I recently came across an initiative through the University of Michigan Museum of Arts (UMMA) that encourages the use of art as a reflective learning teaching and research tool. Departments at the University of Michigan or K-12 schools can request to work with UMMA to develop curriculum for their reflective learning goals and curate a learning collection to be exhibited in one of the rooms for learners. 

For example, in the School of Nursing, we are considering using the "Health, Healing, and Medicine", "Childbearing" and "Death and Dying" collections for various learning activities. In these reflective learning environments learners are encouraged to engage with the art pieces through intentional questions. One example is presenting the group with a piece of art to observe, and dividing the group into subgroups to tell the story from different character’s view in the artwork. Once everyone had a chance to reflect, the facilitator would bring all stories out and start a discussion. I think this is an excellent way to think about what you are learning and doing, and how it connects to knowledge making in your field. For example, by looking at the picture below, many nursing students can reflect on how the image relates to what they are learning/practicing, as well as why this painting is significant to cogitate cultural and historical contexts.

SEMMELWEIS-DEFENDER OF MOTHERHOOD, FROM "THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE" Retrieved from: https://exchange.umma.umich.edu/resources/25673/view

Another example of this initiative is in the article by Michigan Daily. One instructor used this learning tool to allow students to gain perspective through reflecting on media and art on displaced children in history. In the article she reflects on the learning experience: “Ultimately, the class aims to encourage students to think about storytelling through both visual and verbal media. Goodenough explained more specifically that the class aims to show how those works of arts influence their understanding of contemporary events and ancient stories.”

With the great push for STEM education while undervaluing humanities and liberal arts programs in higher education, I think this is also a valuable teaching tool to emphasize the necessity of interdisciplinary and well-rounded education. Only then learners will be encouraged to think critically about their learning, why they are learning what they are learning, how it relates to the world, how and why it differs from context to context. 

References: 

Small, Samatha. (2019). Speaker series talks representation of displaced children in visual imagery. Retrieved from: https://www.michigandaily.com/section/campus-life/speaker-series-%E2%80%9Cdisplaced-children-uncertain-world%E2%80%9D-talks-representation-within

University of Michigan Museum of Arts, TEACHING AND LEARNING. Retrieved from:  https://www.umma.umich.edu/learn

Semmelweis-Defender Of Motherhood, from "THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE". Retrieved from: https://exchange.umma.umich.edu/resources/25673/view