This book reviews past practice and theory in critical studies and discusses various trends; some papers keenly advocate a re-conceptualisation of the whole subject area, while others describe aspects of current and past practice which exemplify the "symbiotic" relationship between practical studio work and critical engagement with visual form.
Rod Taylor, who has done much to promote and develop critical studies in the UK, provides us with examples of classroom practice and gives us his more recent thoughts on fundamental issues - "universal themes" in art - and gives examples of how both primary and secondary schools might develop their teaching of art through attending to themes such as "identity," "myth," and "environments" to help "re-animate the practical curriculum."
Although some of the discussion in this book centres on or arises from the English National curriculum, the issues are more global, and relevant to anyone involved in developing or delivering art curricula in schools. An American perspective is given in papers by George Geahigan and Paul Duncum. Geahigan outlines an approach to teaching about visual form which begins with students' personal responses and is developed through structured instruction. In Duncum's vision of 'visual culture art education' sites such as theme parks and shopping malls are the focus of students' critical attention in schools; Nick Stanley gives a lucid account of just such an enterprise, giving practical examples of ways to engage students with this particular form of visual pleasure.
This publication serves to highlight some of the more pressing issues of concern to art and design teachers in two aspects. Firstly it seeks to contextualise the development of critical studies, discussing its place in the general curriculum - possibly as a discrete subject - and secondly it examines different approaches to its teaching.

This title explores effective teaching across the curriculum drawing on the experience of art teachers. Richard Hickman considers effective teaching across the curriculum, examining the notion that successful teachers of art and design are amongst the best teachers of any subject with much to offer outside their discipline in terms of pedagogy. The case study approach focuses on adolescent learning, although much of what is considered is applicable to all ages and phases of education, to consider: What are the characteristics of successful art teaching? How do individual life experiences inform art teachers' teaching? How in turn might others benefit from their pedagogical practices? Using self-portraiture, autoethnography and autobiography, Hickman draws together the varied experiences of a group of art teachers to explore a range of issues, including identity, learning environment and the nature of the teacher/learner relationship are discussed with clarity and imagination. Continuum Studies in Educational Research (CSER) is a major new series in the field of educational research. Written by experts and scholars for experts and scholars, this ground-breaking series focuses on research in the areas of comparative education, history, lifelong learning, philosophy, policy, post-compulsory education, psychology and sociology. Based on cutting edge research and written with lucidity and passion, the CSER series showcases only those books that really matter in education - studies that are major, that will be remembered for having made a difference.

The second edition of the fascinating collection of essays on teaching art in secondary schools, boasting a new chapter on visual culture as well as extensive material on the changes that have occurred in this area since 2000. What kind of art would

Governments around the world spend millions on art and cultural institutions, evidence of a basic human need for what the author refers to as "creating aesthetic significance." Yet what function or purpose does art satisfy in today's society? In this thorough and accessible text, Richard Hickman rejects the current vogue for social and cultural accounts of the nature of art-making in favor of a largely psychological approach aimed at addressing contemporary developmental issues in art education. Bringing to bear current ideas about evolutionary psychology, this second edition will be an important resource for anyone interested in arts education.

Although educators are increasingly interested in art education research, there are few anthologies tackling the subject. "Research in Art and Design Education" answers this call, summarizing important issues in the field such as non-text based approaches and interdisciplinary work. Contributions from internationally renowned researchers explore a broad range of topics in art education, highlighting particular problems and strengths in the literature. An indispensable and engaging resource, this volume provides a long-awaited aid for students and teachers alike. ""Research in Art & Design Education" confirms Picasso's claim that artists do not seek, but find; thus capturing the real meaning of art's doing and how in doing art, we learn. From their respective positions, this book's contributors converge in making a strong case for art and design research as a horizon of specificities; as a wide and ever-expanding ground of autonomous plurality; and as a discipline that is neither restricted to the empire of fact and measure, nor to generalist platitudes. Under Richard Hickman's careful editorship, this book boldly makes the case that research in art and design education is not a subject-in-waiting and less so an affair restricted to arcane practices. Rather, it is a discipline invested in the exciting prospects of art's humanity and the design by which humans work together for a better world."--John Baldacchino, Columbia University

Jesus shaped the world as he developed relationships with the people around him. From John the Baptist to the Ethiopian diplomat, every person who came into contact with Jesus changed. These two books, published here in large print, should help many develop a more lively sense of the reality of Jesus' life.

Richard Hickman considers effective teaching across the curriculum, examining the notion that successful teachers of art and design are amongst the best teachers of any subject with much to offer outside their discipline in terms of pedagogy. The case study approach focuses on adolescent learning, although much of what is considered is applicable to all ages and phases of education, to consider the following questions: What are the characteristics of successful art teaching? How do individual life experiences inform art teachers' teaching? How in turn might others benefit from their pedagogical practices? Using self-portraiture, autoethnography and autobiography, Hickman draws together the varied experiences of a group of art teachers to explore a range of issues, including identity, learning environment and the nature of the teacher/learner relationship, which are discussed with clarity and imagination.

A much improved, second edition of this fascinating collection of essays on teaching art in secondary schools. It includes a new chapter on visual culture as well as extensive material on the changes that have occurred in this area since 2000. What kind of art would we like school and college students to produce? What kind of art do we want them to engage with? What is the process of this engagement? How should we organize the processes? By asking fundamental questions such as these, Richard Hickman and his team of contributors illustrate the new possibilities for art education in the twenty-first century and draw out the implications for classroom practice - making Art Education 11-18 the definitive guide to the subject in the postmodern era.