Abstract
One of the important positions of the last curricular reform in Slovenia, which included systemic issues of education (White Paper on Education, 2011) and curricula for compulsory subjects in primary school, is the fact that Slovenia has been integrated into Europe, and thus education should also include the development of core European competences. One such competence is cultural awareness and expression, which until now has been an issue more in the context of cultural policies than school policies in Slovenia. The purpose of the present article is to critically analyse the curricular reform of art education (i.e., visual art education), through which, in terms of certain components of the competence of cultural awareness and expression, it is foreseen that the student will gain a knowledge of art, develop an ability to experience works of art and develop a creative attitude towards art and heritage.Because the starting point and goal of curricular change is the curriculum, our analysis is derived from curriculum theories, and not from the art theories and pedagogical theories that have predominantly framed previous attempts at curriculum analysis. Critical consideration of the curricular reform of art education in primary school in terms of certain components of the competence of cultural awareness and expression was undertaken by comparing curricula in the field of aesthetic education. We compared art education with music education and literature within the Slovenian language curriculum. Qualitative analysis showed that, despite the reform, the curriculum for arts education does not realise selected components of the competence of cultural awareness and expression, largely due to the curriculum’s conceptual structure. Art education is centred principally on art-making activities, with an obviousneglect of appreciation. The integration of arts subjects at school, as proposed by the White Paper, is therefore not possible, due to the existing model of art education. From a practical point of view, the analysis also raised the question of the knowledge and competences of teachers.
Highlights
The last curricular reform was completed in 2011
We find historical and conceptual reviews of aesthetic education (Otto, 1991) and programmes of education in the field of art (Efland, 1991), a special discussion on museum education (Lee & Solender, 1991), with the curriculum in the field of art connected to the issue of the human relationship to art (Morris, 1991), as well as other curricular topics in the field of art education
A comparative analysis of curricula in the field of aesthetic education shows that visual art education does not realise these objectives, the reason primarily being the inadequate conceptual structure of the curriculum, which is organised according to areas of art creation, with goals oriented towards art making that has to be spontaneous and free, and has to enable individuality and subjectivity
Summary
The last curricular reform was completed in 2011. It included conceptual and systemic changes in education included in the White Paper on Education in the Republic Slovenia, as well as updates of curricula for compulsory subjects in primary school. In accordance with this principle, among other things, students need to acquire a knowledge of the history of Slovenia and its culture This is connected with the principle, the principle of creating an awareness of knowing one’s own identity and active involvement in the creation of heritage communities. We critically analyse the curricular reform of art education in primary school in terms of certain competences of cultural awareness and expression This was done by comparing curricula in the field of arts or aesthetic education, taking curriculum theories as a point of departure rather than art theories and pedagogical theories, which have mainly framed previous attempts at curriculum analysis (Zupančič, 2008; Herzog, Batič, & Duh, 2009)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
