Annotated Bibliography - Contemporary Issues in Art Education
Annotated Bibliography
Scholarly & Creative Resources
Heather N. Yeager
Armstrong, M. L., Greif, J., & Hewitt, W. (1999). Tattooing & body piercing: Body art practices among college students. Clinical Nursing Research, 8(4), p. 368-383.
Dr. Judith Greif, DSW, LCSW is a clinical Social Worker practicing in New Jersey. Walter Hewitt is a staff nurse at Rutgers University since 1982. Prior to Rutgers, served in the US Air Force as a medic and worked at Saint Peter's Medical Center their intensive care nursery. He is certified in College Health Nursing, as well as HIV test counseling. He has a special interest in areas of human papilloma infection, aka warts, and caring for body art such as tattoos and piercings. Myrna L. Armstrong, RN, Ed.D., FAAN is Professor Emerita, a full professor who retires in good standing, in the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Anita Thigpen Perry School of Nursing. She has been doing research and publishing work on tattooing and body piercing for over 20 years.
Tattooing and body piercing are increasing, especially among college students(Armstrong, Greif, & Hewitt, 1999). Body art has become quite alluring to our young people, especially within the age groups of 12-22. This article examines the demographic characteristics, motivation to get body art and the increasing health concerns surround this issue. Although this study focuses mainly on college students I feel that it can be a window to a wealth of information that can benefit our junior and senior high students as well. With the growth of diseases and other health issues it is important to gather the facts on how, when and why kids get tattoos and body piercings. We need to know what to address to them about this issue and at what age. It seems that our children are getting tattooed and pierced at a young age everyday and in not the safest or most hygiene conditions or places.
Carroll, S. T., Myhre, E. B., Riffenburgh, R. H., & Roberts, T. A. (2002). Tattoos and body piercings as indicators of adolescent risk-taking behaviors. Pediatrics, 109(6), p. 1021(7).
Dr. Sean Thomas Carroll MD practices adolescent medicine and pediatrics. Robert H. Riffenburgh, Ph.D. is former professor and Head of the Department of Statistics, University of Connecticut, and has been faculty at Virginia Tech., the University of Hawaii, the University of Maryland, the University of California San Diego, San Diego State University, and in Leidin (The Netherlands). He’s also been the president of his own consulting firm, performing and directing operational research for the United States Government and NATO. He has been consulting occasionally on medical statistics full-time for over the last eight years and on and off throughout his career. He has published more than 125 professional papers and has received numerous awards. Dr. Timothy Roberts is a pediatrician at the University of Rochester Children’s Hospital New York. Elizabeth B. Myhre, CPNP, MSNpractices nursing in Bethesda, Maryland.
This research article addresses the risk-taking behaviors surrounding the issues of body art, tattooing and body piercing, with adolescents; and if having body art is an indicator of more detrimental things to come for our youth. It was a survey was offered to children to get a better handle on the topics such as eating behaviors, drugs, violence, sexual behavior, suicide and body art (tattooing and body piercing). It was found through extensive research that tattoos and body piercing can mean that participants were engaging in more risk-taking behaviors than those who were not. This type of information can be an aid and warning sign to teachers, parents, administrators that may help prevent the damaging effects of other harmful activities. Young people now days feel the need to express themselves through body art; and that is fine as long as they are properly educated on the subject and they wait till they are the appropriate age. This is not always the situation though. We must be aware that there are other influences which can contribute to their body art and help them address these issues through counseling or more insistent measures.
Coltin, L. ERIC Publications, Department of Education. (1999). Enriching children's out-of-school time. Champaign: ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education.
Lillian Coltin is a project associate for the MOST Initiative. She works with project staff on developing and distributing resources through both print and electronic media. Lillian has a Master of Education in human development and family studies and an M.B.A. with a concentration in marketing. She has worked in both classroom and research settings with toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children. She has also written on the importance of the physical environment in enhancing preschool children’s experiences in child care centers. For 2 summers, Lillian has participated in the Child Care Design Institute sponsored by Tufts and Harvard Universities. In May 1993, she participated with a U.S. team on a study tour of child care programs and SAC training facilities in Denmark and Sweden. Lillian also works on the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) training team to coordinate and develop materials for national training sessions for program directors, staff, and others interested in children’s out-of-school time. She has co-authored several articles on school-age issues including articles in the Yearbook in Early Childhood Education, Vol. 5,Issues in Child Care, edited by Spodek and Saracho, published by Teachers College Press; Conference Proceedings: International Perspectives on Children’s Out-of-School Time (1994); and the 1991 ERIC Digest Approaches to School-Age Child Care (with Michelle Seligson). For the past 2 years, she has presented sessions at the National School-Age Care Alliance (NSACA) Conference and the Advanced School-Age Care Leadership Institute at Wheelock College on how professionals can use technology. (CEEP, 2012)
This is a wonderful editorial piece on the benefits of after school enrichment programs and what they can do to help your children succeed. There is a great need for guidance between the hours of 3pm and 6pm. School-age children between the ages of 5 and 14 spend up to 80% of their time out of school. These hours represent an opportunity to help children grow and acquire important social, emotional, cognitive, and physical skills and to help them develop lifelong interests. This time can also be used to provide support for the academic challenges faced by children each day in school (Coltin, 1999). After school programs can provide a plethora of opportunities to our youth such as enrichment activities in science, math and horticulture, extra help on their homework and special interest clubs like music, art or sports. All of these opportunities create a safe productive environment for our children to be involved with so that they gain confidence, succeed in school and stay out of trouble. Long term success for their future is the goal for our children and that is what these types of enrichment programs can do for our youth.
Coutts, G. (2004). Multimedia, curriculum, and public art. Art Education. 57(4),
33-39.
Glen Coutts is currently a part-time Professor of Applied Visual Arts Education at the University of Lapland in Finland. He also writes about issues in art education and is currently a member of the Executive of the International Society for Education through Art and the principal editor of the International Journal of Education through Art. Coutts has also been the Reader in art and design education at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow up until 2010. In addition to his other attributes he has built a career as a community artist & a teacher, teaching art and design in secondary schools for ten years and heading up his department for five of those years.
This essay concentrates on the potential of multimedia engaging our youth, primary and secondary students’ primarily 10-14 years old, and teachers surrounding public art, in Europe. It speaks on a CD-ROM called Scanning the City a diverse look on public art in the city of Glasgow as an alternative to having to teach out of a text book. Although I know that this does not apply to us directly here in the U.S. the concept is still going in the right direction. It is hard to take our children on outings around our communities; letting them be exposed to local artists rather than having to learn about the same artists over and over again. Multimedia, all different types, aids us in this aspect, so that if we cannot bring the children to the art, we can in turn bring the art to the children. Virtual tours, slide shows, photography & the Internet are all wonderful options that we can utilize to enhance our lesson plans. Coutts has wonderful examples on how to best utilize our multimedia through example of exploration of his own city, so that new curriculum can be created for our classrooms.
Gates, J. Y., & Stuht, A. C. (2007). The case for an arts based curriculum. Leadership, 36(4), 30-33.
Amy Colcord Stuht is the assistant principal at Jordan High School in Long Beach, CA. Janie Yuguchi Gates, Ed.D is the principal at Olympic High School in Santa Monica, CA.
The authors of this article are focusing on the non-traditional school setting, the continuation school. Through the decades, continuation schools became the repository for students who did not succeed in traditional settings. Many students referred to continuation schools learn in different ways and perform below grade level in reading and/or math. Many also have personal and emotional trauma in their lives, and may act out inappropriately. These are the students for whom traditional schools are just more of the same ineffective exercises (Gates & Stuht, 2007). These schools need the innovative teachers and the arts based curriculum to succeed. Continuation principals believe that art based curriculum is a key component to improved motivation, self discipline and continued school attendance. The National School Boards Association summarizes several studies that reflect additional positive effects of arts education. Young people who consistently participate in comprehensive, sequential and rigorous arts programs are more likely to be recognized for academic achievement; be elected to class office within their schools; participate in a math and science fair; win an award for school attendance and win an award for writing an essay or poem (NSBA, 2005). The rewards to an art based curriculum are numerous and the statistics are hard to deny. The authors of this particular article are very familiar with continuation schools and are diligently trying to make others aware of the arts importance. Their particular case is in the state of California, but there are plenty of similar small schools all over the nation and they are in need of awareness and assistance too. Continued funding and qualified educators are needed to keep the arts alive in these institutions.
Gose, M. D. (2004). Curriculum animation. Educational Forum, 67(1), 54-64.
Dr. Michael D. Gose is a professor of humanities at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. He has sat on the Social Science Division Chair at Pepperdine from 1986-1991. Gose also has received the Harriet and Charles Luckman Distinguished Teaching Fellow Award, 1993, Sigma Chi Omicron Humanities/Teacher Education Professor of the Year award, 1996-1997 & ARETE Award for Teaching. Dr. Gose is a part of (AERA) the American Education Research Association as well and many other recognizable achievements over his career.
Gose’s article on curriculum animation is very insightful. He gives a surplus of examples and supporting evidence to plead his case on spicing up your planning and the execution of lessons in the classroom. Twenty-five teachers with reputations for artistry in curriculum planning were interviewed about their "curriculum animation" plans or how they ensured their curriculum was brought to life. Their statements indicated that much of their planning is informal and intuitive, and that the criteria they use for their curriculum includes: (1) it is academically sound; (2) it is an enjoyable experience; (3) it fits well with a multitude of characteristics of their particular students; (4) it has variety, active participation, and a flow of energy; and (5) it is consistent with a personalized vision of education that goes far beyond the classroom (Gose, 2004). Gose wants teachers to be able to bring together all the elements in curriculum planning which can make a lesson victorious. Give it life; animate it, because a lesson plan or art project without life is boring, listless and unsuccessful. Don’t let yourself get so wrapped up in the structure and organization of it all that you forget to make your art lessons dynamic.
Lampert, N. (2007). After school arts program serves as real-world teaching lab. International Journal of Education through Art, 8(1), 265-269.
Dr. Nancy Lampert is an assistant professor in the Department of Art Education, in the School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia. She has been published in numerous journals for her research on critical thinking; plus she has presented her research regionally, nationally and internationally.
This piece give details on how an after school elementary arts program served as a teaching lab for undergraduate pre-service teachers. The program was designed and utilized by an art education teacher as an undergraduate learning course and research study on the outcomes of K-12 art curriculum. In the process the author was also able to become an instructional role model for her undergraduate pre-service education students. While utilizing this teaching lab, Lampert was also able to present her own teaching beliefs and academic approach to her students. The classroom setting proved to be very beneficial to convey helpful and positive approaches to efficient classroom management as well. This is a great example piece to emphasis the need for after school programs and the many different areas that it can impact. Lampert believes firmly that teaching by example and giving students, soon to be teachers, as many opportunities to experience and observe real classroom interaction will assist them to be successful educators some day.
Lampert, N. (2011). A study of an after-school art programme and critical thinking. International Journal of Education through Art, 7(1), 55-67.
Dr. Nancy Lampert is an assistant professor in the Department of Art Education, in the School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia. She has been published in numerous journals for her research on critical thinking; plus she has presented her research regionally, nationally and internationally.
Dr. Lampert’s article focuses on a community based arts program which centers the attention on a group of 10 urban children. Her goal is to enhance their critical thinking skills by engaging them in art based classroom activities that require the students to solve problems and answer questions that have multiple solutions. These art lessons had pre-learning and post-learning evaluations to see if critical thinking was being achieved and if there was an increase in their scores. She employs the assistance of undergraduate students to help her in her case study. They created lesson plans, made presentations to the children, had the children search for and generate ideas and then create art. These lesson plans were on self identity, community and enquiry based (multiple solution art lessons). From the study that they did the students seemed to be successful. Allowing the children to think candidly and have a supportive environment along with open-ended art lessons aided the students in their critical thinking and problem solving. Such an environment and approach to lesson planning and art curriculum can be quite beneficial and enlightening to students; which in turn can provide more positive results on projects, test scores and the students’ success rate.
The outcomes of this programme are significant to educational practice because they represent support for the theory that enquiry-based arts curriculum and instruction may enhance the ability of elementary school children to think critically. The results of this programme suggest that amongst the teaching of manual skills, formal elements, and the various other necessary components of most US public school elementary art curricula, units that are interlaced with enquiry may sharpen students' critical thinking skills just as much as realistic drawing may sharpen their visual acuity. As this is one of the few empirical studies on critical thinking and elementary art students, a great deal of future research is necessary to determine if the findings of this study will be sustained. This study was limited by the fact that it was a one group study. (Lampert, 2011)
Melvin, L. (2010, October 21). Playing it safe: After-school programs provide security for kids. The Commercial Appeal (Memphis), p. B.1.
Lindsay Melvin is a columnist for The Commercial Appeal. She reports on lifestyle and feature stories in the Greater Memphis area. In her reporting she has covered issues surrounding suburban school districts, faith and religion and the business of healthcare since 2006. Previously she was a reporter at The Journal News in New York.
This article gives a real life example of a non-profit after school church based program. It brings the need for such programs to the forefront and makes us aware of the situation at hand. The author of this particular piece was able to get first hand interviews from actual students who were taking advantage of this outreach program. Not all programs like this are free, but some are able to recruit volunteers and get grants to help keep these groups running. Like other after school organizations this particular foundation participates in helping the kids stay safe. They are companions, like a family of sorts, who take the time to sit down with them, help them with their homework and even take their kids on field trips until their parents get home. There is a fear though that these types of non-profit free outreach programs could disappear due to cuts in federal/government aid. We all as educators need to be aware and become advocates for programs such as these and realize the importance behind their existence. Crime and drug use would most certainly increase, along with the decrease of school achievement and participation. These groups have a profound impact on the success of our children and we need to keep them active.
Rooker, L. (2005). Caring for Community Art Outreach. Iris, 51, p. 55.
Lauren Rooker has an MFA in creative writing from New York University and a BA in English and French from the University of Virginia. She currently lives in Nashville, where she teaches creative writing and theatre to recovering sex workers and drug addicts. She also teaches reading at a public middle school. (Rooker, 2005)
Rooker’s article addresses the need for outreach and additional art programs beyond what is being provided in our local public school systems. As teachers and artists we have formed many organizations to accommodate and compensate for the art that is not being taught. Art outreach is a very resourceful and healing type of therapy. Art therapy is becoming more common all the time and is found in common places throughout our community; for example hospitals and prisons. Artists are taking their talents to the public and giving back to the people. Besides the humanity of it all, it can also boost university programs, provide teaching experience to eager students, provide alternative career opportunities and create a bond between schools and their neighborhoods. This article is an economic endorsement for the arts and artists. It wants to promote involvement and resources so that talents can be shared and families can be provided for; a winning situation for all who participate. There is a great need for art in our communities and now is the time to help support those who bring such enrichment to our lives. This is a culture and community caring cry to humanity to bond together for the greater good.
References
CEEP, (2012). Contributors' Biographies. Retrieved from http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/books/fte/bios.html
Scholarly & Creative Resources
Heather N. Yeager
Armstrong, M. L., Greif, J., & Hewitt, W. (1999). Tattooing & body piercing: Body art practices among college students. Clinical Nursing Research, 8(4), p. 368-383.
Dr. Judith Greif, DSW, LCSW is a clinical Social Worker practicing in New Jersey. Walter Hewitt is a staff nurse at Rutgers University since 1982. Prior to Rutgers, served in the US Air Force as a medic and worked at Saint Peter's Medical Center their intensive care nursery. He is certified in College Health Nursing, as well as HIV test counseling. He has a special interest in areas of human papilloma infection, aka warts, and caring for body art such as tattoos and piercings. Myrna L. Armstrong, RN, Ed.D., FAAN is Professor Emerita, a full professor who retires in good standing, in the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Anita Thigpen Perry School of Nursing. She has been doing research and publishing work on tattooing and body piercing for over 20 years.
Tattooing and body piercing are increasing, especially among college students(Armstrong, Greif, & Hewitt, 1999). Body art has become quite alluring to our young people, especially within the age groups of 12-22. This article examines the demographic characteristics, motivation to get body art and the increasing health concerns surround this issue. Although this study focuses mainly on college students I feel that it can be a window to a wealth of information that can benefit our junior and senior high students as well. With the growth of diseases and other health issues it is important to gather the facts on how, when and why kids get tattoos and body piercings. We need to know what to address to them about this issue and at what age. It seems that our children are getting tattooed and pierced at a young age everyday and in not the safest or most hygiene conditions or places.
Carroll, S. T., Myhre, E. B., Riffenburgh, R. H., & Roberts, T. A. (2002). Tattoos and body piercings as indicators of adolescent risk-taking behaviors. Pediatrics, 109(6), p. 1021(7).
Dr. Sean Thomas Carroll MD practices adolescent medicine and pediatrics. Robert H. Riffenburgh, Ph.D. is former professor and Head of the Department of Statistics, University of Connecticut, and has been faculty at Virginia Tech., the University of Hawaii, the University of Maryland, the University of California San Diego, San Diego State University, and in Leidin (The Netherlands). He’s also been the president of his own consulting firm, performing and directing operational research for the United States Government and NATO. He has been consulting occasionally on medical statistics full-time for over the last eight years and on and off throughout his career. He has published more than 125 professional papers and has received numerous awards. Dr. Timothy Roberts is a pediatrician at the University of Rochester Children’s Hospital New York. Elizabeth B. Myhre, CPNP, MSNpractices nursing in Bethesda, Maryland.
This research article addresses the risk-taking behaviors surrounding the issues of body art, tattooing and body piercing, with adolescents; and if having body art is an indicator of more detrimental things to come for our youth. It was a survey was offered to children to get a better handle on the topics such as eating behaviors, drugs, violence, sexual behavior, suicide and body art (tattooing and body piercing). It was found through extensive research that tattoos and body piercing can mean that participants were engaging in more risk-taking behaviors than those who were not. This type of information can be an aid and warning sign to teachers, parents, administrators that may help prevent the damaging effects of other harmful activities. Young people now days feel the need to express themselves through body art; and that is fine as long as they are properly educated on the subject and they wait till they are the appropriate age. This is not always the situation though. We must be aware that there are other influences which can contribute to their body art and help them address these issues through counseling or more insistent measures.
Coltin, L. ERIC Publications, Department of Education. (1999). Enriching children's out-of-school time. Champaign: ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education.
Lillian Coltin is a project associate for the MOST Initiative. She works with project staff on developing and distributing resources through both print and electronic media. Lillian has a Master of Education in human development and family studies and an M.B.A. with a concentration in marketing. She has worked in both classroom and research settings with toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children. She has also written on the importance of the physical environment in enhancing preschool children’s experiences in child care centers. For 2 summers, Lillian has participated in the Child Care Design Institute sponsored by Tufts and Harvard Universities. In May 1993, she participated with a U.S. team on a study tour of child care programs and SAC training facilities in Denmark and Sweden. Lillian also works on the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) training team to coordinate and develop materials for national training sessions for program directors, staff, and others interested in children’s out-of-school time. She has co-authored several articles on school-age issues including articles in the Yearbook in Early Childhood Education, Vol. 5,Issues in Child Care, edited by Spodek and Saracho, published by Teachers College Press; Conference Proceedings: International Perspectives on Children’s Out-of-School Time (1994); and the 1991 ERIC Digest Approaches to School-Age Child Care (with Michelle Seligson). For the past 2 years, she has presented sessions at the National School-Age Care Alliance (NSACA) Conference and the Advanced School-Age Care Leadership Institute at Wheelock College on how professionals can use technology. (CEEP, 2012)
This is a wonderful editorial piece on the benefits of after school enrichment programs and what they can do to help your children succeed. There is a great need for guidance between the hours of 3pm and 6pm. School-age children between the ages of 5 and 14 spend up to 80% of their time out of school. These hours represent an opportunity to help children grow and acquire important social, emotional, cognitive, and physical skills and to help them develop lifelong interests. This time can also be used to provide support for the academic challenges faced by children each day in school (Coltin, 1999). After school programs can provide a plethora of opportunities to our youth such as enrichment activities in science, math and horticulture, extra help on their homework and special interest clubs like music, art or sports. All of these opportunities create a safe productive environment for our children to be involved with so that they gain confidence, succeed in school and stay out of trouble. Long term success for their future is the goal for our children and that is what these types of enrichment programs can do for our youth.
Coutts, G. (2004). Multimedia, curriculum, and public art. Art Education. 57(4),
33-39.
Glen Coutts is currently a part-time Professor of Applied Visual Arts Education at the University of Lapland in Finland. He also writes about issues in art education and is currently a member of the Executive of the International Society for Education through Art and the principal editor of the International Journal of Education through Art. Coutts has also been the Reader in art and design education at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow up until 2010. In addition to his other attributes he has built a career as a community artist & a teacher, teaching art and design in secondary schools for ten years and heading up his department for five of those years.
This essay concentrates on the potential of multimedia engaging our youth, primary and secondary students’ primarily 10-14 years old, and teachers surrounding public art, in Europe. It speaks on a CD-ROM called Scanning the City a diverse look on public art in the city of Glasgow as an alternative to having to teach out of a text book. Although I know that this does not apply to us directly here in the U.S. the concept is still going in the right direction. It is hard to take our children on outings around our communities; letting them be exposed to local artists rather than having to learn about the same artists over and over again. Multimedia, all different types, aids us in this aspect, so that if we cannot bring the children to the art, we can in turn bring the art to the children. Virtual tours, slide shows, photography & the Internet are all wonderful options that we can utilize to enhance our lesson plans. Coutts has wonderful examples on how to best utilize our multimedia through example of exploration of his own city, so that new curriculum can be created for our classrooms.
Gates, J. Y., & Stuht, A. C. (2007). The case for an arts based curriculum. Leadership, 36(4), 30-33.
Amy Colcord Stuht is the assistant principal at Jordan High School in Long Beach, CA. Janie Yuguchi Gates, Ed.D is the principal at Olympic High School in Santa Monica, CA.
The authors of this article are focusing on the non-traditional school setting, the continuation school. Through the decades, continuation schools became the repository for students who did not succeed in traditional settings. Many students referred to continuation schools learn in different ways and perform below grade level in reading and/or math. Many also have personal and emotional trauma in their lives, and may act out inappropriately. These are the students for whom traditional schools are just more of the same ineffective exercises (Gates & Stuht, 2007). These schools need the innovative teachers and the arts based curriculum to succeed. Continuation principals believe that art based curriculum is a key component to improved motivation, self discipline and continued school attendance. The National School Boards Association summarizes several studies that reflect additional positive effects of arts education. Young people who consistently participate in comprehensive, sequential and rigorous arts programs are more likely to be recognized for academic achievement; be elected to class office within their schools; participate in a math and science fair; win an award for school attendance and win an award for writing an essay or poem (NSBA, 2005). The rewards to an art based curriculum are numerous and the statistics are hard to deny. The authors of this particular article are very familiar with continuation schools and are diligently trying to make others aware of the arts importance. Their particular case is in the state of California, but there are plenty of similar small schools all over the nation and they are in need of awareness and assistance too. Continued funding and qualified educators are needed to keep the arts alive in these institutions.
Gose, M. D. (2004). Curriculum animation. Educational Forum, 67(1), 54-64.
Dr. Michael D. Gose is a professor of humanities at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. He has sat on the Social Science Division Chair at Pepperdine from 1986-1991. Gose also has received the Harriet and Charles Luckman Distinguished Teaching Fellow Award, 1993, Sigma Chi Omicron Humanities/Teacher Education Professor of the Year award, 1996-1997 & ARETE Award for Teaching. Dr. Gose is a part of (AERA) the American Education Research Association as well and many other recognizable achievements over his career.
Gose’s article on curriculum animation is very insightful. He gives a surplus of examples and supporting evidence to plead his case on spicing up your planning and the execution of lessons in the classroom. Twenty-five teachers with reputations for artistry in curriculum planning were interviewed about their "curriculum animation" plans or how they ensured their curriculum was brought to life. Their statements indicated that much of their planning is informal and intuitive, and that the criteria they use for their curriculum includes: (1) it is academically sound; (2) it is an enjoyable experience; (3) it fits well with a multitude of characteristics of their particular students; (4) it has variety, active participation, and a flow of energy; and (5) it is consistent with a personalized vision of education that goes far beyond the classroom (Gose, 2004). Gose wants teachers to be able to bring together all the elements in curriculum planning which can make a lesson victorious. Give it life; animate it, because a lesson plan or art project without life is boring, listless and unsuccessful. Don’t let yourself get so wrapped up in the structure and organization of it all that you forget to make your art lessons dynamic.
Lampert, N. (2007). After school arts program serves as real-world teaching lab. International Journal of Education through Art, 8(1), 265-269.
Dr. Nancy Lampert is an assistant professor in the Department of Art Education, in the School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia. She has been published in numerous journals for her research on critical thinking; plus she has presented her research regionally, nationally and internationally.
This piece give details on how an after school elementary arts program served as a teaching lab for undergraduate pre-service teachers. The program was designed and utilized by an art education teacher as an undergraduate learning course and research study on the outcomes of K-12 art curriculum. In the process the author was also able to become an instructional role model for her undergraduate pre-service education students. While utilizing this teaching lab, Lampert was also able to present her own teaching beliefs and academic approach to her students. The classroom setting proved to be very beneficial to convey helpful and positive approaches to efficient classroom management as well. This is a great example piece to emphasis the need for after school programs and the many different areas that it can impact. Lampert believes firmly that teaching by example and giving students, soon to be teachers, as many opportunities to experience and observe real classroom interaction will assist them to be successful educators some day.
Lampert, N. (2011). A study of an after-school art programme and critical thinking. International Journal of Education through Art, 7(1), 55-67.
Dr. Nancy Lampert is an assistant professor in the Department of Art Education, in the School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia. She has been published in numerous journals for her research on critical thinking; plus she has presented her research regionally, nationally and internationally.
Dr. Lampert’s article focuses on a community based arts program which centers the attention on a group of 10 urban children. Her goal is to enhance their critical thinking skills by engaging them in art based classroom activities that require the students to solve problems and answer questions that have multiple solutions. These art lessons had pre-learning and post-learning evaluations to see if critical thinking was being achieved and if there was an increase in their scores. She employs the assistance of undergraduate students to help her in her case study. They created lesson plans, made presentations to the children, had the children search for and generate ideas and then create art. These lesson plans were on self identity, community and enquiry based (multiple solution art lessons). From the study that they did the students seemed to be successful. Allowing the children to think candidly and have a supportive environment along with open-ended art lessons aided the students in their critical thinking and problem solving. Such an environment and approach to lesson planning and art curriculum can be quite beneficial and enlightening to students; which in turn can provide more positive results on projects, test scores and the students’ success rate.
The outcomes of this programme are significant to educational practice because they represent support for the theory that enquiry-based arts curriculum and instruction may enhance the ability of elementary school children to think critically. The results of this programme suggest that amongst the teaching of manual skills, formal elements, and the various other necessary components of most US public school elementary art curricula, units that are interlaced with enquiry may sharpen students' critical thinking skills just as much as realistic drawing may sharpen their visual acuity. As this is one of the few empirical studies on critical thinking and elementary art students, a great deal of future research is necessary to determine if the findings of this study will be sustained. This study was limited by the fact that it was a one group study. (Lampert, 2011)
Melvin, L. (2010, October 21). Playing it safe: After-school programs provide security for kids. The Commercial Appeal (Memphis), p. B.1.
Lindsay Melvin is a columnist for The Commercial Appeal. She reports on lifestyle and feature stories in the Greater Memphis area. In her reporting she has covered issues surrounding suburban school districts, faith and religion and the business of healthcare since 2006. Previously she was a reporter at The Journal News in New York.
This article gives a real life example of a non-profit after school church based program. It brings the need for such programs to the forefront and makes us aware of the situation at hand. The author of this particular piece was able to get first hand interviews from actual students who were taking advantage of this outreach program. Not all programs like this are free, but some are able to recruit volunteers and get grants to help keep these groups running. Like other after school organizations this particular foundation participates in helping the kids stay safe. They are companions, like a family of sorts, who take the time to sit down with them, help them with their homework and even take their kids on field trips until their parents get home. There is a fear though that these types of non-profit free outreach programs could disappear due to cuts in federal/government aid. We all as educators need to be aware and become advocates for programs such as these and realize the importance behind their existence. Crime and drug use would most certainly increase, along with the decrease of school achievement and participation. These groups have a profound impact on the success of our children and we need to keep them active.
Rooker, L. (2005). Caring for Community Art Outreach. Iris, 51, p. 55.
Lauren Rooker has an MFA in creative writing from New York University and a BA in English and French from the University of Virginia. She currently lives in Nashville, where she teaches creative writing and theatre to recovering sex workers and drug addicts. She also teaches reading at a public middle school. (Rooker, 2005)
Rooker’s article addresses the need for outreach and additional art programs beyond what is being provided in our local public school systems. As teachers and artists we have formed many organizations to accommodate and compensate for the art that is not being taught. Art outreach is a very resourceful and healing type of therapy. Art therapy is becoming more common all the time and is found in common places throughout our community; for example hospitals and prisons. Artists are taking their talents to the public and giving back to the people. Besides the humanity of it all, it can also boost university programs, provide teaching experience to eager students, provide alternative career opportunities and create a bond between schools and their neighborhoods. This article is an economic endorsement for the arts and artists. It wants to promote involvement and resources so that talents can be shared and families can be provided for; a winning situation for all who participate. There is a great need for art in our communities and now is the time to help support those who bring such enrichment to our lives. This is a culture and community caring cry to humanity to bond together for the greater good.
References
CEEP, (2012). Contributors' Biographies. Retrieved from http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/books/fte/bios.html