Professional guidelines for English language arts call for the integration of multimodal literacy in the curriculum (National Council of Teachers of English, 2005). These guidelines are grounded in the belief that all meaning-making systems (e.g., visual, linguistic, spatial) are equally valuable. Each has unique potential that, when used…

Discusses five realms to explore when distinguishing the efficacy of images. Explores six ethical issues that the use of images raise, such as misconception and sensationalism. Proposes a strategy for analyzing controversial images and illustrates the use of this methodology by analyzing the use of "Joe Camel" in advertising. (CMK)

Maintains that philosophical aesthetics must be an integral part of art education. Examines existing methods and materials for teaching philosophy to children from the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (New Jersey). Describes a sample unit showing philosophical aesthetics in action in a fifth grade class. (KM)

Utilizes a 17th-century Italian sculpture and an African fetish figure to illustrate essential qualities and characteristics of figurative sculpture. Points out the extreme differences and the many similarities between the two and offers explanations. Includes a process for leading students through "reading" the sculptures. (MJP)

Observes that the need for art education to include discussions of popular visual culture that influences student knowledge grows more pressing as mass communication increasingly becomes a major source of information about art. Discusses representations of culture in art in advertising and art in film. Specifically looks at art in the film…

Outlines an issue-centered approach to teaching aesthetics, where students identify and analyze possible solutions before learning an aesthetician's viewpoint. Suggests that teachers acquire basic aesthetic knowledge but also be willing to accept planned uncertainty as an educational principle. Presents a fictional art forgery scenario to…

Presents a series of lesson plans analyzing four paintings. The lesson plans use discipline-based art-education principles to examine issues of racial, ethnic, social, and gender prejudice. The artists represented are Robert Gwathmey, Thomas Hart Benton, Eastman Johnson, and Jacob Lawrence. Includes color plates and background information. (MJP)

Recreates a lively, informal discussion about art between three high school students and an art education professor. The students discuss their backgrounds, experiences creating art, and art preferences. Includes added commentary by the professor. (MJP)

Asks how art should be taught in a culture in which television and electronic media constitute the primary media with which young people interact. Suggests that art educators should focus on how students use technology, the production and viewing of technological images, and the ways that such images have meaning. (DSK)

Presents three works of art that examine issues of exhibition, display, culture, and access in contemporary museum practices. The works include four black mannequins dressed as security guards, a room-size installation consisting solely of objects related to the artist, and a poster highlighting the general exclusion of women artists. (MJP)

Shows how learning, in an art appreciation class, can be more meaningful and lasting by emphasizing expressive outcomes that develop during class and reflect students' life experiences. Explains how teachers can take advantage of students' spontaneously generated questions. Provides four examples from an undergraduate class that can be applied at…