The Visual Arts as a Thinking Tool

Abstract

Since research on the middle years was released (Hill & Russell, 1999) and state curriculum documents began to focus on essential and authentic learning based around productive pedagogies rather than focusing on Key Learning Areas, curriculum structures and teaching approaches have begun to focus on the development of thinking skills. Thinking about artworks, and discussion of controversies associated with art, can be used by teachers to help their students extend their thinking skills while at the same time fostering the examination of the complex relationships that exist between people, cultures and artefacts. As part of my research and work as a teacher educator with art and generalist teachers I have formulated strategies and collected resources that, alongside art making, can be used to engage students and develop their analytical, conceptual and perceptual skills and understandings. Some are described below.