Blog for Art Education 7701

How can we actively participate in the future directions of the field of art education?

3/3/2013

The specific question "How can we actively participate in the future directions of the field of art education?" made me think about responsibility and implementation. Although I am not a K-12 teacher, I am surrounded by them in my personal life. The formal conversations we had in class become part of the informal conversations I have with family and friends. I feel as sense of responsibility to discuss these theories with teachers who are passionate and willing to implement new concepts into their classrooms. This is one manner that I feel in an informal way that is impacting the future direction of art education.

Tiffany Lewis 03/03/2013

4 Comments

Tiffany Lewis

3/3/2013 03:05:40 pm

Comment deleted

TJ Sharp

3/8/2013 07:35:14 am

I think this responsibility could be taken further than conversations with teachers we know. We could write our representatives, school boards, and other politicians who, in one way or another, represent the curriculum-writing majority. While I am not always a fan of top-down reforms in education (from my observation, they tend to come from a bit more MBA frame of mind than a ED) it certainly wouldn't hurt if those writing curriculum who don't have a background in education know of these theories and their relation to the arts and all education.

Jason Cox

3/6/2013 08:54:42 am

One of my friends who teaches in Cleveland has said to me that she doesn't think much about the big ideas of art, and that she is more concerned with just making sure that her students have pencils. However I know that she went through the same teaching program I did and some of those ideas are infused in her practices. Contrariwise I have encountered more than one situation wherein it felt to me as if Art teachers in the classrooms were the workhorses of arts education, doing necessary work and flying the flag of arts (wot wot), but limited in the scope of their achievements.
Most teachers are passionate about their students, and most of them are open to new ideas, but they are naturally suspicious when those ideas seem disconnected from their everyday realities... as has unfortunately often been the case. So the intention seems a good place to start, but we must also consider how new ideas can be implemented. This is hardly news, since most every one of us has/will have to struggle with that problem.
My current thinking is to raise the status of teachers to other teachers. I reason that while reasons to teach vary, a teacher pursues a subject because it is important to them in some manner. A science teacher may value exploration, a mathematician may thrill at puzzles, a physical education teacher can marvel at the efforts students make to support one another, and the art teacher may enthuse students to see themselves reflected in their world. However I also think most teachers feel that their colleagues in other disciplines do not understand or appreciate what they do, and many focus on the skills involved in their disciplines as opposed to the passion and wonder that in many ways infuse those disciplines with life.
My Utopian vision begins by the teachers realizing the value those qualities hold in each other, and that respect then extends into the administration, the students, and the community, As I said from the start though, intentions are good and actions somewhat more challenging. While I believe everything I have just typed, I have zero idea how to enact it.
However, I am open to suggestions.

Jason Cox

3/6/2013 08:57:18 am

Incidentally, Nina Simon just posted a blog about what she sees as white privilege in museums. I think it is fairly insightful.

http://museumtwo.blogspot.com/2013/03/on-white-privilege-and-museums.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+museumtwo+%28Museum+2.0%29

How can we actively participate in the future directions of the field of art education?

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