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faculty

Cathy Smilan

Professor / MAE Graduate Program Director

Art

Contact

508-910-6594

csmilan@umassd.edu

College of Visual & Performing Arts 352A

Education

Florida Atlantic UniversityEdD

Teaching

Courses

Online and Continuing Education Courses

In this practicum experience, teaching licensure candidates are assigned to a school where they work with and are supported by a Supervising Practitioner. Under supervision of an assigned university instructor (Program Supervisor), the student conducts art experiences under actual classroom conditions including teaching and classroom management responsibilities. This practicum is a fifteen-week, full-time classroom experience at the secondary level 5-12. A weekly seminar at the University provides opportunity for the student teacher to share insights and concerns. Students seeking careers other than teaching take this course but are placed in a non-school setting and do not qualify for state licensure.

Exploration of current models of practice for art educators in classroom and community settings. This course guides students through the translation of reserach into strategies for teaching practice. Teacher-artists research and desgin pedagogical approaches to teaching art and managing artistic learning spaces, including PK-12 classroom studios, museum education venues and communnity art eduction maker-spaces. Students individually and collaboratively discuss current readings on teaching art and create models of practices as an art eductor resource. Course content additionally serves as a spring-board for further inveistigation in AED 616: Action Research.

Register for this course

Development and implementation of a capstone project demonstrating mastery in an area of individual focus in art education. In this course, students will develop and submit a proposal, and once approved, implement their area of study. Projects may include visual inquiry and exhibit, theoretical paper or practice-based work in school or community settings.

Register for this course

Research

Research interests

  • Art-based Research
  • Social Justice Art Education
  • Art and the Environment
  • Community Partnership
  • Curriculum and Assessment
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