Cognition in Art Education

Abstract 

Cognition is a complex, under-researched and often misunderstood area of study in art education. This webinar will engage with the complexities surrounding the interpretation of cognition in art education, it will share a new framework developed to assist cognitive conceptualization and it will make recommendations to support the reinstatement of cognition in art education policy, practice and research. Drawing on theoretical, practical and researched informed examples of cognition, strategies will be shared to support art educators to engage with cognition in the provision they offer. Art education is an important means for learners to explore how to dialogue with our changing world, if the cognitive complexity of this dialogue can be understood then educators will be better positioned to support learners to engage, progress and process experiences they encounter.

About

Speaker: Professor Rebecca Heaton

Rebecca Heaton is an Assistant Professor in Visual and Performing Arts Education. Prior to working at NIE Rebecca was a Senior Lecturer in Education at a UK university, she completed her EdD in Art Education at Cambridge University and is a qualified teacher. Her research interests include the arts and creativities in education, cognition, technology and social justice.

Moderator: Mr Lim Kok Boon

Mr Lim Kok Boon is a Master Teacher (Art) from the Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts (STAR). At STAR, he conducts professional development and develops pedagogical resources for art teachers. Some of the publications and teaching kits he had co-edited and wrote for include Inquiry In and Through Art (2016), Investigating Art: Ideas on Museum-based Learning (2017) and Start Box: Conversation Starters on Inquiry-based Art Teaching (2018). His areas of interest include inquiry-based learning, visual literacy, digital technologies in art education, design thinking, museum-based learning and art criticism. He is also an independent art critic who writes art reviews on his blog, boonscafe.com and the author of Not in Any Order: Writings on Singapore Art 2006-2010.