Thinking Routines for training visual art teachers

Abstract

The article discusses the relevance of Thinking Routines for the training of visual art teachers. Developed by researchers at Harvard University, this teaching-learning methodology aims to promote the development of thinking. A focus of investigation of the Routines has been the experience and interpretation of works of art. Based on the premise that cultural mediation (also called appreciation or reading of a work of art) is not consolidated in the Brazilian context, we defend the importance of investigating the Routines' potential to foster specific skills and knowledge in the field of visual arts. To this end, this work presents two interconnected projects. In the extension field, the Routines were used to train basic education teachers and Youth and Adult Education students. At the same time, an action-research combined with a case study was carried out, involving the application of Routines in a discipline of an undergraduate course in visual arts. The results of both projects suggest that the open-ended and interpretive nature of the questions posed by the Thinking Routines encourages a lively and dynamic conversation, developing thinking dispositions important for the understanding of art. On the other hand, the methodology did not prove adequate to deepen the understanding of theories and concepts specific to the visual arts. Based on these inferences, it is suggested to combine the Thinking Routines with other cultural mediation approaches of a cognitive nature, such as the Critical Understanding of Art, developed by Teresinha Franz, and the Critical Investigation, proposed by George Geahigan.