About the Author

Melissa Purtee

Hi! I’m Melissa Purtee and I teach visual art at Apex High School outside of Raleigh, North Carolina. I’m passionate about student choice, supporting diversity and creating pathways for authentic self-expression. I’m also the author of The Open Art Room, which is all about incorporating Choice in the secondary classroom. Read more of my writing on my blog, Thoughts on Arting.

 

Posts by Melissa

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students working
Article

How to Build Skills Without Sacrificing Student Choice

Art teachers everywhere wrestle with how to balance teaching skills while leaving room for student choice. On the one hand, students...
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Article

A Creative Way to Give a Meaningful Final Exam

I look forward to final exams each year. I’m not crazy (really!) I just have an exam that is perfect...
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tubes of paint
Article

An Art Teacher’s Guide to Using Oil Paint in the Classroom

With brilliant color, creamy blending, and versatile texture there is a lot to love about oil paint. Students find it...
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thumbnails
Article

Are Thumbnail Sketches Really the Best Way to Plan Art?

There are things you just do in art class. For example, throughout their time in school, most kids will learn...
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student practice
Article

How to Run a Colored Pencil Boot Camp to Help Develop Students’ Skills

I hate wasting time. When I teach a new skill or technique I want my students to learn it as...
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colored pencils
Article

7 Cool Colored Pencil Techniques to Teach Your Students

Colored pencils are a fun and versatile media. They’re great for capturing fine detail and give the artist a great...
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mouse paint project
Article

Why It’s Time to Move on From Projects

As a student teacher, I was all about projects. My supervising teacher had so many I wondered where all of...
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students working together to shade a sphere
Article

4 Ways to Incorporate Collaboration in the Classroom

Collaborative work is an awesome way to teach and learn. It is currently a popular topic because working with others...
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visual journal
Article

Try Visual Journaling for Teaching Art History

Learning about art history is an important part of art education. Sometimes, however, it feels like there aren’t enough minutes...
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cookies
Article

Cookie-Cutter Projects and the Truth About Originality in Art

Originality is integral to the value of art, but it’s hard to define and even tougher to teach. Part of...
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filled out chart
Article

How to Get Your Students to Move Beyond Trite Imagery and Develop Original Concepts

One of the most challenging things we do as art teachers is try to teach students how to come up...
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card
Article

A Valentine’s Critique Game Your Students Will Love

Although February is the month of love, you may not be loving the level of engagement your students are showing...
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