![[PROOF] The Understanding Issue, November 2026](https://media.magloft.app/pwa-1068/issue/cover/752b5367-942b-4c54-a4c3-218707624f9c.png?optimizer=image&format=webp&width=2048&aspectRatio=0.75)
Published on 29 September 2026
Description:
Art teachers demonstrate how vulnerability, observation, and active listening can help students understand themselves and others. Young students use creative learning strategies to make sense of everyday challenges; elementary students use storytelling to explore different perspectives; middle school students design dream rooms while considering the needs of their communities; and high school students bring individual postcards together in a mural promoting kindness.
Categories:
Early ChildhoodElementaryMiddle SchoolHigh SchoolK-12AdvocacyAssessmentChoice-BasedClassroom PracticeContemporary ArtCritique/DiscussionEquity, Diversity, and InclusionIdeationInterdisciplinary ConnectionsManaging The Art RoomSocial Emotional LearningCollaborationCommunicationCommunityDesignEmotionsHistoryIdentityImaginationMindfulnessObservationPlayStoriesCollageDrawingInstallationMixed-MediaMuralsPaintingSculptureClayDigitalGraphiteNon-TraditionalPaintPaperMedia ArtsUnderstanding31 articles from this collection:
The Understanding Issue | November 2026
Editor's Letter | Understanding
SchoolArts editor-in-chief Frank Juárez considers how vulnerability and active listening can help us better understand ourselves and others.
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Table of Contents
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Managing the Art Room | Five Tips for Preparing for Substitute Teachers
Learn five simple ways to prepare your art room, support your substitute, and keep students engaged while you’re away.
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Point of View | Deepening Understanding through Dialogue
Three unique discussion protocols invite students to deepen their understanding by learning with and from one another.
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Early Childhood ClipCard | Textured Sunflower Paintings
Young students paint a sunflower using simple shapes and apply visual texture to the center of their work.
Elementary ClipCard | “Donut” Underestimate Pop Art
Elementary students sculpt colorful clay donuts inspired by the style of artists Claes Oldenburg and Jae Yong Kim.
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Middle School ClipCard | Observational Shoe Art
Middle-school students create an observational drawing of their shoe by using line, repetition, and pattern.
High School ClipCard | Value-able Erasers
High-school students create convincing images by stamping pencil erasers to build gradations of value.
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Contemporary Art in Context | Maya Freelon
Contemporary artist and educator Maya Freelon creates complex installations, colorful monoprints, sculptures, and reliefs from an accessible everyday material.
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4 - Get Their Gears Turning: Implementing Creative Learning Strategies
Young students use Creative Learning Strategies to make sense of everyday experiences and challenges through art.
Bridging Life with Art: Exploring Understanding through Art-Making
Elementary students explore how art can connect their lives with the experiences of others through storytelling and Sam Zimmerman’s art.
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Future Animal Adaptations: Reimagining Survival
Elementary students imagine how animals might adapt to survive in the future, designing and sculpting their creatures from clay.
A New Point of View: Designing for Understanding
Middle-school students use dream room design to develop new perspectives on themselves, their communities, and the world around them.
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The Art of Seeing: Cultivating Self-Awareness, Empathy, & Belonging
Middle-school students discover new ways of seeing themselves through self-portraiture while reflecting on their artistic growth.
Postcards for Positivity: Sharing Meaningful Messages
High-school students create empowering postcards that are assembled into a mural as a daily reminder to practice kindness, compassion, and empathy.
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Magical Portraits
High-school students move from technical drawing exercises to creative self-expression through a magical portrait project.
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Focus In | Latino Arts: Hispanic Cultural Education through the Arts
An arts organization uses the arts to celebrate Hispanic heritage and build cultural bridges for Wisconsin educators.
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