The Art Program at Cotting School

Cotting’s Art Program is designed to nurture students’ creativity, to promote self-expression, and to foster the development of art appreciation and aesthetic growth. Students are encouraged to discover their creative style by expressing their own ideas or interpretations of specific concepts through a variety of media, through development of technical skills, and through exposure to a variety of artists and related subject matter. With this philosophy in mind, the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks standards are adapted and modified to best fit classroom needs at all levels.

Given the diversity of our students’ learning styles, flexibility in meeting the individual needs of each student is essential. This is accomplished by presenting the curriculum at various entry points that are appropriate for each student’s learning. Lessons are planned that pertain directly to students by using subject matter or themes that are part of their everyday experiences, including interdisciplinary projects, integrated curriculum planning, current events, multicultural learning, popular culture and personal themes.

These lessons are enriched with simple concrete language, visual references, teacher demonstrations, and examples of artists’ prints, other students’ art, and repetition in a way that is meaningful to the students. Adaptive teaching methods and materials, low- and high-tech adaptive equipment, the support of communication and occupational therapies and other methodologies of teaching are also implemented on a continuum throughout the academic year.

Founded in 1893 by Children’s Hospital orthopedic surgeons Doctor Bradford and Thorndike, Cotting is a Department of Education-certified day school for children with a broad spectrum of learning and communication disabilities, physical challenges, and complex medical conditions. Cotting School enables students with special needs to achieve their highest learning potential and level of independence.

Rosanne Trolan, Art Instructor

Cotting School 453 Concord Avenue Lexington MA 02421 (781) 862-7323 www.cotting.org