This article presents a concrete strategy for the teaching of aesthetics: Problem-based learning (PBL). More than an isolated activity, PBL is both a curricular organizer and an instructional method that develops students' higher order thinking skills as they investigate ill-defined problems drawn from real-life situations. The article begins with an example of aesthetics as implicit content in an upper elementary grade art lesson followed by an introduction to PBL, including its history and theoretical foundations. The challenges of implementing a PBL unit using an example of PBL in an elementary school setting is explored. The article concludes with an illustration of how PBL can be applied to teaching aesthetics as an explicit part of the art curriculum. Aesthetic philosophies are implicit in what teachers do as they guide students in the creation and appreciation of art (Anderson & McRorie, 1997; Parsons, 1994; Stewart, 1994). For example, a teacher's selection of a particular kind of art to discuss art with students draws on a specific theory on art-whether it is canonized by a Western European aesthetic philosophy or, taking a pluralist view, is drawn from diverse cultures (Hamblen & Galanes, 1997). In discussing these works, the method of criticism employed by the teacher, such as Broudy's (1988) aesthetic scanning technique or the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) (Housen, 2001; Yenawine, 1998), also presents a specific philosophy about the nature of art (formalism, in the cases of Broudy and VTS). By not discussing the tacit assumptions about what constitutes art inherent in particluar approaches, students miss the opportunity to grapple with definitional issues or to consider the various roles art has played in different cultures throughout history. If we expect students to have a substantive understanding of art and its contribution to human experience, it is not sufficient for aesthetic philosophies to remain implicit in an art teacher's curriculum. Aesthetic content needs to be made explicit, by highlighting philosophical issues or theories as they arise naturally in a preexisting unit or, preferably, by implementing more concrete strategies. In this article, I will present a concrete strategy for the teaching of aesthetics: Problem-based learning (PBL). More than an isolated activity, problem-based learning is both a curricular organizer and an instructional method that develops students' higher order thinking skills as they investigate ill-defined problems drawn from real-life situations. In the most successful applications of PBL, students are challenged to think deeply about complex situations.1 Like any method or theory, however, its effectiveness depends on the way it is applied.