Comments on the negative aspects of discipline-based art education (DBAE), focusing on standardized instruction and testing. Criticizes the designers of DBAE for using a technocratic, rationalistic model of education. Expresses concern that DBAE evokes identical student responses, rather than the diverse outcomes that should be the goal of art…

Demonstrates how the art education curriculum is linked to general education. Provides a conceptual approach to an environmental design study curriculum that incorporates the Wisconsin state art curriculum guide's five generalizations with appropriate conceptual statements for primary, intermediate, middle, and high school grades, and the four…

Examines Richard Avedon's photographic exhibit "In the American West" both as a work of art and as an important link to contemporary philosophical thought, particularly that of Jean-Paul Sartre, through its depiction of the human condition. Notes that the exhibit used as a teaching resource engages students in questions concerning art and value.…

Presents a lesson that introduces students in grades K-three to medieval tapestry and how tapestries can symbolically communicate stories. Students design their own tapestry based on an allegory written by the class. Provides background information, instructional strategies, and activities for student evaluation. (LS)

Provides a lesson for grades four-six that develops students' ability to analyze a piece of furniture as a work of art which reflects the historical, social, and artistic values of the society that produced it. Students design their own chair based on the user's lifestyle, the chair's precise use and location, and the materials used. (LS)

Offers a lesson that introduces students in grades seven-nine to a contemporary object which questions the definitions of furniture, painting, and sculpture. Shows how Rodney Alan Greenblat draws upon childhood memories for creative inspiration. Calls for students to produce an art piece that works as painting, furniture, and sculpture. (LS)

Describes a lesson plan that introduces students in grades 10-12 to the decorative arts as a vehicle for exploring the cultural framework as a means of communicating various aspects of the human experience. Students design a story cloth based on a visual symbol they have developed to represent a human issue such as famine or war. (LS)

Looks at the impact of the classroom environment on student emotions and behavior, offering suggestions for using the physical features of the environment to calm or stimulate students. Shows how the factors of environmental arousal, classroom robustness, and spatial settings may be used to create art classrooms that minimize chances for…

Explicates the socio-cultural developmental theories of Vygotsky and Feuerstein which advocate teacher mediated learning in order to stimulate and accelerate development. Implications for art education include the need for the teacher to become involved in the enculturation of the child into the thinking processes and conceptual organization of…

Examines how three schools of art education--child-centered creativity, aesthetic education, and discipline-based art education--address the content and methods of the humanities. Advocates a humanities approach to art in general education, using interdisciplinary content in the analysis, interpretation, and synthesis of works of art. (LS)

Considers the true value of art by outlining a number of factors that determine the price of a painting including the fame of the artist, the time of the artist's death, and the age of the work. Concludes that students should be encouraged to consider the emotional, aesthetic, and intellectual worth rather than the monetary value. (KM)

Addresses the issue of the fame of Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa." Describes several kitsch objects that have been created about the painting. Maintains that students need to address this issue otherwise such exploitation will depreciate the value of the art work. (KM)

Explores the sources of art criticism and reviews some extant pedagogical models. Outlines the content skills to be developed and the role of art criticism in a discipline-based teacher training curriculum. Recommends that art criticism should incorporate pedagogy and other disciplines of art. (KM)

Examines four works of art, created for public spaces, to help students understand the value of public art in the community. Illustrates work by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Siah Armajani, Jackie Ferrara, and Deborah Butterfield. Outlines lesson activities for elementary and secondary students. (KM)

Defines art history by examining visual and contextual information and distinguishes between the fine and applied arts. Discusses scientific neutrality and the personal and social uses of art. Concludes that it is impossible for art historians to be truly objective, but this should not be problematic because art historians interpret art works for…