Philadelphia Museum of Art - Education : Schools : Distance Learning

Distance Learning

Before, after, or even instead of a Museum tour, visit us from your classroom! The Museum's videoconferencing programs provide students and teachers with meaningful, interactive learning experiences, connecting the visual arts with all areas of classroom curricula. Videoconferencing lessons are a great way to bring the Museum's collections and special exhibitions into your classroom—as a stand-alone lesson or in conjunction with a Museum visit.

Cost

$100 per lesson (40–60 minutes, depending on your class)

Materials

Available Topics

All lessons are adaptable for grades K through 12 and can be tailored to meet your students' needs. Lessons can either provide a general introduction to art and artists from diverse areas of the collection, or feature more specific periods and concepts in art history.

Please let us know what is best suited for your curriculum, and we will do our best to tailor your lesson accordingly.

Learning to Look
Students are shown how to develop visual perception skills and learn specific strategies for looking at and understanding works of art.
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Art of Asia
Students investigate and compare works of art from Asian countries, including India, China, and Japan.
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The Art of the Japanese Tea Ceremony
Students discover the customs, aesthetics, and philosophies associated with this centuries-old tradition.
Days of Knights
Students learn about the history, use, and aesthetics of armor from the Museum’s collection. This lesson includes a live demonstration of armor pieces.
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Images of the Medieval Era
Students discover how art flourished in medieval Europe by studying a variety of artistic mediums that reveal clues about life in these times.
The Impressionist Era
Students are introduced to this intriguing art movement, and explore the impact of artists such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt and Claude Monet on Parisian society at the turn of the nineteenth century.
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Modern and Contemporary Art
Students investigate the changing role of artists, their methods, and conceptual approaches in European and American societies.
American Art: From Colony to Nation
Students explore early American life by examining and discussing paintings and furniture from George Washington’s day.
African American Artists
Students examine works by influential artists such as Horace Pippin, Henry Ossawa Tanner, and Elizabeth Catlett.
Photography
Students view traditional photographs from the Museum’s collection and explore the ways in which artists use this medium to record and alter our perception of the world around us.
Women Artists
Students are introduced to a broad range of works by influential women artists such as Mary Cassatt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Faith Ringgold, and Graciela Iturbide.
Special Exhibitions
Each year, the Distance Learning Program offers new lessons in conjunction with select Museum exhibitions. Information regarding these lessons will be posted as it becomes available.
We will be offering Distance Learning lessons on Renoir Landscapes beginning in October 2007, and on Frida Kahlo beginning in March 2008.
Spanish and Latin American Artists
This lesson introduces students to the art of Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Diego Rivera, and others whose works reflect the rich cultures of Spain and Latin America.

New This Year to Distance Learning

Pre- and Post-visit Lessons
Expand the impact of your students' Museum visit by taking part in a pre- or post-visit videoconferencing lesson. Schedule your Museum visit and then book a companion lesson(s) that will introduce or review what your students will see and do during their time at the Museum.

Cost: $50 per lesson in addition to your Museum lesson fee.

Teacher Programs

Attend a Museum workshop without leaving your school. Programs include:

Introductory Demonstration (30 minutes)
Do you want to learn more about how the Museum’s videoconferencing programs can support and enrich learning in your classroom? During this free demonstration, Museum educators demonstrate a variety of ways that videoconferencing can extend student learning.
Cost: Free
Learning to Look: 20 Works of Art Across Time and Cultures (1 1⁄2 hours)
This in-service workshop introduces art from around the world as a resource for classroom learning through four themes: stories, people, things we use, and nature. The images and resources explored help teachers (K–12) motivate students to identify shapes, lines, colors, and patterns; learn new vocabulary; decode symbols; understand narrative elements and structures; formulate hypotheses; find and organize supporting evidence; tolerate and respect unfamiliar perspectives and opposing opinions; and apply mathematical concepts to real-life situations. Up to ten kits are provided with each workshop.
Cost: $200
Using the Visual Arts to Teach Math and Language-Arts Skills (1 1⁄2 hours)
Works of art provide a rich ground for students to practice verbal and written language skills and math processes. Museum educators and teachers (K–12) explore writing and language exercises and math connections using images from the Museum's teaching poster sets. Poster sets can be purchased online or over the phone from the Museum Store. See page 20 for more information.
Cost: $150

Technical Requirements

You must have an IP- or ISDN-based videoconferencing system to participate. The Museum’s systems are compatible with most other videoconferencing systems, and are able to connect at up to 384 kbps.

Inclement Weather Policy

In the event of extreme weather conditions, there is a possibility that your lesson may be postponed. Should this situation arise, the Museum will make every effort to give advance notice.

Videotaping Policy

If you wish to videotape any portion of your lesson, permission from the Distance Learning Staff is required in advance. Please contact the office for further details.