Part Six: Appendix: Creative Ideas for Further Research and Inquiry
“School is not a rehearsal space. It is a ‘now’ space that must provide students with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values they need to live in the present while preparing themselves for the future. Teachers play an enormous role in developing flexible frames of mind and maintain hope in their students’ hearts. Teachers must maintain high expectations for all students, give them lots of support and withhold judgements to allow their students to blossom in their own time.” (Kathleen Gould Lundy, 2020, Teaching fairly in an unfair world. Pembroke Publishers Ltd).
Overview
Part Six provides additional topics for inquiry and research. Links to well-known art galleries and museums that provide teaching and learning resources are also included. Theme based art inquiry and literature projects include:
1. Essential Questions about art
3. Art, Poetry, and Narrative to Uplift, Inspire, and Inform
4. Art Inquiry Projects: Women Artists
5. Painting Stories and Finding Stories in Paintings
6. Art and Literature Portfolio
7, Artistic Images of Celtic Myths and Legends
8, Portraits and Personalities
9. From The Great Gatsby to The Game of Thrones: Relevant Themes to Explore in a Global Era
10. Chapter 15: Keeping a Sense of Wonder
Essential Questions about Art and Related Texts: Ideas for Classroom Workshops and Inquiry Projects
This chapter provides essential questions and research project ideas to help students develop their multimodal and artistic literacies. You can adapt the questions and assignments accordingly. I am drawing on workshops and presentations that I have given about the value of integrating artistic ways of knowing (Awok) in the classroom. As “architects of hope” (Zoss, 2021) educators can create a learning climate that is similar to an artistic atelier where learners can explore new ideas and envision new texts that speak to challenges, fears, hopes, and journeys that they are experiencing. As the chapters in this book demonstrate, connecting art to English language arts, drama, psychology, world Issues, history, Indigenous studies, and media literacy is an important way to enrich learning experiences and work toward advancing and transforming knowledge in new ways. The beauty and value of integrating the visual arts in the curriculum are rooted in accessibility to diverse learners and the potential for interdisciplinary teaching and learning. Reading comprehension skills can be developed with students who respond more to visual stimuli; analytical and reasoning skills can be developed with inquiry projects and research in visual art. You can begin to compile your own portfolio of favourite images and complementary learning strategies.
