Abstract
Today, not only is it readily acknowledged that art museums have an important role to play in any well-rounded visual arts curriculum, but documentation of the student impacts of visits to these important cultural institutions is mounting in the literature. Despite the reported benefits to students, research indicates that many art teachers around the globe still feel ill-equipped to use museums in support of their classroom art instruction. Numerous scholars have therefore argued that exposure to museums/galleries and direct training in the use of museum-based resources and pedagogies should be a core ingredient in art teachers’ pre-service preparation. While there exists general agreement in the scholarly community surrounding the potential of pre-service education to produce ‘museum-wise’ art teachers, few publications have been written on the topic. Thus, little is known about how university faculty introduce their pre-service art teachers to museums or especially how such courses influence teachers’ pedagogical approaches and dispositions. In this paper, findings from a mixed-method study aiming to fill this literature gap are shared. Specifically, the study examined the impacts of a mandatory museum methods course on pre-service art teachers enrolled in the teacher preparation program at the National Institute for Education in Singapore (i.e., their values, attitudes, self- efficacy, and newfound pedagogical understandings surrounding museum-based learning). Ultimately, the findings of this study can be used to both advocate for and share knowledge aimed at improving art teacher preparation in museum use not only at NIE but in institutions of higher education around the world.
Presenters
Agnieszka ChalasAssistant Professor, Art Education, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, North West, Singapore
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Art Museum Education, Pre-Service Art Teacher Training, Museum-University Collaboration, Mixed-Methods
