Thinking Through Art

Professional Development for Boston Public School Teachers

Teachers and students thrive at the Gardner Museum, where deep experiences with art spark critical thinking and social emotional learning.

Thinking Through Art is a graduate-level course that recognizes teachers as the levers of change. Learn a student-centered discussion method called Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) that prioritizes students’ observations and prior knowledge, helping students of all ages and abilities measurably improve their ability to reason with evidence, think flexibly, and learn collaboratively with their peers. Thinking Through Art uses culturally and linguistically sustaining practices and art from around the world to empower students to explore visual art and make meaning on their own terms. Plus, the Gardner provides buses for participating classes to come to the Museum! 

Introduction to Thinking Through Art

Watch Boston Public Schools teachers and administrators discuss the importance of art and Thinking Through Art in students’ lives. (3 minutes) 
 

Video by Bearwalk Cinemas

Seeing the transfer of skills from the classroom into the authentic setting of the Gardner Museum is a great experience. Most importantly, it allows the students who might otherwise not speak up, or who may not have a moment to shine, to put themselves out there, and to say something really insightful. I see that happen over and over and over again.

Michael Baulier, Principal, The Mozart Elementary School

Thinking Through Art Level 1

Learn to facilitate open-ended discussions of works of art using Visual Thinking Strategies, a method proven to develop students’ critical thinking skills and promote social and emotional learning. You and your students will experience the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum as a place of learning, inspiration, and community.

Benefits

For teachers: 

Dual/Household Gardner Museum membership
Digital curriculum of visual art to use throughout the year
30 PDPs or graduate credits
Learn applicable skills proven to increase culturally responsive instruction
Community of teachers from all subjects and grade levels
Support from the Gardner Museum and its educators throughout the entire program and beyond 

For students: 

Field trips to the Gardner Museum with transportation included
Access to the Museum for students and their families
Experiences in the classroom and Museum proven to increase social-emotional learning and critical thinking  
 

Requirements

Throughout the program, teachers will: 

Attend professional development workshops (Summer, Fall and Spring)
Bring at least one class
Lead six classroom Thinking Through Art lessons during the school year, each including 2-3 works of art
Write a one-page reflection following each classroom lesson
Write a fiveto seven-page paper following final Museum visit (for graduate credit)

Fee 

$100 materials fee per teacher, plus an additional fee for teachers seeking to earn graduate credit. 

Student & Teacher Perspective
Watch Boston Public Schools teachers and students describe partnering with the Gardner Museum and the joy they experience as part of Thinking Through Art. (3 minutes) 

Video by Bearwalk Cinemas

Thinking Through Art Level 2

Through rigorous professional development and a supportive community of educators, deepen your facilitation skills and become an advocate for student-centered teaching and arts integration within your school. Build on your expertise with Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) as a peer mentor, and use the Museum as a resource for designing lesson plans and student assessments that cultivate open-ended inquiry in your classroom.


BENEFITS 

For teachers: 

  • Dual/Household Gardner Museum membership
  • Digital curriculum of visual art to use throughout the year
  • 20 PDPs or graduate credits
  • Learn applicable skills proven to increase culturally responsive instruction
  • Community of teachers from all subjects and grade levels
  • Support from the Gardner Museum and its educators throughout the entire program and beyond 

For students: 

  • Field trips to the Gardner Museum with transportation included
  • Access to the Museum for students and their families
  • Experiences in the classroom and Museum proven to increase social-emotional learning and critical thinking

Requirements

Teachers must have completed Thinking Through Art Level 1 to be eligible for Level 2. Throughout the program, teachers will: 

  • Attend all professional development workshops
  • Bring at least one class to the Gardner Museum
  • Lead four classroom Thinking Through Art lessons during the school year, each including 2-3 images
  • One-page reflection following each classroom lesson
  • Design and implement a Thinking Through Art Extension Project
  • Write a 5-7 page paper about the Extension Project including an evaluation of the Project design (for graduate credit)

Fee

$100 materials fee per teacher, plus an additional fee for teachers seeking graduate credit. 

The Impact of Thinking Through Art

Students who participate in regular Visual Thinking Strategies discussions with works of art achieve significant gains in social-emotional learning skills and critical thinking skills, including supported observations and flexible thinking, compared with peers who do not participate.


Watch as Gardner Museum staff and Boston Public Schools teachers discuss the impact of Thinking Through Art on teacher practice and student outcomes (4 minutes) 

Video by Bearwalk Cinemas

Schools That Have Participated in Thinking Through Art

Another Course to College
Baldwin Early Learning Pilot Academy
Beachmont Veterans Memorial School
Beethoven Elementary School
Benjamin F. Butler Middle School
Berklee School of Music
Blackstone Elementary School
Boston Arts Academy
Boston Collaborative High School
Boston Day and Evening Academy Charter School
Boston Green Academy (Horace Mann in-district Charter School)
Boston International High School & Newcomers Academy
Boston Latin Academy
Boston Latin School
Boston Preparatory Charter Public School
Boston Teachers Union K-8 Pilot
Bradley Elementary School
Brighton High School
Bunker Hill Community College
The Carter School
Channing Elementary School
Charles H. Taylor Elementary School
Charles Sumner Elementary School
Charlestown High School
Chittick Elementary School
CityLab Innovation High School
Community Academy of Science and Health
Condon K-8 School
Curley K-8 School
Curtis Guild Elementary School
Dante Alighieri Montessori School
Dennis Haley Pilot School
Dr. William W. Henderson K-12 Inclusion School Upper
Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School
East Boston Early Education Center
East Boston High School
Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers
Eliot K-8 Innovation School
David A. Ellis Elementary School
Donald McKay K-8 School
Edward Everett Elementary School
Ellis Mendell Elementary School
Ellison-Parks Early Education School
Emmanuel College
English High School
Excel Academy Charter High School
Excel High School
Fenway High School
Franklin D. Roosevelt K-8 School
Frederick Pilot Middle School
Gardner Pilot Academy
George H. Conley Elementary School
Greater Egleston High School
Harvard-Kent Elementary School
Henry Dearborn 6-12 STEM Academy
Henry Grew Elementary School
Higginson Inclusion K0-2 School
Higginson-Lewis K-8 School
Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Hugh Roe O’Donnell Elementary School
 

Jackson-Mann K-8 School
James Otis Elementary School
James P. Timilty Middle School
James W. Hennigan K-8 School
Jeremiah E. Burke High School
John D. O'Bryant School of Math & Science
John D. Philbrick Elementary School
John F. Kennedy Elementary School
John W. McCormack Middle School
Joseph Lee K-8 SchoolJoseph P. Manning Elementary School
Joseph P. Tynan Elementary School
Joseph R. Dawe Jr. Elementary School
Josiah Quincy Upper School
Joyce Kilmer Lower School
Madison Park Technical Vocational High School
Margarita Muñiz Academy
Mario Umana Academy
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School
Mary Lyon High School
MassBay Community College
Mather Elementary School
Mattahunt Elementary School
Maurice J. Tobin K-8 School
McKinley South End Academy / McKinley Elementary School
Michael J. Perkins Elementary School
Mildred Avenue K-8 School
Mission Hill K-8 School
Mother Caroline Academy
Mozart Elementary School
Muriel S. Snowden International School at Copley
Nathan Hale School
New Mission High School
Oliver Hazard Perry Elementary School
Oliver Wendell Holmes Elementary School
Orchard Gardens K–8 School
Patrick J. Kennedy Elementary School
Patrick Lyndon K-8 School
Paul A. Dever Elementary School
Pauline A. Shaw Elementary
Phineas Bates Elementary School
Raphael Hernandez School
Revere High School
Richard J. Murphy K-8 School
Roger Clap Elementary School
Ruth Batson Academy (formerly Boston Community Leadership Academy - McCormack)
Samuel Adams Elementary
Sarah Greenwood K-8 School
Staff Sargent James J. Hill Elementary School
TechBoston Academy
Thomas Edison Elementary School
Thomas J. Kenny Elementary School
UMass Boston
Urban Science Academy
Warren-Prescott K-8 School
William E. Russell Elementary School
William Monroe Trotter Elementary School
William Ohrenberger School
Winship Elementary School
Winthrop Elementary School
Young Achievers Science and Math Pilot School
 

Educational Research Projects

Click below to learn more about the Gardner Museum's educational research projects.
 

Educational Research Projects

 

The lead sponsor of the Thinking Through Art program is the Vertex Foundation. Additional support is generously provided by the Rowland Foundation, Yawkey Foundation, The Beker Foundation, Liberty Mutual Foundation, The Hamilton Company Charitable Foundation, Thomas Anthony Pappas Charitable Foundation, and Janet Burke Mann Foundation. The Museum also receives operating support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which is supported by the state of Massachusetts and the National Endowment for the Arts.