Experience
"Experience is the medium of education" (Eisner, 2003)
Perspective Taking: The ability to see another point of view.
Being able to take the perspective of someone else requires flexible thinking and self-regulation (EF skills). Art not only builds perspective taking through observations of artwork done by others and moments of metacognition, it can also be used as a tool to aid students in understanding what it may mean to see a perspective differently.
Resources to help:
This critical thinking activity creates a learning experience that allows students to think meta-cognitively using an art lesson with a variety of thinking routines embedded throughout.
The Art Engager Podcast also dedicates episode 11 to fostering perspective taking and shares some questions to ponder.
Emotional Understanding: The ability to understand and feel emotions in an appropriate and healthy way.
Being able to recognize and accept emotions as they happen is another skill that requires engagement of the pre-frontal cortex (EF skill). Both observing and discussing art, as well as engaging in the creation of art that encourages self-reflection builds emotional understanding.
Resources to help:
The Getty Museum has some lessons surrounding expressing emotions through art.
The National Gallery of Art also has some beautiful ideas on engaging in emotions through art.
Both resources targets observing and discussing art as well as art creation.
Making Meaning: How an individual interprets a situation, event, or experience
Every experience requires past experiences to make meaning. We may be able to influence what our students learn, however we cannot determine what they will actually learn. A positive art experience will engage the EF system and allow students to approach a lesson or experience with a calm mindset.
Resources to help:
The Education Hub has some great ideas on how to help students step back to make meaning of their own art and others.
Having students share what is significant and important in their personal art can help open the doors to communicating what meaning is being made and/or created. This can also lend itself to perspective taking.
Multi-sensory: An experience is multi-modal and multi-sensory.
Due to the multi-sensory aspect of art creation, it is an organic learning experience that targets the learning needs of each student without requiring differing lesson plans or projects.
Resources to help:
For more information on starting process art, the Tinker Lab has a comprehensive post. It is geared towards early childhood however it all applies to elementary school.
Here is a breakdown of process vs. product-based art by Gift of Curiosity!
