Two USF InsideART Contributors Publish an Article on Teaching Social Studies through Contemporary Art

Monday, November 26, 2018

Sarah Mead and Cheryl R. Ellerbrock, curriculum team members for the arts-based learning program InsideART at the USF Institute for Research in Art, have published an article on the program in the peer-reviewed journal Social Studies Research and Practice.

Mead and Ellerbrock write on how a contemporary art-based lesson plan, such as those available to teachers through the InsideART program, can be used to prompt discussion on the concept of identity and stimulate identity exploration in a high school psychology classroom.

Mead and Ellerbrock found students reacted positively to the lesson centered around the use of selfies in contemporary art. InsideART professional development workshops and museum visits supported Mead as she used contemporary art in the lesson.

Sarah Mead is a doctoral student at the USF College of Education. Cheryl R. Ellerbrock currently serves as associate professor of middle grades and general secondary education at the USF College of Education.

About InsideART

InsideART is an innovative arts-based learning and visual literacy program that integrates social studies with contemporary art in an examination and discussion of pressing societal issues. This secondary school program is provided free of charge to all teachers and students by the Institute for Research in Art (IRA) at the University of South Florida College of The Arts. InsideART is hosted on the IRA website.

Developed to benefit secondary school students (grades 6-12) and their teachers, InsideART facilitates the appreciation of socially-engaged contemporary art and helps develop creativity and critical thinking skills, allowing students to view their communities and the world in new and more sophisticated ways.

For more information on InsideART, visit the USF Institute for Research in Art website.