Us AND Them - by Shawn Sobers
An enquiry into how Art educators negotiate popular approaches to student creativity - A Guide

CONTENTS:

Home - Essay Question and Outline

1. Introduction: The Art of Smoking
-Art today
-Art's growing family

2. Lecturers' Approaches
- On Individuality
- On Clichés
- On Commercialism
- On Criteria
- Summary

3. Students Challenging Tutors
4. Future Challenges
5. Conclusion

References
Bibliography
Self Evaluation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students challenging Tutors challenging Students, (repeat)

 

 

"I am because we are."

Swahili saying

38.


According to Peter Abbs in the excellent book 'The End of Knowledge in Higher Education', there are three principles of educational activity; 40.

1. Education is existential in nature

The notion that education can only take place with the active participation of the student. No matter how good the intentions of the tutor, a student can not learn unless they wish to, and work at it. No one can learn for you, and as Abbs indicates, it is the same as the fact that no one can "aesthetically experience for [you]". 41. The student must be able to identify with their learning and be an active agent in that process. Spaces where the learner can asks questions, use their imagination and be self-reflexive will assist the process of learning and retainment of information and overall development. This reminds me of a common theory which is often applied to spirituality and belief in God, which states that 'religion cannot be taught, but only caught'.

2. Education is essentially a collaborative activity

According to Abbs this second principle unearths a paradox, as it is based on the theory that the self can only exist with the existence of others. In educational terms, "the individual to develop needs a community". 42. This school of thought was brought to Western thinking by Socrates, who thought that for learning to happen there needs to be a dialogue between people who have the same higher aim of understanding, but who might not necessarily agree with one another - and going further than that, in some cases learning can only happen when there is disagreement. Abbs cites Socrates' view that "he could only think effectively when there was someone there offering a counter view". This second principle is based on trust of all partners and the higher pursuit of finding "truth" from the process of learning, rather than being static with the direction already prescribed by the tutor.

3. Education is always a cultural activity which has to be continuously deepened and extended

Abbs describes this beautifully as;

"a progressive initiation of the student into the culture of the discipline which extends and deepens the existential and collaborative process. The richer the cultural material, the greater the possible development."

"Education exists to set up a conversation down the ages and across the cultures, across both time and space, so that students are challenged by other ways of understanding and, at the same time, acquire new materials - metaphors, models, ideas, images, narratives - for shaping and reshaping and testing their own lives." 43.


Abbs states that this third principle is essential for arts education, otherwise it could very easily get cut off from its history and legacy and only exist in the blinkered view of the present, and remain "blissfully ignorant of its impoverishment".


Relating together, according to Abbs, these principles constitutes the total experience of educational activity and process, and the teacher's role becomes one of 'releaser', 'co'ordinator' and 'guardian/initiator' respectively. That much I agree, but what also becomes apparent, which Abbs does not acknowledge, is that the teacher must also become the learner for these principles to become complete. Rather than simply giving information, the teacher should be willing to embark on a journey themselves with the student, and to learn anew in parallel, to meet the student's specific needs. This is true student centred learning. Admittedly very demanding for the teacher, but also equally intellectually fulfilling.

For a dedicated student centered approach to teaching and learning, it is healthy for the teacher to meet the needs of the learner, and also to be challenged by the learner. In ideal terms, (and to use a Star Wars analogy), the teacher must expect to be replaced by the pupil if the job is done right, and the teacher must be happy with this. As it happened with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. To often we educators see ourselves as the guardians of all knowledge and don't give credit to our students' intelligence and maturity. But students also must try to realise that we are the teacher for a reason. Before they become the teacher, they first should try to know (or at least understand) what we know. Even if they don't agree with our approach, ideas or reasoning, at least try to understand them in order to progress yourself. And if I were to fully embrace Abbs' principles, as an educator I should allow my students the same courtesy. If I don't try to understand them, how can I possibly try to teach them anything.

And so the cycle continues.

When faced with students who have a different approach then one I might promote or advocate, I first should try to understand where they're coming from, and move forward in tandem from that basis.

44.

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