| Professional Development Articles
Online Education Museum Education
Online education and museum education are
two resources that are beneficial to art teachers everywhere.
Regardless of the number of art teachers in your school or
district, these two resources are geared specifically toward
art curriculum.
College and University Credit
More and more educators are seeking advanced
degrees or additional training through online studies. The
main benefit of this type of education is that you do not
have to leave your home to receive the staff development or
advanced degree that you desire. One way to discover what
colleges and universities offer is to visit a Web site that
lists online universities. Two such sites are:
Some professional organizations, such as
the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
(ASCD), also offer online staff development for those seeking
a course related to a particular area of instruction. Visit
the ASCD Web site at http://www.ascd.org
for more online opportunities.
The Museum Connection
The vast majority of art museums have some
form of educational department, many of them quite large.
These departments are staffed by highly qualified museum educators
who are dedicated to working with educators and schools and
developing educational materials.
Many of these institutions have free lending
libraries that include:
- videos on artists and processes
- fine-arts prints, slides, and transparencies
- art books
- hands-on activities
Smaller, local art museums offer field
trips to students, often providing lesson plans or other educational
materials as part of the visit. Many museums provide various
interactive opportunities for teachers, including staff development
workshops and lectures.
If you are unable to physically visit an
art museum, some museums will check out resources by mail.
Costs for these resources are nominal.
Take some time to contact art museums or
even local generic museums in your state to find out what
resources and staff development are available to you. Often,
museums offer timely subjects that help not only art instructors,
but other educators as well.
Museum Web Sites
One way to search for information about
in-state or national museums that offer resources to educators
is to visit their Web sites. You can find a list of museums
by visiting the teacher section of this Web site or by using
an online search engine.
Once you search and find the museums that
have opportunities for you, take advantage of these resources!
Order any free materials, visit the galleries—even if
you can only make a “virtual” visit—and
make connections with the educational departments when possible.
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