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Learning Theory & Its Application To Teaching Art
Introduction
“Great teachers don’t just know their discipline, they know their students and they use their expertise to respond to their students’ energy and engagement.” (Robinson and Robinson, 2022)
Having researched the three core learning theories behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism, I have found that not one, but all three theories play a vital role in my practice as a teacher of the visual arts. I believe art is a combination of three facets, observation, perspective or message, and application via a particular technique.
Each theory functions in a very specific role in the curriculum to achieve all three key learning outcomes designated in art; observation, message, and application. In the following paper, I will dive into how each of the theories can be implemented into the development of a visual art course to maximize the intended learning, taking into account the principles of universal design for learning and the available technologies.
Analysis of Learning Theories
- Behaviourism — Technique
“Learning involves change — in behavior. People learn when they become capable of doing something differently.” (Schunk, 2019)
Behaviourism simply put is when the teacher arranges the environment so students can respond properly to the stimuli provided to achieve a certain outcome.
The question may be posed since behaviorism does not encourage creativity, what possible role can it play in teaching visual arts? Perhaps one of the more fluid theories like constructivism which encourages creativity would be better suited. The argument can be made that behaviorism plays a vital role in building the foundation skill necessary for a visual artist. For an artist to truly thrive creatively, they must first master the foundational understanding of the tools at their disposal. Their ability to utilize their tools directly affects their efficiency at conveying their creativity and imagination in their chosen form of output, be it a painting, illustration, or sculpture.
