Dewey and the aesthetic experience: a contribution to Art Education

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5965/24471267722021028

Keywords:

John Dewey, Aesthetic theory, Art teaching, Thought experiment, drama

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to offer contributions to the teaching of arts through the aesthetic theory of John Dewey, performing a thought experiment – ​​narrative that employs fictional literature techniques – which takes place in the form of a drama – a didactic resource that takes the learner to a fictitious scenario in which an educational action takes place. The first section introduces Deweyan theory, emphasizing the concepts of experience, problematic situation, and reflection. The second section presents a drama in which a kindergarten teacher reflects on her experiences with art and seeks a solution to a problem: considering that her own artistic experiences have always been negative, how to teach arts to her students? The article places the teacher inside a thought experiment, in which she learns about Dewey’s theses and gets an answer to her problem. The conclusion of the article suggests that art teachers feel motivated to have experience similar to that of the teacher.

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Author Biographies

Tatiane Silva, Universidade de São Paulo/Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto

Doutora em Educação pelo Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação Escolar da FCLAr - Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP). Durante o Doutorado foi pesquisadora visitante na Texas A&M University (01/08/2015 - 31/12/2015, College Station - TX, com bolsa BEPE-FAPESP). Mestre em Educação pelo Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação da FFCLRP - Universidade de São Paulo (USP) (2013). Possui Graduação em Pedagogia pela USP (2010) e Graduação em História pela UNESP (2006). Membro do Grupo de Pesquisa Retórica e Argumentação na Pedagogia (USP/CNPq). Atualmente é professora-colaboradora na FFCLRP-USP. Professora da Rede de Educação Básica do Município de Ribeirão Preto - SP. Possui pesquisas e principais publicações nas áreas de Filosofia da Educação e História da Educação, focalizando os seguintes temas: Análise Retórica, Sofística, John Dewey, Ralph Waldo Emerson e Educação Brasileira.

Marcus Vinicius Cunha, Universidade de São Paulo/ Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto

Possui graduação em Psicologia pela Universidade de São Paulo (1980), mestrado em Educação pela Universidade de São Paulo (1988), doutorado em Educação pela Universidade de São Paulo (1992) e livre-docência pela Universidade Estadual Paulista (1998). Atualmente é Professor Associado da Universidade de São Paulo (Ribeirão Preto), onde atua no Curso de Pedagogia e no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação. É pesquisador do CNPq (nível 1 - D) e coordena o Grupo de Pesquisa Retórica e Argumentação na Pedagogia (USP/CNPq). Suas pesquisas e principais publicações situam-se nas áres de Filosofia da Educação e História da Educação, focalizando os seguintes temas: Análise Retórica, Sofística, Discurso Pedagógico, John Dewey, Pragmatismo, Educação Brasileira e Escola Nova.

References

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BENTLEY, Arthur F.; DEWEY, John. Knowing and the known. The later works, 1925-1953. In: BOYDSTON, Jo Ann (Org.). The collected works of John Dewey, 1882-1953. Volume 16: 1948. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University, 2008a.

CRICK, Nathan. John Dewey’s aesthetics of communication. Southern Communication Journal, Philadelphia, v. 69, n. 4, p. 303-319, 2004.

CRICK, Nathan. Democracy and rhetoric: John Dewey on the arts of becoming. Columbia: University of South Carolina, 2010.

CRICK, Nathan. Rhetoric and power: the drama of classical Greek. Columbia: University of South Carolina, 2015.

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MIETTINEN, Reijo. The concept of experiential learning and John Dewey’s theory of reflective thought and action. International Journal of Lifelong Education, v. 1, n. 19, p. 54-72, 2000.

SILVA, Tatiane; CUNHA, Marcus Vinicius. Educação, comunicação e imaginação em John Dewey: contribuições teóricas e práticas. Revista Brasileira de Estudos Pedagógicos, Brasília, 2021 (no prelo).

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STROUD, Scott R. The art of experience: Dewey on the aesthetic. In: WOJCIECH, Malecki (org.). Practicing pragmatism aesthetics: critical perspective on the arts. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2014, p. 33-46.

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Published

2021-10-31

How to Cite

SILVA, Tatiane; CUNHA, Marcus Vinicius. Dewey and the aesthetic experience: a contribution to Art Education. Revista Apotheke, Florianópolis, v. 7, n. 2, 2021. DOI: 10.5965/24471267722021028. Disponível em: https://revistas.udesc.br/index.php/apotheke/article/view/20652. Acesso em: 8 aug. 2025.

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 2 (2021): Dewey: Education, Visual Art and Experience

Section

Artigos Seção temática

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