Art and the Healthy Brain

HOW TO USE THE GUIDE The Instructor You do not have to be a certified teacher or an accomplished artist to use this guide. Art and the Healthy Brain is designed to be a guide for anyone interested in helping others learn how to paint. Although its purpose is to serve as an instructional handbook, it can also be adapted as a self-paced tutorial for individuals, simply by following the teacher demonstration portion of each lesson, and completing the student projects. The Guide Art and the Healthy Brain is divided into six chapters. • Chapter one contains essential program information. It is intended that the instructor read this introduction prior to starting the first painting session. The included research and teaching tips will provide the foundation for a successful program. • Chapters two through six contain the necessary instructional resources. The lessons are sequential, and build in complexity level. Each lesson includes a learning plan, handouts (if needed), and painting examples. o The learning plan includes an introduction, objectives/expected outcomes, vocabulary list, required materials, and instructional strategies and procedures (teacher demonstration with student activity). There is also a brief “Advanced Preparation” or list of things that need to be managed prior to the lesson. o The provided handouts are a valuable resource for the students as well as a visual aid for the instructor when teaching the lesson. Except for four handouts, they may be run as black and white copies. The students will maintain an art notebook to store their handouts, so that they can refer to them as needed throughout this program. o The paintings are intended to be used only as a visual aid. It is fundamentally important that the teacher model each step included in the teacher demonstration portion of the lesson. Whether to complete the demonstration painting or not is left up to the individual teacher. • The supplement section contains a list of necessary art supplies, a vocabulary glossary, and an art history activity. o The art supply list is written to be used by the teacher to purchase materials for the program. With slight modifications, it can also be used as a handout to give students if they are purchasing their own materials. These materials are readily available in arts and craft stores and online, and should be obtained prior to the first session. o The vocabulary supplement is included as a resource for both instructor and student. As part of the advance preparation for the session, the instructor should become familiar with the lesson’s art terms. Repeatedly using the new words in context will help your students effectively incorporate them in to their vocabulary. o The final supplement is an optional independent learning activity best assigned when the class is studying the principles of design (Chapter 4). This online or library based activity is designed to enhance their knowledge on the presented design principles by exploring the paintings of the masters.