Art Education Discussion Topics  URL: http://www.uncg.edu/art/courses/rwrice/365/syllabus.htm

Nature of Art
How does art function in American Culture?    Choose one of the following and discuss it’s role in a K-12 Art Program:  Fine Art,  Visual Art, Popular Art,  Crafts,  Aesthetics, Art As Activity  (individual working, exhibitions, clubs, competitions, study, hobby), Art As Collectibles, Art As Objects for Admiration (appreciation).    Do the various “labels” for kinds of art denote a philosophical stance or merely a skill/value level stance?  Add one of your choice and discuss.

Nature of Teen Agers
Discuss how any of the sub topics below may affect the classroom.  (development; normal, abnormal)

• physical (between 12 and 18)
• health issues (accidents?  disease?  depression?  what else?)
• social/emotional/spiritual development
• artistic development
• academic development
• interests ( hobbies, games, sports, activities typical for the 12-18)
• multiculturalism (race relations, ethic origins, community)
• teen subculture
• Add one of your choice and discuss

• Teenage Employment (why do teens work?  what benefits?  what problems?)
• Teens and Work (home chores, school work, community volunteer, part-time jobs,  what else?)   What should be expected or required?   Does that impact the classroom and how?
• Substance Abuse (drugs, alcohol, smoking, huffing, etc.?)
• Dieting, Eating Disorders, or Overweight
• School Dropouts
• Teen Pregnancy
• Teenage driving (right or privilege?  benefits?  problems?)
• Violence, gangs  (weapons?,  contact or difficulty with the legal system?  difficulty with peers? )
• Teens and Money (allowance, credit cards, what do they buy?)  Do teenagers suffer from “Affluenzena?”   Do teenagers suffer from poverty?
• Curfews (parental, community, state?)  What other legal restrictions are placed on teens and why?
• Character Development
• Relationships (parents, peers, with youngsters, with elderly)
• Add one of your choice and discuss

• Discipline (Internal or External)  Whose rules?  Peer pressure? Contracts for Behavior?
• “Time on Task”
• Testing:  Accountability for skill and/or knowledge acquisition
• Schedule Structures for Secondary (e.g.  regular, block, modified block)

Check out the history of such typical art supplies as paper, pencil, crayon, pen and ink, paint:  how does the history of these items impact instruction.  Do students need to know technical information about supplies and/or historical information about supplies and materials?

Theories in Art Education (or Trends, or Movements)

• Picture Study
• Aesthetic Education
• Post-Modern Art Education Theory
• Discipline Based Art Education
• Add one of your choice and discuss.

• What are some of the organizational problems that art teachers face with the plethora of supplies and equipment in a typical art room?
• What issues are attached to the balance between readily availability to students and available only when working on a certain project?
• Should art teachers allow radio, CDs, or tapes to be played in class?   Who should control music selection, volume, etc.?
• What does being on the “state contract” mean for an art supplier?
• Review some art supply sources and share your insights with the class?
• Clean-up:  what should be expected of the teacher, the students, and/or the school janitorial staff?
• What is the best class room management, or supply tip that you have learned?
• What are some of the safety issues art teachers must be aware of in the use of art supplies in the classroom?
• Add one of your choice and discuss

• Can you list twenty-five careers where art training is essential preparation?
• Do parents worry about a child's ability to have a prosperous career if they study art in college?
• Should career education be a part of secondary art education program?
• Is it possible to pursue an art career immediately after high school?
• How does technology impact art careers in today's work world?
• Add one of your choice and discuss.