Throughout the day, art teachers make decisions--some impromptu, others after considerable deliberation. Some are simple, easy, black-and-white choices; others involve gray areas of uncertainty--areas that need legal interpretation. This article is intended as a guide for structuring curriculum and instruction to ensure that every student's…

In this article, the author describes why he teaches art. He explains that he never planned on teaching art, but he enjoys interacting with students and getting to know them. He says that art is unique because students are allowed to talk while still learning. Whether they have pencils or scissors, charcoal or paintbrushes in their hands, or…

In this article, the author discusses how many art educators today are expected to make something from nothing and to exist on a bare-bones budget. Innovative art teachers can turn such a limitation into opportunities to explore the world of throwaway materials--materials that can be recycled into rewarding art experiences. Besides using recycled…

A culture can be remembered and studied by the artwork it leaves behind. The artwork gives more than a pictorial or historical record of that culture. It also reveals the cultural practices and beliefs that form the accepted boundaries for the expression of culture. These boundaries are aesthetics. It is human nature to sometimes challenge these…

In this article, the author describes that teaching students how to unlock the color of white is his passion. Like so many other art teachers, he struggled for years teaching color wheels and making value scales, only to be frustrated when students produced colorful charts and then made colorless paintings. He was teaching students how to mix…

Professional development through the advanced planning of themed exhibitions provides art instructors in Howard County, Maryland, the impetus for many of the ideas that may become artful problems presented to students. In this installment of the series Artful Collaborations, Stacey McKenna and Gino Molfino share their response for the spring 2001…

Sciences fair season is a time when seasoned non-science teachers typically give up all hope of cramming any more knowledge into the heads of their students. It's just too much. However, non-science types might be missing out on a pretty good deal. The science department has got these kids in a pretty tight grip as far as the process and the…

ADHD is a neurobiological-based brain disorder, most often hereditary, affecting nearly one in twenty students. The ADHD brain functions differently because the area between the frontal lobe and rear lobe is having short-circuit problems and is not transmitting necessary information. The technical part of the disorder does not engage us as…

Art teacher Linda Popp and artist H. Ed Smith team up to teach about creating sculptural clocks. This lesson shows how a portrait can be created using various media. Students based projects on someone in their lives they have known for a long time. This sculptural problem was part of a series of portrait and self-portrait lessons with a high…

A step-by-step self-portrait lesson helped students with their listening skills, following directions, expanding their art vocabulary, and using a variety of art media and techniques. This article describes a simple lesson that enabled a teacher to have an excellent relationship with her first grade students. The teacher who wrote this article…

In many American schools, class size continues to increase while art budget dollars remain the same or, even worse, decrease. Art educators need to become proactive and creative in procuring art supplies for their classrooms. This may necessitate asking for supplemental funds from the PTA or raising money through fundraising. It may also mean that…

State-mandated, high-stakes testing is the primary means by which schools are judged. Whether this is a fair and accurate way of judging the performance of schools may remain in debate for a long time. Some school districts have gone so far as reducing or eliminating "special" classes--in particular art and music. Art teachers can help prepare…

In this article, the author states that as an art teacher, your contribution to your students' knowledge of another culture is to familiarize them with evidence of how a group of people produced visual images in that time and place. You should not claim that they will gain understanding of the culture itself from this experience. One art lesson…

Many art teachers use the Web as an information source. Overall, they look for good content that is clearly written concise, accurate, and pertinent. A well-designed site gives users what they want quickly, efficiently, and logically, and does not ask them to assemble a puzzle to resolve their search. How can websites with these qualities be…

How would you like to put some "Pow!" into your art instruction? A lesson in comic books--history, design, story, and production--can make your classes come alive. The authors present a new approach to using comics to build artistic skills and involve students in art appreciation. Why Comics? Many art teachers have students who say, "I hate art!"…