Lab School: Learning through Art + Design Education

This field-based class provides students with insights into the dynamics of an elementary school as a community. The course is particularly concerned with the development of strategies with which to incorporate art and design into general education while at the same time maintaining the discipline’s integrity. There is a special emphasis on utilizing art and design to support a school district’s literacy initiative. Students in this course are participant-observers in a classroom, working collaboratively with a classroom (non-art) teacher. Students have the opportunity to teach small groups of children and to use these opportunities to reflect on matters of content, student understanding, and the effectiveness of communication. In addition to working in the classroom, students participate in a seminar that uses the classroom experience as an opportunity to examine a broad range of educational issues that include: arts integration, classroom management, cooperative learning, multiculturalism, teaching and learning environments, and students as diverse learners.