Outlines several methods for students at elementary levels to use cut-out lettering. Describes a name creation project, a scrabble bulletin board, and methods to teach the language arts. Maintains that, if students use their own letterforms in the classroom, they will be more involved in learning. (KM)

Explores critical activities in the visual arts and how they can enhance art appreciation. Outlines sources of criticism, different types of criticism, the varied backgrounds of art critics, and the artist-critic relationship. Maintains that, by emphasizing interpretive aspects, school art criticism can come closer to professional art criticism.…

Presents a prospective view of art education by examining the literature of past events. Outlines the three stages of the art education evolutionary process: (1) establishing guidelines for discipline-based art education (DBAE); (2) questioning the assumptions of DBAE by critics; and (3) resolving previously raised issues. (KM)

Describes the program Teach the Teachers that has been developed by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in an effort to acquaint teachers with the built environment through hands on experiences. Gives examples of teacher generated classroom activities that are designed to enhance students' appreciation of good design. (KO)

Asserts that the practice of drawing in sketchbooks contributes something valuable and unique to young children and to those who teach them. Maintains that voluntary drawings offer children a form of engagement in art-making that is substantially different from what they experience in lessons initiated by a teacher. (CFR)

Presents a three-activity lesson plan based on Weir Farm, home of Impressionist painter J. Alden Weir and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Includes three student readings, three maps, and a tabular chart. Outlines step-by-step instructional procedures and a list of books for further reading. (CFR)

Contends that postmodernism has influenced profoundly the direction of visual art in contemporary society. However, art education has not been affected by these social and philosophical changes. Summarizes components of postmodernism and defines connections between them and the art education field. (CFR)

Provides instructional strategies and materials designed to introduce students to Spanish art. Includes four lesson plans with student objectives, background information, and step-by-step instructional procedures. Also includes four full-page color reproductions of paintings by Murillo, Picasso, El Greco, and de Goya. (CFR)

Presents a discussion of laser disk systems developed by different institutions to store and distribute information and visual images. Includes information on storage, preservation, and use in the classroom or for research. Evaluates image quality, storage capacity, and transmissibility. Urges use of the videodisk to organize information and…

Argues that art history should have a more prominent place in primary and secondary education. Suggests promoting art history by (1) ensuring that teachers are knowledgeable in the discipline; (2) studying art history through other disciplines; and (3) exposing students to real artworks, local architecture, and the significance of popular culture.…

Reviews alternative assessment practices in several nations and questions whether these techniques should be used in the United States. Focuses on moderation, a technique in which trained evaluators adjust grades to ensure equitable distribution among participating schools. Concludes that evaluation in art education presents special problems and…

Outlines a collaborative processing model of art education what draws upon the language and learning notions of Lev S. Vygotsky. Emphasizes the role of the learner in collaboration with her/his social environment rather than traditional disciplinary boundaries. Synthesizes the principles of transactional learning theory and the processes of making…

Describes the creation of a traveling art museum to expose elementary and middle school children to contemporary art. Maintains that this is a sound way to build school and community support for art education in general. (KM)

Discusses how computer experiences need to move beyond lessons that regard the computer as merely an extension of older art forms to studies that examine the inherent qualities of the medium. Maintains that art teachers should take advantage of the rich interchanges that can be developed between art and technology. (KM)

Reports on a study of seven preschool children engaged in drawing activities with traditional media (crayons, felt-tip pens, etc.) and a mouse-driven computer paintbox program. Finds that the same basic media-independent strategies are used when children try to establish a relationship between their mark-making actions and the resultant effects.…