ACADEMIC Teaching Art History in the visual world
When Robyn Peers began teaching Art History, her main tool was a set of slides sent out by the Ministry of Education – with a very limited number of images on which to base learning.
“I’ve had boys with dyslexia who find written material difficult to access, but who have exceptional visual learning skills. They find the Khan Academy video lectures in front of significant artworks the best way to revise and supplement the work we do in class. “Teaching Art History in the digital age is an exciting opportunity. My classroom practice has changed completely with the incredible wealth of images available and these resources allow boys to be in control of their own learning.
Google Docs allow the boys to work together, sharing insights, research and ideas. Rather than images being chosen by me, the boys can choose the ones they want to illustrate the information they are learning about. “Altogether, it’s an exciting time to be working in the visual field. We’re now living in a time where visual information is becoming increasingly important, and analysis and interpretation of visual material is a vital skill for all of us.”
But the advent of the Internet has changed all that. “It has completely opened up what we can now study,’’ says Robyn. “Apps such as Google Images have meant so many works are available online. Google Art means we can get a close-up of the brushwork and painting much better than we would get if we were looking at the real thing in a gallery. Louvre, visit MOMA, and keep up to date with current exhibitions and read reviews from all over the world. We can use Google Earth to visit architectural sites and are not just restricted to one view – we can start with a street view and move around the whole site. With sculptures, we can also move around and view all aspects of the work. “Having a group of technologically- savvy boys in my class around eight years ago really opened my mind to what was possible in terms of accessing information. The boys would regularly find articles and YouTube footage relating to the topics we were studying. The Khan Academy from the United States is also a phenomenal educational resource for Art History classes, as well as other areas. “We can take a virtual tour of famous galleries such as the
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College Issue 33 2017
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