Discipline-Based Art Education, or DBAE, provides a useful, flexible structure that organizes thinking and provides effective parameters for discussing art work. The approach is based on ideas developed for over twenty years by art educators, and has been widely supported by The Getty Center for Education in the Arts and …
The following terms are defined as they relate to teaching with inquiry. Remembering the terminology is not as important as understanding the concepts they represent. Active Thinking Thinking that requires personal involvement to accomplish a mental task. Convergent Thinking The process of narrowing one’s thoughts to a single, best, or …
A child peers under the brim of my bonnet, looks into my eyes, and gasps as I gently smile and greet him with “Hello, traveller.” The revelation that the figure he approached is real is quickly borne to the rest of the group as they gather around me. History … …
Science and Inquiry For many of us, science is the domain of facts and figures – a convergent discipline that seeks correct answers and exact measurements. Science, after all, explains things. While the results of scientific research do aim toward convergent conclusions, the process is particularly reliant upon divergent thinking. …
Docents experimenting with the inquiry method often find that adults on tours are more comfortable with a lecture-oriented style of teaching. Within art museums, however, there is usually one type of art that never fails to draw comments from visitors: twentieth-century art. Docents talking about modem art experience the opposite …
Motivation. Conventional wisdom tell us that it is the key to learning. You’ve practiced motivating groups and individuals by developing your ability to ask good questions. However, your response to learners’ answers can be as strong a motivation tool as the questions you ask. Consider this example. A group of …
“I know! I know!” Little voices shrill with excitement and little hands wave frantically. Kindergartners, eager to impress me clamor for my attention. They are ready to answer my question, “What is history?” The winner’s response tells me a lot about the perspective of my audience. “History,” he announces with …
Asking Questions Watch people at dinner buffets. They slow their usual pace, survey the range of offerings, investigate alternatives, and actively pursue every intriguing morsel. If only our minds were as adventurous as our palates! When presented with a sumptuous array of exhibited objects to sample, most of us look …