Curio Critique # 15: Teaching of art in schools
| Sl. No. | Curio Book Title | Year of Publication |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | A Cyclopedia of Education Vol. I | 1911 |
Curio Book
Curio Reference
The entry on ‘Art in the schools’ in the Cyclopedia published in 1911 reads: “In recent times the subject has come to occupy a prominent place in the curriculum of the elementary school. Reasons physiologic as well as pedagogic and economic are urged for its teaching...
Related References
An article by Fran Smith on art education published almost a century later in the popular website Edutopia begins: “Art does not solve problems, but makes us aware of their existence.” sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz has said. Arts education, on the other hand, does solve problems. Years of research show that it’s closely linked to almost everything that we as a nation say we want for our children and demand from our schools: academic achievement, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and equitable opportunity.
Recently the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in partnership with the British Council launched a joint arts education programme-The World Voice Programme- to promote arts in school education.
However an apathy of sorts has been perceived in classrooms. Trish Klenow suggested a solution in the Art Education Magazine for Teachers:
The best way to combat apathy in art class is through authentic art education. Authentic art education involves making meaningful connections with students. Students are motivated by their environment, their peers, and their media. Sometimes this means eschewing the canon of old masters in art education and embracing more current trends.
Source: Klenow, Trish(2011) The Contemporary Curriculum. Art Education Magazine for Teachers, v111 n3 p17-19 Nov 2011
Today teachers make use of the Internet for teaching art. The Educational Technology and Mobile Learning Technology website provides links to eight good art resources for teachers and students.
Wacom for instance offers different tablet applications and technical training to help schools to develop the hardware with software support that encourage students’, interest in learning digital art, even to explore their future career through their tablets.
Curio Quest
How can art education be effectively taught in the technological age?