DISCIPLINED-BASED ART EDUCATION
DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS
OF A DISCIPLINED-BASED ART EDUCATION PROGRAM**
A. RATONALE
- The goal of discipline-based art education is to develop
students abilities to understand and appreciate art. This
involves a knowledge of the theories and contexts of art and
abilities to respond to as well as to create art.
- art is taught as an essential component of general education
and as a foundation for specialized art study.
B. CONTENT
- Content for instruction is derived primarily from the
disciplines of aesthetics, art criticism, art history, and art
production. These disciplines deal with: (1) conceptions of the
nature of art, (2) bases for valuing and judging art, (3)
contexts in which art has been created, and (4) processes and
techniques for creating art.
- Content for study is derived from a broad range of the
visual arts, including folk, applied, and fine arts from Western
and non-Western cultures and from ancient to contemporary times.
C. CURRICULA
- Curricula are written with sequentially organized and
articulated content at all grade levels.
- Works of art are central to the organization of curricula
and to integration of content from the disciplines.
- Curricula are structured to reflect comparable concern and
respect for each of the four art disciplines.
- Curricula are organized to increase student learning and
understanding. This involves a recognition of appropriate
developmental levels.
D. CONTEXT
- Full implementation is marked by systematic, regular art
instruction on a district-wide basis, art education expertise,
administrative support, and adequate resources.
- Student achievement and program effectiveness are confirmed
by appropriate evaluation criteria and procedures.
**From: "Discipline-Based Art Education: Becoming Students
of Art", P-135, Journal of Aesthetic Education, Vol. 21,
No. 2, Summer 1987.
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