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 brainstorming together
Article

How Student-Directed Collaboration Can Benefit Your Students

Once you’ve been in education for a while, you notice how often new trends and buzzwords develop. Some are here...
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student working on cat painting
Article

How to Teach Skills With the Gradual Release Model

Guiding students to become independent learners is a goal of teachers everywhere. A proven method for teaching for eventual student autonomy is...
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Article

The Truth About Paint and Sip Parties

Paint and Sip parties have never been more popular. It seems like every time we log in to Facebook, we...
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Article

How to Include Current Events in Your Classroom

Sometimes it feels like the news surrounds us. Increased access to social media has made current events a continual part...
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Article

What Is the Role of Holiday Projects in the Art Room?

Christmas trees and Santas are examples of some popular images this time of year. Students see them everywhere as the...
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Article

Why Isn’t Art an Easy A?

I once had an art teacher who gave out very few A’s. Only the students with top skills earned high...
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Article

Now You Can Easily Assess Your Students’ Process

Last month I wrote an article that asked if we should stop assessing artwork. I argued that a holistic form...
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Article

The Difference Between TAB and Choice and Why It Matters

TAB and choice are the same thing, right? Not exactly. While many educators use these terms interchangeably, TAB and choice...
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Article

Should We Stop Assessing Artwork?

    I recently encountered this quote online. The words are by one of my favorite art ed gurus, Olivia Gude....
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Article

3 Ways to Teach for Creativity in the Art Room

Art and creativity are seen as going hand in hand, but they shouldn’t be. The fact is that many activities...
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Article

3 Considerations for Working With Elementary Kids Who Hate Art

Sometimes it’s a look of unfiltered boredom. Other times it’s refusal to participate in activities or constant acting out. Whatever...
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Article

A Guide for Assessing a TAB-Based Art Program

Interest in Teaching for Artistic Behaviors, or TAB, is at an all-time high. Many teachers want to learn more about...
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