Learn why National Board Certification is respected and how it can help you grow in your art education career.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is a non-profit organization that aims to advance the quality of teaching and learning. It does this primarily by offering National Board Certification, a rigorous, voluntary assessment process that recognizes accomplished teachers. National Board Certification is the gold standard in teaching and signifies excellence and commitment to the profession. Becoming an NBCT will help you be a more effective art teacher and advocate for your art program.

National Board Certification will prompt your professional growth.

The greatest benefit of the National Board process is that it will help you to become more thoughtful and deliberate about every aspect of your practice. As you analyze your teaching practices, gather evidence of student learning, and engage in rigorous assessment, you’ll gain valuable insights into your strengths and areas for improvement. This reflective process will empower you to refine your instructional strategies, enhance your assessment methods, and deepen your understanding of how students learn in the context of art education. You’ll emerge from the certification process with renewed confidence, a refined skillset, and a heightened commitment to lifelong learning—all of which translate to a more impactful and fulfilling teaching experience.

National Board Certification will increase student learning and achievement.

As you improve your teaching practice, you will notice your students’ attention and skills improve. As you create the rigorous lessons required for certification, your students will become more versed in critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and communication. These are crucial skills that will set them up for success for the rest of their lives. The National Board also encourages teachers to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment. As you model these traits and demonstrate your commitment to building a culture of learning, you will notice students naturally following suit!

National Board Certification will help your community. 

The first thing that draws a lot of teachers toward National Board Certification is the financial incentive. Many districts offer a stipend or step increase as a reward for those who meet the rigorous standards. Districts recognize that National Board Certified Teachers provide a tremendous benefit to the community!

Many districts also offer recognition at school board meetings or similar public events. This can elevate your visibility among administrators, enhance your credibility, and make advocacy for your art program more impactful. Repurpose the required writing component into informative flyers to accompany student work displays, foster community engagement, and increase understanding of the value of art education. Ultimately, the skills you hone in articulating the impact of your educational practice will equip you to be a powerful advocate for your program, ensuring its continued growth and success for the benefit of your students and the community as a whole.

Discover the four components of National Board Certification and tips to tackle the process with confidence!

Know the four components of National Board Certification.

Teaching is a complex job. Just as effective teachers segment instruction and provide clear criteria for success, the National Board helps teachers to focus on different aspects of their job to target growth. In order to become an NBCT, you will need to create a portfolio demonstrating your proficiency across four key components.

Here’s a snapshot of the four components:

1. Content Knowledge
   This component assesses your understanding of the subject matter you teach and your ability to convey it effectively to students. It typically involves a computer-based assessment.
2. Differentiation in Instruction
   This component focuses on your ability to adapt your teaching to meet the diverse needs of your students. You’ll need to provide evidence of how you differentiate instruction to support all learners.
3. Teaching Practice and Learning Environment
   This component evaluates your classroom management skills, your ability to create a positive and engaging learning environment, and your use of various instructional strategies to promote student learning.
4. Effective and Reflective Practitioner
   This component focuses on your ability to reflect on your teaching practice, analyze student learning data, and make adjustments to improve student outcomes.

Each component requires you to submit evidence of your teaching practice, such as video recordings, student work samples, lesson plans, and written reflections. Many people tackle the certification process by segmenting it and focusing on two components per year.

Set yourself up for success.

Trying to tackle all four components at once can be overwhelming. Instead, take your time. Most teachers find it manageable to tackle two components per year. Familiarize yourself with the requirements early and often, paying close attention to the evidence needed, including photographs and videos, so you can plan ahead. When writing your submissions, prioritize the rubric over style. Structure your writing to mirror the rubric, using keywords followed by concise statements of evidence. This approach may feel disjointed, but it ensures clarity and facilitates efficient scoring.

Get parental consent right from the start.

You will need to record lesson videos to submit as evidence. While the video should focus on you and your instruction, it’s a good idea to think through privacy concerns. Strategically select a class with minimal or no students on your school’s media denial list to streamline the consent process. Parental consent forms are always necessary and it is generally easier to obtain them from parents who have already consented to the school’s media policy. 

Study a little every day.

Content Knowledge can be one of the most intimidating components. Art history encompasses basically all of human history from around the world including artifacts that predate recorded history. On top of that, art teachers need to have knowledge of materials and methods for artistic production. If that feels overwhelming, remember that the test is not about trivia. It is aimed at assessing whether you know enough to do the job well. 

Most of the information you need to know is stuff that you likely already know. Still, studying and learning will help you feel more confident. Review PRO Learning’s Packs on art history and media to grow your repertoire of artists and vocabulary. These Packs provide a quick and deep dive into various topics with short, engaging videos.

Take advantage of free learning resources.

One free resource is podcasts! Listen to podcasts during your commute to and from school. Art Ed Radio has hundreds of episodes to help you gain new insights into all aspects of the art teacher profession. Shows like ArtCurious and Who ARTed can help you not only learn facts from art history but also hear how others analyze and describe pieces. You can also go on a free virtual museum tour with smARTee. There are some wonderful YouTube channels, such as Great Art Explained, which tackle a fair amount of depth in 15 minutes. 

Be intentional with how you respond.

It’s inevitable that some students will do something unexpected. The evaluators understand this reality. It’s okay if a student blurts something out without raising their hand or behaves inappropriately on camera. It’s how you respond that matters the most! Respond appropriately to re-direct and get things back on track, then reflect accordingly in your writing.

Along the same lines, you may need to write about an artwork you have never seen before. Remember the purpose of the essays is to evaluate how you respond to art. If you have no background knowledge of the specific piece, take a formalist approach. Describe the elements as you see them, then share connections and inferences. As long as you provide evidence to support your ideas, you’ll do fine!

Artists and art teachers are always looking for ways to grow and improve. If you haven’t considered National Board Certification, now’s a great time to think about it! Working toward National Board Certification will refine your teaching practices and philosophy, boost student engagement, and help you advocate for your art program. Break the journey down into two years and focus on two components per year. Plan ahead, get parental consent, and study as you go to make the most of this art teacher adventure. Your commitment to excellence will leave a lasting impact and empower the next generation of artists and thinkers.

What advice would you give to an art teacher working on National Board Certification?

What questions do you still have about the NBCT process?

To continue the conversation, join us in The Art of Ed Community!

The post How to Become a National Board Certified Art Teacher: Steps & Benefits appeared first on The Art of Education University.

Discover how to harness your classroom leadership skills for a fulfilling career journey and give back to other art teachers along the way.

Recognize your value and share the wealth. 

Many art teachers underestimate the value of their specialized skills. Take a moment and think about how often a fellow teacher or community member has said something along the lines of, “I don’t know how you do it” or, “I could never do what you do.” Art teachers are experts in not only art media and techniques but also cultural competency, classroom management, community organizing, and more. Sharing your skills is an act of generosity that can mean the world to someone who is struggling. 

Reflect on your practice.

Many things that seem ordinary to you are extraordinary to others. Take time to reflect on your practice and identify your greatest strengths. As you think about your typical day, focus on the aspects that run smoothly or seem easy. Do you have a knack for learning students’ names? Are your transitions calm and orderly? Have you found a way to hook students and get them motivated in your lessons? Once you identify your areas of strength, think about the steps you took to succeed. 

Find your people. 

One of the biggest challenges many art teachers face is being the only art teacher or specialist in their building. It can feel very isolating! There are many spaces where art teachers can connect with other like-minded professionals, such as The Art of Ed Community. This online space is the best corner of the internet with fun and relevant activities like daily polls and Community Challenges. Follow your art teacher friends, make new ones, and spread the love by cheering posts and comments. Many art teachers are more than happy to connect with you!

Document everything! 

As you create lessons, remember to take pictures of the process and the product. Many art teachers use a document camera to record videos while they create sample projects and sub plans. These are invaluable resources for students to review asynchronously. It will also give you plenty of archived content to work with when you feel ready to share your secrets with others! Whether you decide to share on social media, start a blog, or lead a professional development session, pictures and videos go a long way to help your audience understand what you’re talking about.

Refine your skills. 

While art teachers are experts in many areas, we still love to grow and explore new things! If you’re looking for a way to level up your leadership skills, enroll in AOEU’s Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction. This graduate-level course will help you improve your professional practice and apply your art education background to leadership roles. With the Instructional Leadership in Art Education specialization, you will learn how to advocate for change in the field through building community connections, applying ethics, and writing grants. Reach out to an admissions counselor to learn more! 

Start local. 

You don’t have to travel far to step into a leadership role. Plus, starting locally can often make the biggest impact on your students! There are many opportunities even within your school and district.

Here are a few local options to consider:

• Welcome a student teacher to your classroom.
• Mentor a new art teacher in your district.
• Apply for a spot on the curriculum team.
• Join your building’s leadership team. 
• Take on a role as a building rep for your local union. 
• Lead after-school professional development during institutes or workshops.

Many districts provide opportunities and offer incentives to lead professional development. The incentives may be a credit toward a lane change or a stipend. If you have the opportunity, consider broadening your audience to teachers beyond the art room. Develop cross-curricular resources, share therapeutic art techniques, or teach colleagues to make more visually pleasing slides, anchor charts, and instructional materials. Remember, you have more to offer than art! 

Present at conferences.

Every state has an art education association and there is the National Art Education Association (NAEA). AOEU also hosts the world’s largest online professional development for art teachers with the NOW Conference each summer and winter. The NOW Conference features art teachers just like you who have the most innovative ideas in art education. 

One of the keys to presenting at a conference is to remember that adult learners are like the class of your dreams. The teachers who attend educational conferences are passionate about learning and growing and they welcome depth and expertise on topics. Still, just as with your students, adult learners crave inspiration. Take time to think about and plan a good hook and approach your presentation as a story. 

Join the conversation in podcasts.

Art Ed Radio is the gold standard for art education podcasts. In addition to art education-specific shows, look for podcasts in specific niches like art history, art crimes, or art mediums. There are tons of podcasts out there and many podcasters love to talk with someone who shares their passion. Send them an email to introduce yourself and what you can bring to the show!

Teaching is an art form. As a teaching artist, it’s natural to continue exploring new territory so you can learn, grow, and share your work with others. There is nothing more satisfying as a teacher than seeing others flourish and being a small part of their journey and discovery. As you continue to hone your craft and achieve success in your classroom, consider the ripple effect of sharing your wisdom with the broader community. Whether it’s mentoring a new teacher, joining a school committee, or enrolling in a leadership program, your unique perspective and expertise can ignite inspiration in others. What are you waiting for? Step into your role as a leader, generously share your knowledge, and help elevate the field of art education. 

What is the best piece of advice a fellow art teacher gave you?

Share a reservation you have about stepping into art teacher leadership.

To continue the conversation, join us in The Art of Ed Community!

The post How to Become an Art Teacher Leader and Drive Meaningful Change appeared first on The Art of Education University.

As art teachers, we know the power of the visual arts to connect and move people. Now, science is proving what we’ve understood all along! The field of neuroaesthetics is showing how art can improve emotional well-being.

Let’s explore how to harness neuroaesthetics through service learning in the art room to improve health and quality of life.

What is neuroaesthetics?

Neuroaesthetics is the study of how our brains respond to art. When we look at art, parts of our brains light up! These parts handle emotion, senses, and pleasure and release dopamine, which makes us feel good and reduces stress. Susan Magsamen explores how creating and viewing art can help people in her book called This Is Your Brain on Art.

In hospitals and nursing homes, art can be a positive distraction. It helps people focus on something calming. A study of burn victims found that looking at pleasant images reduced their pain. This shows that art doesn’t just fill a space—it makes people feel better! Understanding how art affects the brain enables us to see the full power and potential of student artwork. Use this science as part of a service learning project to bring art and positivity to others in the community.

Bring the power of neuroaesthetics into your classroom and community with these ideas!

Compare and contrast two artworks to capture emotional responses. 

To introduce students to neuroaesthetics, compare two very different artworks. The Scream by Edvard Munch and Water Lilies by Claude Monet are great examples to start with! These paintings show how art can prompt different emotions. The Scream often makes viewers feel tense or anxious, with the subject’s intense facial expression and the artist’s use of bold colors and swirling lines. 

In contrast, Water Lilies creates a sense of calm through soft, subdued colors and flowing shapes. Talk with students about how each piece affects their mood. Ask them to think about how the elements of art contribute to the mood. Segue into how creating and sharing calming art can bring tranquility to others, especially those who are sad or struggling.

Create calm with color field artists.

Research shows that certain colors can boost our well-being. Non-objective art, especially by Color Field artists like Wassily Kandinsky and Helen Frankenthaler, is ideal for this activity. The large-scale artworks with big splashes of color are a great introduction to color symbolism. 

Introduce Color Field artists and how they used color to convey emotion without recognizable subject matter. Reinforce color theory, focus on mixing tertiary colors, and explore blending. Lead a guided visualization by asking, “What colors make you feel calm? Are they cool or warm? Saturated or muted?” Students paint a non-objective piece, using color to evoke calm. Experiment with materials like squeegees, rollers, and sponges for blending.

If you’re looking for resources to scaffold this process but don’t have time to create your own, check out FLEX Curriculum. FLEX is a standards-aligned curriculum with a vast archive of lesson plans and student-facing resources. Use worksheets like Showing Emotion: A Formative Tool and Discussion: Colors and Feelings to guide students in exploring emotions through color. 

Visualize positive themes through hand lettering.

Ask students to list positive themes like hope, peace, love, and kindness. By transforming these abstract ideas into hand-lettered art, students see how art can inspire. Read Ish by Peter H. Reynolds to encourage students to embrace abstract art and capture their theme’s essence. 

Students choose a positive theme and reflect on how to represent it visually. Ask questions like, “If kindness were a color, what would it be? If hope were lines, what type would it be?  If peace were a texture, how would it feel?” to guide their visualization. Discuss text in art and the importance of different font styles and sizes. Practice various words and quotes with step-by-step hand-lettering directions and drills. After sketching different word and composition combinations, choose a favorite to turn into a final artwork with markers and paint.

Share art in community spaces to positively transform well-being.

Once students create their artwork, it’s time to share it with the community! Brainstorm a list of places with your students that could benefit from calming artwork.

Here are some community space ideas to include:

• Hospitals
• Nursing Homes
• Shelters
• Rehab Facilities
• Veterans’ Centers
• Hospice Centers
• Assisted Living Facilities
• Mental Health Clinics
• Libraries

Reach out to venues via email and share your plan for displaying calming art. Discuss details about the space and display and how long the artwork will be up. Consider easy-hang options like using butcher paper for quick setup or pre-matting the pieces for a polished look. Coordinate with the venue to choose the best method.

For more innovative and time-saving ways to display student artwork, check out the following tips:

• Art Room Hacks: New Ways to Display Artwork
• 7 Nifty Ideas for Storing, Hanging, and Displaying Artwork
• How to Select Art Show Artwork and The Best Adhesives to Hang Art

Invite students and families to visit the exhibit by emailing home or including it in the school newsletter. Provide a box, blank cards, and pens for visitors to write letters to the students about how the artwork made them feel. This reinforces the value of the students’ work and highlights the impact of visual art.

Service learning helps students see how their art can make a difference. Creating art for therapeutic spaces boosts creativity and teaches students the emotional power of their work. By placing hand-lettered quotes or giant color field paintings in hospitals or shelters, students bring calm and comfort to those in need. It shows that art connects us and supports others beyond the classroom. Art-based service learning gives students purpose and shows how their artistic efforts can help the community.

How do you guide your students to think about the emotional impact of their work?

What are your favorite ways to incorporate service learning projects in the art room?

To continue the conversation, join us in The Art of Ed Community!

The post 4 Ways to Use Student Art for Community Service Learning & Well-Being appeared first on The Art of Education University.

Let’s figure out what your art teacher expertise is and explore three pathways to becoming a recognized expert in the field.

Identify your art teacher expertise.

An expert is somebody who’s highly specialized in one specific area in their field. You have more knowledge, experience, and achievements in this area than most others. Start by reflecting on what makes you tick and what you’re passionate about. What do you get excited about? What’s something you can talk about for hours? This could be a specific philosophy of classroom management or a medium you love playing with and teaching. 

To help you identify your expertise, ask yourself the following:

• What is a moment in your teaching career when you saw something “click” for a student? 
• What aspect of your classroom or practice are you particularly proud of? 
• What methodology or philosophy in art education resonates with you? 
• What is a medium you love teaching to all grades? 

Next, get narrow. When we talk about expertise, the more specialized and niche you are, the better. Follow the expression, “An inch wide and a mile deep.” Get ready to dive into your topic through reading, listening, researching, learning, reflecting, iterating, and practicing.

Here are three examples of how you can take a passion area and make it a specialized area of interest:

1. Classroom management is broad. Specializing in The Glasser Model is specific.
2. Ceramics is broad. Alternative, non-glaze surface treatments for the K-12 art room are specific. 
3. Recycled art materials are broad. Service learning through recycled kinetic sculptures is specific.

1. Break down your focus into smaller, achievable goals.

Once you have your narrow focus, it’s time to break it down into small, achievable goals. There’s no formula for how long it takes to master something. Author Malcolm Gladwell popularized the idea that mastery takes 10,000 hours of practice. However, other researchers pointed out that the idea is a bit more nuanced. The key takeaway is getting good at something takes lots of practice!

Researcher Angela Duckworth is notorious for her research on grit and how we can develop grittiness in our students. Angela talks about the importance of setting small, achievable goals to reach your ultimate goal. This journey of going from novice to expert will take persevering through tons of practice, bumps, frustration, and even failure.

For example, let’s say you’re looking to grow your expertise in fiber arts, specifically embroidery on non-traditional surfaces. Break this big goal down into tiny, achievable steps:

• Gather materials.
  This doesn’t need to be the best of the best, but definitely buy or collect enough to practice and make mistakes! 
• Document your learning.
  Identify four surfaces to play with and create a sketchbook to document your progress, questions, and reflections. 
• Select your first surface.
  This is practice, so work small! Start with a hypothesis, investigate various stitches, and see how things turn out! Reflect on and record difficulties and areas of enjoyment.
• Create a challenge.
  Propose a problem for you to solve. Return to the surface again, but employ a different strategy or approach. 
• Repeat!
  Repeat this process for each of your different surfaces. Write an artist statement to accompany your multiple embroidery studies. 
• Learn from an expert.
  If you’re looking for an opportunity to explore fiber arts with an expert in the field, enroll in Studio: Fibers.

2. Find a mentor and become a mentee. 

Feedback from others interested in the same topic is another great way to grow your expertise. Experts can’t grow in a vacuum; you need critical feedback to stretch your understanding and consider alternate perspectives. Your mentor doesn’t necessarily have to be an art teacher. This can be a teacher in another content area who knows about a particular classroom management strategy or a museum curator who specializes in a specific art history period. 

Here are three simple steps you can follow to find a mentor:

• Identify someone you want to learn more from by joining and networking at a professional organization, on social media, in professional publications, or through a mutual colleague.
• Find an opportunity to connect, preferably in person.
• Make your request by sending an email or LinkedIn message, or speaking with them at the end of a conference presentation. 

If a mentor doesn’t seem to be in the cards, consider other options to get feedback. If you’re specializing in design thinking in the art room, look for an active Facebook group, attend a design thinking conference with working sessions, or take a course. Also, consider reading and research as feedback. Your “mentoring” can come from reading the work of experts in the field and using reflective practice to challenge your ideas and assumptions. 

3. Earn a credential, certificate, or degree.

One tried-and-true way of building expertise and credibility is to earn a credential. There is truth to the idea that the “piece of paper” in the form of a diploma or certificate of completion comes with a level of esteem. Plus, it’s a great way to grow your network, hold yourself accountable to learning, and formally build your resume. If you’re searching for a program that’s right for you, look for one that is highly specialized in your topic or one you can tailor to your needs. 

The Art of Education University offers focused graduate courses and an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction with three specializations built in: 

1. Inclusive Practices in the Visual Arts
   If you’re passionate about making art accessible to all of your students, this specialization is the one for you! You’ll gain an understanding of special education terminology, rights, and responsibilities so you can reach and teach all learners effectively.
2. Instructional Leadership in Art Education
   Are you eager to step into leadership or lead a team of art teachers? In this specialization, you’ll learn to advocate for change and drive meaningful impact through community connections. You’ll learn skills like ethical leadership, grant writing, and entrepreneurship.  
3. Arts Integration
   If you’ve been looking to infuse the arts across disciplines, this specialization is your pick. You’ll integrate creativity through art, build interactive experiences, explore emerging technology, and facilitate 21st-century learning. 

If you have questions on whether this is a good fit for you or how to get started, reach out to chat with an admissions counselor today!

Chat With Us!

As art teachers know best, learning is a lifelong venture. Refine your learning and focus on one thing you’re passionate about and have a knack for! Figure out your niche expertise and then break down your learning path into small, achievable goals. To help you grow through knowledge and feedback, find a mentor, attend a conference, join social networking groups, and do a lot of reading and researching. Gain credibility with a degree or certification, such as the MEd in Curriculum & Instruction, to help you build your network and resume. Embrace your passion and let your art teacher expertise shine so you can strengthen your teaching practice and enrich your students’ artmaking.

What is your area of expertise in art education? 

How do you plan on taking steps to grow in this area?

To continue the conversation, join us in The Art of Ed Community!

The post How to Become a Highly Specialized Expert in the Art Education Field appeared first on The Art of Education University.

We’re thrilled to officially launch of The Art of Ed Community!

The Art of Ed Community is a dedicated professional online space where you can come together with other art teachers to discuss relevant topics, give and receive support, ask and answer questions, and share best practices. You’ll find engaging discussions, exclusive events, and a whole lot of fun. We’ve been working on this new offering for over a year and are so excited to share it with the world!

How do I join?

Joining the community is easy and free. Just click this link, “Request to Join,” and sign up for your account.

As soon as we approve your request, you can jump into conversations with thousands of other art teachers from across the world. Check out this video by AOEU’s Online Community Manager, Jen Leban, to learn more!

Here are five reasons we’d love for you to join us!

1. Engage in a trusted, moderated space with people who truly get you.

The Art of Ed Community is the perfect place to ask questions and receive support from others in the same situation. Created specifically for art teachers by art teachers, this community is fun and welcoming, with a set of comprehensive community guidelines to ensure conversations are positive and constructive.

The Art of Ed Community is moderated by AOEU’s Online Community Manager, AOEU’s Director of Community Engagement, and other AOEU team members, so you know you’re in great hands. Come hang out with us—it’s going to be so much fun!

Jessica Stuver, one of the art teachers in our pilot group, echoed these thoughts saying, “I’m not a huge fan of traditional social media. The fact that participants are verified and are who they say they are is a huge sense of comfort to me.”

Click here to join!

2. Gain access to exclusive conversations, ideas, and events.

The Art of Ed Community has discussions and content you can’t find anywhere else. Community conversations are not available anywhere outside of our community. Furthermore, as a community member, you can access our exclusive free monthly events! We’ll spend time chatting with experts and friends of the community, making art, and lifting each other up.

Each time you visit, you’re sure to find innovative ideas and strategies to add to your art teacher toolbox.

3. Connect with teachers across the globe.

The Art of Ed Community makes connecting easy! You can quickly identify which teachers are in which conversation spaces and see members who are geographically close to you. Not sure what to say? The Art of Ed Community will generate conversation starters based on shared interests. You also have the option to direct message other users or start a group chat.

Connecting with others is even more fun at our monthly events. We hope to see you there!

Finally, the mobile app makes it easy to access The Art of Ed Community anywhere, anytime. Download it now to keep your favorite group of people right in your apron pocket!

Download for iOS!

Download for Android

Lisa Rigsby, a pilot team member, shared how the community helped her feel connected again. “When I taught in high school, I had a group of other art teachers to connect with, but now that I have moved to a school as the single teacher, I don’t have that. It’s nice to have a community again!”

4. Rekindle your joy for teaching.

The education landscape is constantly changing and change can be hard. Hanging out with like-minded individuals and supporting one another is a surefire way to bring joy back to your teaching practice. Mitigate burnout with fun and engaging events, prizes, daily polls, discussion topics, and more. It’s like having access to the most fun art teacher hangout every day of the year.

5. Push the field of art education forward.

The Art of Education Community is the perfect place to learn from one another. Share your most innovative ideas. Ask thought-provoking questions. Challenge yourself to try something new with the support of others. In addition, members of The Art of Ed Community have the ability to contribute to content produced by AOEU, including our PRO and FLEX offerings. Share your thoughts about upcoming content, features, and what you’d like to see next!

The wait is over!

As an art teacher, it can be hard to find your people, but now, it doesn’t have to be. We’re so excited for you to join us! Simply click below to register for an account.

Click here to join!

We recommend using a personal email address so you can maintain community access if you switch schools. Once you’re in, you’ll see an additional verification email come through. Becoming verified allows us to build trust in the community and earns you a fun badge and the ability to be eligible for community prizes and giveaways!

Take it from pilot team member Francisco Matas who told us, “My favorite part of this community is the fact that I can interact with other teachers in a safe and friendly environment where I can be myself. I’m not bogged down by the typical social media distractions. There are opportunities to ‘meet’ people (virtually) I interact with and establish a network. I feel less alone because of this.”

We’ll see you over in the community!

The post 5 Reasons Why the Art of Ed Community is Your New Favorite Way to Connect Online appeared first on The Art of Education University.

If you’re excited to plan for back-to-school, keep reading for four steps to prepare your art room, curriculum, and professional development for a successful year. 

1. Reflect and set goals for the year.

Preparing for the school year is easy with a solid plan. After all, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” Whether you are a new art teacher, a general education teacher switching to the art room, or a seasoned art educator, taking time to reflect and set goals is crucial for a successful year. Reflecting upon previous experiences allows you to assess what worked before and identify areas for improvement moving forward.

Here are some questions to consider as you reflect and set goals: 

• What worked well with my classroom setup? How can I rearrange things to improve student engagement and collaboration?
• Which lessons were student favorites? What made them so successful?
• Which projects or activities flopped? How can I tweak them to make them smoother?
  
• Research your student demographics and remember last year’s rosters. Brainstorm ways to approach the curriculum with an inclusive lens to meet student needs.
  
• Consider any behavioral issues faced. How can I take a more proactive approach? 
• Pinpoint some areas where I felt challenged. What specific resources or professional development can I seek out?

If you’re brand new to teaching art, use previous experiences as a student or from student teaching to reflect and set goals:

• What is one classroom environment that encouraged creativity and learning? What are some ideas I can incorporate into my classroom?
• What was a memorable art lesson that everyone was excited about? What strategies can I apply? 
• Think about one teacher who fostered a welcoming and supportive space. How can I cultivate that same feeling in my art room?
• Where do I feel most confident as an art educator? How can I harness this strength?
• What parts of teaching are still intimidating? What specific resources or support systems can I seek out? 

Once you’ve reflected on your past experiences, create specific and achievable goals. Goal setting allows you to review measurable changes in your teaching practice and classroom. Start simple with one or two goals. Mark your planner at the end of each quarter to check in, assess, and reflect! 

2. Set up your art room for efficient systems and routines.

Setting up your art room or cart is one of the more exciting tasks to prep for a new year. However, this can also be daunting if you are new to teaching, moving rooms, or transitioning to become a traveling art teacher. If you are feeling overwhelmed, take a breath! We have many resources for you to organize your space so your students can create magic.

Ask questions like the ones below to help you decide what systems and routines to focus on this year:

• Where will students use each major material or medium? 
• What is my system for distributing and collecting art supplies?
• Where will I display completed student artwork?
• Where will I store wet and dry in-progress work?
• How do I want students to move through the room? 

Watch these three YouTube mini-series to find answers to your specific art room needs:

1. Equip yourself with tips and tricks to add to your classroom management toolkit in Run the Art Room. Learn new ideas for how to enter and exit the classroom, prep art materials, and distribute and collect supplies.
2. Discover how to bring order to your art room with Artfully Organized. This series addresses the unique challenges and complexities of the art room and includes tips to tackle labeling, table caddies, learning target walls, and more. 
3. Explore fresh ideas to spruce up your art room in Art Room Makeover. Gain budget-friendly art room DIYs, decluttering and cleaning motivation, and bulletin board ideas.

3. Refresh and refine your curriculum and lesson plans.

You may have a curriculum to follow that you’d like to make your own this year. Maybe you perfected your scope and sequence but are looking for new twists and artists to keep things fresh. Perhaps you have nothing and have no clue where to even begin! No matter your lesson plan situation, FLEX Curriculum is here to help you cultivate a year of growth.

FLEX Curriculum is the ultimate K-12 Visual Arts curriculum with scope and sequences for each grade level, standards-aligned lesson plans, and student-facing resources and assessments. Everything is ready-to-go for the classroom and is flexible to fit your students’ specific needs.

While there are many updates to all grade-level content in FLEX, there are exciting new changes specifically for high school art teachers:

• Check out four new advanced drawing lessons about figure drawing, digital drawing, and more.
• Download 40 new student-facing drawing resources.
• Browse 126 updated lesson plans with fresh essential questions, differentiation tips, and linked videos.

4. Tap into lifelong learning through inspiring professional development. 

This is your year to nurture your growth as an art teacher as well! Professional development is a way to introduce new teaching methods, stay up-to-date on current trends and practices, gain innovative lesson ideas, learn fresh art techniques, and network with like-minded educators. If you wait until you have extra time or resources to dig into PD, your PD will likely not happen! It’s key to have a plan you can simply execute when things get busy.

Come up with a professional development plan to prioritize your growth and invest in your teaching career. Crafting your own PD plan instead of or in addition to general district PD will accelerate your learning—you’ll be able to customize goals to build on your strengths and pinpoint areas for growth.

If you’re looking for art education-specific PD created for art teachers, by art teachers, you’re in the right place! PRO Learning is an on-demand professional development with more than 200 Packs of teacher-facing videos and resources. Within PRO, there are several guides to help you craft your own PD plan. There are also several curated playlists to make your planning a breeze.

Here are our favorite PRO Packs for back-to-school:

• Organizing the Art Room for Choice
• Getting Started Teaching Art on a Cart
• Organizing Your Elementary Art Room for Success

If you want to harness ready-made curriculum and professional development resources this year, reach out to discover how to get your district to fund FLEX and PRO.

Starting a new school year is an invigorating time filled with mixed emotions and a very long to-do list. Take the intimidation out of the equation with the four tips above. Just like in artmaking, set aside time to ideate your year. Set goals for the new school year so you can have a confident start and guaranteed growth. Consider your art room space so you and your students can focus on artmaking. Explore how FLEX Curriculum and PRO Learning can streamline your planning and cultivate artistic and professional growth. With a little intentional planning, you got this school year!

Don’t miss these two articles packed with valuable back-to-school downloads:

1. The 8 Best Downloads for Art Teachers to Stand Out This Year 
2. Colorful Conversations: 9 Fantastic Resources to Enhance Communication in Your Art Room 

Where are you in the back-to-school planning process?

Identify one next step you will take this week so you can start the year with intention!

The post 4 Intentional Ways to Plan for Back to School in the Art Room  appeared first on The Art of Education University.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming education, and the art classroom is no exception. From generating creative prompts to assisting with lesson planning and assessments, AI offers a wealth of potential to streamline tasks and enhance the learning experience. However, like any powerful tool, wield AI with careful consideration. As art educators, it’s crucial to strike a balance between embracing AI’s benefits and ensuring responsible use of this technology. Responsible use means safeguarding student data, adhering to district and school policies, and keeping your brain and skills sharp. If you’re new to AI, start by learning what it is with an overview of its benefits and challenges. 

Learn about the transformative power of AI tools for planning and assessment and their potential to both enhance the art experience and hinder artistic growth.

Program AI to answer tedious student questions.

We all want to give our students individualized instruction but sometimes we’re short on time. AI can assist and act as a tutor for your students. Questions about foundational art skills and techniques are easy for AI to take care of. Set up AI with an automated prompt sequence! After AI answers a student’s question, it will ask the student if they have any further questions. It will repeat until the student says they are finished. You can basically program a color mixing tool without having to learn code!

Try a prompt like this: 

Create a color mixing tutorial. You will ask what color the user wants to make. Then, tell the user how to mix that color using only turquoise, magenta, yellow, black, and white paint. Use terms that an elementary student can read and understand. Tell the user color ratios indicating how many units of each color to use. Then, give the user a bit of advice on how to apply liquid tempera paint well. Finally, ask if there is another color you can help them create. Repeat this until the user indicates they are finished.

What should you consider when AI answers student questions?

AI tools are becoming increasingly reliable at generating factually correct information. However, the answer you get will only be as good as the instructions you give and the information it’s pulling from. As the expert, always check for accuracy. Let AI help students with simple tasks related to foundational art skills and techniques. Save deeper and more conceptual processes like analyzing and evaluating artwork for your nuanced facilitation. For example, you may try the color mixing prompt above while students are painting, but go back to more traditional forms of checking understanding at the end of a color theory unit.

Create tools for assessment.

For many teachers, creating objective assessments in a highly subjective content area can be a daunting task. Once you have determined your success criteria, use AI tools to aid in formulating the rubric or an assessment checklist. You can also generate questions and writing prompts for additional activities like quizzes or review games. AI can phrase things as a story problem, riddle, multiple choice, or fill-in-the-blank. AI can generate text at any grade level to adjust the same assignment for any class. Whatever you’d like AI to do, describe your goal as clearly as possible with any components you want included.

Here is a sample prompt you can modify to align with your goals:

Create a rubric for assessing student artwork. Assess the following categories: planning and preparation, appropriate use and care for tools, neatness of the final product, and innovation. Grade each of these criteria on a four-point scale, with 1 being beginning, 2 being approaching, 3 being secure, and 4 being exemplary. For each of these four categories, write a description that includes artwork characteristics. Lay out the rubric as a table with the numbers in the top row and each of the categories in the first column.

What should you consider with AI assessments?

AI-generated rubrics and checklists may give you a starting point, but AI tools are not experts when it comes to your curriculum. AI does not have the insights into your students that you do. You know best the areas in which you are looking to see student growth. Review and edit all AI-generated documents to make sure they align with your curriculum and are appropriate for your students. Of course, there are many customizable resources to streamline assessment that do not involve AI. Try the Plug n’ Play Rubric or one of the many student-facing assessments in FLEX Curriculum. 

Make your documents more accessible.

Art teachers are responsible for teaching hundreds of students with a variety of needs, levels, and backgrounds. AI tools can help you quickly and easily modify text to make it more accessible. Try translating instructions into a different language, converting text to speech, and generating summaries of articles at different reading levels. Save yourself the time of manually pulling these resources yourself and put AI to work to help meet all of your students where they are. Remember to review and edit all AI-generated documents to ensure they are appropriate for your students. 

What should you consider when using AI for accessibility?

Double-checking a translation to ensure it is faithful to the original text can be difficult. When using AI to translate text into a language you do not speak, consider running the translated text through a different chatbot asking it to translate the text back to English. Review both versions to check for accuracy.

Discover artists to diversify instruction.

All art teachers have favorite artists they keep going back to. Add a fresh twist to your lessons and use AI to help you discover new artists and artworks! Tell your favorite chatbot the core concept and grade level for the lesson. Then, instruct it to give you 10 diverse artists and artworks to show as examples. 

What should you consider when using AI to discover diverse artists?

AI models rely on data collected from the internet. It is important to be mindful of the perspectives, power structures, biases, and limitations inherent in that model. Remember that AI is a generative tool, which means it can also make up people, artworks, and other bits of information. This is why it’s imperative to double-check any results before bringing them to your students.

Get suggestions to liven up your lessons.

Many art teachers are the only art specialists in their buildings. Being the entire art department can be liberating when you have autonomy! On the other hand, it can also mean you’re missing out on valuable collaboration. Everyone benefits from getting other perspectives to refine ideas and solutions. AI tools can serve as a non-judgemental brainstorming buddy. Use it to help you consider different approaches and input lesson plans that are starting to feel stale. Give AI the learning targets and ask it to give you five new lesson ideas based on those objectives.

What should you consider when using AI tools to plan a lesson?

Just like when you write your own lesson or use one from another art teacher, it’s good practice to test the lesson before trying it with students. There are wild stories out there of AI-generated plans with incredible errors, like when AI told a user to put glue on pizza! Plus, only you know your students, art room, and teaching style best. Use your experience and knowledge to take what you need and toss what you don’t from an AI-generated lesson. 

What else should you consider as you integrate AI into your practice?

AI can provide powerful tools to make many aspects of your job easier, but too much of even a good thing can be harmful. Teaching is an art form and it is important for every artist to develop and maintain the skills of their craft. As such, use AI tools to supplement your repertoire and streamline routine tasks. Continue to rely on your wit, wisdom, experience, and expertise! 

If you’re intrigued about integrating AI and want to learn more, check out AI in Art Education. This graduate course provides practical strategies to develop communication, creativity, and critical thinking in a tech-evolving landscape.

Note data and privacy concerns.

Also, when using AI tools with and for students, there are concerns regarding data security and privacy. AI tools harvest massive amounts of data online. It generates responses based on probabilities modeled using that data. The models also “learn” from user input, meaning that the AI tool records the information you type. Never input any potentially sensitive information. Do not use student names, identifying details, or images of students in any of your AI prompts.

Keep up-to-date on laws regarding AI.

AI tools are rapidly evolving. School administrators will update policies to help educators navigate the new tools as they arise. Lawmakers are also working to craft legislation to address potential AI concerns. As of the time of this writing, 17 states have already enacted 29 laws regarding AI, and more are sure to come. It is your responsibility to take initiative. Stay up-to-date on current trends and updated policies in both your district and school, and globally, nationally, and statewide.

Harness the power of AI tools to not only make your job teaching art easier and more efficient, but also more creative and inclusive. Approach AI with a critical and discerning eye to prioritize student data privacy, adhere to ethical guidelines, and maintain a strong foundation in traditional artistic skills. Ultimately, AI should serve as an empowering ally, augmenting the human touch that lies at the heart of art education. 

What instructional tasks would you like to try passing along to AI?

What concerns do you have about the use of AI?

The post Ways AI Can Make Your Art Teacher Job Easier for Planning and Assessment appeared first on The Art of Education University.

A community helps provide the support you need to develop a thriving creative practice. Below are three key ways your creative practice will benefit from an artist community.

Creating in a community fosters a sense of belonging and connection and enriches the overall experience of being an artist. When artists come together, they learn from each other, gain new perspectives, inspire creativity, and increase their social capital. Being part of a creative community also provides artists the encouragement and validation to navigate challenges, overcome self-doubt, and stay motivated. Enhance your artwork’s quality and deepen your artmaking experience in the following areas.

1. Inspiration & Skill Development

Interacting with fellow artists exposes you to fresh ideas, innovative approaches, and emerging trends in the art world. It can ignite you to be more creative, push boundaries, and experiment. With others’ insights, you can master a new technique, refine existing skills, or explore different mediums. This exchange of knowledge and expertise fosters personal and professional growth and will empower you to keep improving your craft.

2. Emotional Support & Motivation

Sharing successes, challenges, and experiences with fellow artists provides camaraderie, which reduces feelings of isolation and provides invaluable emotional support. A supportive community fosters belonging and can help you navigate the emotional ups and downs of the creative process. Community also offers motivation and accountability, so you can keep making progress toward your goals. Developing healthy habits and time management is easier when other artists regularly see your work and check in on you. 

3. Feedback & Critique

Collaborating with others gives you many opportunities to practice giving and receiving constructive feedback. Engaging with a creative community provides diverse perspectives that will highlight your strengths and pinpoint areas for improvement. Peers can offer fresh insights about your work that can spark new ideas for growth.

Establishing a creative community is more manageable than it may seem. Use these nine ideas to begin building the vibrant community you crave.

1. Make art in a public space.

Taking your art practice outside of your comfortable studio offers a change of scenery and invites interaction with the public. Create art in parks, streets, the subway, or other public areas. In doing so, you open yourself up to conversations with passersby, other artists, and potential admirers. This spontaneous interaction can lead to new connections, opportunities, and collaborations, helping you feel more integrated into the local art scene.

2. Take a tour of a fellow artist’s studio.

Explore the artistic practices of other artists and hear them talk about their work. Visiting the studios of fellow artists allows you to see how they organize their creative space and approach their work. These visits provide fresh ideas and processes that you can incorporate into your space and practice. 

3. Follow five of the artists your favorite artist follows on social media.

Expanding your online network is crucial in the digital age. Tap into a broader and often more interconnected art community by following artists that your favorite artist follows. This content exposes you to diverse artistic styles, techniques, and perspectives. Engage with these new artists by commenting on their work to prompt meaningful online relationships and collaborations.

4. Go to an artist talk hosted by an art organization or association.

Attending artist talks provides an opportunity to hear directly from experienced and often renowned artists about their creative journeys, techniques, and philosophies. Tune into what artist educators like you have to say or attend the next NOW Conference to learn from featured presenters. These events are also excellent networking opportunities, allowing you to meet other attendees who share your interests. Register for the online NOW conference to connect with over 2,500 art teachers worldwide who are just like you!

5. Take an art class at your local arts center or online.

Enrolling in an art class at a local arts center or online offers structured learning and skill development under the guidance of experienced instructors. These classes bring together individuals with a shared passion for art, creating a safe and collaborative environment to learn and make. The connections you form in a class can lead to a robust and lasting community of artists who champion and inspire each other. 

6. Attend an exhibition opening at a local art gallery.

Attending exhibition openings at local art galleries is a fantastic way to immerse yourself in the local art scene. These events provide opportunities to meet other artists, gallery owners, and art enthusiasts. Engage in conversations about the displayed works to inspire new ideas and foster connections. Who knows? Maybe one day, a connection can lead to a future exhibition of your own!

7. Try out a community program at an art museum.

Art museums often host community programs, workshops, and classes to bring together artists and art lovers. Participating in these programs allows you to discover new techniques and explore fresh artists. Additionally, these settings are perfect for networking with other like-minded individuals.

8. Host a collaborative painting night.

Hosting a collaborative painting night is an excellent way to gather fellow artists in a relaxed, creative environment. Invite artists of all skill levels to come together and play with paint! Work on a shared canvas or individual pieces while exchanging ideas and techniques. This informal setting encourages open dialogue, constructive feedback, and mutual inspiration, which will strengthen your budding art community.

9. Volunteer at a First Friday or other community art event.

Volunteering at community art events, such as a First Friday, helps you become an active participant in the local art scene. These events often require help with setup, promotion, running the event on the day of, and tear down. You’ll have ample opportunities to meet and collaborate with other artists and community members. Being involved will not only enhance your visibility within the art community but also give you a voice as you contribute to and shape the local art culture.

A supportive community provides the foundation you need for a thriving artmaking practice. It can offer inspiration, skill development, emotional support, motivation, and constructive feedback so your body of work will flourish! Then, bring your experiences into your art room for your students. After all, an inspired artist is an inspired art teacher. Plus, creating in community will nurture and sustain you, bringing balance to your life and a healthy way to decompress after a long school day. Establishing your network is more accessible than you may think—tour a fellow artist’s studio, attend an artist talk, or participate in a community program. Step out of the tortured artist stereotype for good and step into vibrant community!

What first step will you take to connect with other artists?

If you’re a part of an artmaking community, share one way you’ve grown! 

The post How to Build a Vibrant Art Community to Support Your Creative Practice appeared first on The Art of Education University.

The Four Laws of Atomic Habits, outlined by James Clear in his book Atomic Habits, offers a blueprint for transforming intentions into actions. Let’s take a look at how you can make creativity manageable and deeply fulfilling this summer without a daunting amount of effort. Plus, by the end of the summer, you’ll establish strong habits so you can practice what you preach in your art room. 

Get your creative practice to stick by making it obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying!

1. Make creating obvious.

The first step in making your creative habit stick is to set up a space of your own with obvious visual reminders to make art. When you make desired behaviors visible and accessible, it helps maintain focus and consistency—especially when there are distractions. Create a dedicated art space that is inviting and flexible, adorned with visual cues like inspiring artwork or quotes. Tools like color-coded schedules and daily checklists make creative intentions more tangible.

Here are five ways to make creating more obvious for you and your students:

1. Intentionally set up your creative space.
   Hang inspiring artwork and objects that spark joy to transform your zone into a creative sanctuary where you love to spend time. Bring the same energy to your classroom by displaying student artwork and allowing students to personalize their sketchbooks, folders, and portfolios.
2. Establish pre-creative rituals.
   Make a cup of tea or play a specific song to signal your brain that it’s time to enter a creative mindset. In the classroom, a mantra is a great way to prepare students.
3. Keep a visible calendar nearby.
   Mark off days when you engage in a creative activity so you can see your consistency. Hang a collective creativity calendar to check off in your art room or display a record of artmaking days to keep students motivated on a “making streak!”
4. Make a daily checklist of creative tasks.
   Think about what you want to accomplish and prominently post your goals. Check off items as you complete them to track your progress. In your art room, display your learning targets, standards, and instructions.
5. Display works-in-progress.
   Seeing things you’re working on will motivate you to continue working on them. Apply this in your art room by reserving a bulletin board for in-progress projects. Students will be proud to see their budding works on display and it will show other students possibilities for their own pieces.
   

2. Make creating attractive.

Make the journey attractive by associating artmaking with positive experiences and emotions. Carve out time to nurture enjoyable things like play, experimentation, and social interaction. Explore new mediums and techniques and invite others to sit and make art with you. When you have fun with the process, you’ll look forward to your newfound habit, making you more likely to engage with it regularly! 

Here are five ways to make creating more attractive for you and your students:

1. Invest in learning a new technique.
   We all have a list of techniques we are curious to try, from acrylic masking to tie dye! Set aside 15 minutes each day to research and watch videos about it. PRO Learning has teacher-facing videos and resources that cover a variety of mediums and artistic processes. 
2. Make your own art supplies from scratch.
   Gain a new appreciation for your materials and jumpstart your creativity. Use egg yolk, water, and dry pigment to mix up a batch of tempera paint. Repeat this activity with your students or repurpose the extra supplies in your art room for an engaging experience.
3. Take on art challenges and play games.
   Loosen up and incorporate some fun! Give yourself a daily drawing prompt or add an element of spontaneity to inject imagination into your practice. Play Where’s Whaledo? or Art Heist with your students to gamify your art room and get them invested in all things art.
4. Collaborate on a project.
   Invite other artist or teacher friends to create a stop-motion animation or a picture book. Tackling a creative project together gives you feedback and accountability to follow through. Collaborative paper mache sculptures and rainbow origami installations offer your students this same opportunity.
5. Register for the next NOW Conference.
   Learn from and create art with over 2,500 like-minded art educators. Glean inspiration, motivation, and in-classroom strategies while you connect with other art teachers who understand what it means to teach in today’s art room. 

3. Make creating easy.

Habits need to be easy to adopt and maintain so simplify the process to increase your likelihood of success. Break down creative projects into smaller, manageable steps and redirect your mental energy to tasks that truly matter. This allows you to have more bandwidth on your calendar and in your brain to sustain an artmaking practice over the long term. 

Here are five ways to make creating easier for you and your students:

1. Prep materials in advance.
   Set out your paints, water, brushes, and other tools to minimize time searching for materials and maximize productivity. Upgrade your classroom by adding art supply caddies or a system for supply storage and distribution to promote independence and ownership.
2. Set a specific, process-based goal.
   Define clear and achievable goals for each creative session. Focus your goals on your process and the habit you’re building instead of “finishing” an artwork. For example, your goal can be, “Spend three minutes doodling illustrations to fill one page.” Ask your students to come up with a non-product-based goal for one class period using FLEX Curriculum’s Goal Setting Self-Assessment resource.
3. Explore digital tools.
   Streamline the creative process with programs like Procreate, Pxlr, or ChatGPT. Start small with one app or interface and build from there. For more ideas, refer to the Packs, Infusing Technology into Your Practice or Enhancing Artworks With Digital Integration, in PRO Learning.
4. Focus on one or two priorities.
   It can be overwhelming to think about all of the steps it will take to complete a project. Harness your executive functions to help you divide larger projects into smaller, manageable tasks to maintain momentum. Provide daily must-dos to keep students on track in their artmaking during open studio time.
5. Participate in guided art workshops.
   Take the heavy thinking out of creating. Select a Make Art With Me episode to try this week and simply follow along. These 100 Sketchbook Prompts are an excellent way to structure and guide your students’ artmaking and can be adapted for many mediums. 

4. Make creating satisfying.

Deriving satisfaction from making art is the final piece to making your creative habit stick. Establish meaningful markers of success, reflect on personal growth, and share achievements with others. Celebrating your progress, whether it’s completing a new artwork, mastering a challenging technique, or receiving constructive feedback, reinforces gratification and propels you to keep going! Satisfaction also leaves you with joy, fulfillment, and intrinsic motivation for lifelong learning.

Here are five ways to make creating more satisfying for you and your students:

1. Buy a new art supply on your wishlist.
   Reward yourself for achieving one of your goals or making art daily for a week. Highlighting even the smallest of achievements reinforces positive habits. Recognize your students with a free choice day or a giant art supply for their classroom to encourage continued effort and dedication.
2. Keep a visual journal or online portfolio.
   Document your progress and track your growth over time. Dedicate a few minutes each week to look back and delight in your victories and revelations to build confidence. Make visual journaling a standard in your art room to foster this reflective mindset.
3. Share your creative work with others.
   Social media can be a fun outlet when used in a healthy and helpful way. Inviting others to witness your creative journey enhances feelings of connection and validation while providing satisfying opportunities for advocacy. Help your students develop responsible relationships with their online presence as well. 
4. Ask for constructive feedback.
   Peers, mentors, or online communities can provide new insights and perspectives on your work. Embrace others’ opinions as an opportunity for growth and improvement. Try a Pair-Share or Gallery Walk with your students to establish a culture of open and honest feedback.
5. Lean into what you love!
   Being a passionate art teacher is an artform in itself! Find your reason for creating and teaching, and you’ll discover that having a strong motivation will make habit-building easier when things get tough. Incorporate choice-based art to afford your students the same opportunity to integrate what they love. 

Use this summer to establish a creative and grounding habit that will not only get you making art but also set you up for success once another fast-paced school year gears up. Apply the Four Laws of Atomic Habits to make creating obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying. Then, bring your creative habit to your students! Set a strong example of what it looks like to be a working artist and inspire them with your artmaking habit. Implement the strategies above to get your students to build their own creative habit and foster a lifelong passion for art. Get ready to pass on your creativity and tackle one small step today!

Which of the four laws will you apply to your artmaking practice first?

How do you cultivate a habit of creativity in your personal practice and daily routines?

The post Build a Creative Practice That Sticks By Harnessing the 4 Laws of Atomic Habits appeared first on The Art of Education University.

A con artist sold the Eiffel Tower for scrap—twice!

The French built The Eiffel Tower for The Exposition Universelle of 1889. They wanted it to be a temporary tower to showcase Paris as a modern, industrial powerhouse. Standing at around 984 feet, it was the tallest man-made structure in the world at the time. Government officials planned to tear the tower down after 20 years. This context provided an interesting opportunity for a clever and audacious con artist.

Posing as a government official, Victor Lustig targeted scrap metal companies. He weaved a tale that the Eiffel Tower was too expensive to maintain and needed to be torn down and sold. Lustig focused on the most anxious bidder, André Poisson. Feigning empathy for the underdog, Lustig offered a “backdoor” deal, or a bribe, to secure the contract. Poisson never reported the crime. Whether he didn’t want to face the humiliation of bad press or feared implicating himself, the businessman remained silent.

Emboldened by his success, Lustig returned to Paris, ready for round two. This time, however, his luck ran out. A more cautious businessman grew suspicious and contacted the authorities. Lustig fled France, leaving behind a trail of laughter and disbelief. Perhaps the most amazing fact about Lustig is that selling the Eiffel Tower is only a small part of his criminal portfolio. If you want to learn more, read Victor Lustig: The Man Who Conned the World by Christopher Stamford.

The man hired to protect The Mona Lisa ended up stealing it instead.

The Mona Lisa is a great example where a lot of the artwork’s significance comes from the audience’s response to the piece. Although Leonardo da Vinci painted it in the early 16th century, many key aspects, such as the “enigmatic smile,” came from the writing of 19th-century Romantic poets. The writing created intrigue that has shaped public perception of The Mona Lisa ever since.

The Mona Lisa is an unlikely candidate to become the most famous painting in the world. The small size of the portrait is often surprising to many people. Plus, we know very little about the woman in the painting. So why do millions of people visit The Louvre every year to see this artwork? This is largely because it wasn’t available to see for two years—in 1911, The Mona Lisa was stolen.

Many aspiring artists visit museums around the world to study masterpieces. One of them by the name of Louis Béroud was angry that the museum was installing glass to protect the paintings. He decided to make an original painting in protest. He intended to paint a woman staring at her own reflection in the glass to emphasize the glare and poor visibility. When he arrived at the museum on August 22, Béroud discovered that he couldn’t paint a picture emphasizing his hindered view of The Mona Lisa because he couldn’t see the painting at all—it was missing from the gallery! The museum guards assumed photographers had taken it and didn’t realize it was missing.

The French press had a great time following the investigation. They loved poking fun at the government’s inept security. There were sensational turns as police questioned famous figures like Pablo Picasso and Guillame Apollinairre. While both were not involved in the theft of The Mona Lisa, Picasso did have Iberian sculptures stamped “Property of The Louvre” in his studio.

After a two-year search, police caught Vincenzo Peruggia, who was attempting to sell The Mona Lisa to an art dealer in Florence, Italy. Peruggia was the handyman the museum hired to build the protective glass cases for several artworks. One day, he hid in a closet and took the painting off the wall after the museum closed. In the morning, he walked out with it under his cloak. Police never imagined a man with a postcard of The Mona Lisa on his mantle had the real thing tucked away in his closet!

As the investigation drew headlines around the world, the painting made a leap from gallery walls to popular culture. The story of The Mona Lisa has many interesting twists and delightful ironies that have made it one of the greatest art crimes of all time. If you want to learn more about it, read The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day or listen to it online.

A tube of paint brought down one of the world’s most successful art forgers.

Wolfgang Beltracchi wasn’t your typical art forger. Instead of copying known works, Beltracchi created original paintings to fill the gaps in an artist’s body of work. He scoured art catalogs, searching for paintings mentioned but never photographed. Then Beltracchi would paint the “missing link,” or a piece that seamlessly fit into the artist’s progression.

Beltracchi became a master storyteller and fabricated “evidence” to support his account. He searched flea markets for vintage cameras and photographic paper so he could craft the perfect historical illusion. His wife, Helene, dressed in period clothing, pretended to be her grandmother sitting proudly beside a canvas to show it had been in their collection for decades. Beltracchi forged documents such as letters from deceased art dealers that vouched for the painting’s authenticity.

For years, Beltracchi fooled the art world and made millions of dollars. But even the most cunning con man can make a mistake. In Beltracchi’s case, the mistake came in a paint tube. Beltracchi ran out of zinc white when painting a piece from pre-war Europe. Instead of mixing up his own paint, he used a tube that contained titanium, an ingredient not used in paint from that time period. If you want more details, read Wolfgang Beltracchi: The Return of Salvator Mundi by Alberto Venzago.

Students love to learn from the shady side of art history!

We all love a good story with an element of mystery. If these crimes have you hooked, imagine how much fascination your students will find in them too! For more wild art history tales, check out the following resources and opportunities:

• Read 4 Artworks With Mysterious Pasts to Shock Your Students This Month.
• Peruse 6 Seedy Parts of the Art World Art Educators Love to Teach.
• Listen to other art history cons, capers, and crimes.
• Register for the next NOW Conference where you can dive deeper into ridiculous art history!

Once you plow your way through these stories this summer, harness these fun facts and anecdotes to pique your students’ curiosity about art history. Use the story of The Mona Lisa to illustrate how people’s responses to an artwork can transform its meaning and value. Emphasize how it took an artist to notice the painting was missing! Point to Wolfgang Beltracci to highlight the importance of doing one’s research and selecting the right tools for the job. The next time your students do something that makes your brain hurt, remember it pales in comparison to these cons!

Do you have a favorite odd or unexpected story that changed your view of art history?

What silly shenanigans or creative capers have your students tried to pull this year?

The post Daring Art Crimes for the Art Teacher That You Won’t Be Able to Put Down! appeared first on The Art of Education University.

Let’s explore what art teachers appreciate most at each phase of their careers.

Newbies (Years 1-3)

The initial stage of an art educator’s career is full of newness, excitement, and learning. Armed with creativity and enthusiasm, it’s a time of challenges, intense motivation, and a lens of novelty.

Here are three things newbie art teachers appreciate:

1. Excitement
   Whether you’re fresh out of an education program or transitioning from a different career, it’s thrilling to get into a classroom and try out all of your ideas. Finally, you get to meet your students and be a difference-maker. Everything is a fresh blank slate you get to draw on and the newness keeps you enthused and energized!
2. Learning and Experimentation
   The first few years of teaching are full of implementing ideas, tweaking them, and even changing them completely. Newbies get to experiment with different classroom management techniques and teaching approaches. It keeps you on your toes and it’s never boring! Art teachers are grateful for all they learn in those first few years.
3. Mentors
   The beginning of an art educator’s career is full of questions. What’s the best technique for teaching middle schoolers to sew? How can I best support my new student? What’s a solid way to approach an administrator with an idea? Mentors and team leaders are there for all of the questions new teachers have about pedagogy and school policies and procedures. They can even be a shoulder to lean on when you need encouragement or want to vent.

If your school doesn’t have a mentor system, find a mature and established teacher who will take you under your wing. They don’t have to be an art teacher to answer questions and brainstorm. At the end of the day, a good teacher is a good teacher. If they are at your school, they can fill you in on your building’s norms and staff. Alternatively, connect with your district’s team of art teachers, go to conferences and network, or take a class with other art teachers to build your community.

Fresh and Hip (Years 4-10)

Fresh and hip art teachers still carry the excitement and energy of newbie teachers, but they have the advantage of a bit more experience! They’ve moved beyond the initial challenges of classroom management and curriculum adaptation, but they’re still digging deep into their craft.

Fresh and hip art teachers appreciate these three things:

1. Teacher Friends
   When the freshness and excitement of teaching have worn off, colleagues keep each other going. In the middle of a teaching career, a good colleague can carry you through hard times, help work through big challenges, and be there when personal problems arise. Having someone steady to lean on supports you from mid-career burnout!
2. Efficiency
   By the middle of your career, you have learned exactly what to do and how to do it quickly. You’ve developed systems to maximize productivity and prevent a waste of time and budget!
3. Leadership Opportunities
   The middle phase brings opportunities for leadership within the educational community. Art teachers at this stage know how to cater to diverse learning styles and how to expertly manage a classroom. Plus, you’ve refined your curriculum. Art teachers start becoming mentors, team leaders, department heads, or curriculum coordinators to share knowledge with others.

Mature and Established (Years 11-15)

Mature and established art teachers probably have a paint stain or two on all of their clothes. They wear those stained clothes with pride because each stain is a memory they’ve made with their students!

Let’s explore three things mature and established teachers appreciate:

1. Expansive Toolkit
   Mature and established art teachers have a huge repertoire of tools and resources in their toolkits. You’re a pro at pulling these resources out whenever you need them. If a project takes less time than expected, technology fails, or you’re short on supplies, you have a bank of activities and strategies to get through!
2. Classroom Systems
   All of the experimentation to determine the best cleanup systems, classroom management techniques, and supply organization have paid off! Mature art teachers know what works and you are confident in your ability to maintain your systems.
3. Multiple Student Cycles
   At this point in your teaching career, art educators have taught several cycles of students. You’ve had students’ younger siblings and experienced the differences between generations. You get the heartwarming experience of watching your former students grow up and mature!

Veterans (Years 15+)

Veterans have been around the block a gazillion times and they have a deep understanding of student behavior and development because of what they’ve seen through the years! Although they have a wealth of experience and wisdom, they still have much to appreciate.

Veteran art teachers are grateful for these three things:

1. Helping the Next Generation
   At this point in your career, you are an expert in your field. You have the privilege of helping the new generation of teachers. Your contributions as mentors, team leads, conference presenters, board members, and helpful colleagues mean you continue to impact future students, even after you’ve made the decision to retire.
2. New Teachers and Fresh Ideas
   While veteran teachers help new colleagues, you also appreciate the fresh energy and ideas new teachers bring to the profession. It can increase your love of the occupation and reinforce the belief you are leaving the profession in good hands.
3. Fruits of Their Labor
   Veteran art teachers love having graduates come back and visit. Even more rewarding is learning how former students have gone on to make their own marks in the world. Nothing beats seeing or hearing the impact you had on your students’ lives. It makes the years of effort and hard work more than worth it!

The journey of an art educator is one art teachers can appreciate at every stage. At the beginning of their careers, art teachers love the excitement, learning, and experimentation. They appreciate their mentors and families who get them through those first years. In the middle of their careers, they appreciate their colleagues, knowing what works, and being able to make systems to maximize efficiency. At the end of their career, art teachers have shown dedication and can celebrate their careers. They get to see their impact, learn from new teachers, and help the next generation of art educators and art students. Through relationships formed, art created, and continuous growth and influence, art teachers have much to appreciate!

What stage are you in and what are you most appreciative of?

Share a piece of advice to an art teacher in the Newbie phase!

The post 3 Things to Appreciate in Each Phase of an Art Teacher’s Career appeared first on The Art of Education University.

If things are feeling stale or stuck, there are two ways to get excited and passionate about teaching art again! Let’s take a closer look. 

1. See great art in person!

There’s nothing like taking a personal day to engage the senses with inspiring art and good food. Slowing down to do something you love amidst the hustle and bustle of the art room is invigorating! It can be easy to make excuses around not having the time but we’re here to show you that you DO have the time.

Here’s how to build in art days to your calendar:

1. Take your leave.
   All teachers get leave—so use it! Take one day per quarter to do something fun to fill your art and creativity bucket. Select your days ahead of time and request them in advance. A great time to take off is at the beginning of the quarter before things get busy. 
2. Invite an art teacher friend.
   Share the dates you requested leave with a local art teacher friend. Invite them to join you! If you need it, you can still have plenty of alone time by splitting up to view art. Come together to debrief, chat, brainstorm lesson ideas, and carpool. 
3. Select an inspiring spot to visit.
   There are so many neat places to visit without having to go far! Visit an art museum, local gallery, little shops with fun displays, a sculpture garden, or a conservatory. Switching up your space and surroundings for a few hours can improve your mood and increase creativity. 
4. Stop at a trendy spot to eat.
   We all need to eat, so why not make it part of the experience? Pick somewhere with good vibes, ambiance, and delicious food to continue to fuel all of your senses. 
5. Reflect on and record your day.
   Make the experience last longer. Remember what you saw, thought, and learned by collecting, sketching, journaling, and photographing. There are so many ways to keep a travel log so find a way that piques your interest.

2. Enroll in a Master’s degree program.

Art teachers thrive with a growth mindset! Whether it’s personal artwork or lesson planning, we are experts at reflecting on and refining our craft. One way to do both of these on a deep and meaningful level is to enroll in a Master’s degree program. Earning your degree can also help you maintain your certification, improve your professional practice, open doors for leadership and advocacy roles, move up the payscale, network with like-minded art teachers, and keep you informed of current art education trends. Starting the process of higher education can be daunting so we broke down the options here at AOEU for you.

Check your state and district requirements.

All states and districts have varying requirements for what graduate courses and degrees will count toward your certification and/or pay step increase. Some districts will even contribute a certain amount toward continuing education, so it’s worth doing a little digging! Remember, earning a degree does not equate with licensure. Take time to do your due diligence to ensure you have all of the information you need to make an informed decision before applying and enrolling.

Understand the two master’s degrees.

AOEU offers two powerful areas of focus depending on your needs and wants. Within the two main degree programs, you can customize your elective courses or specialization to perfectly suit you! 

1. Master of Arts in Art Education
   This program is designed for working teachers and offers a variety of art education and studio courses to elevate your teaching practice and hone your skills. It’s a great choice to gain practical and relevant tools you can bring into your art room immediately. Create a personally meaningful action research project in the capstone portion.
2. Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction
   Within this program, you will select from three specialization areas: Arts Integration, Instructional Leadership in Art Education, or Inclusive Practices for Visual Arts. This program is the way to go if you are interested in leadership, curriculum design, becoming an administrator, or creating professional development. If you are driven to be a changemaker in art education—this one is for you!

Download the resource below for more information to help you learn more about both degree choices. If you have further questions, reach out to an admissions counselor.

Download Now!

Reap the benefits of being a part of the AOEU graduate program family!

We touched upon several general benefits to earning your master’s degree above. However, when you choose AOEU, there are more positives only a university created by art teachers for art teachers can bring.

• Learn from knowledgeable and caring instructors.
  Because AOEU instructors also teach K-12 art during the day, they practice what they preach. Students consistently say they value the authentic relationships they’ve built with their instructors and attribute much of their success in the program to them!
• Appreciate flexible assignments.
  The consistent asynchronous cadence of assignments and due dates for classes allows students to plan and have a healthy work-life-school balance. Assignments are created to adapt to your specific teaching needs, making them immediately applicable in the classroom.
• Improve your writing skills.
  Completing either program will make you a strong writer. This will help you advocate for your art program, write grants, compose lesson plans, and teach advanced research skills and scholarly writing.
• Do action research.
  Gain real-time, practical feedback from peers and professionals in the art education field. Dive into a niche topic that you’re fascinated with and want to learn more about!
• Expand career opportunities.
  Whether you’re looking for a new spot in the world of art education or you’re looking for extra side passions, earning a degree can open new doors! Hone skills in a particular medium and be a resident teaching artist. Use leadership courses to be a community arts organizer or museum art educator. 
• Join an authentic art teacher community.
  Connecting with your classmates enriches the experience. Unlike a physical university where students are from similar situations and locations, AOEU students come from all over the world! Many students walk away with newfound art teacher friends they keep in touch with for years to come.

The last semester can feel like it’s dragging on forever! Get out of the spring slump and reinvigorate your passion for why you teach art. There are exciting things happening in the art world and art education. Plus, there are so many opportunities to learn and be a part of making positive change. See inspiring art in person to engage your senses and creativity. Inquire about higher education to start the rewarding journey of refining and refreshing your skills. Take steps to grow in your personal artmaking and teaching practice and watch it trickle down to your students. When you love what you do, your students will want to love it too! 

Share your favorite way to revive your passion for teaching art.

What is one question you still have about AOEU’s degree programs? 

The post 2 Incredible Ways to Revive Your Passion for Art Education This Spring appeared first on The Art of Education University.