Cognition in art education
Whilst it is accepted that art education is a cognitive endeavour, the value and contribution of cognition to art education is often deliberated. By examining literature concerning conceptions of cognition and contextualising studies with the findings of a five-year artographic inquiry into cognition in the lived experiences of artist teachers, this paper is able to present a case for the reinstatement of cognition and cognitive study across policy, practice and research in art education. The paper shares a conceptual frame to assist engagement with cognition as a concept whilst presenting a strategy to support cognitive reinstatement in the changing climate of art education. Questions are posed and answered regarding cognition’s position in art education to bring reinstatement implications forward such as its complexity and productivity within education. Recommendations, such as increased engagement, voice projection and visibility, are also suggested to infiltrate transformation in future materialisations of cognitive engagement in the policy, practice and research of art education.
AI art education: Artificial or intelligent? Transformative pedagogic reflections from three art educators in Singapore
With growing interest in the role and integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI pedagogies in transformative art education this paper voices the pedagogic reflections of three art educators in Singapore who have engaged AI in their art provision. It discusses and exemplifies the advantages (intelligent), like interdisciplinary opportunity, enhanced student engagement and increased connectionism, and limitations (artificial), like ethical and moral dilemmas and positioning, of AI integration in three art education settings showcasing how educators and learners engage. Model of pedagogic reflection is used to reveal how the educators provided transformative learning with AI, whilst showing the influence of personal art interests, technique modelling and professional reflections on teaching and making involving AI. Paper contributions include insights into and examples of AI practices and pedagogies (like AI literacy and prompt engineering), that are and could be used in art education, reflections on their successes and limits and commentary on the position of AI integration in the circular economy of art education. The paper is positioned to mobilize educator and student voice as an influential driver in the transformation of art education given ongoing developments in digital education futures.
A systematic literature review of cognitive exchange in higher degree visual art education
This literature review paper presents ways cognitive exchange occurs in higher degree visual art education. It also attempts to demystify concerns regarding the value and presence of cognitive exchange in art education, this is because cognitive exchange is not considered in art education with the same breadth or depth as in higher education. Cognitive exchange research in higher degree visual art education is limited but there has been a surge in interest about cognitive functioning in higher education. It is therefore timely to consider how cognitive exchange is understood across visual art practices at this level. This paper presents a two phased systematic review, where cognitive exchange literature in the higher degree context is considered alongside such literature in art education. Four spaces: the individual, social, pedagogic, and policy orientated are discussed to present cognitive exchange practices in higher degree visual art education. The spaces and forms of cognitive exchange profiled, provide a knowledge contribution to disciplines that intersect with the arts and humanities. This is because they mobilize where and how cognitive exchange forms, they present opportunities and uses for cognitive exchange and help suggest ways to support its growth.
Managing cognitive dissonance in art teacher education
This paper presents autoethnographic strategies to manage cognitive dissonance in art teacher education. Dissonance, as a conflict in beliefs and actions, is discussed in educational research but not commonly in art education. By exposing the autoethnographic voices of three academic artist teachers based in the United Kingdom and Singapore, including that of one author, this paper identifies the constitution and location of cognitive dissonance in art education. Autoethnographic images and excerpts help reveal personal accounts of cognition whilst positioning dissonance in practice. Contributors to dissonance like belief and concept conflicts, demonstrative challenges and power relationships are also exposed. This paper recommends that educational stakeholders, such as education ministries, teacher education departments and school leadership teams collaborate to acknowledge, accept and begin to manage dissonance in art teacher education.