Why MoMA’s Massive Online Open Courses are a Must for Anyone Teaching Art (available on Coursera)
The Museum of Modern Art’s MOOCs (massive open online courses), are essential for anyone teaching art to grades Pre-K-12. The courses I have taken have even provided useful tools that I have brought into my undergraduate courses. These MoMA courses taught me techniques for:
Making lectures more conversational
Allowing space for students’ personal connections to the artwork
How to engage students through play
How to question your reasons for teaching specific artworks, in order to arrive at the best methods for introducing them to students
The course teachers use a Constructivist framework, with students at the center of all learning experiences, and provide specific, practical tools that will make your teaching easier. For example, in Art & Activity: Interactive Strategies for Engaging with Art, the. instructors generously provide games your students will love.
You can find me curled up on a cozy afternoon or evening, taking charge of my learning with insightful and challenging courses on Coursera!
In a way, and within reason, I consider professional development and learning to be a form a self-care. When I invest my time and energy into gathering tools for more effective teaching, my attitude toward small problems at work improves, and I approach challenges with more excitement, because new ideas and methods are fresh in my mind.
It is wonderful to get into this habit of doing ‘update courses’ in order to stay productive during breaks from school. Sometimes, I even find it is better to stay home on a Friday night and spend an hour or two taking an online course, where I can learn more about my profession and field. When Monday rolls around, I am much more confident and prepared. This is especially useful if there is an area of your teaching that feels a bit stuck, or a concept you are trying to understand more deeply.
Here are my favorite MoMA MOOCs far:
Art & Ideas: Teaching with Themes
Art & Activity: Interactive Strategies for Engaging with Art
Modern Art & Ideas (this one is great if it’s been a while since you have studied Art History, and you need a refresher)
Some others I would like to try:
Modern and Contemporary Art and Design Specialization
Reimagining Blackness and Architecture
In the Studio: Postwar Abstract Painting
I highly recommend these MoMA/Coursera courses! You will learn so much.
Have you tried one of these courses? Let me know what you think in the comments!
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