In this article, the author provides some tips for presenting at local, state and national art education conferences. He hopes that these personal reflections and guidelines will be helpful in planning and executing a memorable presentation.

As an art teacher, the author has shied away from designing instructional units around the big idea of "ecology." Personally passionate about the topic, she feared that she would not be able to guide students effectively away from finished products that looked more like "save the earth" posters than layered, metaphorical, and sophisticated works…

This article features Ken Vieth, an artist, a best-selling author, an international workshop presenter, and a master teacher with 33 years of experience working with students at the secondary level. Vieth first came to the notice of Davis Publications years ago through his many articles in this journal. He has written more than 60 articles for…

Successful teaching involves continuous learning, stimulation, motivation, and networking with other art educators. To help art teachers improve themselves, SchoolArts magazine recently organized the Folk Art Traditions and Beyond Seminar at Ghost Ranch in Santa Fe. In this article, the author describes the highlights of the Folk Art Traditions…

In this article, the author shares how she was able to discover some big ideas about art education. She relates how she found great ideas to improve her teaching from the book "Rethinking Curriculum in Art." She also shares how she designed a "Big Idea" unit in her class.

When teaching still-life drawing to her eighth-grade students, the author decided they needed a challenge on their final assignment. She thought that making it personal would be more appealing to students than drawing a typical still-life arrangement. She decided to have students create a small collage-style arrangement as a subject for a…

Did you know that a hummingbird weighs less than a penny? Or that an elephant swims twenty miles a day? These are just two of the many facts that Snapple prints on the lids of their drink bottles. When Snapple first introduced the Snapple Real Facts the author was excited to see that something so trivial was also educational. She asked herself if…

Throughout the author's career as an art educator in public schools and at the university level, a perplexing question has recurred: "Why teach art?" This query never fails to surprise her, for in her estimation the arts are at the very core of all art educators need to know and what they should be teaching. As art teachers--regardless of where or…

One American artist that students enjoy is Keith Haring. They love the symbolic figures, movement, energy, vitality, spirit, and excitement that characterizes his art. Haring was driven by a strong desire to communicate and developed his own language with his bold lines, objects, figures, colors and patterns. In this article, the author presents…

In this article, the author reflects on her teaching career. She feels that in order for her to be an effective art teacher, she also needs to be an artist. By fostering her creativity, she feels that she can foster the creativity of her students. Her motto, which has enabled her to do many wonderful things in her classroom and for her students,…

Teachers often hurry from student to student giving out encouraging comments: "Nice," "Good work," "I like your picture." However, the author believes that a more honest kind of art discourse based upon the teachers' feelings will bring both the students and the teacher more satisfaction if they respond to the students' efforts not from their…

Asperger Syndrome (AS) and autism are two pervasive developmental disorders of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Individuals with AS may have exceptional speech and language abilities and difficulty establishing friendships with peers. The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states that all American children have the right to…

When working with very young children and/or students with special needs, it is beneficial for teachers to think "outside the box" in order to preserve and enhance a child's natural curiosity. In an effort to teach young children to control their drawing tools, they are often presented with coloring book-type pages and instructed to "stay inside…

In this article, the author shares her inspiring experience when she was working as a pre-service teacher. She was helping a student named DeVaughn, who was frustrated by that day's sketchbook assignment. The class was supposed to be drawing a pile of shoes, capturing all the details and values. DeVaughn understood what was expected for the…

In this article, the author shares tips on how to keep students interested in learning about still-life art lessons. She relates that her main goal was to formally introduce students to observational drawing and the element of value. She shares that to prevent her students from losing interest, she keeps her time short, keeps the project simple,…