Curriculum, Evaluation, Benefits and Disadvantages

Curriculum

The DBAE Handbook suggests using a combination of commercially produced and locally produced curriculum (Dobbs 1992). A commercially produced curriculum will most likely not incorporate art that may be found locally or even regionally, but these lessons could be adapted to do so. However, there is no universally endorsed curriculum for DBAE. The Getty Education Institute completed an experiment from 1988 to 1990 where art educators from several states developed various DBAE lesson units, but not a complete curriculum. These units were then published by the Getty as reference material for educators wishing to develop their own lessons.

In addition, a classroom teacher may or may not be trained as an art educator. In many small or rural communities, where no art teacher may be available, the regular classroom teacher should try to collaborate with either an artist or a museum educator. Many museums provide teaching materials for free to classrooms, as well as materials that may be used before a field trip to a museum and afterwards.

Evaluation

Another component of DBAE is student evaluation. Because DBAE covers four separate disciplines, evaluating can be difficult. For example, reviewing a student’s portfolio fulfills the production discipline, but does not necessarily show that the student fully understands art history, criticism, or aesthetics. Evaluation also helps to build credibility for art curriculum in the eyes of school administrators and parents. There is no one widely accepted approach for evaluating art, however. Some educators may choose to include writings in the form of research papers or journals in their DBAE curriculum, which will provide a wider range of materials that may be used to evaluate their students’ progress.

The method of evaluation should take into consideration the student's skill level and should not discourage them from further learning (Day 1985). Comprehensive curriculum should allow for various levels of purpose. For example, some lessons may strive for a very specific outcome, such as creating a color wheel, where other lessons may allow for more freedom and self-expression (Day 1985). The desired outcome of the lesson will then dictate how the outcome should be evaluated and what criteria to use. A criterion-based assessment allows for evaluating how well a student fulfills goals without comparing them to other students (Gentile and Murnyack 1989).

Teachers should be evaluated as well; however, it is important that the person conducting the evaluation is familiar with DBAE (Dobbs 1992). For example, having an art expert who is not familiar with DBAE evaluate a teacher who is using DBAE would not be a beneficial method of evaluation.

Benefits and Disadvantages

Because DBAE is so flexible, it may be incorporated into almost any area of learning. The study of art is not necessarily the focus of a DBAE lesson, but rather, is used to teach another subject. For example, looking at art and music from a certain time period may teach students about how the people of that time lived and thought. DBAE strives to develop critical thinking and reasoning skills that lead to a well-rounded art education, providing context for the art students learn to create. DBAE may also be used with music, theatre, and social studies, educating students of the work of past artists and using that knowledge to help them create their own art, acting abilities, dances, or understanding of social sciences.