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Constructivist Theory in Arts Education

Constructivist Theory in Arts Education

Samantha Lindsey

Education Department, Montgomery College

Education 265: Methods of Secondary Teaching

October 31, 2020

more conceptual based lessons that will also help to push students to use more critical thinking.

Constructivism is the idea that “teachers cannot simply give students knowledge. Students must

construct the knowledge in their own minds” (Slavin, 2018, p.189). Constructivist theory is often

related to subjects like math, reading, writing and science these subjects are all discussed in the

book Educational Psychology Theory and Practice and it is explained how to best relate

constructivist theory to these subjects. As an aspiring art educator, it can be challenging to find

ways to apply theories and ideas to art education. While reading and researching more about

constructivism it became easier to understand how constructivist theory can be related back to

art. Many methods in constructivist theory can be used in art education and the idea of

constructivism itself has connections to art education as well.

Looking at the current curriculum of art education many of the lessons tend to focus on

the technical aspects of art but move away from many conceptual ideas and lessons. One way

that constructivist theory would work in the classroom is for the curriculum to change and for

teachers to be to teach more conceptual lessons, these lessons would encourage the students to

develop their thinking and creativity, it would encourage deeper thought on important ideas and

beliefs.  Conceptual thinking created a deeper understanding for not only critical thinking but

also in the theory of aesthetics which is the appreciation for beauty and one’s artistic taste.

“Teaching in the discipline of aesthetics seems to be inherently constructivist in nature” (Prater,

2001), while teaching the concepts and aesthetics constructivist theory comes into play often,

students do not learn how to understand conceptual art and ideas through the words of another,

they learn them by developing their own ideas, thoughts, values, and beliefs.
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Constructivist Theory in Arts Education
The constructivist method of top-down process can be used very effectively in an art

classroom for conceptual lessons. Students can be directed to create a concept that they want to

explore and are told to create a body of work based on that concept, as the student begins to

develop the formal ideas of a concept; theme, direction, artist statement, written ideas the teacher

can direct the students in lessons of the technical aspects of the works and the techniques used to

create them. Slavin (2018, pg. 190) explains top-down as a process where students will be given

the overall complex problem to solve and as they work to find the solution to the problem, they

will begin to discover the skills required to complete the problem. With art this process is a great

way for students to start learning about conceptual art. Prater (2001) makes a great example of a

lesson that can fit within these guidelines “as an example of an "open" constructivist art unit, a

teacher announces to the students that they will be studying narrative art. The teacher gives

students the task of making three artworks that can tell a story but provides them with no initial

direction about how to do that” (Prater, 2001). In Praters example he is telling students that they

will be given an overall assignment that they will then have to work out the finer details and

methods of how to create the art work, in the case of this narrative art the students must be able

to decide what story they want to tell and how they will tell it through art, what medium will they

use, how will they convey their thoughts into the work and show their ideas, once the assignment

is given they can work with the broad subject of the assignment and refine and understand the

smaller details as they continue on with the lesson.

An important art lesson that can be closely related to constructivism is the idea of

determining what classifies art as “good” or “bad” art. The idea of critiquing art is always side

by side with the work itself, students who can understand how to determine what makes art

“good” or “bad” can use that knowledge to think critically about the works and have a deeper
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Constructivist Theory in Arts Education
understanding of why the works exist and why the artist may have created them. Thompson

(2015) explained that “just as there are multiple traditions in art teaching, based not only on

disciplinary focus but also on the relationship that is created between tradition and innovation,

student and teacher, there are varieties and offshoots and camps of constructivism, some more

closely allied with art education than others.” In art criticism the student must form and create

their own opinions on what art is good or bad, many critics will say that The Garden of Earthly

Delights created by Hieronymus Bosch (1490-1510) is an exceptional work of art, but what

makes it so? Is it the techniques, the concept, the though put into the work? Why are works like

the Mona Lisa by Leonardo De Vinci (1797) regarded just as highly if not higher? Artist and

non-artists alike know the Mona Lisa and visit her in the Louvre but not as many people know

The Garden of Earthly Delights which is a much larger and more interactive work of art. Prater

(2001) states “when two people experience an event, they both experience the event in different

ways. Their perception of the experience is largely shaped and affected by their social, cultural,

and physical environment and the symbol systems that have been learned prior to the event,”

students come from many different backgrounds and their experiences can have an effect on

what they have learned and how they feel about ideas and concepts, their backgrounds can make

a difference in their analysis of an artwork as well as the research they conduct on the work, this

can create peer conversations and discussions on a work and students can debate and discuss

their own thoughts on the piece. When students can discover the ideas behind what cam make a

work of art be considered “good” they are able to think deeper about art and the concepts that

they learn in art and in other subjects as well. Lessons such as this will employ many

constructivist ideas and allow students to take their learning into their own hands so they can

from their own ideas and options as well as understand the opinions and thoughts of their peers.
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Constructivist Theory in Arts Education
In today's classrooms there are computers on every wall, students are able to have

hundreds of years' worth of art and critiques with a search, students are able to use the

technology at hand to create and have a better understanding of the art that they are researching.

“Interactive hypermedia technologies support the use of constructivist teaching methods in visual

arts classrooms. Their combination reflects how art students learn, as well as reinforcing the

importance of students' individuality, allowing them to learn about art in a personal manner that

will stay with them throughout their lives” (Prater, 2001). Prater continues to discuss the

advantages of technology and constructivist ideas in art, he explains that students will be able to

do their own research, discover art on their own and be able to explore it. Prater’s articles in

2001 referred to some outdated technology but with today's resources and technology students

have so much more to discover. When giving a student a photography lesson on the rule of thirds

the student can search the definition, examples, artists who use the technique, and even why the

technique is important. They are able to do those things with most likely little to no assistance

from the teacher. The teacher may mediate from time to time giving students appropriate

websites to use or a few artists that use the technique, but the students should be able to explore

the technique on their own and then later be able to test it out when they create their own works.

The theories, ideas, lessons, and concepts discussed are ways that constructivist theory

can be employed in a high school arts classroom. Students should be able to explore the arts and

the idea of conceptual art and develop their own though and opinions on the subjects.

Constructivism focuses on the idea that the students can create their own knowledge, through the

study of art students will not only be able to form their own conceptual ideas but also have more

experience in critical thinking.

Prater, M. (2001). Constructivism and Technology in Art Education, 54(6), 43–49. https://www-

jstor-org.montgomerycollege.idm.oclc.org/stable/pdf/3193914.pdf?refreqid=excelsior

%3A4002a03f19f75367edc7ec760f987f7a.

Slavin, R. E. (2018). Student Centered and Constructivist Approaches to Instruction. In

Educational psychology: theory and practice (pp. 186–211). essay, Pearson.

Thompson, C. M. (2015). Constructivism in the Art Classroom: Praxis and Policy. Arts

Education Policy Review, 116(2), 118–127. https://eds-b-ebscohost-

com.montgomerycollege.idm.oclc.org/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&sid=be853081-

7133-4f8d-a679-c13622d169f3%40sessionmgr4008.