Love often defies logic, but it doesn’t always have to. In fact, the best way to deal with student behaviors in the classroom is often with both love and logic. However, correcting without losing love and respect can be tricky. The Love and Logic® behavior management approach offers an opportunity to intuitively infuse discipline with love. Love and Logic® skills allow adults to correct without losing love and respect and empower students to develop responsibility, self-control, and good decision-making skills. Jim and Charles Fay, Ph.D., outline the approach and how it applies in the classroo ..read more

It’s that time of year—students are low on energy, and projects seem to drag on. Trying to pick up the motivation and engagement by bringing extra gusto can be exhausting. What can we do to motivate students without giving candy, competitions, or parties? If you are looking for a new way to boost engagement and declutter your classroom this spring, try an Art Yard Sale! One day, I was organizing my flat files of old prints, postcards, and posters. As I was about to toss several in the recycle bin, my middle school students begged me to let them keep the images. They bartered with whatever they ..read more

Have you ever brought out the clay, paint, or papier-mâché, only to feel frustrated and devastated by students’ lack of respect for the materials? Have you spent hours planning the perfect lesson, only to provide instruction and see glazed-over eyes and confusion? We’ve all been there, and you are not alone! With strong classroom management, teachers can do their job well, and students can maximize their learning experience. If you are considering revamping your classroom management strategy, keep reading to learn how games can make learning interactive and entertaining! Games also instill key ..read more

It’s time to show off the ingenious artists you spend all day with! You and your students have been hard at work creating masterpieces all year. Mind-blowing work has been taking place in your art room. Finally, you are ready to reveal your masterpieces. The tricky part is planning an art show that is just as remarkable as the art your students created. Whether tackling your first-ever art show or looking for new ideas, this list will help you set up an event that does justice to all the hard work you and your students have done. Try some of these revolutionary art show hacks, and you will be ..read more

As art teachers, we hope every student is excited about art class. The reality is that some students may seem uninterested in art or reluctant to participate. They may feel insecure about their art skills, or they may be uncomfortable sitting at their specific table or area. Perhaps a student had bad experiences with art in the past. If these issues are not identified, addressed, and resolved, students can easily fall into the apathy trap. Since we want all our students to participate, we need to budget in some planning and strategy! The first step in helping uninterested students succeed in ..read more

Whether you need five minutes of quiet or just a few minutes to take attendance, use an activity at the beginning of class to help. The first five minutes of art class can set expectations and attitudes for the rest of the period. Start off class with calming activities to support students’ focus and  engagement. It also allows students to recenter after class transitions, can help reduce behavior issues, and serve as an extension of your classroom management strategy. Promote a peaceful classroom and stay sane with the ideas below! Check out eight warm-up routines to support a calm class ..read more

A trifecta of technology, social media, and virtual learning has fostered a dynamic where students are afraid of face-to-face tension. Students are getting used to in-person interactions and relationships again. There can be a learning curve when reacclimating to anything. In the art room, we often see students struggling to speak and listen in simple class discussions or more intense artwork critiques. How do we get students comfortable with sharing honest feedback with and to their peers? Let’s explore four scenarios to show how you can build up to an art studio where honest feedback, constr ..read more

In many elementary schools, kindergarten classes last about 30 minutes. It can be overwhelming trying to fit an introduction, art activity, and cleanup in a short period. Even with all these tasks, it is possible to have calm and efficient kindergarten classes. While teaching art lessons, be aware of your students’ attention spans. This is the length of time they can focus on a task with undivided attention. For most students in kindergarten, their attention spans are around 8 to 12 minutes. There are many different strategies to keep your kindergarten students focused for that long. These fou ..read more

Many students are intrinsically motivated to work on their art, especially in choice-based classrooms. However, there will always be some students who struggle to find motivation. If expanding the amount of choice in your curriculum doesn’t increase participation as much as you would like, try tapping into students’ competitiveness. You may find yourself smiling at their change in demeanor as they encourage each other to step it up! Check out three games to try out in your classroom to engage your students’ competitive nature. 1. Art Olympics Play Art Olympics when students need an extra dose ..read more

We’ve all heard someone refer to the peach-colored pencil as the “skin-tone pencil.” This term can be true for some students, but for many others, it is not reflective of their skin color. This can be a good opportunity to provide pencils for other skin tones or introduce students to the intricacies of skin color mixing with tints, shades, and hues. Keep reading to discover the importance of pre-mixed skin tone art supplies, student-favorite products, and three artists to share! Why purchase pre-mixed skin tone art supplies? Each person in your school, your community, and in the world has the ..read more