Aesthetic engagement: pathways to teacher self-identity

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5965/25944630922025e6868

Keywords:

Aesthetic engagement, Self-identity, Experiential, Holistic

Abstract

This paper draws attention to links between aesthetic engagement and pre- and in-service teacher self- identity. Generally, my students have little or no background in art or art  education. The courses, both graduate and undergraduate, are  electives. The paper is divided into two parts. Part 1 begins with  an overview of terms and concepts associated with aesthetics  and argues for attention to ‘engagement’ rather than  ‘experience’. Further, it argues for inclusion of classes in  aesthetic engagement throughout public school education as  preparation for, and participation in, what Maxine Greene has  called ‘wide-awakeness’. That state of being involves an  understanding of the place of imagination, empathy, and value  discernment in education, and teachers’ moral duty. Part 2  introduces two strategies for prompting engagement with  artworks through evocative writing, a ‘show’ versus ‘tell’  emphasis. The writing has a pedagogical goal: to assist in the  sharing of experiences so that the teacher can guide students to enlarged aesthetic encounters. But teachers must also engage  in writing their own evocative responses, to gain some grasp of  the possible range of aesthetic responses and thus achieve  credibility in their teaching of aesthetic engagement. Thus, the  examples are meant as guides to students and teachers alike.  The paper concludes with an example of ‘found’ poetry  regarding a particular artwork, followed by the author’s poem  devoted to the same artwork. 

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Author Biography

Boyd White, McGill University

Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, McGill University.Ph.D. in Art Education from Concordia University. Current research examines pre-service teacher identity development, and the potential for the involvement in the arts to contribute to identity development. Ongoing research addresses the nature of aesthetic encounters and their contributions to learning.

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Published

2025-06-01

How to Cite

WHITE, Boyd. Aesthetic engagement: pathways to teacher self-identity. Revista de Ensino em Artes, Moda e Design, Florianópolis, v. 9, n. 2, p. 1–23, 2025. DOI: 10.5965/25944630922025e6868. Disponível em: https://revistas.udesc.br/index.php/ensinarmode/article/view/26868. Acesso em: 29 jul. 2025.