Unless students are already familiar with the range of techniques that are going to be used in a multimedia lesson sequence, a good portion of time in the class instruction necessarily must focus on the delivery of new techniques and skills. Striking a balance between the necessary transmission of techniques and the transmission of a lesson's artistic aim and motivation can be problematic for the teacher who wishes to keep her lessons child-centered and self-expressive. Each lesson in this Multimedia Arts Sequence does require the learning of new skills, yet a conscious effort has been made to keep even the driest of technique demonstrations fresh and engaging through the use of extensive Demonstration Dialogue.

In her technique developed for keeping art lessons focused and fundamental to the child's experiences, Burton touches briefly on the importance of maintaining the lesson flow through demonstrations:

"Whatever the demonstration and wherever inserted into the lesson, every effort should be made to handle it through dialogue. Children are much more likely to remember and internalize information if they are encouraged to reflect on and think things through under the guidance of their teachers. Even when imparting processes and procedures, it is crucial that youngsters comprehend the logic and rationales that underpin them if they are to use complex techniques in the service of developing ideas. If youngsters are simply confronted with a lecture which enumerates steps to be abided by or remembered, learning is not likely to be deeply internalized and will only be superficially useful when youngsters are asked to act on their own."

One aim of this curriculum to incorporate a distinct Demonstration Dialogue section for each lesson that invites the students to draw upon their own experience with digital tools and techniques. If lessons are arranged in a sequence that specifically empowers students to be able to speculate on solutions based on skills and vocabulary they have learned in previous demonstrations, the delivery of "how-to" information becomes interactive, engaging and memorable for the child.

All digital art lessons on this website have examples of Demonstration Dialogue embedded in the lesson plan.

* Burton, Judith. "Art Teaching and Learning". Unpublished manuscript, 1996. Teachers College, Columbia Univeristy.