Preparing the art educator of tomorrow

Abstract

During the last ten years many art educators have spoken of the need for innovation in art teacher preparation programs; few have described actual strategies. No national assessment of current trends in art teacher preparation has occurred, but, based on literature and discussions at conventions, I do not doubt that many universities are changing these programs. Several of the recently designed university programs deserve the attention of persons interested in teacher education. In the past art teacher preparation programs emphasized acquiring skills in art forms production, resulting in school programs consisting mainly of studio activities. Many contemporary programs emphasize preparation to teach the critical, aesthetic, and historical art domains in addition to the productive. While art production will continue as a major part of their training, art teachers also must prepare themselves to help others experience varied visual art forms. They need to know how to communicate different approaches to perceiving and examining works of art. Too, their preparation will involve more attention to the humanistic study of art, where encounters with ideas and works constitute learning experiences affecting human behavior. Art teacher preparation, moreover, will include allotting increasing amounts of time for work with children and for observing teachers of different subject areas to familiarize prospective teachers with varied instructional strategies and to reduce the gap between theory and practice. Early classroom experiences with children or adolescents can provide both the prospective teacher and university supervisors a basis for evaluating the art student's decision to pursue a teaching career. A group of art educators at Northern Illinois University have been experimenting with a performance-based program which, as its main goal, seeks to individualize learning for preparing art teachers. The program requires supervising teachers to spend considerable time in assessment of the student teacher's background and needs. While some components commonly appear in student teaching, the new aspects of this program include: (1) Emphasis on different patterns of operation, (2) Acceleration in the kinds of experience for some students, (3) Contracting for responsibilities, (4) Performance based assignments, (5) Provision for remedial situations if needed.' Art education majors at NIU initially encounter the teaching of art through a sophomorelevel orientation course. One third of the student's involvement in this course consists of