How do I prepare my students to visit an art museum? Once there, how will my students be encouraged to talk about art? Will they leave the museum feeling confident and excited to learn more? How can the museum experience be extended beyond the gallery walls and into the classroom?
When the David Geffen Galleries, LACMA's new building for the permanent collection, opened to the public earlier this year, it offered an exciting opportunity to contemplate questions like these, and the broader purpose and potential of art museums as spaces for student learning, engagement, and exploration. Conversations sparked by the building’s opening led education staff to develop a new online course for kindergarten-through-sixth-grade teachers that addresses two fundamental questions: what defines an art museum, and why do art museums matter?
Teachers can integrate core subjects into their art museum experience as a means of cultivating critical thinking, accommodating diverse learning styles, enhancing visual literacy, and empowering students to find their artistic voice. Participating in museum field trips encourages students to explore art through observation, discussion, and creative thinking. When students engage with exhibitions and subsequently share and present their own works of art, they build a sense of community while gaining the confidence to see themselves and their peers as real artists.
Integrating the Art Museum: School Tour to Student Exhibition is a free online course that provides educators practical guidance for understanding the role of art museums, preparing for museum field trips, and creating museum-inspired classroom units. The course culminates with tips on launching your own classroom or school exhibition that meets the expectations of National Visual Arts Anchor Standard 6 (conveying meaning through the presentation of artistic work). Integrating the Art Museum is an extension of the online course An Introduction to Arts Integration and features lessons and interviews developed in collaboration with LACMA’s partner school Charles White Visual Arts LACMA Magnet School. Each section of the course includes a Student Corner with student-facing videos, animations, and downloadable PDFs to implement with students before, during, and after a museum field trip.
Check out the teaser below and sign up for free on Teachable!