Grounding art curricula in complexity theory: Student engagement in meaningful artmaking and critical thinking
This study aims to explore what happens when arts practitioners create a middle school art curriculum grounded in complexity theory and how such curriculum affects students’ meaningful artmaking and critical thinking skills. Based on a review of literature on art education, complexity theory, and constructivist learning theories, I analyzed a curriculum based on my experience observing a local middle school art classroom and a curriculum I created based on how I envisioned I would have taught the curriculum. The analysis of the curricular documents demonstrated that arts curricula can lack educational opportunities for students to participate in meaningful artmaking processes that involve forms of independent inquiry and require the critical consideration of why and how they are making art. The results indicate that when arts practitioners create art curricula grounded in complexity theory, complex learning systems are able to develop within the art classroom. Such complex learning systems contribute to student engagement in processes of meaningful artmaking and critical thinking. Further research is needed to examine the practical implementation of art curricula grounded in complexity theory in art classes.
meaningful artmaking, complexity theory, art education, complex learning systems, critical thinking skills, art curricula, art curriculum, middle school, constructivism, complexity theory in art education
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign