Postcolonial Theory and Cultural Critique
How do the concepts of interdisciplinary learning, interpretation and meaning, connect to art education?
Identify what postcolonial arts can offer educators now? How can you use these ideas in the classroom?
Man, after reading these articles, and especially after attending the conference last weekend my mind is spinning. I am chin deep in STEAM education- interdisciplinary learning, arts integration etc. I get enthusiastic when other fields of study support the arts by acknowledging that they are naturally a part of the creative process and the way things work. When some teachers at my school started attending STEM conferences I immediately inserted myself into the conversation and insisted upon including the A. The response I have gotten from other educators, legislators and business leaders has been mostly positive. Once you put the “A” out there so many people come out of the woodwork and have come up to me at robotics competitions and at conventions and explain how they are both an engineer and an artist, or how they have how being involved in the arts has helped their students be creative in other areas.
However, I have also witnessed the resistance to STEAM. I had a highly respected and successful female engineer tell me she didn’t know what all of the hubbub was about,, that “all engineers are artists.“ Well, why can’t all artists be engineers then?! At the conference this weekend I brought up the STEAM issue with Olivia Gude, and she expressed concern that within this field the emphasis is so heavy on design that the other arts aren’t even considered. The Dean of education at UNI during his introduction speech mentioned that STEAM was so concerned with job skills that the other benefits of art education were being lost.
I have conflicting feelings about how STEAM education and arts integration can work and how it should work within the walls of our schools. Working in an alternative school, I see many students flounder after graduating, or not graduate at all, and I see the need for all educators, especially high school and post high school to prepare their students for life after academia. I resent the impression that art teachers are simply teaching students a hobby. Creativity and design thinking are real world skills- we should be able to show students how to utilize these skills outside of the class.
In my STEAM classes right now I’m regretting my decision this semester to mandate technology in their projects. Since one of our project initiatives is to utilize the technology we have at our disposal, I find myself pushing design lessons on students who are just not interested. There are so many ways to utilize technology that I am planning on loosening up this requirement next semester.
Finally- everything is connected- in an ideal world I think co-teaching is the answer- models like High tech High where students can express their learning in the medium mode of their choice seems to create the deepest connections and honest learning.
The article on post colonialism was a reminder of contemporary social issues. As educators we need to be sensitive to the concept of the “other.” It was a reminder to be sensitive to the experiences of minorities- another reminder that we live in a world of stereotypes and inequity. It asks us to consider multicultural experiences and issues with a critical eye. Authenticity itself should be questioned and is often manufactured to serve a purpose, and looking at culture through this lens can be a valuable lesson for our students.
