This article presents findings of a qualitative study that explored the process of using expressive arts counseling techniques as experienced by high school counselor trainees. The researcher identified themes that were developed from using grounded theory methods. The three-stage theory, as experienced by high school counseling trainees, included…

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the ways gifted and talented pupils are served in Finland. The trend toward individualism and freedom of choice as well as national policy affecting gifted education are discussed. Empirical research on Finnish teachers' attitudes toward gifted education with respect to the national…

Christopher E. Garrett describes a faculty learning community program at Oklahoma City University that focused on improving teaching and learning through integrating the arts in a variety of disciplines, some of which may surprise you. (Contains 9 notes.)

Much recent work in the study of popular culture has emphasized the extent to which it is not only a site of signifying practices, myths, meanings and identifications, but also an arena of intensities, of affective flows and corporeal state-changes. From this perspective, many areas of popular culture (from calisthenics to social dance to video…

Improvisation is a vital part of an elementary general music education. While some music teachers successfully include improvisation in music instruction, others have fears and face challenges when attempting improvisational activities in the classroom. This article acknowledges obstacles facing music educators when attempting to incorporate…

A portfolio can document student skills, abilities, growth, achievement, and attitudes. It can also reflect students' learning processes and subsequently guide new teaching strategies. Portfolio proponents have used these arguments to justify the time and organization needed to successfully implement them in their classrooms and in their school…

Based on the dozens of interactive workshops that the author has facilitated with children, he has discovered that children are more knowledgeable about the natural and the built environment than typically accredited. Due to this discovery, he believes children should be part of the community engagement for planning projects, developments, and…

Music technology is a term commonly used to refer to electronic form of the musical arts, particularly devices and computer software that enable the facilitation, playback, recording, composition, storage, and performance of various musical compositions. There has been a growing awareness of the importance of aesthetics in early childhood…

Who are talented and gifted (TAG) students and how do we meet their unique needs in the elementary school setting? The body of literature clearly articulates the unique intellectual, social and emotional needs and characteristics of TAG students. Additionally, the literature supports the implementation of differentiated teaching strategies and…

This research explored essential elements to be considered when teaching US students to develop and define creativity in the general elementary (students aged 5-11 years) music classroom. This case study focused on answering the following research questions: 1) What are students' perceptions of creativity? 2) How can music educators successfully…

Farrell's (2001) theory of collaborative circles provides a useful frame for analyzing the interpersonal dynamics that enable creative collaboration in small groups, but it leaves contextual factors of collaboration undertheorized. Using ethnographic data on freestyle BMXers in Greenville, North Carolina, this article demonstrates how resource…

This essay examines the theme and trope of "copies" in Kazuo Ishiguro's novel "Never Let Me Go." Whatever one's final reading of the novel, the theme and thread of copy, copies, copying and copied is never far off. In a semantic sense then, the act of "copying", both as a verb and the indexing of "copies" as…

This article considers the relationship between artistic research, creative production and exegesis. What it is that renders a particular creative outcome as significant and the ways in which an accompanying critical text functions as a navigational tool, directing readers towards points of entry into the overall work, is at the core of the paper;…

Artist Joseph Cornell (1903-1972) created wonderful environments inside boxes using mostly found objects. They were often Surrealistic in nature. Some boxes were designed with glass fronts, and others were meant to be interactive with the viewer, wherein the objects could be handled. With Joseph Cornell in mind, the author introduces an art…

The author was interested in seeing what would happen if children were given more latitude when making art in school. In January 2009, he began by setting up environments in his classroom wherein he hoped his students would feel free to create self-initiated forms of artmaking. Two times each week an hour was set aside for an activity called Open…