or adapted for use in any K-12 art classroom; *includes the assessment instruments used in the study and several case studies of art teachers using electronic portfolios of student work, a bibliography of major art assessment efforts, and a critical review of current methods; *is designed to be teacher- and system-friendly, unlike many other art assessment publications that provide only a review of information on assessment; and *both documents an experiment where artistic values and aesthetic issues were considered paramount in the education of K-12 students in the visual arts, and also serves as a guide for the conduct of similar experiments by art teachers in the nation's schools--the research methodology and results are reported in an appendix in a format that will enable educational researchers to duplicate the study. This volume is ideal as a text for upper-division undergraduate and graduate classes in visual arts education assessment, and highly relevant for college art education professors, researchers, and school district personnel involved in the education and supervision of art teachers, and researchers interested in performance measurement.

This book introduces the student to the field of teaching, discusses theory and practice of Art Education, and synthesizes and prepares students to make the transition from student to Art teacher. It presents art education as an integration of philosophy, history, theory, and practice. Bates illustrates how to apply theory to practice as an art educator. Models, methods, and experiences are provided to enlighten, inspire, and amuse. BECOMING AN ART TEACHER is a refreshing approach to art methods.

Research shows that thematic teaching across the curriculum significantly increases student engagement. This book gives examples of how teachers can enhance their current lessons and studio activities by organising them around meaningful, universal themes like identity, conflict, and relationships.

Written for art educators and those who value the arts for students with special needs, this book provides an overview of special needs students in the art room—addressing each group separately and including current definitions and descriptions and recommended teaching strategies. Art lesson adaptations and behavior management strategies are included, and follow-up activities at the end of each chapter offer further insights into each group of students. It also addresses school-wide concerns: collaboration among educators and school staff; art therapy and therapeutic teaching; paraeducators in the art room; and resources for the arts for special needs students. Step-by-step directions aid readers in obtaining funding to expand their own teaching opportunities.


Editor Beverly Gerber says, “There is no magic teaching pill to learn how to teach students with special needs. There are however, effective teaching strategies and approaches that can reach a wide range of students of differing abilities. When these strategies are put together, they form a framework for lesson planning and behavior management“ (p. 28). These sound teaching practices can be adapted for a variety of student ages and disabilities, and teaching practices and principles that work well in one classroom can usually transfer to other school settings—they are as relevant in the art room as in the special education program.


While good teaching is timeless, terminology may change. A 2014 reprint updates language reflecting the Supreme Court ruling to replace the term “mental retardation” with “intellectual disabilities.” New issues reflect and respect that change while staying true to the original timeless concept. A story from a retiring art teacher best illustrates this blend. She presented her annotated copy of Reaching and Teaching as a gift to the new art teacher who followed her.