In 2003/4 NFER undertook a study of the content of the art curriculum in secondary schools in England on behalf of the Arts Council England (ACE) and Tate Galleries [1]. In 18 schools, eight of which were identified as engaged with contemporary art practice (referred to throughout the article as the CAP schools), 54 art teachers were asked to…

In architectural design education, the main objective is to help students, especially first-year students, improve their design ideas, creativity, perception of three dimensions and ways of expressing them. Thus, as an embedded concept in architecture, art has been emphasized here as a design method. In other words, the necessary help to enable…

Recent research suggests that the majority of primary school teachers in the UK believe that the purpose of teaching art and design is to develop skills associated with creativity, communication and expression. This article is based on research into the attitudes held by primary school pupils towards making art. The reflective nature of many of…

In this article empirical examples are used to connect theories about young people, contemporary art forms and learning. The first part of the article introduces the new forms of consciousness which, according to the youth researchers Birgitte Simonsen and Thomas Ziehe, characterize young people of today. In the second part, the qualities of…

Some primary school teachers may neglect reasoning about art. Models of practice can exemplify classroom teaching and, to some extent, a textbook for children can be seen as a model of practice. Can those in art serve as models of practice and help teachers foster reasoning? This study examined 19 art textbooks intended for use by Key Stage 2…

Every educational system should meet certain criteria that establish quality in teaching and learning. These criteria are often provided by aims and objectives listed in school curricula. After describing and commenting on the history of school education in Turkey, the main question posed in this research is how to change the Turkish primary…

My interest in craft-based activity in the home was aroused by research I carried out for the Crafts Council in the mid 1990s, which found that craft education in secondary schools was in serious decline. Paradoxically interest in amateur crafts was increasing and many teenagers claimed to be "making things" at home. At the present time, culture…

Examines three assumptions evident in the practice of art criticism models: (1) the connection of first impressions with the viewer's past experience; (2) the connection between sequential procedures and learning; and (3) the use of judgment as a necessary step in understanding. Describes a new criticism model that stresses understanding and…

Identifies the essential features of critical inquiry and shows how it differs from the critical procedures often recommended by educators. Explains the implications of the inquiry process for teaching criticism. Provides a model of critical-inquiry instruction by suggesting three basic instructional strategies for teachers and describing an…

Explores how three inquiry processes (iconology, iconography, and social art history) can enable art educators to develop interesting and relevant teaching approaches for the study of art. Gives examples of how the inquiry processes could be used in the art classroom. Explains that through inquiry methods, art historical understanding may be…

Summarizes the lives and pursuits of four U.S. artists: Winslow Homer, John Frederick Peto, George Bellows, and Joan Mitchell. Explains the concepts apparent in the four works of art and shows how the artists created these works through expressing their perceptions of the world around them. Lists questions for further exploration. (CMK)

Defines aesthetics when framed as critical inquiry as the process of teaching students to use critical strategies of professional philosophers to develop aesthetic content. Addresses four major aesthetic issues: meaning and value in art, how to discuss art, aesthetic experience, and beauty. Presents a sequence of critical-inquiry activities. (CMK)

Contends that art educators should work toward an educational practice that works to change discriminatory practices, encourages students to reflect about how and why art is produced in all cultures, and recognizes human commonalities in art. States that an art program grounded in feminist views will focus on diverse artistic traditions. (CMK)

Highlights the book "Excellence II," the new version of "Excellence in Art Education: Ideas and Initiatives," by summarizing each of the nine chapters. Identifies the new features and/or discussions; in particular, the additions of two chapters, one on multiculturalism and cultural pluralism and another on modernism and postmodernism. (CMK)

Believes that art educators must strive for a classroom that stresses equal opportunity and mirrors cultural diversity through the adoption of postmodernist principles. Outlines four steps involved in constructing a postmodernist art classroom: (1) deconstructing modernist curricula; (2) reconstructing conceptions of the artist; (3) adapting…