Touching the void: arts education research in Australia

Towards Quality Art Education: Challenges and Opportunities

“…More importantly, since one of the learning methods in art subjects is to encourage the student to do research the teacher's own knowledge becomes of secondary importance in the knowledge-transmission process (Gibson, 2008). This method, in fact, downplay the knowledge of the teacher -in particular in terms of the students' behaviour-and is based on the students' desire and intentions towards the artistic object.…”

“…Art teachers do not only indoctrinate, but when they study the art of many lands and peoples, they expose their students to the expression of a wide range of human values and concerns. They sensitize students to the fact that values shape all human efforts, and that visual images can affect their personal value choices (Gibson, 2008). All of them should be given the opportunity to see how art can express the highest aspirations of the human spirit.…”

“…This type of education is usually taught by art teachers and can include practical understanding, such as how to use different tools to create artwork, or an understanding of how to appreciate artwork. Art education will usually focus on basic types of artistic creation, such as drawing, painting, and sculpture, though specialized classes in subjects such as pottery, digital art, and mixed media can also be found (Gibson, 2008).…”

Seeing the Bigger Picture: Investigating the State of the Arts in Teacher Education Programs in Australia

“…2005) and the National Review of Visual Education: First We See (Davis, 2008) highlighted the importance of both music and visual art and made major recommendations for the improvement of arts education in schools and the community. More recently Transforming Education through the Arts (Caldwell & Vaughan, 2012) considers the social and educational impact of neglecting the arts, however, as Gibson and Anderson (2008) (Eisner, 2004); and Champions of Change: The impact of the arts on learning (Fiske, 1999) have identified the lack of arts offerings both in schools and universities and call for major reform in arts education practice. A common finding throughout these publications is that for such reform to happen, change at the tertiary level is essential.…”

Creative Arts: An Essential Element in the Teacher’s Toolkit When Developing Critical Thinking in Children

“…The lack of expertise on the part of the teacher translates to markedly similar works from the student. The teacher lacks the ability to facilitate individual responses to a task and the children copy one another or simply follow instruction to result in similar outcomes for every child (Alter et al, 2009a;DarlingHammond, 2000;Dinham, 2007;Gibson & Anderson, 2008;Hudson & Hudson, 2007;Oreck, 2004;Russell & Zembylas, 2007). Emancipating students to communicate their own meaning to others in the classroom enables social construction (Fetherston, 2008).…”