Reviving Clay in the Classroom: A Hand-Building Handbook for Art Educators

In 2018, the Ohio Arts Education data project found that of the 1,318,168 students enrolled in visual arts courses in the state of Ohio only 2.2% were taking ceramics. The use of clay, in students of all ages, develops fine motor skills, provides a safety net for trial and error style learning, supports problem-solving skills, and encourages creativity in an art as play environment. Current educational pedagogy suggests that these skills are beneficial to all learners, especially those with unique needs. If the cognitive, physical, and artistic advantages of using clay are well documented, why is it not being taught in the classroom? The absence of ceramic specific instruction can be attributed to a singular issue― a lack of resources for educators. To combat this issue and promote the inclusion of clay in future curriculum, I have compiled a guide to hand-building with clay. This digital resource is free to access and includes lesson plan examples, video tutorials, classroom layout suggestions, hand-building techniques, and alternative material lists. This paper answers the question, why clay? It also explores my purpose, process, and product