ERIC Number: EJ802627
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1059-8650
EISSN: N/A
Thinking Critically about Social Issues through Visual Material
Rawlinson, Kate; Wood, Susan Nelson; Osterman, Mark; Sullivan, Claudia Caro
Journal of Museum Education, v32 n2 p155-174 Sum 2007
This article addresses an arts-integrated social studies curriculum for grades three through five entitled Artful Citizenship, designed by The Wolfsonian-Florida International University. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination Grant program, the design and implementation of the program was done concurrently with a three-year evaluation of the curriculum's impact on visual literacy and critical-thinking skills conducted by Curva and Associates. The research was conducted in low-performing urban schools in Miami-Dade County and targeted students at risk for failing Florida's standardized achievement tests in reading and math. Artful Citizenship was created by a museum with a collection specializing in art and design--mass-produced objects that reveal how design reflects and shapes social, political, and technological change. Because of the collection's nature, the aim of Artful Citizenship was to use inquiry-based strategies that focused on the critical understanding of objects as agents of social change (as opposed to understanding their aesthetic or art-historical significance). The longitudinal study provides a framework for a definition of critical thinking that relates to a school-based intervention targeting social studies skills. The study also documents the effectiveness of Visual Thinking Strategies as a foundational strategy for developing critical-thinking skills upon which a multi-modal teaching approach that integrates visual material and promotes artistic response can be built. In this article, we share findings from the study that have major implications for designing museum-school partnerships and help illuminate the interconnection between visual literacy and critical thinking when related to complex social issues. (Contains 5 figures, 1 table, and 9 notes.)
Descriptors: Urban Schools, High Risk Students, Visual Aids, Aesthetic Education, Museums, Social Change, Visual Literacy, Critical Thinking, Social Problems, Art Education, Integrated Curriculum, Elementary Schools, Social Studies, Program Development, Program Implementation, Thinking Skills, Longitudinal Studies, Partnerships in Education, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 3; Grade 4; Grade 5
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Florida
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A