Freedman Facilitations 1

Teaching Visual Culture, Curriculum, Aesthetics, and the Social Life of Art
Facilitations
Sarah OHeron
Northern Illinois University
ARTE 344:
Resources and Methods in Art Education: Content and Clinical Experience at the Middle Level
Kryssi Staikidis
5/4/2017
Freedman Facilitations 2

FACILITATION SHEET

Title:
Chapter 2: Finding Meaning in Aesthetics- The Interdependence of Form, Feeling, and Knowing,
Teaching Visual Culture

Author(s): Kerry Freedman

Source/Date: Freedman, K. (2003). Finding meaning in aesthetics, the interdependence of form,

feeling, and knowing. In, Teaching visual culture curriculum, aesthetics and the social life of art
(pp. 23-42). New York: Teachers College Press.

Main Idea/Purpose (2-3 sentences):

Chapter Two, Finding Meaning in Aesthetics- The Interdependence of Form, Feeling, and
Knowing, Freedman (2003) focuses on aesthetics and how they are included in the Art Education
curriculum. In order to understand how aesthetics play a role in the curriculum, Freedman
(2003) examines and compares the historical foundation of aesthetic to contemporary aesthetics
and includes examples of how theses topics and issues translate both in and outside of the
classroom. To conclude, John Deweys thoughts of aesthetic on forming meaning related to
experience are discussed to provide an educational perspective for aesthetic education.

Short Overview (Including at least 2-3 important quotes):

Chapter Two of Teaching Visual Arts, Finding Meaning in Aesthetics- The

Interdependence of Form, Feeling, and Knowing, Freedman (2003) introduces that many
aesthetic theories should be considered when teaching visual culture and that a contemporary
education in aesthetics must respond to experiences inside and outside of school (Freedman,
2003, p. 25). The first theory noted is the modernist aesthetic which focuses on the analysis of
physical and perceptual characteristics of art objects and involves the reduction of form to
elements (such as line, shape, and color) and principles (such as rhythm, balance, and unity) of
design, which would be the aesthetic of formal qualities (Freedman, 2003, p. 27). In an art
curriculum this aesthetic focusing on formal qualities enabled nonobjective art, primitive art,
and childrens art to be seen as art, but it was argued that only having a formalism aesthetic
ignored important aspects of interpretation of meaning. Freedman notes the aesthetic of meaning
was lost due to solely a formalism approach because, it closed off symbolic interpretation as a
Freedman Facilitations 3

critical foundation of art education. It became the definition of aesthetic in education and in the
process reduced the importance of social and cultural meanings of art in education (Freedman,
2003, p. 30). After discussing the aesthetic of formal qualities and aesthetic of meaning,
Freeman (2003) moves on to the idea of expressionism through form, related to imagination.

First off, Freedman (2003) states that visual culture is inherently interdisciplinary and
many aspects of it should be taught by crossing histories of cultures and technologies, this can
be compared to the idea of imagination and that it can be argued that people can only artistically
realize their imaginative creations through knowledge of form and materials, such knowledge is
useless without ideas, attitudes, beliefs, and emotions (Freedman, 2003, p. 32). The idea of
visual culture being interdisciplinary, and imaginative creations having multiple aspects relates to
aesthetic from different cultures. Just as there is no single aspect to creative imagination,
aesthetic of culture crosses many borders and Freedman (2003) declares because people with
different backgrounds and interests do not have the same foundations for interpretation and will
experience the same visual culture in different ways, the value of visual culture changes from
one cultural context to another (Freedman, 2003, p. 38). The different ways in which visual
culture is experienced can be compared to how aesthetic education is experienced, which
depends on factors such as age. Freedman (2003) illustrates this idea by stating different age
groups will be able to address aesthetic issues at different levels and artistic styles will be
interpreted differently at different ages, so its important to recognize and include the different
aesthetic theories in an art curriculum (Freedman, 2003, p. 38).
To conclude, Freedman (2003) makes note of John Deweys philosophy that rather than
being universal, art that continues to be valued over time is valued because it is experienced in
new ways by different people at different times, which relates to the idea that art is not only
about the isolated effects of formal qualities, and several aesthetic theories exist that can and
should be drawn upon in teaching. (Freedman, 2003, p. 40, 41).

FACILITATION SHEET

Title: Chapter 3: The Social Life of Art-The Importance of Connecting the Past with the Present,
Teaching Visual Culture

Author(s): Kerry Freedman

Source/Date: Freedman, K. (2003). The social life of art, the importance of connecting the past
with the present. In, Teaching visual culture curriculum, aesthetics and the social life of art (pp.
Freedman Facilitations 4

43-62). New York: Teachers College Press.

Main Idea/Purpose (2-3 sentences):

In chapter three, The Social Life of Art-The Importance of Connecting the Past with the Present,
Freedman (2003) examines the social context of visual culture. Freedman (2003) takes the reader
through the chapter by focusing on the construct of past, present, and future history related to art
of the social, cultural, political, and economical frameworks that should be taken into
consideration when learning about art.

Short Overview (Including at least 2-3 important quotes):

At the beginning of chapter 3 of Freedmans (2003) book it states that the educational
challenge of teaching visual culture of the past is not merely a matter of teaching art history, but
rather the bigger issue of helping students to develop an understanding of the rich social life of
visual culture, which is not just examined through art history, but through other disciplinary
(Freedman, 2003, p. 43). Freedman continues to explain that, studying history helps us to
understand the cultures and societies that provide us with the conceptual locations we now
inhabit and illustrates the limits and possibilities of human behavior, which Freedman (2003)
also notes to not just be of the past, but a reconstruction of the past (Freedman, 2003, p. 44).
The issue of art history in the curriculum is that art history is grounded in the serious and
thoughtful research of selected objects, but it generally gives little attention to larger social,
political, and economic concerns that are the contexts of artistic production, which should not
be excluded because in total all research related to an object forms its context (Freedman, 2003,
p.44).
Another issue expressed by Freedman (2003) is the representation of time by a timeline,
she says that this is problematic because the representation carries with it an assumption that the
past is linear and atomistic, made up of actions and reactions, and as if peoples and ideas that are
off the timeline do not exist. Western art history survey is only one of many possible contexts in
which to present art of the past; and yet, it is by far the most commonly taught in the United
States, when there are many ways to experience and study visual culture which must go
outside of art history for appropriate language and other aids to analysis(Freedman, 2003, p.
48). This timeline as expressed by Freedman should be multidimensional space, rather than a
line, which of various cultural groups inhabit and influence as their ideas coexist and
collide (Freedman, 2003, p. 49). In new approaches to teaching new histories, less important
is the narrow influence of individual objects and styles on subsequent fine art and more
important are the social influences and dynamics of cultural development , and also to keep in
mind context realizing that no image or object has only one context(Freedman, 2003, p. 47,
49). Realizing the many context also causes difficulties in teachings as mentioned by Freedman,
because teaching new art history, which involves greater attention to social and cultural issues,
is difficult in institutions of higher education and secondary schools (Freedman, 2003, p. 49).
Another issue that arises is visual culture that is considered good for one group may
Freedman Facilitations 5

hurt others, so these aspects need to be considered within the educational experience.
(Freedman, 2003, p. 53). On top of that, Freedman notes that we study the past of visual culture
in many ways, the two ways are through our own past and through the perspective of people such
as historians who create the culture history. Because of these multiple perspectives,
encountering the same visual culture will extend meaning differently and in different directions
making idea of metaphor difficult to maintain (Freedman, 2003, p. 56).
Freedman again alludes to the idea that the past and the future coexist in the present,
which should be considered when teaching the history of visual culture (Freedman, 2003, p.
57). In teaching, old assumptions of quality must be interrogated, quality in curriculum content
must be redefined, and instructional methods must be reconsider in relation to contemporary
experience and new educational representations of the past that infuse ideas and practices
involving the social relevance of visual culture are important to making meaning in the
postmodern world (Freedman, 2003, p 52, 62).

Critical Response: Reflections and/or relevance to personal art educational experiences/or

teaching experience
After reading this chapter, I reflected back on some of my previous art history classes and
thought about if in those classes included not just the examination of art through one
perspective, but also included the social, political, and economic research surrounding the art. I
could honestly say that in my introduction art history electives, some of the other context
related to the history of art was not integrated into the curriculum. One aspect specifically is the
inclusion of women artist. Artworks done by women artist especially in non contemporary and
modern art history classes were not mentioned. Freedman expresses in chapter three that art
history is often taught on a time line and as if peoples and ideas that are off the timeline do not
exist, this relates to why women artist were not mentioned as much or not at all in art history
courses, however the history should not be ignored (Freedman, 2003, p. 48). As a teacher, I
want to be sensitive and conscious to all context related to the history of art and present that to
my students, and use an interdisciplinary approach to viewing, talking about, and making
artwork so no one perspective is dominant over another. Critical Response: Reflections and/
or relevance to personal art educational experiences/or teaching experience

I related the text of chapter two to my own teaching experience at St. Marys. I
considered the several aesthetic approaches to art in relation to how I grade my own students art
work. I thought about how its important to expose students to many aesthetics of art, so they
can make artwork that does not confine to only one view of what is expected of creating art.
With that reason in mind, I can grade students artwork based on not only my objectives of skill
and concept, but also aesthetic theories. For example, I can look for formal qualities in artwork,
but also an aesthetic related to meaning, or possibly expression related to a students idea. This
is important because there are so many diverse learners in the classroom with a variety of skill,
who may be stronger in expressing meaning over formal qualities.
Freedman Facilitations 6

FACILITATION SHEET

Title: Chapter 4- Art and Cognition, Knowing Visual Culture, Teaching Visual Culture

Author(s): Kerry Freedman

Source/Date:
Freedman, K. (2003). Art and cognition, knowing visual culture. In, Teaching visual culture
curriculum, aesthetics and the social life of art (pp. 43-62). New York: Teachers College
Press.

Main Idea/Purpose (2-3 sentences):

In Chapter four, Kerry Freedman speaks of the relationship between cognitive process and visual
culture. Freedman accounts for both the emotional importance of learning tied to the cognitive
process of creating meaning. She examines the topic of art and cognition through the research of
psychologist, theorist, and scientist studying development related to psychobiological factors
such as age and stages, and sociological perspectives such as cultural influences, and constructed
knowledge.

Short Overview (Including at least 2-3 important quotes):

To begin, Freedman (2003) states the divide between knowledge and emotion in western
societies, and its affect on the arts within education. She speaks of the relationship between
cognition and the arts, and how it should not be viewed as a separate entity but rather in
conjunction with other developmental factors and knowledge (Freedman, 2003, p. 63). This
knowledge extends beyond the classroom and should be incorporated into a students education
rather than disregarded. For example, Freedman notes that emotion in school subjects other than
art is usually considered best left at the classroom door where cognition, without ties to emotion,
supposedly takes over this type of statement alludes to the idea that learning is
compartmentalized, but really should be a process that does not exclude any forms of
interpretation to create meaning (Freedman, 2003, p. 66). Then, Freedman explains that often
cognition begins the process of creating meaning, and contains many perspectives. The process
begins by the primary analysis of information, which is formed by an individuals construction of
Freedman Facilitations 7

meaning that can be constructed through an individuals memory, but also influences from an
audience. Developmental research related to cognition also considers age factors, and domains of
knowledge. However, these considerations do not account for sociological problems, such as
group influences. Study of cognition in the United States through a psychological perspective
often focused studies of learning in individuals as if isolated from social life, not giving
attention to influences that attribute to art education (Freedman, 2003, p. 74). It is noted by
Freedman that students learn by restructuring information they encounter in relation to their
previous knowledge, which is constructed in the context of a learning situation that happens
in and out of the classroom, so this needs to be considered while teaching students (Freedman,
2003, p.76, 83).

Critical Response: Reflections and/or relevance to personal art educational experiences/or

teaching experience
This chapter stressed my continuing philosophy about the importance of interdisciplinary
teaching, which is not just connecting subjects while teaching but also considering the many
factors of learning related to development. For instance, visual culture is not just an emotional
response, but a cognitive process as well which includes knowledge formed in and out of the
classroom constructed by aspects such as cultural context. Something that stood out to me in
this chapter was the quote by Freedman that read, students develop ideas, attitudes, and beliefs
in and through visual culture, they should be reflecting on that development and the way in
which it changes them as they learn(Freedman, 2003, p. 77). This is important to note because
it makes students conscious of their development, which in turn can promote achievement
through recognition of progress.

FACILITATION SHEET

Title: Chapter 5- Interpreting Visual Culture, Constructing Concepts for Curriculum, Teaching
Visual Culture

Author(s): Kerry Freedman

Source/Date:
Freedman, K. (2003). Interpreting visual culture, constructing concepts for curriculum.
In, Teaching visual culture curriculum, aesthetics and the social life of art (pp. 43-62). New
York: Teachers College Press.
Freedman Facilitations 8

Main Idea/Purpose (2-3 sentences):

Chapter five of Kerry Freedmans book Teaching Visual Culture speaks about how culture and
society can determine and impact the presentation and meaning of visual culture. New concepts
of visual culture change depending on the agenda of its usage. This chapter highlights those
changes, such as how corporate concepts become attached to art and how changes the
cognition of interpretation related to meaning and how visual culture is taught in schools.

Short Overview (Including at least 2-3 important quotes):

Kerry Freedman (2003) speaks about the way visual culture is presented in many settings,
how its used, why, and how those changes create meaning to a viewer depending on the context
and intended purpose. For those reason Freedman (2003) states, curriculum must now address
objects that are made, seen, and judged in terms of an array of sociocultural positions,
interactions, and institutions, thus stressing the idea of interdisciplinary ways of learning in the
classroom (Freedman, 2003, p. 87). These new ways in which visual images are produced with
advancement in technology create change to the way visual culture is presented, and change to
curriculum for art education. Especially in the postmodern world, critical thinking is important in
the classroom because of the mass of visual imagery. This critical thinking is important, but can
present itself to be challenging when conceptualization and interpretation is included within
education because there is a notion that in formal eduction thoughts and ideas should be
supported. Freedman (2003) states this idea well by stressing the push for higher level
interpretive skills that include unpacking underlying assumptions, forming multiple, possible
associations; performing self-conscious, critical reflection, as to investigate visual culture.
(Freedman, 2003, p. 88). Freedman uses the term suggestiveness which refers to the
associative power of visual culture to lead to emotional, cognitive responses and interactive,
multileveled meanings (Freedman, 2003, p. 90). Why is this important? Well, Freedman (2003)
speaks of integration of ideas and suggestiveness promotes extended knowledge to be
constructed, making connections between a range of prior knowledge form outside the
work (Freedman, 2003, p. 90). Freedman (2003) then provides example of a framework for
teaching to include these interpretive skills which are important to visual culture. They include
production contexts, exploration context, function and meaning, and structural support
(Freedman, 2003, p. 92). Freedman then goes on to make relative the framework for
interpretation of visual culture to the postmodern concepts of interpreting visual culture which
presents itself another way of interpreting multiple meanings. These concepts include art as
cultural production, temporal and spatial flux, democratization and concern for otherness,
acceptance of conceptual conflict, and multiple readings (Freedman, 2003, p. 95). Again,
Freedman alludes to visual culture as being this multi-layering of meaningful and context that
Freedman Facilitations 9

crosses over to create concepts of ideas and interpretation.

Critical Response: Reflections and/or relevance to personal art educational experiences/or

teaching experience

In response to this chapter, as similar to chapter 4, again the idea of interdisciplinary

investigation stood out to me and how it can be used as a tool for comparing visual culture
through perspectives beyond just one aesthetic or agenda of art. I related most to the section of
this chapter about Cultural and Personal Interpretation and the Idea of Audience. This chapter
spoke to me as an artist, because it showed me how visual culture through certain agendas can
control what I make and do with the artwork I create. Something I need to be conscious of as a
jewelry artist, who makes functional art to adorn the body, is how I advertise my work and my
intentions of making jewelry. The way corporate businesses and advertisements market art can
set standards for what is accepted in society and glorifies aspects of life I don't feel should be
praised or glorified. Its hard as an artist to compete with something that is constantly presented
to the public. For that reason, I have been reflecting on my own artist practice in conjunction
with being an educator. I want to be a role model for change and justice in and out of the
classroom, so that applies to my studio practice. I want to change the way visual culture is used
and make art be a tool for change and promoting good. It may be challenging to make work that
is more conceptual based rather than formalist, at least for jewelry, so I think more and more of
the intentions of my product. I would one day like to sell my jewelry work, so that its proceeds
go towards something that in turn can benefit the world, and also create incentive to the public
to support the visual arts for positive reasons. This chapter was very insightful to the
development of my idea, and contribute to what will hopefully lead me to my goal.

FACILITATION SHEET

Title: Chapter 6- Curriculum as Process, Visual Culture and Democratic Education, Teaching
Visual Culture

Author(s): Kerry Freedman

Source/Date: Freedman, K. (2003). Curriculum as process, visual culture and democratic

education. In, Teaching visual culture curriculum, aesthetics and the social life of art
(pp. 106-127). New York: Teachers College Press.
Freedman Facilitations 10

Main Idea/Purpose (2-3 sentences):

Chapter six, Curriculum as Process, of Kerry Freedmans book Teaching Visual Culture
addresses democratic curriculum and its characteristics used in teaching about visual culture in
education. Freedman (2003) illustrates democratic curriculum through postmodern perspective,
structures of teaching visual culture, and connection of curriculum to cognitive experience
throughout the chapter.

Short Overview (Including at least 2-3 important quotes):

Freedman (2003) begins the chapter by stating that democratic curriculum can promote
ideals that have been important to the artssuch as intellectual freedom, creative imagination,
and social responsibility, which should relate to students lived experiences and also create more
experiences through the enrichment of curriculum (Freedman, 2003, p. 106). Freedman states
that curriculum expresses autobiography because it is created by people who leave parts of
themselves in their teaching and writing, which is passed on to students so curriculum should be
rooted democratically addressing topics of concerns for students and related to world outside of
school (Freedman, 2003, p. 106, 108). Freedman then goes on to interpret curriculum process
symbolically as being a form of representation, a collage, a creative production, as a likely
stories rather than objectified and disembodied truth, and transparent, to illustrate ideas of
reconceptualizing curriculum and its conditions (Freedman, 2003, p. 109).
Its important to reconceptualize curriculum and its conditions because as Freedman
points out, as an example, is that high school art curriculum often includes learning objectives
with a narrow focus on media skills or the elements and principles of design, which solely is not
enough intersection complexity for the level of learners of this age (Freedman, 2003, p. 112).
Freedman then says that objectives can be planned, but important learning outcomes cannot
always be predicted and, in art education, the best outcomes are often those that are beyond the
box of the objectives in their creativity, imaginativeness, and originality, but to reach those
outstanding learning outcomes the curriculum must integrate more than just a discipline based
curriculum (Freedman, 2003, p. 113). Learning outcomes are important part of the curriculum
process, and so is the planning and design of curriculum to aid in those learning outcomes.
Freedman notes three forms of curriculum design which are sequential curriculum,
interactive curriculum, event experience, and interdisciplinary. Sequential builds on previous
knowledge and can be linear, represented as a building block form, or spiral. Interactive
curriculum includes the experiences students outside of school, which in turn allows for student
to help develop the negotiated curriculum based on their interest. Event experiences is a
curriculum that involves field trips related to visual culture, and are not a students regular day-to-
day experience. Interdisciplinary curriculum integrates multiple subjects within a class.
Freedman then makes connection between curriculum and cognition by stating that
teaching visual culture can serve students best by promoting enriching engagement in activities
that reflect life experiences and provide several levels of thought, and these life experiences
Freedman Facilitations 11

obviously extend beyond the classroom so its important to include subject that is relevant to
students lives beyond the context of school (Freedman, 2003, p. 118). This idea is mentioned by
Freedman when she states that a commonly practiced belief is that students lives outside of
school are left at the classroom door and teachers should overcome student experience outside of
school, which she argues to be hindering of students learning (Freedman, 2003, p. 122).
Freedman also states that culturally diverse art should be included in the classroom to promote
an understanding of the richness of visual culture, increase acceptance of disenfranchised groups,
help students learn about relationships between traditional and contemporary art forms, and
inform students about the aesthetics contributions of world cultures (Freedman, 2003, p. 125).
To conclude, its apparent in this chapter the curriculum should be seen as a process that
has many dynamics are pulled from visual culture and from a democratic education.

Critical Response: Reflections and/or relevance to personal art educational experiences/or

teaching experience

A section that stood out to me in chapter six was Representing Visual Culture in
Curriculum Structures specifically the example Freedman (2003) gave about high school art
curriculum that has a limited scope for objectives mainly focusing on media skills and the
elements/principles of design. Freedman notes that objectives are based on simple formal or
technical skills that are easily taught and assessed, but are disconnected from the complexity
appreciate to instruction for students at this age, which I could agree with reflecting back on
my own high school art experience (Freedman, 2003, p. 112). The art classes I took in
highscool, from what I can remember, seemed to be all discipline based art education which
means that the objectives were focused on media skill and design and element principles. While
I believe this is important to learn obviously because it is art class, I wish the curriculum
integrated what Freedman (2003) speaks of as a democratic curriculum including student
experiences, implementing different forms of curriculum building and planning, and especially
touch on objectives related to integrating culturally diverse art and more conceptual based
objectives.
Subjects seemed to be categorized and separated as well, when they could integrate
knowledge and concepts from different subjects to build on the context of artwork. It was also
mentioned that once students enter a classroom their lives and experiences outside of school are
left at the door when they should be brought into the classroom and pulled out through their
artwork. I felt that I, and many students who took high school art classes could have benefitted
from lessons and objectives that concerned issues important to us as individuals and around the
world. I think the earlier students are exposed and given opportunity to research and express
themselves by the world they live in, through lived experiences, and current world issues can be
beneficial to the development of self and identity, and their place in the world. High school is a
vulnerable time for adolescence and there needs to be an outlet to express and develop self, art
classes can provide that resource, but curriculum needs to dive deeper into the incentive of why
the lesson is being taught besides just developing artist skills related to media.
Freedman Facilitations 12

FACILITATION SHEET

Title: Chapter 7- Art.edu, Technological Images, Artifacts, and Communities, Teaching Visual
Culture

Author(s): Kerry Freedman

Source/Date: Freedman, K. (2003). Art.edu, technological images, artifacts and communities.

In, Teaching visual culture curriculum, aesthetics and the social life of art (pp. 128-146). New
York: Teachers College Press.

Main Idea/Purpose (2-3 sentences)

Chapter seven Art.edu, Technological Images, Artifacts, and Communities discusses the
integration of technology in education, and its relevance to the lives of students and impact on
visual culture. Freedman (2003) focuses on the history of technology, its impact on visual
culture, and societal effects in chapter seven of her book Teaching Visual Culture.

Short Overview (Including at least 2-3 important quotes):

To begin Freedman (2003) says that the invention of photography changed the way in
which people looked at painting, which is comparable now to the increase of new technology
and how visual culture is perceived by society and students (p. 128). The prevalence of
technology usage in visual culture, is a subject that should be integrated into classrooms because
it is apart of the lived experiences of students. Freedman (2003) says that visual technologies
easily and quickly enable us to cross conceptual borders, providing connections between people,
places, objects, ideas, and even professional disciplines , which provides additional support for
why technologies and its impact on visual culture should be considered when teaching art
education (p. 128). Freedman (2003) also speaks about the conception of computers as providing
a fake reality, but also can be more real than reality speaking of this term as hyperreality,
which can collapse time and space, which is important to include in curriculum and understand
that technology blurs boundaries of truth and fiction (p. 129).
Freedman compares playing video games to the art process, as she says one can easily
lose all track of time in the same way one does when creating a work of art ( p. 131). Not only
is it comparable to the making of art, but video game imagery is seductive and video games are
highly prevalent in the student population. Freedman (2003) reflects that this in itself is a good
reason to include them when considering issues of visual culture, which allows a curriculum
that crosses over between visual forms, video games and education (p. 131). Video games while
Freedman Facilitations 13

entertaining, also involve problem solving, and have narrative all which is important to
development of children and adolescence. Freedman (2003) states most educators understand
that the only way to effectively teach is to start where the students are conceptually located, so
technology use surrounding visual culture such as video game subject should be integrated into
classroom and the use of technology in general (p. 134). Students in higher level education as
mentioned by Freedman (2003) implement technology as platforms for presenting their research
or art, such as making websites or creating youtube videos, so its important to teach the usage of
technology in relation to students interest.
Although technology seems to be present in the daily lives of many students, Freedman
(2003) brings up the equity issues of technology usage in the classroom, and how students from
different ethnic backgrounds may have different experiences with technology, so its important
to find common ground (p.139). Teachers must be aware of its usage and accessibility to all
students, and teachers should not just be facilitators as stressed by Freedman (2003), but rather
increase attention to the interpretive and critical analysis of imagery and other visual forms of
information of technology use (p. 139).
Also to be considered, is how new technology used in visual culture impacts students. For
example, the topic of digital alteration is mentioned by Freedman (2003), specifically the editing
of photographs of women used in advertisement that create a body image of females that is not
realistic to the mass majority. This type of technology usage on visual culture has an influence on
students about the way they feel about themselves and their own image. This type of visual
culture should not be ignored but integrated into education as a topic to be discussed and
investigated, examining the hyperreality of technology. Freedman (2003) also speaks about how
television impacts students lives, and learning of visual culture. Television has the power to
convince, persuade, seduce, make what is fiction seem to be fact, and make reality appear
unreal, which is true of visual culture ( p.143). There is also debate about the eduction
implications of television, and how television can benefit youth but also have the influence to
develop sexist and racist attitude through the content of television shows (p. 144). Its called
upon to educators to address issues within visual culture and examine the use of technology by
giving students the power to create their own visual culture that can speak to their interest, but
also change the way technology is used for visual culture and benefit society.
To conclude, technology is a huge part of visual culture and has impact on the lives of
students everywhere they turn, and should be integrated into the classroom by teachers
considering the roles and responsibilities of the educational purposes of technology in relation
to visual culture (p. 146).

Critical Response: Reflections and/or relevance to personal art educational experiences/or

teaching experience

The section about the fake documentary titled The Blair Witch Project filmed by students
at Florida State University, which was about the students who disappeared when searching for
the story of Blair Witch was a successful example of how to illustrate ways in which students
Freedman Facilitations 14

can shape the media by crossing over high and low tech boundaries (p. 134). I related this to
my future idea and belief of technology integration in the classroom. An idea for a lesson plan
that Ive had for a while now, is for students to create a film using provided videocameras
allowing for students to determine the story of their film following the structure of story telling.
I think its important for students to use technology to express themselves and be in control of
what they want to capture. This is important related to visual culture because the use of
technology in visual culture is controlled a lot of the time by corporations that don't promote the
best type of imagery. By giving students control of content and what they want to show, gives
voice to the youth population and promotes the future control of how students will use
technology to express themselves and their ideas.

FACILITATION SHEET

Title: Chapter 8- Contributing to Visual Culture, Student Artistic Production and Assessment,
Teaching Visual Culture

Author(s): Kerry Freedman

Source/Date: Freedman, K. (2003). Contributing to visual culture, student artistic production

and assessment, In, Teaching visual culture curriculum, aesthetics and the social life of art (pp.
147-168). New York: Teachers College Press.

Main Idea/Purpose (2-3 sentences):

Chapter Eight, Contributing to Visual Culture, Student Artistic Production and Assessment,
addresses the methods of assessing the production of artwork in the classroom and the
appropriate strategies to consider while assessing student artwork and process work.

Short Overview (Including at least 2-3 important quotes):

To begin, Freedman (2003) states that the studio in an educational setting is not one of a
single artist alone, and then goes on to relate that to visual culture by saying it is best
understood when students are able to learn relationships between concepts and skills through
their infusion in curriculum while developing their own style (p. 147). Freedman (2003) also
mentions how students want to communicate and be understood, often about social issues and
method of responding through art is public and the message is often communal, even if
students experiences are often privatized (p. 148). Freedman (2003) says assessment should not
Freedman Facilitations 15

just be the receiving of grades, but a thoroughly communicated practice with regards to the
importance of social and cultural conditions, which can support and enhance learning (p. 149).
Freedman (2003) notes that assessment of art is not a matter of being subjective or
objective; it is a matter of experience, and this experience should be shared between students
( p. 150). As well as assessment, addressing concepts and skills should allow for those students
who go beyond the box of instructional objects (p. 151). Some provided examples in chapter
seven of alternative assessment are portfolios, which are being implemented across subject, and
allow for teacher and student dialogue, methods of group critique, and self-assessment.
The remainder of the chapter stresses the method of group assessment and the
importance of teacher understanding of the process that promote group learning and that group
assessment should be part of the learning process, and how the promotion of collaboration is
an essential element for success because it involves students in constructing shared meanings
that will aid their understanding of disciplines and discipline communities (p. 162). Student
group assessment involves changes in lesson design to accommodate, and even enhance,
student collaboration and peer assessment, which teachers need to be aware of as to implement
lessons that promote group involvement and ultimately assessment outcomes (p. 164). It is also
mentioned by Freedman (2003) the teachers responsibility to observe the group learning of
students by videotaping lesson as a way to have concrete tool for assessment (p. 166).
Ultimately, assessment is something teachers and students equally need to be involved
with and teachers responsibility is to design curriculum that benefit the outcomes of assessment
that go beyond just addressing skill and design principles, but allow for analysis and group
assessment with peers.

Critical Response: Reflections and/or relevance to personal art educational experiences/or

teaching experience

In chapter eight Freedman (2003) mentions the reflection of one of her graduate students
experience with assessment that I related to. It is mentioned that the graduate student had two
students who made assemblage that reflected childhood memories. One student pieced their
assemblage together using toys, games, and christmas lights that did not exhibit a planned
design compositionally, while the other students assemblage utilized the knowledge of design
elements and principles. Prior to assessment, that involved students the allowance to discuss
their work, the graduate student saw the students that was well organized as a more successful
assemblage. However, the student that created the assemblage titled Childhood Pinball
Machine with the toys, games, and christmas lights, had more to say conceptually about their
work and back up the significance of their chosen material. This stood out to me, because
during this semester I learned the implications of assessment that go beyond a discipline based
art education objective. I found that while assessing students artwork I had to consider all
aesthetic theories of art and the importance of artist statements that go along with students
artwork.
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