About the Author

Amanda Heyn

Hi, my name is Amanda Heyn, and I’m the Director of K-12 Professional Development and Media at AOEU. I oversee our PRO Learning platform, NOW conferences, magazine articles, and podcasts. I earned my teaching degree from UW-Madison and spent time in the classroom before joining AOEU. As a former art teacher, I know what it’s like to sit through PD that isn’t relevant to you, your students, or your teaching practice. It makes my heart so happy to partner with art educators all over the country to develop meaningful and relevant PD! When I’m not at work, you’ll find me trying to perfect my gluten-free baking skills, digging into a good book, or hanging out with my husband and our two growing kiddos.

Posts by Amanda

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  • Podcast
  • Video
Topic
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  • Assessment
  • Classroom Management
  • Curriculum
  • Instructional Strategies
  • News
  • Professionalism
  • Studio Practices
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  • Assessment Design
  • Assessment Implementation
  • Expectations
  • Physical Space
  • Relationship Building
  • Curriculum Approaches
  • Curriculum Design
  • Differentiation
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  • Media & Techniques
Article

The Art Room: A Beautiful Mess

Being an art teacher is tough. There are unpredictable schedules, overcrowded classes, PD that doesn’t apply to you, and that...
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Article

Blog of the Year Winners Announced!

The official 2015 Blog of the Year results have now been announced! Click here or on the badges below to...
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Article

2015 Blog of the Year Voting Is Now Open!

Blog of the year voting is now open! Click here to learn about the finalists and cast your vote! There...
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Article

Announcing the 2015 Art Ed Blog of the Year Contest!

Today’s the day! The 5th Annual Art Ed Blog of the Year Contest starts NOW! If you’re unfamiliar, you can see...
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Article

10 Amazing, Free Tools to Revive the Lost Art of Handwriting

With so much testing pressure in schools these days, there’s always discussion about what can stay in the curriculum and...
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Article

A Simple Trick for a Better Work Day

As art teachers, we have so many responsibilities to fit into our days besides teaching students. These can be work-related,...
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Article

A Surprising, In-Depth Look at the Reggio Approach

Picture this: 8 art students walk into an art room filled to the brim with beautiful art supplies. They all...
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Article

21 Surprising Supplies You Didn’t Know You Needed

When it comes to ordering supplies, most of us pull out our trusty art ed catalogs and settle in for...
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Article

4 Ways to Foster Authentic Collaboration in the Art Room

When we talk about collaboration in the art room, many teachers’ minds, including my own, go straight to collaborative projects,...
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Article

Strengthen Your Students’ Critical Thinking Skills by Playing Art Detective

We all know that Critical Thinking is a vital 21st Century Skill for our students. However, sometimes it’s difficult to...
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Article

Why You Need to Embrace the Corner Sun

Art Teachers everywhere are tired of seeing them. You know what I’m talking about—the dreaded corner sun. To some, a...
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Article

10 Books You Need to Add to Your Reading List Right Now

As an art teacher, finding extra time to do, well, just about anything can seem like an impossible feat. However,...
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