There aren’t that many open access articles on the Taylor and Francis Online’s Art Education webpage, but access to the journal’s contents is provided by Grand Valley State University. So, while the Instructional Resources of Art Education, published as part of every bi-monthly issue, might not be a good fit for in-service teachers who have left Grand Valley, or their respective institution. But they are worth exploring for a preservice art educator.
Attending NAEA’s webinar, “Writing for Art Education”, on July 22, I learned a few interesting things about the official journal of the National Art Education Association (NAEA); what they prioritize, the kinds of articles they publish, etcetera. But what stood out among those things was their Instructional Resources.
Art Education’s Instructional Resources are, explicitly, articles that are meant to inspire art educators by telling stories about personal experiences. There are a couple of interesting components of an Instructional Resource, as described by the hosts of the webinar, Asavari Thatte and Ashley Mask, the co-editors of the Instructional Resources section of the journal.
Every Instructional Resource has a positionality statement, where the author lets the reader know about relevant facets of their identity and perspective. Instructional Resources are also not meant to be lesson plans or how-to guides; they connect to practices in art education, but the author of an Instructional Resource doesn’t tell the reader how they’re supposed to use what they’ve written. These resources are submitted by art teachers, but also museum educators and community educators, voices that are exciting to hear in an academic context in art education.
 |
| Grand Valley's EBSCO results, after searching "art education." |
The Instructional Resources from Art Education are something that I wished I had a chance to use in my curriculum development class; I highly recommend them to other preservice art teachers at Grand Valley or other schools that have also secured access to the journal. (For Grand Valley students, the journal should be the first result when you search “art education” on EBSCO, with the Resource Type “journals” selected.
