Drawing for Perceptual-Cognitive Development

What is Drawing for Perceptual-Cognitive Development?

This online art education course prepares educators to successfully teach students drawing techniques that improve their perceptual-cognitive skills. Teachers in all subjects can benefit from the course. Drawing skills increase the ability for students to accurately perceive, process and use visual information — skills that transfer to all disciplines of learning. By using art teaching strategies, educators also help students develop better attention to detail, concentration, fine motor skills, problem solving, spatial reasoning and understanding of proportion and perspective. Drawing also can reduce students’ anxiety and stress.

What Will You Learn?

This online art education course is aligned with the best-selling book, “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” by Betty Edwards. Educators complete the drawing exercises and develop integrated lessons for use in the subjects they teach. Although those who take this course will see an improvement in their drawing ability, they are graded for completion of the assignments rather than drawing ability. No prior drawing experience or instruction is needed.

Educators who complete this online art education course develop a rationale for the practice of teaching drawing in a K-12 curriculum. They also develop visual skills of seeing and rendering perspective and proportion and demonstrate techniques of rendering line and shape with pencil. They also learn techniques of rendering a 3D scene on a 2D plane using shape and values, identifying criteria for evaluating one’s own drawings and those of others, and developing lessons for use in the classroom to teach drawing.

What Are the Assignments and Projects?

The Drawing for Perceptual-Cognitive Development course is self-paced. Fresno Pacific University offers students the chance to enroll at any time and take up to one year from the date of registration to complete all assignments. Modules within the course include:

• The Rationale for the Practice of Drawing
• Vases & Faces
• Drawing Upside Down
• Perception of Edges
• Perceptions of Spaces
• Perception of Relationships
• Perception of Light and Shadows
• Perception of Gestalt

Who Should Enroll in the Drawing for Perceptual-Cognitive Development Course?

Drawing for Perceptual-Cognitive Development is designed for 4th to 12th grade teachers and is aligned with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

What Educators Who Took the Drawing for Perceptual-Cognitive Development Course Are Saying

“I am really satisfied with this course. This course helps to break the existing prejudices many people have about drawing and gives everyone the confidence to try drawing from a new perspective. Teachers of subjects other than art can incorporate the drawing approaches learned in this course into their own subjects, making their lessons more engaging.”-Educator, California

“Wonderful instructor, gave thoughtful and timely feedback. The website was easy to navigate and submit work. I would recommend Fresno Pacific to anyone.”-Educator, Illinois

NOTE: Required book must be acquired separately.

This course is applicable towards the Art in the Classroom Certificate.