This paper presents a micro-cycle of design, detailing an experiential art workshop conducted with first to third-grade students in an elementary school in Iran. The four-session educational program aimed to prompt children to explore the school environment through leveraging visual and sound arts as investigative tools. Drawing on a Design-Based…

School-university partnerships (SUPs) have been used for decades to address a variety of university and k-12 school needs, including teacher training and research (Allen et al., 2013; Bebas, 2016; Walsh & Backe, 2013). While beneficial, their use in other areas such as school-based mental health services have largely been neglected.…

This article describes a STEAM lesson focusing on Johnathon Green's landscapes and the science of the ecosystems in the coastal region of the southeastern United States. The learning that took place manifested into something more meaningful than just the intended lesson. The collateral learning included the fact that artists can be African…

Multi-age classrooms feature the intentional grouping of students from consecutive grade levels for the purpose of fostering a nurturing classroom atmosphere. While an abundance of research on multi-age education has been produced throughout the past 50 years, only recent efforts have seen researchers turn their attention to the experiences of art…

This case study is one of five publications from the larger study, "Teaching for a Changing World: The Graduates of Bank Street College of Education." Established in 1989, Midtown West is a New York City public elementary school serving approximately 350 students from kindergarten through grade five. With the support of Tony Alvarado,…

It is definitely easier to write about work when things are going well, but it is even more important to write about what happens when things get challenging. The act of writing about the challenging times can be challenging in itself but can also provide invaluable insights into the process of teaching: important for the writer and just as…

A sustainable plan for arts education is not allocated in the operating costs of many elementary school districts. Arts education is becoming expendable, as budgets become tighter and emphasis is placed on test scores in accountable subject areas. High stakes testing, pre-identified supposed outcomes, and public concern about school productivity…

One of the author's main goals as an art teacher is to make sure that her students understand at least one technique that any artist might use to make a work of art look more interesting. While she teaches various techniques, she often faces the challenge of how to get her students to explore their own imaginations and feel confident in their…

This study portrayed a picture of kindergarten through 3rd-grade teachers who teach visual arts, their perceptions of the value of visual arts, their visual arts teaching practices, visual arts experiences provided to young learners in school, and major factors and/or influences that affect their teaching of visual arts. The sample for this study…