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Teachers across the country face mounting pressure to help
students achieve state and national standards. With expectations
continually increasing, these teachers are searching for
strategies that incorporate new curriculum standards in creative,
meaningful, and purposeful ways. As I listen to requests
from teachers and librarians in my district and throughout
the nation, I hear them ask for materials that help accomplish
these goals. while the curriculum-the what-is set by local,
state, and national standards, the delivery-the how-is left
to the classroom teacher. For our educational system to work,
it is vital to teach content with a thematic approach that
employs authentic material designed to excite and to stimulate
the student. The MASTERS OF TRADITIONAL ARTS EDUCATION GUIDE
is a dynamic interdisciplinary tool for just such an approach.
This pioneering multimedia guide engages
students in active learning in two vital ways. Not only do
students meet diverse real people telling their stories,
performing their music, and demonstrating their richly varied
crafts, they also explore the traditions and cultural heritage
of their own families and communities through easily adaptable
activities and lessons that teach important literacy skills.
The most effective learning occurs when students develop
an in-depth understanding of knowledge that they can use
in school and in life. To develop this kind of understanding,
learners must extend and refine the knowledge that they initially
acquire in a way that helps them to make new connections,
discover or rediscover meanings, gain insights, and clarify
misconceptions. The MASTERS OF TRADITIONAL ARTS EDUCATION
GUIDE lays out the process for such meaningful instruction
by offering creative methodologies and multi-layered,. authentic
content in several media forms.
Educators, students, and parents can use this guide to discover
many people, ideas, art forms, and ways to link youths with
their elders, families, neighborhoods, other cultural groups,
and the larger community.
Caroline Kienzle
Director of Library and Media Services
Irving Independent School District, Irving, Texas
2000 ALA National School Library Media Program of the
Year
From VOYA
(Voice of Youth Advocates) August
2002
Review of Masters of Traditional
Arts: Biographical Dictionary, Alan Govenar, Ed.
by DELIA CULBERSON
This extraordinary two-volume edition,
twenty years in the making, is an impressive, well-crafted
documentation of the prestigious National Heritage Fellowship
Program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.
It gives a brief but comprehensive look at the interesting
lives and outstanding achievements of its award-winning Fellows.
More than two hundred and fifty folk artists are profiled – men
and women superbly skilled in a particular art or craft whose
natural talent, deep love for their work, and passionate
dedication have made them all true masters in their fields.
Most come from humble beginnings and even now lead modest
lives. Few have acquired much wealth or fame, and several
have overcome serious obstacles to pursue their calling.
Americans all, they come from states across the nation, and
from countries around the world. Their fields of expertise
reflect this great diversity – an African American
musician; an Asian American (Japanese) kabuki dancer; an
Appalachian blacksmith; an Irish American singer; a Native
American (Navajo) basket maker; a Puerto Rican hammock weaver;
a Jewish klezmer musician, a Cajun fiddler; an Ukranian American
egg decorator; a German American bobbin lace maker. Storytellers
are noted alongside metalsmiths, boatbuilders, wood carvers,
potters, quilters and more.
The entries, each less than two pages long,
are well written, easy to read, and contain photographs of
the artists. For teens and readers of all ages, this fine
compendium is an excellent, informative, and entertaining
resource. It is also an inspirational testimonial to
the resilience, determination, and proud spirit of those
artists who have triumphed over often inauspicious beginnings
and adverse circumstances to express themselves through their
art. By celebrating their artistic heritage and preserving
their centuries-old traditions they leave a priceless legacy
for future generations.
Copyright VOYA © 2002
See also, Masters
of Traditional Arts: Biographical Dictionary, Masters
of Traditional Arts: DVD-Rom
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