In this episode Abi and Jen welcome elementary TAB educator Jess Baker to explore the powerful connections between Teaching for Artistic Behavior, special education, differentiated instruction, and student independence. Jess shares how her graduate work helped her recognize the ways TAB already supports students with exceptionalities by centering choice, access, collaboration, and authentic artmaking. Together, we talk about honoring the whole child, advocating for students in the art room, and why play, freedom, and independence matter so deeply in a TAB studio.

Resources:

• Teaching for Artistic Behavior / TAB — official TAB website.
• TAB Community on Mighty Networks — online TAB educator community.
• Parents Encouraging Parents / PEP Conference — Colorado Department of Education — conference Jess references for families of children with disabilities.
• CAST Universal Design for Learning Guidelines — UDL resource connected to the conversation about access and differentiated instruction.
• Colorado Multi-Tiered System of Supports / MTSS — MTSS resource connected to the discussion of student support systems.
• Response to Intervention within Colorado MTSS — RTI resource connected to the MTSS/RTI language in the episode.
• TAB Storytellers: Meet George Szekely & Ilona Szekely — episode referenced during the conversation about play, collections, and agency.
• Play and Art Podcast with Dr. Ilona and Dr. George Szekely — podcast focused on play-based art teaching.
• Discovery Museum — da Vinci Workshop — maker/exploration space Jen mentions.
• Boston Children’s Museum — Art Lab — hands-on art space mentioned in relation to children’s open-ended artmaking.
• The Art Barn / Cultural Center of Cape Cod — children’s art space on the Cape mentioned by Jen.
• Margie’s Java Joint — Greeley coffee shop mentioned in Abi and Jess’s story.

Here is a lightly edited transcript of this episode. We recognize that there are probably errors and grammatical issues. If anyone with the time or inclination to edit this wants to do so, please email us at [email protected].

Also we are using our imagination to pretend Abi got this episode published in March. Life was life-ing.