1.5 Skills and Benefits of Activity-Based Learning

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From the course by The Museum of Modern Art

Art & Activity: Interactive Strategies for Engaging with Art

593 ratings

The Museum of Modern Art

Art & Activity: Interactive Strategies for Engaging with Art

593 ratings

Art can be a powerful catalyst for building skills and understanding a range of subjects. Intended for primary and secondary teachers of all disciplines, Art & Activity builds upon the inquiry-based approaches of Art and Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies for Your Classroom, while delving into activity-based strategies that will make your students empowered participants.

From the lesson

Introduction to Art and Activity

Welcome to Art and Activity: Interactive Strategies for Teaching with Art. Art can be a powerful catalyst for building skills and understanding across a wide range of subjects. Establish your foundation by watching each module's video lectures and reviewing the required readings, artworks, and additional resources. Then, test your knowledge with the quizzes and be sure to comment on videos and post in the discussion forums to share your thoughts.

1.1 Introduction2:09

1.2 Why Activities?2:57

1.3 Philosophy Behind Active Learning6:14

1.4 Designing Engaging Activities6:32

1.5 Skills and Benefits of Activity-Based Learning3:00

Meet the Instructors

Jessica Baldenhofer
Associate Educator, School Visits & Partnerships
Education
Lisa Mazzola
Assistant Director, School and Teacher Programs
Department of Education
Stephanie Pau
Associate Educator, Interpretation & Research
Department of Education

Now that we have explored the philosophical foundations behind experiential learning,

let's discuss some of the benefits for incorporating activities into your teaching practice.

The seemingly simple act of students spending extended time observing a work of art, describing

in detail what they see, presents significant challenges regarding both the development

of perception and language. Instead of simply acquiring information, students are encouraged

to focus, look closely and present a thorough description of what they see. Â When we spend

extended time to look and describe, we enable students to build upon and fine-tune their

observational skills. This process requires no expertise or prior knowledge, which makes

it accessible to any student. Through exposure to increasingly challenging

images, students can begin to make more and subtler observations, and organize and express

them more efficiently and with greater depth. They begin to build upon observations, forming

questions and working toward developing their own hypothesis or interpretations about the

work based on evidence they gathered through close looking. This type of skill is essential

for all students both in school, and in life. Activities also support peer-to-peer learning.

When students are given the opportunity to work and learn together, they experience concepts

or ideas from a perspective outside of their own. Collaboration is a key skill that they

will be required to draw upon later in life.

for multiple, divergent responses and a variety of entry points, they give students the freedom

to form their own opinions and interpretations. Free choice in learning also gives students

the opportunity to feel empowered and in charge of their own learning.

It goes without saying that on top of all of the critical skills that activities foster,

there is also a huge amount of content knowledge that students can gain through this process

both about artists and artworks, but also about the context and role art plays in a

larger historical narrative. Â

To summarize, our goal as museum educators is to provide opportunities for students to:

Look or sense closely. Wonder. Be curious. Ask questions. Make interpretations and hypotheses

based on sensory evidence. Make connections to things they already know or have experienced.

Consider multiple perspectives and viewpoints. Delve below the surface of an artwork or object.

Form their own conclusions. Most students already have these abilities,

so our goal is not to teach these skills, but rather to facilitate experiences in which

the student's use of these skills is valued, visible, and actively promoted for the benefit

of everyone, including yourself.

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