Elliot Eisner began his career as a high school art teacher in Chicago in 1956. He became an art teacher at the University of Chicago in 1958 and thereafter developed his career as an instructor in art education at Ohio State University. He moved to a more general position as an instructor in education, University of Chicago until 1962. He became an assistant professor of education at the University of Chicago in 1962, later moving to Stanford - first as an associate professor of education and art then from 1970 on as a professor of education and art. His research about the value of art education to public schooling has been outlined on the National Art Education Association website.
His position is that the arts are important within the wider more general curriculum because they teach students:
- how to make good judgments about qualitative relationships
- that problems can have more than one solution
- (celebrate) multiple perspectives
- that in complex forms of problem solving purposes are seldom fixed, but change with circumstance and opportunity
- (make vivid) the fact that neither words in their literal form nor number exhaust what we can know.
- that small differences can have large effects
- to think through and within a material
- how to learn how to say what cannot be said
- to have experience that can be had from no other source
Elliot’s Contribution to School Reform
"The arts' position in the school curriculum symbolizes to the young what adults believe is important. [Eisner. 2002]
In his time, Eisner argued that public schools, were failing to appreciate the significance of art to the educational development of students. He claimed that by offering an unnecessarily narrow and seriously unbalanced approach to education, the curriculum lacked proper attention to artistic modes of thinking. Howard Gardner made a similar point within his argument for attention to 'multiple intelligences'.
Eisner developed arguments that encouraged more adequate attention being paid to the cognitive aspects of art activity. He cautioned against attitudes to art being coloured by the idea that its practice is motivated by emotional and what are termed 'creative' forces. He powerfully argued that artistic training assists students to develop problem solving skills. He stressed that environment shapes artistic attitudes.
It is essential, he claimed, that educators allow sufficient space in the day for students to explore the world in their own way using the capacities that suite them best. If this need is not met, they miss out on a whole form of experiencing that will be necessary for them to attain a high quality of life when they graduate. Students need to be able to make value judgments and to discern what is important for them with regard to quality of life.
Citizenship Education and the Arts
Some sources go as far as to say that democracy itself is at risk if students are not taught how to be discerning and how to live well with other cultures. To function in democracy voters need to know how to become informed about issues without being caught up in hyperbole or to just follow the crowd. Experiencing the world from a variety of positions can help the student form this ability.
A well balanced education that addresses the spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical needs of the students whilst at the same time training them for their chosen 'life's career' is of benefit to all.
The ideal would be that the arts are interwoven with all aspects of the curriculum. This would ensure that Multiple Intelligences are spoken to and engaged with in a variety of subtle as well as explicit ways.
Resources:
Eisner,E The Arts and the Creation of Mind. 2002. Yale University Press
Smith. M.K, Elliot W. Eisner, Connoisseurship, Criticism and the Art of Education. 2005 INFED
