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Art & Inquiry

Museum Teaching Strategies For Your Classroom

Lisa Mazzola, Larissa Raphael, and Francis Estrada

Explore how to integrate works of art into your classroom with inquiry-based teaching methods used by museum educators.

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What's inside

Syllabus

Module 1: Introduction to Inquiry | Why Engage in Inquiry Around Art?

Welcome to Art and Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies For Your Classroom. This course will introduce ways to integrate works of art into your classroom by using inquiry-based teaching methods commonly used in museum settings. This course is designed to give you the tools to create meaningful object-based learning activities that can be integrated into a wide variety of curricula. The strategies this course covers emphasize literacy and critical thinking skills across disciplines.

Module 2: Close Looking and Open-Ended Inquiry

In this module you will explore different ways to facilitate close looking with your students by engaging in open-ended, inquiry-based conversation around works of art.

Module 3: Art, Inquiry, and Social Emotional Learning

In this module, we will explore how art and Social Emotional Learning can deepen students’ attention, self-awareness, as well as their awareness of others.

Module 4: Activities as Inquiry

This module focuses on activities as a mode of inquiry. In this module you’ll explore how to use three kinds of activities in your classroom to effectively promote an exchange of ideas with students.

Module 5: Putting it all Together | Making Connections Across Curriculum

In this module you will consider ways to incorporate inquiry about a work of art into your classroom and make connections to different subject areas including Social Studies, English Language Arts, and Science.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Introduces methods from museum educators to engage students with art

Focuses on developing literacy and critical thinking skills

Provides activities and resources for integrating art into curricula

Emphasizes social emotional learning to enhance students' self-awareness

Instructors are experienced museum educators

May be useful for educators seeking new approaches to art integration

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Reviews summary

Engaging art & inquiry: skills for teaching

Learners say that this engaging course is largely positive. It has helpful readings, interesting content, and provides practical strategies for teaching art. The course is well organized and includes a variety of useful resources that can be applied in the classroom. As a result, many students found the course to be insightful and inspiring and believe it will improve their teaching skills.

The course is well organized and easy to follow.

"This course was well organized with a variety of source material."

"This course has taught me new ways in which to engage with artwork and how to get a classroom to a classroom to engage with a piece of artwork!"

"I am re-entering Art education and I found course to be a great resource."

Helpful readings, including free resources from the museum website.

"Thought the readings were well chosen and very informative."

"It was really interesting to read/review other course participant's final projects."

"This is a great course for anyone wanting to learn how to teach with art in any subject."

Provides practical strategies for teaching art through inquiry.

"I learned a lot about inquiry based teaching, found it insightful and useful."

"The contents of the course were very interesting, helpful and time-wise absolutely manageable!"

"Great practical strategies for teaching"

Course is engaging and provides practical strategies for teaching art.

"Loved the practical things that will help me in my professional life."

"very engaging and inspiring course with lots of insights and practical tips"

"I was able to take away a lot of interesting things for my teaching."

Provides a variety of resources, including videos, readings, and forums.

"This class was very well put together. I loved the course readings, and the videos were very helpful in demonstrating the lessons."

"The course guided us to a new step by step system to improve my art classess, arrange external activities and develop new cooperation bonds with museum institutions."

"Me ha gustado la participación directa de profesionales de la educación y los museos, así como las diferentes modalidades de actividades planteadas (foros, cuestionarios, vídeos, lecturas y un largo etcétera)."

Career center

Learners who complete Art & Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies For Your Classroom will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Museum Educator

Museum Educators are responsible for teaching visitors about the museum's collection. They may lead tours, give lectures, or develop educational programs. Art & Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies for Your Classroom can be very helpful for this role by providing tools to create meaningful object-based learning activities that can be integrated into a wide variety of curricula. The course also covers how to facilitate close looking with students by engaging in open-ended, inquiry-based conversation around works of art.

See salaries and explore the career path for Museum Educator

Art teacher

Art Teachers help students develop their artistic skills and knowledge. They may teach a variety of art forms, such as painting, drawing, sculpture, and photography. Art & Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies for Your Classroom can be useful for this role by providing methods for integrating works of art into the classroom and making connections to different subject areas, including Social Studies, English Language Arts, and Science.

See salaries and explore the career path for Art teacher

Curator

Curators are responsible for managing and preserving museum collections. Art & Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies for Your Classroom may be helpful for this role by providing a deeper understanding of how to engage visitors with museum collections.

See salaries and explore the career path for Curator

Librarian

Librarians help people find and use information. They may work in a variety of settings, such as public libraries, school libraries, and academic libraries. Art & Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies for Your Classroom may be helpful for this role by providing strategies for teaching and learning that can be used in a library setting.

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Anthropologist

Anthropologists study human societies and cultures. Art & Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies for Your Classroom may be helpful for this role by providing an understanding of how to engage visitors with cultural artifacts.

See salaries and explore the career path for Anthropologist

Historian

Historians study the past and write about it. Art & Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies for Your Classroom may be helpful for this role by providing an understanding of how to engage visitors with historical artifacts.

See salaries and explore the career path for Historian

Archivist

Archivists are responsible for preserving and managing historical records. Art & Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies for Your Classroom may be helpful for this role by providing an understanding of how to engage visitors with historical artifacts.

See salaries and explore the career path for Archivist

Archaeologist

Archaeologists study the past by excavating and analyzing artifacts. Art & Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies for Your Classroom may be helpful for this role by providing an understanding of how to engage visitors with archaeological artifacts.

See salaries and explore the career path for Archaeologist

Art Critic

Art Critics write about art and offer their opinions on its quality and value. Art & Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies for Your Classroom may be helpful for this role by providing a deeper understanding of how to analyze and interpret works of art.

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Museum Director

Museum Directors are responsible for managing all aspects of a museum's operations, including its educational programs, exhibitions, and collections. Art & Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies for Your Classroom may be helpful for this role by providing tools and strategies for creating engaging and meaningful museum experiences.

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Art Collector

Art Collectors buy and own works of art. Art & Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies for Your Classroom may be helpful for this role by providing a deeper understanding of how to evaluate and appreciate works of art.

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Art dealer

Art Dealers buy and sell works of art. Art & Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies for Your Classroom may be helpful for this role by providing a deeper understanding of how to evaluate and price works of art.

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Art historian

Art Historians study the history of art and write about it. Art & Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies for Your Classroom may be helpful for this role by providing a deeper understanding of how to analyze and interpret works of art.

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Graphic designer

Graphic Designers create visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers. Art & Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies for Your Classroom may be helpful for this role by providing a deeper understanding of how to create visually appealing designs.

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Photographer

Photographers create and capture images using a camera. Art & Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies for Your Classroom may be helpful for this role by providing a deeper understanding of how to compose and capture visually appealing images.

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Reading list

We've selected 16 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Art & Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies For Your Classroom.

A Global Pursuit