About
Nicola has devoted her career to creating powerful learning experiences with works of art for students and teachers. Through her years of experience as an arts integration specialist, art teacher, and museum educator, Nicola has gained expertise in how students learn through art, and how teachers can effectively leverage the power of art to support all learners. In 2014, she was honored to be the recipient of a three year fellowship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she led professional learning communities for forty five NYC teachers from Title 1, District 75 and 79 public schools. In 2017, Nicola founded Inspiring Learners through Art, an organization that works with schools to improve teacher practice and student learning through art inquiry and to increase students’ access to art and cultural institutions. Nicola is the author of The More We Look, the Deeper It Gets: Transforming the Curriculum Through Art (Rowman and Littlefield, 2018).
Method
The Pyramid of Inquiry is an effective, research-based method for interdisciplinary art integration. Based on student data gathered during school visits to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Pyramid of Inquiry is a flexible tool that educators can use to successfully integrate works of art into any content area.
This method of incorporating art into the curriculum:
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Improves critical thinking skills
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Increases student engagement
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Develops social emotional skills
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Makes learning relevant to students’ lives
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Works for all students
Resources For Educators
Nicola creates interdisciplinary curriculum for schools and cultural institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, Bronx Lighthouse Charter School, and The Art House Foundation in London.
Nicola Giardina on Transforming the Curriculum Through Art: The School Leadership Show
“When Curriculum Meets Art” Educational Leadership Magazine, October 2016
Metropolitan Museum Lesson Plan: El Anatsui, Between Earth and Heaven
Brooklyn Museum Teacher Resource: Norman Rockwell, The Problem We All Live With
Brooklyn Museum Teacher Resource: John Singer Sargent Watercolors
Testimonials
“Nicola’s coaching enhanced my teaching practice enormously. The methods and instructional strategies I explored with Nicola not only supported my students – a diverse cohort of English Language Learners from more than 50 different countries – in their acquisition of language and content, but also produced incredible gains in their critical thinking skills, personal confidence, and willingness to take creative risks.”
BRIAN TAUZEL, Social Studies Teacher, International High School at Union Square
“Visual art is a powerful teaching tool for English and history content classes. Prior to working with Nicola Giardina, I felt too intimidated by my lack of knowledge about visual art to use it in my pedagogy in a meaningful way. After spending the 2015-2016 school year under her academically rigorous, yet nurturing tutelage, I have included works of visual art in every unit of literary study I’ve done, from gender studies to English Regents Prep classes.”
CARLA CHERRY, English Teacher, Innovation Diploma Plus High School (District 79)
“Working with Nicola has changed the way I will teach my students for the rest of my career. She showed me how to use art resources (virtually and in the community) to highlight the skills most valuable for my students. Nicola valued my students’ opinions and their individual educational needs. The impact that her work had on my students was immeasurable. Any classroom would be lucky to have Nicola as part of their educational journey.”
ASHLEY CANTOR, Special Education Teacher, PS721K (District 75)
