Understanding Art Education

What is distinctive about art and design as a subject in secondary schools? What contribution does it make to the wider curriculum? How can art and design develop the agency of young people? Understanding Art Education examines the theory and practice of helping young people learn in and beyond the secondary classroom. It provides guidance and stimulation for ways of thinking about art and design when preparing to teach and provides a framework within which teachers can locate their own experiences and beliefs. Designed to complement the core textbook Learning to Teach Art and Design in the Secondary School, which offers pragmatic approaches for trainee and newly-qualified teachers, this book suggests ways in which art and design teachers can engage reflexively with their continuing practice. Experts in the field explore: The histories of art and design education and their relationship to wider social and cultural developments Creativity as a foundation for learning Engaging with contemporary practice in partnership with external agencies The role of assessment in evaluating creative and collaborative practices Interdisciplinary approaches to art and design Developing dialogue as a means to address citizenship and global issues in art and design education. Understanding Art Education will be of interest to all students and practising teachers, particularly those studying at M Level, as well as teacher educators, and researchers who wish to reflect on their identity as an artist and teacher, and the ways in which the subject can inform and contribute to education and society more widely.

This is a compelling exploration of the transformative power of art education through the personal journeys of several students. The book provides a complex theoretical explanation and insight that inspires personal reflection upon art pedagogy.

In any area of the curriculum, children need to learn concepts, facts and skills through first-hand experience. In art, such learning depends on exploring and experimenting with the visual language through which artists communicate, and the visual elements such as line, colour and shape. The National Curriculum places strong emphasis on experimenting with and applying the visual elements. This book systematically explores the basic knowledge needed to do this effectively. The author deals with the visual elements of art, their properties, how they are related, and especially with the ways in which children′s knowledge of each can be developed through simple but creative activities. Each element is placed in context, with extensive cross-referencing. The author shows how these elements can be observed in the children′s environment and provides examples of how they have been used in works of art and craft. This accessible book does not assume any specialist knowledge or experience. It is essential for teachers at primary and secondary levels, art co-ordinators and for undergraduate and postgraduate level students of art education. Martin Wenham is an artist, calligrapher and stone carver who has exhibited at the Craft′s Council. He has taught at the University of Leicester and has over twenty years′ experience of teaching in primary and secondary schools.

The Art of Understanding Art reveals to students and other readers new and meaningful ways of developing personal ideas and opinions about art and how to express them with confidence. Offers an inquiry—unique among introductory art texts—into the learning process of understanding and appreciating art Examines the multiple issues and processes essential to making, analyzing and evaluating art Uses cross-cultural examples to help readers develop comprehensive, yet personal, ways of looking at and thinking about art Includes an annotated glossary of the 'Art World', institutions and individuals that play a role in defining art as well as diagrams, textboxes callouts and other visual elements to highlight information and enhance learning Richly illustrated with over 40 images Suggests innovative class assignments and projects useful for developing lesson plans, and offers an online companion site for additional illustrations and information

Both a practitioner’s guide and a school reform model, the new edition of this popular book shares exemplary arts-integration practices across the K–8 curriculum. Rather than providing formulas or scripts to be followed, each chapter carefully describes how the arts offer an entry point for gaining insight into why and how students learn to assist teachers in developing their own philosophy and practice. This updated second edition features scholarship and art at the forefront of contemporary practice and addresses social justice issues such as racial, climate, and economic justice. Chapter authors provide concrete ideas along with lively examples of public-school teachers integrating visual arts, music, drama, and dance with subject matter that includes English, social studies, science, and mathematics. The bookÕs narrative approach makes arts integration accessible and understandable to novice and experts alike. Readers of this new edition will come away with a deeper understanding of why and how to use the arts every day, in every school, to reach every child. Book Features: Explains how arts integration across the K–8 curriculum contributes to student learning.Features examples of how integrated arts education functions in classrooms when it is done well. Introduces historical and contemporary artists whose work is transdisciplinary. Brings together and speaks to diverse stakeholders, including classroom teachers, teaching artists, school administrators, and teacher educators. Explores intensive teacher-education and principal-training programs now underway in several higher education institutions. “A thorough guide to integrating art into other disciplinary subjects . . . recommended.” —SchoolArts (for first edition)

Even the youngest children in primary schools are now required not only to make art, but also to study it, developing an understanding of the huge variety of art and craft from different times and places. But how do teachers actually tackle this, when most have not studied art themselves? This collection brings together case studies to show how a variety of teachers have used one particular art collection as a focus for practical art. Throughout, the voices of the children involved show us how they react to their encounters with art objects. This wealth of first hand evidence and practical experience will benefit all teachers.

Isms: Understanding Art is the perfect pocket-sized guide for gallery and museum lovers who have a general interest in the arts, but not necessarily any formal education in the visual arts.

Even the youngest children in primary schools are now required not only to make art, but also to study it, developing an understanding of the huge variety of art and craft from different times and places. But how do teachers actually tackle this, when most have not studied art themselves? This collection brings together case studies to show how a variety of teachers have used one particular art collection as a focus for practical art. Throughout, the voices of the children involved show us how they react to their encounters with art objects. This wealth of first hand evidence and practical experience will benefit all teachers.