STUDIO THINKING
  • About
    • The Framework
  • Books
    • Studio Thinking from the Start Images and Notes
    • Studio Thinking From the Start Links
  • The Authors
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Posters and Graphics
    • Making Studio Habits Visible
    • Goal Setting
    • Giving & Getting Feedback
    • Student Reflection
    • Lesson Planning with Studio Thinking
    • Academic Resources
    • Appendix F: National Common Core Arts Standards
    • Conference Slides and Handouts
  • News & Events
  • Contact
  • About
    • The Framework
  • Books
    • Studio Thinking from the Start Images and Notes
    • Studio Thinking From the Start Links
  • The Authors
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Posters and Graphics
    • Making Studio Habits Visible
    • Goal Setting
    • Giving & Getting Feedback
    • Student Reflection
    • Lesson Planning with Studio Thinking
    • Academic Resources
    • Appendix F: National Common Core Arts Standards
    • Conference Slides and Handouts
  • News & Events
  • Contact
THE  FRAMEWORK
Cardboard reference poster in Julie Toole’s classroom; Wilmette, IL

STUDIO  THINKING

We believe the arts are vitally important for educating students to be good thinkers. More than 10 years ago, the authors of Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Art Education (2007) set out to systematically investigate what it is that visual arts teachers in arts-based high schools teach in their classes, and how these classes are organized. 

From there, the Studio Thinking framework was born and is now used in classrooms at all grade levels, all over the globe. In Studio Thinking 2: The Real Benefits of Visual Art Education (2013), the framework and its descriptions were expanded. To showcase how the framework has been adapted by teachers at the elementary and middle school levels, Studio Thinking from the Start: The K-8 Art Educator's Handbook (2018) was written.

STUDIO  HABITS

The framework shines a light on those broad thinking dispositions, or habits of mind, that visual arts teachers teach in their classes. These eight Studio Habits of Mind, which emerged from the original research study, include the following. Note that Studio Habits constantly interact with one another, and we make no claims that any are more important than another. Therefore, we list them alphabetically: 
Develop Craft (Technique & Studio Practice)
Engage & Persist (Finding Passion & Sticking with It)
Envision (Imagining & Planning)
Express (Finding & Showing Meaning)
Observe (Looking Closely)
Reflect (Question & Explain and Evaluate)
Stretch & Explore (Play, Use Mistakes & Discover)
Understand Art Worlds (Domain & Communities)

STUDIO  STRUCTURES

The second part of the framework, the Studio Structures, describe the organization and interaction of relationships, space, and activities in art class. Some of the structures have been renamed for use at the elementary and middle school level. ​
For High School Classrooms:
Demonstration-Lecture
​Students at Work
​Critique
​Exhibition
For Elementary and Middle School Classrooms:
​
Teacher Presents
​Students at Work
​Talking About Art
​Showing Art

Click here for printable signs about the Studio Habits of Mind
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Habits of Mind
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Studio Structures

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Studio Habits Definitions
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Studio Structures Definitions

​Work on Studio Thinking has been generously funded by J. Paul Getty Trust and The Bauman Family Foundation.
Copyright © 2020