Embedded in an educational context, my project is small-scale. Should I find any link between learning and the art experience in/through the museum, it may support the idea of further enquiry into whether the museum experience might become a compulsory feature in school curricula. Taking precedence over that, however, I intended to explore how engaging with art involves the emotions in learning and may help develop an aesthetic awareness and critical ability that might enhance children’s cognitive, emotional and social development.
However, before I can talk about learning as associated with looking at/engaging with art, I need to begin with an explanation of learning in a more general sense. Therefore, Chapter Two examines the nature of learning and some of the theories related to it. From there, Chapter Three connects perceiving, thinking and feeling
to aesthetics and art appreciation. Chapter Four narrows that focus to explore how nurturing aesthetic awareness in young children might be developed through the art experience. Chapter Five delves more closely into the museum experience and engaging with art objects and museum spaces. Chapter Six considers how first-hand engagement with art might affect increased engagement with the practice of making art and the development of an individual’s understanding of their own and others’practical skills. The methodology for the project is covered in Chapter Seven and the presentation and analysis of the data appears in Chapter Eight. Chapter Nine forms the concluding chapter with limitations of my study, the findings, concluding reflections, recommendations for further research and a discussion on the impact of this study on my professional practice. I now develop the nature and relevant theories of learning in Chapter Two, relating these to learning in art and in museums.
Chapter Two
Learning: theories and factors relevant to personal-emotional and socio-cultural development
Introduction
In the previous Chapter, I explained my reasons for focusing my research study on museum education and specifically on the use of artworks in museums to engage young people. I presented some aspects of engagement with artworks that I
intended to investigate to further develop my own knowledge and understanding of any perceived emotional and cognitive effects on young people. In my conceptual framework I intend to explore the 'why' and 'how' of the effects of the museum experience on young people with a particular focus on the educational benefits that the museum art experience can afford.
In today’s educational climate resources are at a premium and accountability is a frequent theme (Meek, 2006). A strong academic justification is required before even a single museum trip would be permitted and financed within a standard school term. Against this background, in this Dissertation I will argue that art, and specifically original artworks in a museum context, can support young people to inhabit a variety of worlds where they will have opportunities for aesthetic, emotional and cognitive realisation. As an art educator my interest is in the
learning opportunities and associated potential for human development that art and museums can offer. It is hoped that this study will add further evidence to
Hickman’s (2010) belief in art as a powerful force for human development and might offer a microcosm of the aesthetic, emotional and cognitive benefits that art and engagement with museum art could yield for young people.
For an educationalist the concept of learning is an ever-present preoccupation. Hence as an art educator, if I am to facilitate and inspire young people’s learning I must gain further theoretical insight than I might already have into how children might learn in and beyond museums. Since this study is about how children’s looking at art might variously affect their development a broader educational foundation is also considered in relation to engagement with art in the museum context. Accordingly, in this chapter I trace some relevant learning theories partly because I need to inform, explain to and challenge myself about what, as I said in
Chapter One, ‘I have instinctively felt and believed for many years’ that art education supports much wider development than drawing or painting skills. That ‘instinct’ is no longer adequate. Instead, I now need to know, to understand and be able to evidence and justify.
Since this study is about how children’s looking at art might variously affect their development a broader educational foundation is also considered in relation to engagement with art in the museum context. Accordingly, in this chapter I trace some relevant learning theories partly because I need to inform, explain to and challenge myself about what, as I said in Chapter One, ‘I have instinctively felt and believed for many years’ - that art education supports much wider development than drawing or painting skills. This means that one of the biggest challenges throughout the course of the study was to ensure that my assumptions were adequately challenged and that I was not simply selecting and using theories to support my own beliefs. I learned not least that ‘we cannot separate ourselves from what we know’ (Crabtree and Cohen, 2008: 333). I discuss my surprise at the
children’s reaction to a ten-minute long video in GoMA in Chapter 8. How my instincts and assumptions were questioned is addressed in Sections 7.1.2 Epistemological Issues and 7.1.4 Axiological Concerns and discussed in the Conclusions. My existing knowledge and views on art education and children’s learning in art were also challenged at every stage in the study especially as noted in Chapter 4 which addresses emotions and aesthetic awareness and in Chapter 8 when analysing data and the children’s knowledge and understanding of art skills. How emotions and aesthetic awareness were employed is demonstrated and discussed in Chapter 8 Presentation, Analysis and Discussion of Data and Chapter 9 Conclusions. As also discussed in Chapter 8, according to the children’s own perceptions, engaging with original art expanded their own skills in making art. I needed to consider how art and museums might facilitate that self-realisation and growth for the young participants in the study and I explore that in Chapter 2. I also needed to consider how art and museums might facilitate self-realisation and growth for the young participants in the study. To these ends I propose a possible line of development of learning theories leading to Falk and Dierking’s 'Contextual Model of Learning' (CML) (2000:10). This affords a framework and lens through which other relevant theories and practices about learning may perhaps be critiqued. Since learning styles and modalities have long been pervasive in educational practice in Scotland and elsewhere these ideas are touched on but criticised. Finally, the visual and the aesthetic are introduced to be developed
further in Chapter Two, Aesthetics and Art Appreciation: connecting perceiving with thinking and feeling.