Project-Based Learning (PBL) is a dynamic classroom approach in which students actively use driving questions to explore real-world problems and acquire deeper knowledge through constructive investigations (Stepien & Gallagher, 1993; Thomas, 2000). Although not a new pedagogical approach, PBL has recently gained in popularity and come to the…

Activism and art have been intertwined for many years. For instance, songs including "A Change is Gonna Come" (Cooke, 1964), "We Shall Overcome" (Tindley, 1900), and "Freedom Highway" (The Staples Singers, 1965) were an important part of the Civil Rights movement. Further, protest imagery, usually in the form of…

Many scholars and educators are moving toward an anti-oppressive paradigm in art education, transitioning away from imposing norms in an effort to think more creatively about teaching practices and classroom culture (Kraehe, 2019). Reflecting deeper on her position as a White, middle-class, female teacher who taught in an underserved community,…

The practices of artists and the field of artistic production is an iterative space--a rapidly evolving network of ideas and dialogic strategies, as well as collaborative and interdisciplinary practices. Artists function at the intersection of many disciplines as researchers, activists, and problem solvers. These practices provide an imperative to…

This article describes an instructional resource that offers a framework for talking with students about violence through the work of artist Melvin Edwards. Edwards' sculptures have explored the cultural turmoil of the 20th century, while leaving room for multiple interpretations and inviting the viewer's own perspective. For more than 50 years,…

Oliver Herring, the creator of TASK, defines it as: "[a]n improvisational event with a simple structure and very few rules... TASK's open-ended, participatory structure creates almost unlimited opportunities for a group of people to interact with one another and their environment. TASK's flow and momentum depend on the tasks written and…

Problem solving is essential to everyone's life. People survive if they are nourished, sheltered, and protected--and they construct ways to obtain nourishment, shelter, and protection through problem solving. Though problems vary in complexity--survival at the one end and the pursuit of comfort at the other--we are reliant on our ability to…

Interior design is seldom integrated within the general art education curriculum because the subject matter is generally segregated as a commercial art. However, the importance of interior design concepts of sustainability in art education can really help a student understand the scale and proportion of space and mass, and how sustainability is…

In this article, Eliza Pitri states, "when allowed to make and explain their own choices, students develop invaluable creative problem-solving skills." Opportunities for such critical thinking abound in the art classroom. The importance of identifying how skills and dispositions related to creative problem solving are expressed in a…

This Instructional Resource is based on the authors' current efforts as part of an interdisciplinary project where artists, community members, engineers, social activists, and educators are working together to make positive change in people's lives. Water, as a subject, symbol, and life-sustaining substance, is the focus of their work and the…

This article describes the author's innovative approach to facilitating students' imaginations and critical thinking through a computer animation project. The author conducted a qualitative case study in a computer animation unit and explored urban high school students' use of creative problem-solving strategies, defined as techniques that offer…

Making the visual arts program meaningful in public education can be a challenge when one considers how little instructional time is devoted to the visual arts. A challenge for art educators is to seek opportunities outside the classroom for real-life inquiry-based projects. This form of systematic inquiry done by teachers for themselves is called…

In this era of No Child Left Behind, educators are urged to reach children with special needs. Learning to recognize these children and develop strategies for teaching them is a fundamental hurdle for new educators. Abuse, poverty, or malnutrition, for example, are among the circumstances of some children--circumstances which taken alone, may…

Maintains that the photograph, "Migrant Mother," is recognized throughout the world. Provides a three-part instructional unit on Dorothea Lange and social issues related to migrant workers. Includes four photographs by Lange, including the most well-known, "Migrant Mother 5." (CFR)

Studying photography helped bring about positive behavior changes in high school students with severe behavior disorders. Because the students were most interested in and impressed with the technology of photography, technical aspects of photography were emphasized in the course. A course outline is included. (RM)