Bookmarks
Rebecca Martin
Why Our Schools Need the Arts.
Jessica Hoffmann Davis. New York,
NY: Teachers College Press. Illus.,
softcover, 150 pp., $21.95.
Jessica Hoffmann Davis proposes that
arts advocacy be vibrant and lively and
delivered person-to-person. She asserts
that the arts, unlike other disciplines,
are particularly vital to education, and
notes they should not be integrated
solely for the purpose of supporting
test scores. Rather, she contends that
the arts should be included for their
unique benefits. This is a refreshing
voice that trumpets the products cre-
ated, the emotions expressed, and the
connections made through the arts.
Ideally, other subjects would benefit if
taught as art classes. This is an impor-
tant read for anyone in the field of arts
education who wants to promote dis-
cussion and debate.
Circle No. 149 on Reader‘s Service Card
Their descriptions of the sensory
responses and hands-on exploration
that encourage students to develop as
confident citizens within a democratic
environment are especially relevant to
art instruction.
—Rebecca Martin is director of education
outreach at the Sid Richardson Museum in
Fort Worth, Texas.
Emergent Curriculum in the Pri-
mary Classroom: Interpreting the
Reggio Emilia Approach in Schools.
Carol Anne Wien, editor. New York:
Teachers College Press, 2008. Illus.,
softcover, 192 pp., $26.95.
Web Reviews
Rebecca Arkenberg
“Emergent curriculum” is a term that
refers to encouraging student inquiry
and discussion to guide teachers in
determining classroom activities and
subject content. It is exemplified in
the schools of the Italian city, Reg-
gio Emilia, which are recognized for
excellence by the international com-
munity. Teachers who value creative
processes, developmentally appropri-
ate practice, and positive learning
experiences will find inspiration in
the nine stories written by novice and
master educators. The selected experi-
ences document successful classroom
events within a variety of North
American public and private schools.
Common Threads: Unraveling the
World of Textiles
www.textilemuseum.org/common-
threads
October 15 to 19, 2008 was “Tribute
to Textiles Weekend” at the Textile
Museum in Washington, DC. The
symposium “Cultural Threads: Explor-
ing the Context of Oriental Rugs and
Textiles” and other events were held in
conjunction with the exhibit, Timbuktu
to Tibet: Rugs and Textiles of the Hajji
Babas. If you missed your chance to visit
the museum, pay a visit to the website.
The interactive feature, “Common
Threads, Unraveling the World of Tex-
tiles” is a wonderful site for individual
or classroom exploration. A short
video clip introduces key words for the
study of two articles of clothing from
the museum’s collection, a raincloak
from Bhutan and an overtunic from
Guatemala. A world map with a zoom
feature locates the two countries.
Each can be explored through pictures
and text, including discussions of the
fibers, weave structures, looms, origins
of the iconography, who wore the tex-
tile, its context for use, and its relation-
ship to the culture that produced it.
Six additional textiles from each area
are provided for comparison. Under
“Resources,” a page called “Using This
Site in the Classroom” offers tips and
techniques for middle- and high-school
teachers, along with a bibliography and
a glossary.
Teacher resources also are included
in Flowers of Silk and Gold: Four
Centuries of Ottoman Embroidery,
an exhibition from 2000. Back-
ground information, lesson plans, and
resources can be found on the site,
along with ten representative works
and an illustrated stitch glossary.
— Rebecca Arkenberg is a museum con-
